Leaf & Bean is a neighbourhood cafe on Scarborough Beach Road in Mount Hawthorn — the fun little cafe that takes its food and beverages seriously, as it describes itself. The menu runs from a loaded Big Breakfast and three versions of eggs benedict to a gluten-free potato rosti with smoked salmon, zucchini and sweet corn fritters, shakshuka and avocado smash, with burgers, nachos and salads carrying things through to lunch.
The coffee bar is just as considered: flat whites, cappuccinos, lattes and long blacks with soy, almond and lactose-free milks on request, pots of tea from a long list of blends, chai, hot chocolate, homestyle lemonade, freshly squeezed juices, smoothies and milkshakes. Between the weekly specials board, bagels made fresh each morning and a fridge stocked with ready-to-go salads, it works as both a settle-in brunch spot and a quick stop in Mount Hawthorn.
Leaf & Bean sits on Scarborough Beach Road in Mount Hawthorn and describes itself, with some accuracy, as the fun little cafe that takes its food and beverages seriously. The easygoing name and neighbourhood setting belie a menu that runs deep: a coffee bar with a long list of tea blends, a breakfast line-up stacked with benedicts, fritters and shakshuka, and a lunch list that stretches from burgers to a bocconcini and pomegranate salad.
It is a place that suits both moods: stay a while and work through the breakfast menu with a pot of Russian caravan tea, or duck in on a busy day when the fridges are stocked with fresh salads and ready items so lunch is made easy. The cafe's Instagram feed, @leafnbeanmth, keeps locals across fresh bagels, weekly specials and the day's coffee.
Coffee comes four ways — flat white, cappuccino, latte and long black — in regular or large, and the bar is happy to tailor it: an extra shot, decaf, or soy, almond and lactose-free milks. Chai and hot chocolate come in both sizes too, alongside a homestyle lemonade.
The tea list is where the drinks menu shows its depth. Pots for one or two are poured from a choice of English breakfast, earl grey, peppermint, chamomile, lemongrass and ginger, Russian caravan, orange pekoe, lapacho vanilla, a refresh blend, a zinger blend and a selection of green teas.
Cold drinks get the same treatment. Freshly squeezed juices can be mixed in any combination of orange, apple, lemon, watermelon, passionfruit, carrot, celery and ginger. Smoothies cover banana, berry, a matcha green tea blend with apple juice, chia and dates, and a green version built on coconut water, celery, spinach and cucumber. Milkshakes come in chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, banana, caramel and spearmint, iced coffee, chocolate or mocha are served with ice cream, and there is an iced latte for warm mornings.
Breakfast is the backbone of the menu. The Big Breakfast loads the plate with eggs, bacon, sausages, tomato, beans, mushrooms and a hash brown with toast; the Vegie Breakfast keeps the eggs and swaps the meat for tomato, mushrooms, wilted spinach, beans and a hash brown. Eggs on toast — free range, done poached, scrambled or fried — comes with a half-serve option, and a bacon and egg croissant rounds out the savoury side.
The benedict family appears three ways: the classic with ham, a Florentine with spinach and a Montreal with salmon, all finished with hollandaise. Beyond them sit scrambled eggs with cheese, chives and garlic mushrooms; a fritter stack of zucchini and sweet corn fritters with bacon, avocado and herb cream cheese under a poached egg; and a gluten-free potato rosti — a potato cake stacked with smoked salmon, fresh spinach, a poached egg and hollandaise. Shakshuka, its eggs cooked in a spicy feta, tomato and kale sauce, can be made gluten free as well.
Lighter starts include toasted muesli with yogurt and berry compote, avocado smash with feta, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil on ciabatta, and spiced French toast served either with banana and bacon or with berry compote and ricotta. Sides mean the plate can be built out: smoked salmon, garlic mushrooms, hash browns, avocado and more.
At lunchtime the kitchen turns to a house-made beef burger with cheese, salad, onion jam and mustard mayo on a crusty bun with shoestring fries; beef nachos topped with the cafe's own zesty summer dressing; a breakfast burrito with salsa and guacamole that can take chorizo, bacon or mushrooms; an open sandwich of marinated chicken tenderloins with bacon and avocado; and a bocconcini and pomegranate salad with baby endive, cherry tomatoes and a hint of strawberry. A bowl of the daily salad keeps it simple.
Two habits keep regulars checking back. The first is the specials board, which changes week to week — past boards have featured a Hash-stack of hash browns, toasted ciabatta, bacon, cheese and fresh tomato under hollandaise, a Spanish omelette, and a roast vegetable frittata served with a chickpea and sweet potato salad. The second is the fridge, kept stocked with fresh salads so a takeaway lunch takes minutes.
Bagels are made fresh every morning — a bacon, lettuce, tomato and spinach combination has headlined the cafe's photos, with a loaded vegie version alongside. The cafe also offers catering.
Leaf & Bean is at 178A Scarborough Beach Road, Mount Hawthorn. Come hungry, check the specials board, and leave room for a milkshake.