"Welcome to Five Senses Coffee"

Here at the Barista Academy, whenever we grab a few seconds to make a coffee and relax, talk turns to cafés and dining experiences. Usually our conversations result in all of us going to try the latest new place in the market. On this occasion it was a little different, with Graeme from our technical department telling us every week of a little café in Manning called Whirlwynd. (It must be noted that Graeme, before joining the tech world at Five Senses, was a massive coffee enthusiast and, in fact, judged me in my first competition!) What made this destination different was that Whirlwynd Cafe Restaurant has been open and trading now for over a year.

We got together, arranged our spouses and headed down for a casual dining experience. Unfortunately I was a little disorganised the night of the dinner and didn’t realise that the restaurant is (amazingly) BYO, which meant that the only wine I had was a bottle of sparkling that was cheaper than petrol and tasted about the same. Good thing that I was able to save face and buy another, more distinguished, bottle from the bottle shop a few doors down!

Whirlwynd is a classic suburban casual dining experience in Manning. We were welcomed warmly at the door when we arrived and seated at our table. The service is attentive, clean, efficient and unpretentious — exactly what you want on a Friday night when cooking seems too hard and a good unwind is in order. The food matches the ambience, Whirlwynd has a high quality bistro feel, with an uncomplicated menu using simple, fresh ingredients and a changing specials menu. I had calamari for entrée which was delicious, although I suffered a little menu envy when my colleagues’ scallops arrived — they looked and (I am assured) tasted amazing. I chose the slow roasted lamb shank for a main, which was accompanied by a creamy mash and served in its braising.

This was followed by the real reason you’re reading this — the coffee … and dessert of course, mine being a crème brulee. As a long black, the coffee complemented my dessert wonderfully, with its heavy body and juicy mouthfeel. It also has a great level of caramalised sugar and roasting flavor, making it sweet and rich. All of the milk based drinks were beautifully presented and a fine finish to a great meal!

Whirlwynd Cafe Restaurant
27 Welwyn Avenue
Manning WA 6152

T: 08 9313 2449

Opening hours
Tue – Fri: 8.00am – 4.00pm
Sat / Sun: 8.00am – 2.00pm
Thu – Sat: 6.30pm – 9.00pm