and Lo Quay River Cafe - Wilson

Lo Quay River Cafe - Wilson

After my previous monster ride of 100km, I was quiet happy that the next ride I went on was a lot shorter and tamer. The stop for this ride was Lo Quay River Cafe. I have driven past this place often and on our longer rides we always pass near by. It was late in the afternoon and we were in a bit of a rush to get there before they started packing up. We arrived at around 4.15pm for a 5pm close so we had plenty of time to sit, relax and enjoy a smoothie and some cake.

Berry smoothie for me

Banana for him

My plus one although wasn't aware I had ordered some cake. He thought that when I said 'Baci' to the waiter I was referring to the chocolates. He sure was surprised when I large piece of cake arrived on the table for us to share.

Baci cake

Perfect afternoon tea for two, or one if your hungry.

One of the best things going for the place is the view.

They were packing up at this point.

I think the Lo Quay cafe may become a little regular cafe for us. It is on some great bike paths around the river and by the looks of the display case, I won't run out of cake choices anytime soon. It is situated by a small park with a barbecue or two and the view across the river is stunning. The sun was setting so we headed the shorter way home.

Hopefully we will have a mild run up to winter, so I can get out on my bike before it gets to wet and windy. Although Perth in winter never really gets too bad, so I am pretty lucky for that.

Until next time.

Love, love Elle.

and Cranked - Leederville

Cranked - Leederville

Onward we pressed, the total kilometers slowly crept up. Riding down the bike path which followed the freeway south, was the worst part of the trip. The lovely weather which had followed us so far was replaced with wind and drizzle. We stopped once by an underpass to hide from the rain. Luckily it was only light and soon passed. I feel really sorry for the bike riders who commute from the north into the city. The bike path is pretty terrible for most of it and you cross over the freeway several times, one of which you have to stop at a traffic light. At times there isn't even a foot path and you need to ride on back streets. 

After the slowest portion of the ride, we finally left the cycle path and veered into Leederville and towards Cranked. We had been wanting to visit Cranked for a while now and it seemed a perfect opportunity to visit a bike orientated cafe while completing my mega ride. We sat out under an umbrealla and looked through the menu, happy in the fact that we were almost home.

Hot chocolate for me and a chai latte for my plus one.

Hot Chocolate $3.50

Chai latte $4

I ordered the Quesadilla.

Spicy South American marinated chicken breast with sliced tomato, 

spinach, roast peppers, cheddar cheese and tomato jam all wrapped in 

toasted pita with a side of guacamole. $16.50

My plus one ordered the Chicken Club.

Triple layered goodness with free range chicken breast, bacon, tomato, 

mixed leaves and garlic aioli. Served with a side of beer battered fries. $16.50

Umbrellas

Our trusty steeds

Bike parking.

I was very happy with the service at Cranked and all of the food was fantastic. The club sandwich impressed my plus one, but he had never had one before, still he enjoyed it. I gave it a try and also swiped some chips and I was pleased with them both. My quesadilla was very yummy with just enough spice to add punch to the dish without burning my over delicate mouth. I am not a fan of hot and spicy food and nor is the plus one. We are both pretty weak in the heat department.

I was still peckish and saw two plates of dessert head to another table so I headed inside to look at the dessert case. I found it tough to choose between the tart and a chocolate brownie so the waiter recommend the tart. So the tart it was and it was just the right size to share at the end of lunch. It was a delicious dark chocolate tart and the cream was just enough to cut through the richness.

Then for dessert we shared a chocolate tart.

Chocolate tart with cream from the display case.

We relaxed for a bit and then we decided it was time to make the finally ride home. On the way we spotted some old trains in a yard which we had ever seen before, even though we have ridden that road before.

Finally we arrived home with a grand total of 104km behind us. I was so happy that I had achieved a milestone in my riding, although I am in no rush to repeat the feat. So now I have ticked - Ride 100km in a day off of my 30 before 30, which equals three ticks off of the list. The next day I rested and worked on another 30 before 30 - Create a scrap book of my 20's. I know I am a long way off and my next birthday is creeping up on me, but I am pretty happy with what I have done so far towards my challenge.

Until next time.

Love, love Elle.

and Moore and Moore - Fremantle

Moore and Moore - Fremantle

Saturday was the day that I oh so happily ticked another item off of my 30 before 30 list. The item was -Ride 100km in a day. I started working on this one about the time I came up with the whole list. We slowly increased the time on our bikes and the kilometers we covered, building it up over the months to 80km just a few weeks back. This ride took us all over Perth. We tried a new route this time for something different. It started the same but then we went off on a tangent and circled back home. The first section of the ride was along the river to Fremantle where we stopped at Moore & Moore for breakfast.

The view from my seat.

Cute and quirky interior.

Moore & Moore is located in a narrow street in an old building. The interior is adorable and lovingly arranged. Everywhere you looked there was something up-cycled and artistic to catch your eye.

Berry and mint iced tea.

Refreshing!

Burnt butter, sage and roasted pumpkin with 2 poached eggs,

 roquette and parmesan on crisp toast. -$16 

Delightful!

White chocolate banana bread with berry and maple mascarpone. - $9.50

So good.

Chia latte for him.

I was still hungry so I went back for a little more food for us to share. I was also cold by now, it was a chilly morning, so I also ordered a tea.

Nut slice and English breakfast tea.

Main passage.

Entry of Henry Street.

The food was all delicious. As you can see I didn't have pancakes. They didn't serve pancakes but I thought the banana bread was a worthy alternative, and it was. I still would have preferred pancakes. The service was great and the food came out pretty quick. The place was also quiet busy and buzzing with activity. I didn't realise when I chose the location that there is an art gallery located within the cafe. I took a quick wander through the gallery on my way back to my seat. Out the back there is also a courtyard, which I didn't visit on my walk around.

From Fremantle we rode up the coast, which was my favourite leg of the ride, to Hillarys to stop in for a juice and a walk around.

It was sunny and lovely above us,

But on the horizon there was a storm coming.

From here we headed inland and down the freeway to Leederville and to our lunch stop, and that is where I will pick up next time.

Love, love Elle.

and Carriage Cafe - Fremantle

and Carriage Cafe - Fremantle

Well another weekend has gone and so has a bike ride to Fremantle for breakfast! It was a massive ride as well, a terrifying 81.5km. I have never ridden over 63km before, so this was a huge effort. Plus I don't ride the most practical bike for long distances. My ladies bike has an upright position and big lumbersome tyres, not to mention it's a very heavy bike. We set off at 7 and headed around the river and towards Fremantle.

Our breakfast stop this time was the Carriage Cafe on the Esplanade in the park. Normally we find a fancy cafe and sit down in a lovingly decorated space, but this time we went for something different. We sat out on the deck under huge trees. The cafe is right near the playground across from the Esplanade Hotel. Due to the closeness to the park the cafe was full of families and little kids. Something we didn't consider when choosing our breakfast location. The place was a little noisier then I prefer but all the kids were having fun and it wasn't to disrupting. That is, of course, what you get for choosing to dine in a public space. All in all, I didn't mind.

Banana milkshake for the plus one

and eggs benedict of course! $15.50

My pancakes with mixed berries, maple syrup and vanilla icecream. $13

The view from my table.

The tree above us.

The eggs benedict was really delicious. It was slightly salty and very generous. There was so much ham, it was great! The banana milkshake was a standard shake with banana flavouring. My pancakes were really good as well. They were cooked perfectly and they didn't skimp on the maple syrup. The icecream was also a nice touch. I haven't had icecream on my pancakes for a while. I brought an ice tea with my breakfast to cool me down. But after sitting under the trees for a short time, while waiting my my breakfast, I got cold and went and ordered a pot of tea as well. By the time I got back to my table our meal had just arrived. It was pretty fast indeed. Not long after my tea arrived.

On the way back we stopped to take some photo's of the view.

I wanted to take a photo of a mass of birds perched on that rock

but they flew off before I could.

We stopped under the Canning Bridge to take some more photos.

For anyone wanting a great value breakfast, but who is afraid of taking their kids to a cafe, this is a perfect choice. There is a great range and the prices are very reasonable. It was great value for money. Plus when you have finished you can take your kids to the playground for a run around. The bathroom facilities are the public toilets located in the park, but I found them reasonably clean.

We are hoping to take another breakfast ride before the month is out. Next time we will be aiming for 100km. These long rides are currently serving 2 purposes. One being my 30 before 30 challenge, the other is the Spring Classics Challenge on Strava, which my plus one is aiming to complete.

Also we burn off all of the calories we consume at breakfast, as well as push our own boundaries!

Until next time.
Love, love Elle.