Breakfast in Perth: Lemon Lane

Its good to be back in Perth. Clean air, pristine beaches, friendly neighbours... and as much as I love this sleepy city, one thing that does disappoint is the variety of good dining options available. Compared to its sister cities of Melbourne and Sydney (and also Singapore where I've spent the past nine months), Perth struggles to provide hungry foodseekers like myself something to look forward to.

Thankfully, there are still a handful of worthy eateries that try to set themselves apart from the usual dreary establishments by serving up interesting and well prepared grub. Lemon Lane in Claremont is one of these places. Tucked away in a narrow alley in this affluent neighbourhood, Lemon whips up a great coffee (something that Singapore still struggles to do) and delicious fresh juice concoctions.

We skipped the usual big breakfast fry up and opted instead for their hash cakes and corn fritters. The first was a twist on eggs benedict - smoked salmon sandwiched between two freshly made potato patties, topped with wilted spinach and a perfectly poached free range egg. And instead of being smothered with sauce, the hollandaise was delicious and thoughtfully placed on the side.

The latter was just as good, a play on Canadian pancakes, it was instead freshly made corn fritters sandwiching candied bacon and drizzled with maple syrup. The roasted tomato and avocado salsa on the side was perfect in cutting through the richness of this dish. Sleek decor, good food, great coffee and chilled out vibe... my only gripe with this place is that the food does take some time and it probably does need to constantly update its menu to keep things fresh and interesting.

Perth may still be a sleepy city that has a long way to go in reaching the culinary diversity of the likes of Melbourne, Sydney and Singapore - but thanks to places like Lemon Lane, its still giving me something good to wake up to.

Lemon Lane
Bay View Terrace
Claremont, WA 6010