Cravings Cafe, East Perth
A few weeks before Christmas, I had two breakfasts at Cravings Cafe in East Perth.
First, workmate J and I both had scrambled eggs on toast (AU$10, add $1 for cheesy scrambled), washed down with freshly squeezed orange juice (AU$6.50). The orange juice was indeed freshly squeezed to order, chilled with ice cubes and was served in tall portly glasses. So simple yet so perfect. Freshly squeezed fruit juices are available for takeaway too.
Freshly squeezed orange juice, AU$6.50
The menu states that breakfast is cooked fresh to order and will take about 15 minutes but it didn’t take that long for the food to arrive. The soft scrambled eggs were piled on top of thick-cut toast. With a little salt and pepper, delicious!
Scrambled eggs on toast, AU$10
Sure, we could squeeze our own orange juice, scramble eggs and make toast at our own homes, but that can be tricky on weekday mornings for many of us! It was nice to sit in the sunshine enjoying a simple hot breakfast and forget about the office for just a little while longer.
The next week, I had breakfast again at Cravings, this time with my friend Chad.
Freshly squeezed orange juice and capuccino
I ordered the breakfast bruschetta (AU$12.50) – crusty sourdough bread toasted and topped with spinach, ricotta cheese, mushrooms and grape tomatoes tumbling onto the plate, and a garnish of snow pea sprouts.
Breakfast bruschetta, AU$12.50 and freshly squeezed orange juice
My bruschetta was a breakfast beauty, fresh and tasty. The tomatoes were sweet, the mushrooms and spinach juicy. I was reminded why I only really like ricotta when it’s baked in a cheesecake or stuffed in a crispy cannoli – I find cold ricotta in its pure form clammy and unappealing (well, I’ve never heard of anything that’s been described as clammy also described as appealing, have you? :)). If I could choose the cheese for this breakfast bruschetta, I’d pick feta. Or even better, grilled haloumi. But having said that, and acknowledging that the cheese adds colour contrast and flavour to the dish, I reckon with generous amounts of grilled sweet tomatoes and juicy mushrooms and spinach, cheese may not even be necessary.
Breakfast bruschetta, AU$12.50
Chad ordered the eggs Benedict with home cooked ham (AU$14.50), with the hollandaise sauce on the side, which she used more like a dipping sauce. The eggs and ham were served on crisp toasted Turkish bread that soon soaked up the gooey soft egg yolks.
Eggs benedict (hollandaise on the side), AU$14.50
The eggs Benedict are also available with smoked salmon instead of home cooked ham for $16.90.
Breakfast was great. I rather liked the look of Chad’s grilled ham. In my enthusiasm with my fork I kept squirting grape tomato juice everywhere… poor Chad!
My only complaint was that our dishes weren’t cleared away. It was a bit strange, really. After we’d eaten our food, we decided to stay a bit longer and keep chatting – we ordered another round of hot drinks. When the waiter delivered Chad’s second coffee and my tea, she took Chad’s empty first coffee cup away but left our dishes and my empty orange juice glass sitting on the table, just as you see in the photo below. She circled the tables a few times while we were there but never stopped to clear our table, despite the obvious hint.
CLEAR ME – How big a hint do you need to clear our table?
Cravings Cafe
129 Royal Street
East Perth WA 6004
Telephone: (08) 9225 6215
Breakfast is served from 7am to 11am
My favourite Cravings takeaway items
I’ve really enjoyed Cravings’ freshly squeezed orange juice, made to order – and their meaty homemade sausage rolls.
EDIT: I’ve also eaten lunch at Cravings – they make a pretty good BLT.
