by Buster the bruncher
Brunch reviewers should remain open-minded, catering for all tastes. Why else would your faithful foodie order fried potato at 10am?
Likewise, brunch buddy Professor Ken resisted the temptation to opt for traditional eggs and bacon.
Shenton Park’s quaintly-named The Little Pantry, of course, wouldn’t dish out a simple serve of fried potato. No, this is patatas bravas, a Spanish native dish.
Patatas bravas evolved after Spain conquered the Inca empire in 1542. Spuds had been considered animals´ food and poisonous to humans, but it’s amazing what a food shortage can bring on.
Patatas bravas means spicy potatoes, typically consisting of white potatoes cut into 2cm-wide cubes, fried in oil and served warm with a spicy sauce.
The result is a tasty, gorgeous celebration of ingredients which can vary greatly. In this case it brought together spud cubes, tomato, smoked paprika, aioli, poached eggs and parsley.
Celebration is certainly the right word for this delicious Little Pantry dish which could easily be consumed for breakfast, flavour oozing in a big ceramic bowl. At $19, who’s complaining about a dish that, in my eyes, rates higher than a Spanish bullfight? (Actually, anything rates higher than a brutal bullfight).
Servings are generous enough, even for millennials who made up the nearly full house, along with baby boomers and a couple of ‘suits’.
Brunch buddy Ken selected truffle scrambled eggs on ciabatta toast, dressed with gem lettuce – in a lovely chunk. He is still talking about the flavours.
He was also super-impressed at being able to detect in his antioxidant juice the individual flavour bites of beetroot, celery, carrot and apple.
“Oh, the way the sweetness of the apple came though the other flavours,” he gushed.
The $9 cost was the same for my refreshing juice of watermelon, orange, apple and ginger.
The Little Pantry’s outdoor and indoor seating sets the right atmosphere for a suburban eatery.
Fascinating menu options – all coded – include vegan, gluten free, a nuts alert and dairy-free. “Evoo”, we noted, stands for extra virgin olive oil.
The menu helpfully points out that: “our milk is heated to a temperature of 55/65ºC as the association of specialty coffee recommends.”
Customers can request a hotter brew.
Among other dishes, the porridge with hibiscus poached pear, honey, hazelnut and cinnamon ($16) was tempting. Passionfruit Bircher muesli ($15) with coconut cream, apple chia, mango coulis, strawberry and mint will have to wait for another day.
Top price of $24 goes to buffalo fried chicken with cornbread pancake, ranch dressing, cucumber and celery slaw and fried egg. It’s tempting, just to see what it looks like.
This café deserves all our spoons of praise. The menu isn’t overburdened, the tucker is imaginative and fresh, it is perfectly-presented and so mouth-watering.
And yes, you can get simple toast with butter ($8) and eggs on toast ($16).
We decided to forego coffee and ordered a taste of chocolate, their $6 vegan snickers bar – go for it!
5 spoons.
The Little Pantry,
206 Nicholson Rd, Shenton Park.
Phone 9388 8780.
Enquiries:
E:
info@thelittlepantrysubiaco.com.au
Open 7 days, Monday to Friday 6.30am-3pm, weekends 7am-2pm.
