Moore & Moore

Moore & Moore
46 Henry St, Fremantle
(08) 9335 8825

1. Comfort & Surroundings

Lola: Eating out in early January is always a bit risky with so many places taking a (completely justified) break. I actually really like this about my city, that so many people in the hospitality and retail trades will shut their doors for a while, it's so sleepy. Despite this, I was super pleased that Moore & Moore, in Fremantle, had already opened their doors for 2010. Situated in a quiet pocket of town (at least during university holidays), this café is, predictably, attached to the Moore Art Gallery. There are multiple seating options with a lovely, leafy courtyard out the back, a couple of little, indoor nooks and an expansive room (where we nestled ourselves) filled with eclectic, vintage furniture. It was pleasantly uncluttered and uncrowded. I'll give it a 4.5.

Alexander: Fremantle is not my usual 'hood but I have to give it credit for supplying us with a breakfast eatery open during the the Christmas-New Year break period. Don't get me wrong, I am all for businesses shutting their doors and having some time off, but it would be nice if the majority of Perth's breakfast venues didn't all decide to close at the same time! Especially when the people of Perth are on holiday and hungry for delicious breakfasts! Now that I have that off my chest, I am happy to report that Moore & Moore is a lovely venue with the added bonus of being attached to an art gallery. But even if you're not an art fan, you will be comfortable having breakfast here. There is plenty of space and lots of interesting stuff to look at. I am giving it a 3.5.

2. Service

Lola: The staff were friendly, knowledgeable and efficient, what more could you ask for? Well, table service I suppose, as this was counter service. Accordingly, they are completely worthy of a nice high 4.

Alexander: I can't report too much on this aspect as face time with the staff was minimal. Although that in itself is a good start! The staff here aren't silver service, but they are what you would expect from Fremantle: edgy and a bit scruffy. Good stuff - 3.5 from me.

3. Tastiness:

Lola: I chose the poached eggs with nutmeg creamed spinach for my morning meal. It was quite delicious! The poached eggs were cooked to perfection, there was a generous amount of the spinach, and it was served with a rocket and parmesan salad to cut the dish, a welcome drizzle of balsamic and three spears of toasted turkish bread. I enjoyed the bread this morning, however particular mention should be made to the fact that there was plenty of the other bits and pieces on the plate that the bread could be left without leaving you feeling hungry or like you were missing out on something, hence this could be a great gluten-free or carb-free option. I must say though, the spinach, while enjoyable, was not super flavoursome and I couldn't taste the nutmeg so much. So it was good, it was above average-ly good in fact, but it was about a 3 good.

Alexander: The tempting menu made it hard to choose something but in the end I went with the poached eggs with avocado and salsa. The dish was finished off with arugala and spears of Turkish bread. As you can see, the presentation of the avocado, in particular, was very impressive - a perfect fan! I really liked this dish because it satisfied my craving for eggs but left me feeling like I had consumed a decent amount of vegetables as well. The eggs were poached perfectly (not a given at all venues) and the combination of flavours was spot-on. It also filled me up until the late afternoon, so it was both delicious and economical. 4 from me.

4. Drinks:

Lola: I ordered a mocha on arrival, without consulting a menu, which turned out to be a pretty good one. I'm giving an extra half mark though for this fact: when perusing the coffee menu later I noticed that, while it was a fairly extensive drinks list, my choice was not on there. The guy taking my order didn't miss a beat. This is how it should be, I think, because if you can make coffee and you can make a hot chocolate, you can make a mocha. However, I think the absence of any kind of fuss warrants a bonus. So, a 4 from me.

Alexander: Here's where it gets a bit interesting. As we reviewed the drinks menu, Lola and I were surprised to see iced caramel listed there. This was a first for our breakfast adventures! Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I decided to give it a shot. And I'm glad I did! It was great to try something new and it was well made. Plenty of cold milk and ice cream, with enough caramel flavouring to give you a hit without leaving you feeling sick. I think this could be the start of something new for people who don't like coffee and want something a bit out of the ordinary. High marks for originality, I'm giving it a 4.

5. Fiscal Matters:

Lola: Once again we have a pretty standard price point for Perth, my dish coming in at $14 and hot drinks being around the $4 mark. Other menu items were comparably priced. Since my dish was fairly large I can't be too harsh, so I'm awarding a 3.

Alexander: I can't remember the exact price of my dish but it was around the same as Lola's, so I am in complete concurrence. It's decent value for money so you won't feel ripped off. 3.5 from me.

The verdict...

Comfort & Surroundings: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10
Tastiness: 7/10
Drinks: 8/10
Fiscal Matters: 6.5/10
TOTAL: 37/50