King St Cafe (a)

so. i totally wanted to talk about what i made for dinner last night. unfortunately, the photos look horrendous, so i wont talk about what i ate for dinner last night. i will however, talk about king st. because i promised :)

king st. that haven of delicacies. of amazingly high ceilings and lazy fans. of cafe music and beautiful flower arrangements. of big brass things. of wooden tables and of heavy chairs. of open windows and window flowers. of icy cold water, amazing coffee and a wine list the likes of which i have never seen. of fancy food names and intellectual reading material. but most importantly, of the cakes, tarts, slices, meringues, cupcakes, muffins, cheesecakes and biscuits that i feast on regularly. ive tried them all...go on, test me.


and a note to my future love interest....take me here (without being told, just on proof that you know me like no other) and i will love you forever.

located at 44 King St, just east of the middle of perth, its a short walk to sugar or caffeine (whatever floats your boat) after a hard days shopping. another grand thing about its location, is the most amazing shoe store across the road (Zomp), Kookai right next door, and not to mention, Tiffanys, Swatch, LV, Wheels and Dollbaby and Wasteland.

i have always been determined to try a meal at king st. however, multipule attempts (ie: graduation present, dinner with friends) have been thwarted. and so, (until future love interest figures it out), i stick to going to king st for cake with people i love.



so why do i love king st? mostly for the cake. sitting at the back of a large room is the cake cabinet - two sides, usually filled with about 10 cakes (see the pic above)...here are a few of my favs:

• mixed berry cheesecake smooth creamy ricotta based cheesecake with a soft base and jellied fruits that provide the most delicate fruit flavour to the cheesecake part - only serving to enhance it. have with cream.
  
• baked banana cheesecake without becoming floury, a drier cream version of the berry cheesecake intensely flavoured with (real) banana and topped with a layer of ganache that not only tastes great but highlights the banana
• french apple pie recommend warm. made with huge chunks of apple (not sauced up) and enclosed in a buttery pastry, this is the best apple pie you will ever taste. each bite contains a hit of cinnamon. great on a cold day
• scillian apple cake slightly apple flavoured heavier cake the top of which is sliced apple, raisins and pinenuts. a nutty, fruity cake, also great warmed up on a cold day.
• chocolate souffle tart an amazing tart base with a layer of crunchy and gooey praline topped with a light dark chocolate souffle. definitely needs cream.
• apricot and almond tart has only recently topped the cheesecake for my favourite cake. again, the amazing tart base, a layer of creamy custard topped with an almond cake layer (tastes like a friand) and topped with halved apricots that are plump and juicy. CREAM!
  
• cherry pie almost as good as my babcias (grandmas), the base is topped with a good layer of custard and then an amazing tart very deeply cherry flavoured jelly. if anything, the cherry flavour is too intense! to be eaten in small amounts, with cream.
• banoffie pie oh gosh...banoffie pie...again, that base, filled with a caramel custard that oozes out with every forkful and layered with fresh banana and held together with a jelly. so so good.
  
• lemon meringue pie definitely worth a try. the middle is a tart, sour face pulling lemon curd and ontop, the lightest, highest meringue that feels like you are eating air but balances so well with the heavier sourer curd to send tastebuds craaazy!!!

finally, i guess you want to know about the coffee. king st does great coffee! comes with almond biscotti, or the hot chocolate with marshmellows. its a well made coffee, good flavour, nice creamy milk and not too hot. and well presented.

so there you have it. the cakes at king st, the coffee and a little about the ambiance. as for service, i wouldnt commend it. at times slow, be prepared to wait, you might be pleasantly surprised (yes i have had some good ones-avoid the busier days). its table service, so grab a good spot as soon as you get in, and then check out the cakes/menu. pay at the door as you head out. oh, and the price? expensive-ish, cakes are $6.90-$7.80 and food is $25 + but it is very very much worth it.

oh, and if anyone is coming to perth, or wants to try it out, hit me up...i'd be glad to take you :D

p.s i just had cake at king st. highly exciting news: the pastry chef is trying out some new recipes...all the more reason to go back!!