This is the spirit of the Anti-Lent, which you have heard is coming…

Hey, not really, don’t email me! It’s just that if your Lent-ing plans involve simplicity of consumption, you might want to save this info for later. In short: here’s a review of a place I went for breakfast on Monday. Actually, less of a review, more of a rave: L2 on Market St in Freo is grand and I’m putting it on high rotation in my Breakfast Places Playlist.

Evidence for the fabulousness:
a) They took a booking for a table of 10.
b) And then weren’t at all fazed when I arrived and told them I’d had so many last-minute cancellations (because my thoroughly lightweight friends all think it’s reasonable to sleep in on a public holiday) that I only needed a table for 4.
c) Competent and unobtrusive table service.
d) They split the bill. Who does that anymore?
e) 4m ceilings.
f) Deep window ledges as bench seats. And seats that are orange. And just generally a backlit orange plastic vibe that was totally working for me.
g) Dutch chocolate hotcakes with triple cream, Kahlua syrup and strawberry mint salad. For like $12. Uh-huh.
h) They recommend matched wines. Only not with breakfast, so they don’t assume we’re all hopeless alcoholics, which is a characteristic I like in a café.
i) The muesli (with yoghurt and rosewater peaches!) comes in a gorgeous balloon glass – fine and clear, like a stemless Bormioli – that contrasts with the heavy, bright white, thick-rimmed crockery. So nice.
j) Dutch chocolate hotcakes. With cream and Kahlua and strawberries. For twelve dollars. I’m just saying.

Evidence for the naysayers:
a) I have none. Say your nays and begone!
b) OK, maybe one. It’s in Freo, which means you pay for parking. Unless you arrive by train, because it’s just opposite the station, in which case you get both a great meal and a pleasant sensation of self-righteousness as a result of your environmentally friendly travel. So really, location should be on the ‘pro’ list too.

Gosh, it’s like all the Cacophonous preoccupations of the moment are coming together at once. Now if I could just find a Manly Man to talk politics with while listening to U2 over breakfast and The West…