Driving up Marmion Avenue, north of Butler, Perth’s urban sprawl seems to go on forever. We went for a drive around the new estates, as they have some fantastic playgrounds for Little Chef. We stumbled upon a new café at the Shorehaven Estate, in Alkimos, The Shore Café. The interior is quite cosy, with just 6 tables, but I can see it would be a wonderful place to dine alfresco in warmer weather. The café also has a small bar licence and is open for brunch, lunch and dinner.
The Shore Café sits in the sandy white dunes, much like a mirage. The mural covered eatery is right on the beach front, so has a beaut view of the ocean. We spotted the remains of the rusted Alkimos shipwreck, after which the suburb is named, poking out of the sea. The ship has a very interesting history including murders and buckets of bad luck – some say that it is haunted.
For lunch, Chef chose the Shore burger, $24. A thick and juicy beef Pattie is absolutely covered with melted cheese. The burger, which has to be held together by a knife, is brimming with bacon, beetroot relish, onion jam, aioli, lettuce, tomato and salad. There’s a side of chunky chips on the side.
I chose something a little more brunch-y. The wild mushrooms, $22. The mushrooms on toast/eggs benny hybrid hit the spot. Different varieties of mushrooms, along with wilted spinach sit on buttered toast. That’s all topped with a couple of perfectly runny poached eggs and creamy hollandaise, finished with truffle oil and shavings of pecorino cheese. I could definitely taste the truffle oil and its use was spot on. A few more drops and it would have been overpowering.
Little Chef chose a ham and pineapple pizza from the chiller cabinet, which he gave the thumbs up. The Shore Café has a good kids menu which includes “make your own tacos”. There’s a climbing frame next to the café for the kids to play on and loads of grassed areas.
With thousands of new homes in this area, inevitably there are thousands of residents, though so far the locals don’t have many dining options, other than taking a drive to Mindarie or Yanchep. Thankfully for them, the Shore Café is a little oasis in the outer northern suburbs. We’d definitely return if we’re ever out that way again.