The Little Banksia, located in South Perth is a cosy cafe nestled in the heart of Kensington. Converted from a cottage house, The Little Banksia has a homely ambience with cosy nooks and a courtyard setting. Opposite a local school, this cafe is very child friendly with a playroom down the back next to a table for parents to have a cuppa whilst watching their little ones. Also dog friendly, there is dog bowls to keep your furry friends hydrated. With much natural brightness from the open windows, the Little Banksia is also great for photos.
Little Banksia coffee has never disappointed, in both their capps and iced lattes. Using Perth based coffee roasters, Leftfield, their ‘Old Fox’ blend is always consistent, full bodied and just what you need in the morning. Their iced lattes are worth ordering on a sunny day with an ombre of milk and coffee colliding create a great photo. Also having a selection of different milks: soy, coconut, lactose free and almond, the Little Banksia caters for all needs. Their juices are also worth mentioning as they are so freshly squeezed and tasty. The ‘Pink Sunrise’ is my favourite juice, with its vibrant magenta colour deriving from squeezed apples, watermelon, pineapple and lemon.
The perfect spot for a weekend brunch, The Little Banksia’s food menu changes accordingly with seasons, ensuring fresh and tasty meals. With such unique and beautiful plated food, I always try their pancakes and panna cotta that update continuously. Last September was my first visit to this cafe when their passionfruit pancakes and rose panna cotta were on the menu. The buttermilk pancakes consisted of caramelised banana, peanut parfait, candied popcorn, passionfruit gel and salted caramel. These pancakes were absolutely breathtaking…. my friend Jackson and I both agreed that these were our number 1 vote for best pancakes in Perth. The passionfruit, salted caramel combination gelled so well together with the tartness of the passionfruit amalgamating with the sweetness of the caramel and popcorn. The 3 little pancakes were so perfectly light and just the right balance between dense and fluffy. The panna cotta on the other hand was just as satisfying. An orange and rose yoghurt panna cotta with toasted buckwheat, almond granola, seasonal fruit and raspberry and lime coulis (GF) was exceptionally light and refreshing. With an aesthetic ruby coulis squiggled along the plate, this dish will capture all eyes with its colourful arrangement of dragonfruit and kiwi. The panna cotta’s flavours were exceptional with the rose flavour really becoming a powerful taste and culminating perfectly with the dry granola and fresh fruit.
Today I also visited The Little Banksia to taste their new menu. Going on a Sunday is a little chaos in the morning as its very busy with strollers, parents and friends gathering together. Whilst we waited for a seat we ordered some coffees and a fresh strawberry and pineapple muffin with almond slivers sprinkled on top (very moist and very tasty). We ordered the pancakes and panna cotta of course, alongside a fresh ‘Pink Sunrise’. This seasons buttermilk pancakes consists of compressed strawberries, caramelised white chocolate mousse, strawberry consomme, meringue shards and pistachios. This suits the Little Banksias homely vibe very much as the strawberry consomme waves a reminisce of homemade strawberry jam drizzled over pancakes that your mum would make for you on the weekends when you were a child. The star of the dish however was the caramelised white chocolate mousse as it was the element that tingled your tastebuds. The panna cotta was also exceptional with its tangs and twist. A tonka bean and mango panna cotta alongside toasted buckwheat, almond granola, seasonal fruit and passionfruit gel (GF), the dish was so light with the tartness of passionfruit gel balancing thoroughly with the sweetness of the mango.
Overall, I love going to The Little Banksia for brunch and love the constant update of their menus so you can always go back and try something new. Their coffee, friendly staff and atmosphere are all high quality and very much inviting.
