"Welcome to Five Senses Coffee"

I’m not exactly a Mt Hawthorn local, but with a sister living in the area, I’m a regular visitor — so regular, in fact, that I should be awarded frequent flyer points! Keen to make the most of WA’s unusually balmy autumn weather, I decided that an afternoon’s alfresco dining at Azure Restaurant would be just the thing.

Azure Restaurant, situated on the bustling Scarborough Beach Road, opened its doors in March and in a matter of months, has raised the bar for dining in Mt Hawthorn. It caters for a broad spectrum of occasions, from a casual coffee and catch up with friends to leisurely lunches, intimate evening dining or late-night coffee and dessert.

The menu is mouth-wateringly good, with overtones of Asia and Italy, and a generous selection of vegetarian dishes — including many which the chef will happily modify to suit your dietary requirements. Lunch offers a choice of ‘graze’, ‘gourmet sandwiches’ (like the rosemary-infused wagyu beef burger), or a more substantial ‘meal’, and, of course, ‘dessert’. Azure’s dinner menu is divided into ‘to taste’, ‘entrees’, ‘main’ and ‘dessert’.

Deciding between tempura prawns in angel hair filo, marinated salmon tartare, roasted tomato and scallop soup and slow braised pork belly is no mean feat. And it’s decidedly difficult to remember to save room for dessert! That’s where the dessert stomach comes into its own (hard core sweet tooths will know what I mean).

Forget the diet! Skipping dessert at Azure would be sacrilege. Azure Restaurant boasts an award-winning international pastry chef, and the desserts are simply heavenly. On my visit, I had to choose between tiramisu, black forest dome, chocolate caraway cake, black cherry cheesecake and a trio of crème brulees. It took some serious pondering.

The crème brulees won out — just. I simply couldn’t resist the opportunity to indulge in three desserts at once! In a masterful display of self control, I savoured the flavours slowly, working my way through the trio — vanilla bean, mocha and (my favourite) pistachio. My flat white was the perfect complement, smooth and sweet.

Murmurs of appreciation from a nearby table, along with declarations that, “We definitely have to come here for a girls’ night out” assured me that I wasn’t alone in my appreciation of Azure Restaurant. It really is a stylish establishment.

Azure Restaurant: 40/148 Scarborough Beach Road, Mt Hawthorn WA 6016; Phone: (08) 9443 5433
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday: Coffee and dessert or lunch from 11.00am(ish) – 3.00pm, Dinner from 6.00pm; Saturday and Sunday: Coffee and dessert 10.00am(ish) or lunch 11.00am(ish) – 3.30pm, Dinner from 6.00pm

© Photo provided with permission by Matt O’Donohue/Abstract Gourmet. All rights reserved by photographer.