The Little Stove, Bicton

Pt Walter to the Bridges and back (again), 11.25km, 1hr 24 min, 8km/h

It was a good week. I had been sent out into the field for a few days to do some market research by the Head Silverback to determine whether or not our biscuits were the ugliest of them all - and came back with the satisfying result that we, without a doubt, have the most authentic gorilla-like faces that imprint the dough. The were some corkers, particularly in Albany, but really, when it came down to the crunch, nothing beats the face-smashers of Gorilla Biscuits Pty Ltd for a hideous snack experience.

I didn't get back from the roadtrip until late Friday night and the forecast was for crappy weather on Saturday, but undeterred and in spite of a simultaneous 'lets-blow-it-off-tomorrow' thought that we all had, Westy and I decided to go the default option and paddle from Pt Walter again, regardless of the expected 20 knot headwind that we would have to battle into.

Frodo Baggins joined the paddle briefly

The reality couldn't have been more different. Slightly overcast but dead calm with a slight flooding tide. The boats went in and instantly both Westy and I felt like we were, as he put it, paddling through mud. It was surprisingly hard going until we got to the bridges, where the tidal stream then gave us a boost for the return leg.

 I wanted to get a photo of myself out paddling, so handed the camera over to Westy who produced an absolute pearler - I might have to get that one blown up and hung at work. Check it out below - it's a pretty good likeness.

A good likeness.

The paddle was pretty uneventful all up, and we stopped for a good look at the mansion in Bicton that my forthcoming Powerball win will buy me before finishing up - again fanging for a feed and a brew.

The Little Stove, 97/103 Harris Street  Bicton WA 6157, (08) 9319 9811, www.littlestove.com

Flogged from Google images...

The epitome of laziness is going to the nearest cafe to the entry/exit point. That would be the extortionately expensive Pt Walter Cafe (and yes, it will be reviewed soon; the savings plan has been going for a while now), but I had noticed a sign on Pt Walter Road pointing to a henceforth-unknown cafe. This made it the second closest and therefore absolved us from the laziness label.

I have to say though, the first impressions were good. Two brown leather armchairs framed the entrance and there was a healthy crowd, mostly thirty-somethings. A couple of pooches also came for brekky which always gets two thumbs up from me.

FBC.

A quick scan of the menu was enough to leave the impression that The Little Stove certainly caters to the Bicton Yummy Mummy set, with lots of yoghurty, muesli, fruity choices but not much in the way of fifteen varieties of fried pig as we always look for. It wasn't much of a decision to go for the Big Stove ($18) big breakfast and the mega coffee ($6.50). If you are choking back at the thought of $6.50 for a coffee as I would normally, let me clarify that it is a pint glass. 

The Big Stove came out with eggs to order, in my case scrambled and Westys case poached, bacon, two slices of toast, homemade beans and mushies. My scrambled eggs were creamy, and the bacon plentiful. The beans were tasty, as were the mushies, but in the end they were just a distraction from the main event. The brown toast was thickly sliced and delicious with the butter, eggs and bacon on top. The coffee was pretty good, served at the correct temperature i.e. hot, but not so that the roof of my mouth becomes the skin on the coffee, but for a flat white it was probably a little too milky and more like a latte. The Little Stove offers three varieties including Arabica and a Dark Roast. 

I must have been pretty hungry because my plate was empty before I remembered to take a photo!

Sorry. There is no "before" shot.

I liked the Little Stove experience, from the menus printed on grid paper that you would have in a school folder to the prompt, friendly, male-customer-encouraging service. For a bloke though, and particularly one who has just earned a hearty breakfast, the brekky menu was a bit of a disappointment. No Eggs Benny, for starters. Limited choices of pig. Yoghurt has no place being served on a Saturday morning - unless it is drizzled over a porcine product for some obscure reason. I did note a pile of wine glasses though. Perhaps after the 29th...

The Little Stove - Very good service, good fair, limited menu selections. 6/10