I took a trip down memory lane this week. I returned to Perth where I had spent three years at drama school. This was the first time I’d been back since leaving in 2005. It was weird to be back. It seemed so small, like I could take it in the palm of my hand and crush it. It was also lovely to be back and to visit the places that I still think of fondly. It’s nice to know that some things don’t change.
Kakulas Brothers is one of my favourite shops in the world. It is a wonderful emporium of spices, grains, pulses, nuts and all sorts of wholesome ingredients. The aroma that permeates the shop is heady and intoxicating and instantly transports you to another time and place. It is a self-serve paradise where one scoops their way through a multitude of delights. The value for money is incredible and beats the measly portions supermarkets dole out to the consumer for ridiculously inflated prices. I stocked up on cumin seeds, organic hazelnuts, French sea salt, sesame seeds (Dukkah is calling my name) and a swag of other things that sends the culinary sector of one’s brain into overload.
Oxford 130 in Leederville was the ever-popular venue for late night cake fixes or lazy Sunday breakfasts of years gone by. I’d always order poached eggs on Western Australia’s famous New Norcia Sourdough (this bakery operates under an agreement with New Norcia, a Benedictine Monastery) and a soy chai. The only thing missing from this visit was the cohort of friends that were just as much a part of the place as the food.
