Perth Breakfast & Brunch: Ginga, Mt Hawthorn, is one of the prettiest cafes around but still finding its feet

There are cafes you visit for the coffee, cafes you visit for the food and cafes you visit because they’re the only venue walking distance from your place. And then there’s Ginga, the Mt Hawthorn cafe that has one of the prettiest outdoor spaces in Perth. The courtyard, with its pleasingly overgrown greenery and central fish pond, has remained largely unchanged since the venue was Casa Bianchi under previous ownership. It remains a gorgeous, sun-dappled and deceptively large space. If there is a reason to visit Ginga, and I think there is, it is to sit in this beautiful little oasis with a tea or a coffee — which is very decent — and forget you’re a few metres away from Scarborough Beach Road. The inside space is also perfectly pleasant: light and bright with lots of pale woods and some deeply chic booths. Ginga only opened in November and has the vibe of a venue still finding its feet. Service is friendly but a little patchy: cutlery and water for the table has to be requested both times I visit for the purposes of this review. The food is also a little patchy, with some hits and some misses. Scrambled eggs on toast is good but one of the poached eggs has been overcooked so that the yolk is hard, rather than bleeding out on the toast. A veg fusion breakfast is a big plate of all things vegetarian: mushrooms, hash browns, beans and — best of all — haloumi. The ingredients are all cooked well but the dish never comes together to be more than the sum of its parts. Pancakes are, unfortunately, a disappointment. Three fat pancakes are fluffy and cooked perfectly well but there is a woeful lack of condiments, leaving the diner with an unfortunate choice between eating just one pancake with an appropriate amount of syrup and cream or opting to eat three that are all a bit too dry. My friend and I, who both order the pancakes on my second visit, adopt opposite strategies and neither of us is satisfied with the result. Ginga really is a beautiful spot with a kitchen and service staff still finding their feet just one month in. I very much hope they do, if only to give me one more reason to go back beyond that garden setting. The verdict: 12.5/20 This gorgeous Mt Hawthorn cafe has the prettiest garden in Perth. Ginga, Mt Hawthorn 193 Scarborough Beach Road, Mt Hawthorn OPEN Monday-Sunday 7am-2.30pm CONTACT Instagram @ginga_mthawthorn BOOKINGS Yes