Etro Cafe & Bistro Perth | CBD – Lifestyle by Lily

I love nothing more than finding a new breakfast spot for Ms. D and I to venture to. We had the opportunity to have breakfast in the newly renovated Etro Café & Bistro in Perth CBD.

Etro is in a very central location on the corner of Murray St. and King St. in the CBD.
The first thing you will notice are the tables outside and large windows but cast your eyes above that and you will see a very funky rooftop bar. It was looking good and we hadn’t even stepped inside.

On entry we were greeted and invited to choose our own table. Cold water was served along with a menu each. We gave our usual coffee order, a Flat White for Ms. D and a Long Black w/milk for me.

First thing about the menu, there are so many options! The menu is served all day so there are a few options typically seen on a lunch menu as well as a range of typical breakfast options.
When our coffees arrived, I still had no idea what to order. I was stuck between the Potato Cake ($20.50) and the Fried Chicken Waffle ($23) so I asked the waitress what she would recommend. She suggested the BBQ Pull Pork ($22) so Ms. D snapped up that option and I was still torn. I wasn’t getting anywhere so ‘eeny, meeny, miny, mo’ helped me decides on the Potato Cake.

All ordering completed and we had time to sit back and chat about our adventures from the night before while taking in our surroundings.
The cafe itself is quite long and narrow but there is adequate space between the tables. There is a slightly raised platform at the back of the cafe with long bright windows to allow lots of natural light in, this is where we were sitting.
The kitchen can be partially seen through a serving window and you can’t help but redirect your eyes when you see someone walk past it in the kitchen.
Our coffees arrived, loved the coffee art. I’m not sure what the coffee blend was but we both loved it and didn’t keep much to have with breakfast.

Another bonus point came to mind when both dishes arrived at the same time. I hate others waiting to begin breakfast until all dishes have arrived as some establishments can be rather slow with this, no worries about that at Etro.

I was very excited when I saw the presentation of my dish so I think I’ll take you through that one first.
The presentation of the dish was absolutely flawless. Everything was put in a particular place to showcase each element in all its colourful goodness. Starting from the bottom, there was a decent sized portion of spinach with a nice hint of garlic, and some chopped red onion and capsicum. The potato cake was crunchy on the outside and the potato was soft and fluffy inside. I found this unusual, a ‘typical’ potato cake is quite textured but I enjoyed the smoothness of this potato cake.

Resting on top was a fairly obvious home made black pudding. This was the only part of the dish I thought I may not like but surprisingly, I loved it and I definitely stepped outside my comfort zone with this element. The black pudding was coarse and textured, yet soft and delectable. It had quite a strong flavour, as all puddings do, so I took a little piece with each bite.

Another important part, the egg! I pierced the yolk and a bright flowing yellow river came out, perfect. I think with the textures and moisture of the other elements, I didn’t miss the second egg as much as I have done previously, however, I’d have eaten it if it was there. The slight pepper and lime in the hollandaise added a pop of acidity to the dish and really wrapped it all together. The perfect dish! I would highly recommend it to hungry dinners and I’m so confident it will fill you, you can send me the bill if you leave hungry.

Ms. D went for the BBQ Pulled Pork without out the option of fries as we were in for breakfast, however, the choice is available. The presentation of the dish is simple and shows all parts of the dish. It’s far from a burger thrown together, hoping nothing falls out.

The pulled pork was delicious and tender with slight seasoning which did not take away from the taste of the pulled pork. The pork sat on a small mound of fresh slaw which was lightly dressed, adding more moisture and crunch to the dish.

The second best element of the dish was the chilli chutney, it was ‘the icing on the cake’ or burger in this case. The chutney added a little spice and sweetness to the burger and really tied all of the flavours together.

All of these great flavours were sandwiched between a fresh and lightly toasted brioche bun. Ms. D said that the portion size was filling as a breakfast but she would consider the fries if it was a lunch time purchase. I also tasted the dish and loved it.

If you are in the city and in need of a great coffee and a tasty breakfast, stop into Etro Café & Bistro. I hope it doesn’t take you as long to decide on a dish as it took us.

My Rating: 4.8