Raymond’s Cafe… Raymond Who?

Something strange is happening in Tuart Hill lately. 10 years ago, Tuart Hill was dag central with a few drab shop fronts that looked like they could use more than a little TLC. Okay so that hasn’t really changed. But there are suddenly crowds of bearded hipster types hanging around near the Wanneroo Rd/ Cape St shops. And the reason? A quirky little café called Raymond’s Café.

I don’t know about you but I’m always hunting for a good coffee. Happily, I am discovering more rustic cafés in Perth’s suburbs now than ever before, so thankfully good coffee is never too far away. This place is by far my new favourite café in the ‘burbs.

Raymond’s Cafe – Discovery

I stumbled across Raymond’s Café one caffeine-starved afternoon towards the end of last year, and I wasn’t disappointed. I can honestly say that they make one of the best flat whites that I have tasted in Perth. Brunch on weekends is a hit amongst locals too (their Eggs Salmon Benedict is divine and is my personal favourite) and they have recently started offering dinner and take-away on Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30pm. We tried their dinner menu for the first time last weekend and the food was delicious! I ordered the baked snapper citrus risotto and the chocolate crème brulee for dessert… yum! They have BYO so we brought along a nice bottle of red and settled in for the night. I spoke to Matt (one of the friendly staff) who said that they are looking into putting on some live music acts soon. I can’t wait! This place just keeps getting better.

Raymond’s Cafe – History

Raymond’s Café is owned by Perth local Janet Murray and opened its doors in September 2014. Its retro décor is full of 70s and 80s memorabilia with a nostalgic, ‘olden day Perth’ kinda vibe. Think lava lamps, vinyl chairs, white lacy curtains, plastic floral tablecloths and Connect 4 and The Operation board games strewn around the place. The café takes me back to when rollerblades, yoyos, hopscotch and Maccas birthday parties were the bee’s knees. Anyway, enough about my childhood. Where was I?

Cheesy vinyl record covers decorate one wall and have Gen-Xers reminiscing about watching Countdown on weekends. Their cutlery holders are tin cans covered in old ’80s magazine covers, serving plates are mismatched and covered in ’70s floral patterns and the teaspoons are vintage Australian souvenir teaspoons. It’s quickly becoming a favourite pastime for customers to read the destinations on their teaspoons and discuss who has visited each place while waiting for their order.

Raymond’s Café is packed for weekend brunch so make sure you come early or call ahead to reserve a table (unless you don’t mind sitting outside). Check out their Facebook page for contact details and daily specials.

By far my favourite café in the ‘burbs at the moment, it seems that I’m not alone and that in fact everybody loves Raymond’s.

Do you know of a great #CafeInTheBurbs? Tweet us at @tweetperth so we can share it with the rest of Perth!