Take your furry friend to this pet-friendly cafe at Gustav's, Mosman Park

Gustav's, Mosman Park

I've never had a pet dog or cat in my entire life, so I've never actively sought out a pet-friendly cafe when eating out. So when my good friend's adorable puppy changed her lifestyle (for the better!), I never thought it would end up influencing myself too by dictating where we would be going for brunch.

I ended up conducting some research on Instagram and came across a gorgeous and amusing little cafe called The Leaky Tap, whose page is flooded with pooches drinking out of insanely cute but nevertheless insane toilet bowls.

Please don't freak, they were massive cups shaped exactly like toilets, and the dogs have never looked happier to drink right out of them!

Huey - you may remember him from cooking adventures on afternoon TV

Unlike the tendency to delay the fixing of a leaky tap, I felt the immediate urge to link my friend to The Leaky Tap and we ended up there pretty soon. Before going there just for Huey, my friend came across Gustav's, which was also in the same area. And thanks to the effect of positive comments on Urbanspoon - no matter how real or fake they are - we dropped by, but not before having no idea where the actual place was.

Gustav's is quite literally hidden down a driveway, away from obvious views from the street. An inconspicuous sign next to the road directs you down the driveway, and even when you reach the end it is not clear the actual cafe is there due to the lack of any signage to indicate you are at Gustav's instead of trespassing somebody's front yard.

The entrance is small and unexpecting, and once inside you are actually still...outside. The seating area is under timber roofing, providing shelter from the elements but still very much like an outdoor patio. A fake tree with bare branches stands as a striking centrepiece and whilst the design is so unique, we were thinking how much of a nightmare it must be to clean and maintain!

Sweet Potato Rosti - $16

We have a read of the breakfast and lunch menus, which are both short and sweet. Nothing in particular jumped out and said 'Eat me!', so I had a snoop at their daily specials until something did. And I'm so glad this did :)

My beautiful brunch

The special of the day was a sweet potato rosti dish, with two poached eggs, grilled mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, chilli and dukkah. I was afraid of the potato rosti being too oily for me to eat, but the staff were only too accommodating and made it with less oil for me as possible. The flat cake of grated sweet potatoes was admittedly dry as a result, but this was my fault! (Although a small cup of balsamic vinegar and olive oil is provided, but I sadly left it alone). Whilst the star component of the dish was my least preferred due to its blandness, I did still like the crisp exterior and contrasting soft innards textures.

The feature of this dish that made my heart flutter was definitely the grilled mushrooms. As the silent hero of my dish, they were flavoursome and oh so aromatic! Three just wasn't enough and I would have happily devoured another 10 or so more (not even joking). The eggs were poached perfectly and the golden yolk that gently oozed out provided the moisture needed to enhance the dish, as there isn't any sauce.

Nay for eggs that are well done, but yay for eggs that are done well!

Hello gorgeous!

A sprinkling of their house made dukkah on top especially does wonders for the aesthetics of the plate, and also worked wonders for the taste and texture. The combination of herbs, nuts and spices add a crisp and crunchy texture to each mouthful as they give a savoury kick to the taste.

Increasingly so, I find that you're not only buying a plate of food when you go out for a meal, but you're actually buying a beautiful piece of art put together by a talented artist who also happens to be a chef. When things look too good to eat, you go ahead and DESTROY it haha!

Poached Eggs - $10

Opting for a light breakfast which I really thought would not even satisfy her, my friend was nothing less than impressed. Although this was such a simple dish that had me silently screaming at her when she ordered it, this was simplicity done right and enough to make her really happy about her choice.

I'll have to admit, it's the prettiest eggs on toast I have ever seen. I'm not a big fan of having my food served to me on slates/planks of wood/whatever is trending in hipster cafes that make horrible sounds when my fork hits the bottom, this made it look rustic and just so beautiful.

I grilled her on what made her eggs on toast so worthy of her praise, but she couldn't pinpoint the exact thing that made her so 'wow'. Her two free range eggs were equally as perfect as mine, so perhaps in combination with the lightly grilled, crisp and buttered bread was what made her dish such a game changer.

Even so, I still would still never ever order eggs on toast at a restaurant - because forget YOLO, I have a serious case of FOMO on all the other potentially delicious things I would have sacrificed for eggs on toast!

I spy a pizza menu!

There is limited seating at Gustav's, but this little space is full of character. Everything you see in the area just look like they belong exactly where they are, right from the pots and pans, to colanders, to the lanterns and light fixtures hanging around the ceiling or draped over poles. Together, it is a sight you'd expect to see in someone's old but loved garage space, strewn full of their own belongings.

There's also a fry-pan clock hanging on the inside wall which I would love to make my own!

And naturally, a pizza oven

Gustav's has only been open for under 6 months, but good word are spreading and it doesn't take much (or long) to fill up the tables, especially with the limited seating available. It shares the same premises as a clothing store so there is only the choice of outdoor seating at a handful of tables. Unfortunately the only downside was the wait time it took from ordering to actually eating - a good 40 minutes for both our orders. This is probably longer than acceptable for most people, so it is a good idea to leave yourself plenty of time and prep your stomach with the anticipation of knowing it is worth the wait.

My eyes fixated on that door - the diagonal opening is just so awesome!

There was a dog parked out at the cafe's entrance the entire time, which presumably is one of the staff member's dogs. With Gustav's being pet-friendly, we were able to bring Huey right inside (technically, still outside!) and taking up more of the already cramped space, which the staff were totally cool with.

I also love the staff here, all of whom are down to earth and up for a chat. The service is great but then again, Huey does pull in all the ladies haha! We were looked after well but what mattered to me was that the staff are friendly and their smiles were genuine. And that alone, is something I find to be a very rare, thus very cherished trait.

The entrance at Gustav's, Mosman Park. Don't miss it.

Gustav's

Tuesday - Saturday: 7am-3:30pm

Sunday: 8am-2pm

15 Glyde Street, Mosman Park WA 6012

0449015425

Bookings available

Healthy, guiltless herbivore eating at The Raw Kitchen, Fremantle

The Raw Kitchen

It is somewhat out of character for me to make a trek to Fremantle for dinner (although this mindset must change to make way for the bustling dining scene of Freo!), it made sense to find a feed here after some frolicking around at the beautiful Cottesloe Beach for Sculptures by the Sea. It was about time I visited The Raw Kitchen, a place that ticks all my boxes - having a menu in which I would be able to eat any dish that I could close my eyes and point my finger at. More so, I was interested in how much it would take to get our meat-loving bellies full and remain that way.

Summer Green - $9.50

Like a meal on its own, we started with this green smoothie - cool, refreshing and quenches your thirst for healthiness. Its combination of greens including organic spinach and cucumber blended with mango, lemon and dates results in a summery drink with a natural tinge of sweetness. I did notice the sky high price but hey, I've just gotta get used to Perth doing this to its people.
What I also found intriguing was the metal straw. An inflexible straw = mind blown.

Pad Thai - $24

Andy was very excited to eye out the words Pad Thai and other greasy, protein-heavy dishes on the menu like curries, but I gently let him down by reminding him of where we were dining - hello RAW KITCHEN! No signs, smells or sights of any woks here that even the mention of Pad Thai seems a little taboo.

A different kind of noodles

Looking deceptively noodley, there are long, stringy strands of zucchini noodles with an almond 'satay' sauce mixed through the dish, amongst a medley of vegetables such as capsicum, baby corn, snow peas, mung bean sprouts with fresh herbs, tamarind and kaffir lime.

Zucchini almost looking like real noodles!

The 'Pad Thai' available here is of course, a far and healthy cry from the kind we are accustomed to. This is a fresh and very clean edition of the greasy favourite kind I adore and to be honest it was somewhat difficult to fall in love with eating raw zucchini. This is the first time I tried zucchini noodles, the latest destination of the health-craze train. I must give credit to how long and thin the zucchini strands are sliced to mimic the appearance and nearly even texture of normal noodles - we spent a good 5 minutes studying a single noodle strand to try to deduce whether these were noodles with zucchini added in or actually made from zucchini itself.
Ooh aren't we just so silly!

Refreshing, but I finished this dish craving actual Pad Thai and a serious carb fix. Oh carbs, I could never leave 'em!

Yellow Coconut Curry - $27

In hindsight, I am not surprised that we ended up choosing the Asian-style dishes to try from the vegan menu. It is interesting to see the creative elements of how to rework these types of dishes into something healthy that you don't feel the slightest pang of guilt for eating.

I actually really enjoyed the yellow coconut curry dish, a shallow dish of creamy 'curry' sauce with lupin tempeh, broccoli, sweet potato chunks, lime and chilli, complete with the finishing touch of  crispy shallots scattered on top for fragrance and flavour. Not forgetting about curry's best friend - rice - the substitution is a small dish of quinoa on the side.

The heavenly raw dessert cabinet!

Strategically placed where the counter to pay is, the multi-tiered cabinet of desserts features a whole range of guilt-free (how many times have I said that right!) treats that you can't help but check out from top to bottom when lining up to pay. There are chocolates, then there are raw balls, then just out of the corner of your eye are more tempting caramel slices and a selection of raw cheesecakes just to test out your ability to resist.

Needless to say, we left with some balls. Meh, what does resisting temptation even mean!

Just like its menu and philosophy to real, natural food, the interior of The Raw Kitchen is very much simplistic and exposed. The warehouse style restaurant is big and spacious, where the extra space houses a retail store and is also used for other purposes such as yoga classes and workshops on the premises.

The most beautiful bottles of poison

Clever use of a shipping container

The Raw Kitchen is a haven for those who have food intolerances, as the kitchen is very accommodating and have taken care to design a very thoughtful and creative menu free of dairy, gluten and refined sugar. As my friend once said to me when suggesting a place for dinner, that this was a restaurant where I could "actually eat everything on the menu!"

Carnivores might resent places like this and probably won't willingly find themselves eating from a plant-based menu, but with such an interesting menu, they just might realise that not eating meat for a meal is not such a big missed-steak after all ;)

The Raw Kitchen, Fremantle

The Raw Kitchen
Monday - Thursday: 11am-4pm
Friday - Sunday: 11am-9pm
Closed public holidays

181A High Street, Fremantle WA 6160
(08)9433 4647

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