IT is 7am when I sit down to eat what looks like soft-serve ice cream.
My breakfast is icy and creamy, but surely a bit better for the waistline than ice cream and possibly even frozen yoghurt.
I’m at May Street Larder, Perth’s home to Cocowhip ($7 on its own or $18 in a meal)—coconut water whipped and frozen with the “equivalent probiotics of 20 cups of yoghurt”, the menu boasts.
It is dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan-friendly. And a dieting ice cream lover’s dream.
The East Fremantle cafe, which opened in January, is three-time Olympic swimming medallist Eamon Sullivan’s latest food venture.
The cafe looks plain from the outside in a place that, many years ago, used to house a Red Rooster. But being further out from bustling Fremantle there is free parking at the front—bonus. On the inside, there is mix-and-match timber furniture which a friend told me was “hipster, chic and cool”.
A waiter tells me all food, including the mouth-watering desserts in the window, is made on-site.
My secret to choosing from the menu is searching for photos taken at the cafe and posted to Instagram. Cocowhip is a clear choice—everyone seems to be snapping it.
I also try something new—Kombucha ($5.50), an effervescent tea with hibiscus and licorice-tasting notes. Froth floats on the cold, red, fermented tea. Although I think the drink tastes nothing like tea, it still goes down smoothly.
I do some research online and discover, on well-known health guru Sarah Wilson’s iquitsugar.com website, that Kombucha is considered a “wonder drink” because it aids digestion and detoxifies the body.
Feeling chuffed with myself for being healthy (I also went to the gym earlier—go me), I decide to bypass the raw treats at the counter and instead ordered a lavish carrot cake to go.
I see all lunch items—including the pulled pork sandwich ($21), smokey polenta chips ($12) and grazing plate ($19)—are available for takeaway. Maybe next time, when I’m feeling less virtuous.
I walk out at 8am, passing two young couples who had been keen to come back to share spiced eggplant and cashew cream with a group of friends.
Sullivan also owns Louis Baxters in Subiaco and co-owns Bib & Tucker in North Fremantle.
by EMMIE DOWLING
May Street Larder
Shop 23, 155 Canning Hwy, East Fremantle
maystreetlarder.com.au
Open daily from 7am-3pm