THE Attic, on Bannister Street, is a bit of a favourite with Herald staffers, especially the young ‘ens.

With its oft-changing and innovative menu that’s hardly surprising, given Gen-Y’s consistent inconstancy.

The small cafe does a good range of vegetarian choices and mouth-watering salads but there’s plenty to satisfy the carnivores, including house-made pies ($16.50 with salad).

Meeting a friend for lunch I spotted okonomiyaki, which I’ve never seen before, and struggled to pronounce.

Turns out it’s a Japanese savoury pancake. Okonomi means “what you like” and yaki “cooked”, and the dish varies from region to region.

The Attic’s generous serve ($14.50 with salad) featured cabbage, zucchini and green onion. Delicious on its own, a fantastic wasabi mayo really pepped things up.

My mate went for the Reuben bagel, packed with tender corn beef, gherkin and cheese: “With a particularly good mayo…it’s very New York Jewish,” she opined.

Having ordered downstairs, we’d headed up to the attic-like room overhead, an industrial space of raw brick, with huge and circular stained-glass windows.

In almost no time we were sipping a carrot, apple, lemon and fresh turmeric root juice ($7) and a chocnut smoothie ($8), with raw cacao, banana and date and almond milk.

Deep comfy chairs, old trunks for tables along with timber benches and stools add to the funky atmosphere.

I’d already eyed off dessert, a berry chocolate cake ($7.50), which didn’t disappoint in its rich moistness and explosive sharpness of the berries.

My companion had the carrot cake ($7) with passion fruit, a massive slice beautifully decorated with dainty real flowers.

The service, as always, was excellent, and the coffees spot on, and this baby-boomer will just keep boomeranging back, happy to be surprised by the new things on the menu.

by JENNY D’ANGER

The Attic
1/16 Bannister Street, Fremantle
open Tues–Sun 7am–4pm