Pictured is what has to be Perth’s best value babycino, available at Lawley’s bakery in Mt Lawley. I hope that by revealing this secret that there won’t be an immediate stampede and price rise! Just to be sure, all I will say is it is less than a dollar.

My son calls Lawley’s the “smartie cookie place” because of the cookie that comes with the babycino. How good is that, beats stale marshmallows.

You would think a babycino would be relatively cheap and easy to make. After all, it is just a bit of warm milk froth and in better cafes, actually a mini hot chocolate.

Gloria Jeans cafes usually offer a free babycino for every adult coffee purchased. You can then top the milk with chocolate and sprinkles. They charge for flavoured milk.

The last time I purchased one in David Jones it was about $1.90, pretty steep. We were charged $2 at the cafe at Ngilgi Cave in Yallingup but the babycino was served in an adult cup and was actually about a 2/3 sized hot chocolate.

Tealicious in Dunsborough offered a free babycino with adult coffee purchase.

On a recent visit to a food outlet at the Galleria in Morley, my son screwed up his nose and said “this is not a babycino”. I continued chatting to my mum and he continued protesting. Imagine my horror when I realised he had in face been given a small shot of coffee with froth!

I returned it to the counter and the apologetic barista said “it is only a small amount of coffee” to which I replied, “in all my years of buying babycinos, no one has ever given my son real coffee!” A new one made with chocolate was forthcoming.