Once again, The Sunday Times had another of those coupons allowing a two for one deal at Monterey’s - an international buffet at the Pan Pacific Perth Hotel. Under new ownership of The Pan Pacific, my last visit was an excellent experience and a huge turnaround from prior visits.

My family and I had gone on a Monday afternoon and were taken to our table. I was feeling quite hungry so I went down to the buffet and helped myself to a variety of offerings.

The menu always changes so I was a little disappointed that some of the dishes from my last visit weren’t there. I helped myself to plenty of cooked prawns and a dollop of thousand island dressing and began the task of cleaning them. A bowl is provided for the shells and another bowl of lemon water to clean your hands. After some time, I was able to satisfy my hunger and enjoyed the prawns in the sauce. They also had fresh oysters and crab but I’m not a huge fan of either and prefer them cooked in a dish.

On my next round I went to the seafood salads display. I love smoked salmon so I took a few rolls of salmon; calamari salad; a yabbie; marinated artichokes; roasted capsicum salad; olives; and marinated fennel. All were enjoyable and I was happy to eat a yabbie after a long time and enjoy the chunky sweetish flesh it offers.

I decided to move on to mains and helped myself to a small serve of a range of dishes:

• Penne pasta in a mushroom sauce – quite good flavours but needed more seasoning. Fortunately with salt and pepper on the table it tasted better.
• Mongolian casserole with steamed rice – lovely tender beef with lovely flavours
• A tender steamed Barramundi dish – a bit bland and tasteless unfortunately. Needs more seasoning.
• An Asian stir fry type dish – I liked this very much with a slightly salty sauce encasing the crispy beef.
• Apricot chicken with button mushrooms – looked better than what it tasted but it wasn’t too bad.
• Roasted potatoes – soft and fluffy and pretty good.

They also have chefs in the middle of the buffet that can cook a few dishes. They had a tom yum broth and also a bacon and cheese quesadilla with sour cream and chives. I opted for the latter and thoroughly enjoyed the flavours of the bacon and cheese and richness of the sour cream. There was also a chick pea and chorizo soup which sounded interesting so I took a little less than a ladle. It was a very clear and smooth soup and had a lovely warm and comforting flavour, perfect for a cold winters day. There’s also bread rolls; a cheese selection; a carvery; and a selection of salads and fresh fruits as part of the buffet. I took a slice of bread which appeared like cheese bread but tasted like semolina. Not to my taste.

And last but not least, there is the dessert bar. I tried a variety of tarts, pastries and other small delights which fill you up fast. There was a coconut type roll which was lovely; a delicious chocolate tart with chocolate pastry; and I had a spoonful of a white and dark chocolate mousse which was fantastic. I heard there was cappuccino ice cream so after loosening my belt a few notches (try 4!) and waiting a bit of time, I went back for a small scoop of the ice cream which was delicious. There were plenty of other desserts and 3 other ice cream flavours so I’m sure there’s something to delight your taste buds. Tea and coffee are also served but I left that for my family to enjoy. The service was excellent once again but slightly down on last time’s standards (still very high mind you). I was really full and enjoyed my day off work.

Monterey’s Food Review Summary

Verdict: For $25 with the coupon the variety is amazing and allows you to try a wide selection of dishes that suit your tastes. I think my last visit was far superior with some of the dishes this time round lacking the right flavour balance and seasoning. The meals weren’t horrible though and there were other dishes to lift the experience. I loved the prawns, smoked salmon, yabbie, quesadilla, soup, Asian stir fry, Mongolian casserole, mousse, certain tarts, and the cappuccino ice cream. Excellent value, pleasant setting, excellent variety and service. There were plenty of other people there, some of which used the coupon to enjoy a lovely spread.
Price: Expensive (Bargain with coupon)
Taste: Delicious
Value: Excellent (with coupon even better)
Recommendation: Recommend

See my prior blog posts:
Food Review of Monterey’s – May 2011
Food Review of Monterey’s – Nov 2010
Food Review of Monterey’s – Jan 2009

Monterey’s Restaurant Details

http://www.panpacific.com/en/Perth/restaurants_bars/montereys_restaurant.html

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Related Posts

1. Globe Wine Bar and Restaurant – 20 Mar 2012
2. Eat Drink Perth – Twilight Hawkers Markets – 16 Mar 2012
3. Monterey’s – 15 May 2011

We were having another team night out and headed down to Pot Black in Northbridge. After a few hours there we decided to try another Mexican restaurant after a few visits to Zapata’s so we headed to La Cholita. Unfortunately, it was packed out and the wait on tables was an hour and a half. So we wandered around till one of the work colleagues and their partner mentioned they were initially heading to Il Padrino for pizza. Who doesn’t like pizza? Done! We were easily able to get a table in the sparsely populated restaurant. Il Padrino is another restaurant where the owner has taken out the best pizza maker award like Little Caesers. It was quite late, some time before 8pm, which means we missed the rush but there were people wandering in for pick up orders. The place has a nice casual feel as we took our seats on the clothed covered chairs.

Drinks were ordered and a couple of plates of garlic bread were brought out. The garlic bread was more like garlic toasts but it tasted good. There were also some olives too, but they had a sharp chilli kick to them. I’ve never eaten olives marinated in chilli. Yum! After some confusion, we decided to order 5 pizza’s to share amongst the dining party. We’re not really sure what we ordered as we put forth suggestions and the waitress, who was not particularly warm, wrote them down and then walked off once 5 were named. I believe we ordered:

• Prosciutto / funghi – tomato, cheese, ham (why is it called prosciutto?), mushroom
• Marinara – tomato, cheese, seafood, fresh tomato
• Chicken pizza – tomato, cheese, chicken, mushroom, parsley, fresh tomato
• Papa Benedictine 16th – tomato, cheese, cacciatorino, pepperoni, potato, eggplant
• VIP Pizza – tomato, cheese, cacciatorino, pepperoni, kalamata olives, fetta cheese

The pizzas started getting brought out after a reasonable wait and were of a decent size. We also got a bowl of chilli oil which we put upon our pizzas. Chilli oil is fantastic. I didn’t get why the prosciutto pizza is called that when ham was served. Given prosciutto costs $40/kg + and we got ham, seems like false advertising to me. That pizza was average. The base of all pizza’s was thin and light with a very slight wood fired flavour but not that much. It was a shame the smokiness of the wood fired pizza was not more pronounced as it adds so much more flavour. The marinara was excellent with mussels, prawns, and shrimp forming the seafood component on a tasty pizza. I didn’t manage to get a slice of the chicken pizza unfortunately but I absolutely loved the Papa Benedictine 16th. The richness of the potato with the contrast of eggplant and an added kick of chilli provided an excellent flavour balance. This pizza was an absolute standout. I did manage to get a slice of the VIP pizza which was really good too with the softness of the feta providing that burst of saltiness combined with the juiciness of olives. I did eat a lot of pizza but I had eyed the dessert pizzas so I kept room.

We ordered the Chocolate Pizza – mascarpone, cashew nuts, marshmallow, chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream. What was brought out was different again with chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla but who cares! The pizza is unusual given it came with marshmallows – I haven’t seen that before. It’s a pizza of indulgence. Eat it quick before the ice cream melts and enjoy the chocolatey flavours. We all liked the filling but the base was a real let down. I thought it should have been a base encased with chocolate and then the toppings so when you bite in there’s chocolate oozing out. There wasn’t enough chocolate sauce either which was disappointing but the shave cashews added a nice textual crunch.

Il Padrino Food Review Summary

Verdict: All in all, we had a good night out. The pizzas were pretty good but didn’t blow me away. Especially given the owner has won a world’s best pizza maker award. The base was lovely and light and the pizza’s weren’t over packed with too many ingredients. Instead, the ingredients were allowed to shine. I particularly enjoyed the olives marinated in chilli, chilli oil, the Papa Benedictine 16th, and the marinara pizza. The Papa Benedictine 16th was an absolute standout.
Price: Resonable
Taste: Great
Value: Reasonable
Recommendation: Worth Visiting Again

Il Padrino Restaurant Details

http://www.ilpadrinocaffe.com/

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Related Posts

1. Zapata’s – Northbridge – 1 Mar 2012
2. Cafe Nocello – 15 Jan 2012
3. Little Caesar’s Pizzeria

I was catching up for lunch with an ex-colleague and suggested Zensaki. After my first time visit to Zensaki earlier in the week I was keen to return to try the other menu offerings. The place was already quite full with the lunch time crowd but we managed to get a table. One orders at the counter first, unlike at dinner where orders are taken at your table. Also, grab your cutlery and serviettes too. I pored over the menu and decided to try an entree and have a small serve of the mains to increase variety. I chose soft shell crab karaage and a small serve of teriyaki fish with rice and teriyaki sauce. My lunch partner went with the chicken katsu and ramen noodles, similar to what I ordered on my first visit but katsu instead of karaage.

After a reasonable wait, a largish plate with 3 soft shell crab, thinly sliced onions and other shredded greens were presented, along with a medium sized bowl containing steamed rice with teriyaki sauce and 2 triangular pieces of lightly crumbed fish of decent size. I really enjoyed the soft shell crab which was soft and tender and had the taste of the sea. A lovely freshness accompanied the crab. I’m not a fan of raw onions despite the sweet and salty sauce so I didn’t eat much of that. I ate the shredded greens instead which was good. I think maybe a bit too much of sauce on the plate seeped into the lightly battered soft shell crab. Pretty good value for just $12.

After enjoying the entree, I moved on to mains. I loved the crunch of the 2 triangular pieces of fish which was really delicious with just enough teriyaki sauce to add more flavour to the soft fluffy fish. It had just that right amount of sweetness. I also enjoyed the soya sauce upon the rice which turned plain old boring steamed rice into something else. There was a little bit of salad in the bowl too which was good. For just a small serve at $5.50, what a lovely meal. There is a 50c surcharge on credit cards where the meal is under $20. Mains are available in a larger serve.

Zensaki Food Review Summary

Verdict: On my second visit, I was more impressed. I loved the freshness and light batter of the soft shell crab which was an excellent entree. The small serve of teriyaki fish was an ample size and I loved the crunch of the fish with the flavours of the teriyaki sauce and steamed rice which rounded off an excellent lunch.
Price: Reasonable
Taste: Delicious
Value: Excellent
Recommendation: Recommend

Zensaki Restaurant Details

http://www.zensaki.com/

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Related Posts

1. Zensaki – 7 May 2012
2. Shiro Izakaya – 22 Mar 2012
3. Globe Wine Bar and Restaurant – 20 Mar 2012

I was catching up for dinner with a friend and he suggested I try the ramen noodles at Zensaki. I have actually walked past this place on my lunch time walks around the city and thought that I must visit but haven’t yet gone there. Passing by, it appears the place only sells sushi as a display cabinet is prominent from the front, only for there to be a restaurant behind. Rather deceptive. Stepping in the place is quite spacious, long and a bit narrow. The place is sharp and modern but blends in the background and provides an inviting setting.

Having a look through the menu, there’s so much to choose from and plenty of variety. There’s pictures too which have you wondering what number dish is this, then what number is that. From entrees like tempura, soft shell crab, or tataki to various other dishes like salads, sushi, donburri, bento and of course, noodles. Certainly had my mouth watering so I went with the chicken karaage and ramen noodles.

After a reasonable wait, I was presented with a small bowl of crunchy, succulent pieces of chicken and a much larger bowl filled with ramen noodles in a broth with spring onions. You have a choice of broths so I opted for the garlic salt. It was subtle without being too garlicey and added a lovely flavour. Ramen noodles are similar to 2 minutes noodles in description but much tastier of course. The soup is quite a simple meal but it goes well on a cold winters day which the day was with the rain coming down in droves. I enjoyed the chicken karaage too which was so delicious but not as delicious as Jun’s Japanese.

Zensaki Food Review Summary

Verdict: A really good meal at jusr $12, the ramen noodles and broth went well on a cold winters day with lovely flavours complemented by the chicken karaage providing the protein component and a different teture with the crunchy deep fried coating. I definitely want to come back to try the other offerings on the menu. Plenty on the menu to suit everyone.
Price: Reasonable
Taste: Delicious
Value: Reasonable
Recommendation: Recommend

Zensaki Restaurant Details

http://www.zensaki.com/

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Feel free to subscribe via RSS or be updated via email each time a new post comes out on PerthFoodReviews.com. Alternatively, bookmark this foodie site on your favourite social media site below. Remember, when it comes to food, it’s all about the taste.

Related Posts

1. Zensaki – 11 May 2012
2. D’Nyonya Penang Restaurant – 19 April 2012
3. Korner Cafe – 13 Apr 2012

After my initial visit to Tak Chee House in February earlier in the year, I decided to go again and meet my parents there for dinner. It does take a little while, but after a 15 minute relaxing stroll from the CBD to Northbridge down William Street, I arrived at Tak Chee House. There’s plenty of people about on a Friday night so it’s not like the usual ghost town after 6pm. I’d made a booking the prior day which is always good policy given the place was packed when we entered. There were a few people sitting on chairs by the entrance eagerly awaiting their chance at an empty table. Others decided against the wait and went elsewhere.

We were taken to our table and after having a look through the menu, we ordered:

• Penang Lo Bak (entree) – a Vietnamese type sausage that has a really crispy skin and is sliced on the angle. It’s served with a sweet & spicy sauce.
• Chicken satay (entree) – 4 skewers of chicken with a bowl of satay sauce
• Penang Char Kuey Teow
• Singapore Fried Bee Hoon – vermicelli noodles with chicken & seafood
• Roti Canai with Curry Chicken – roti is a flaky bread to be eaten with the curry
• Ice White Tea
• Ice Kachang – dessert with crushed ice, palm sugar, crushed peanuts, ice jelly and sweet corn
• Chinese Tea

While there’s nothing fancy about the place, our waitstaff was very warm and friendly and helpful in our menu selection. Many of the dishes on the menu remind me of my holiday to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The Penang Lo Bak with the sweet & spicy sauce was excellent and just like what I ate in KL. Chicken satay is always an interesting one as there’s so many different versions. I loved this version of the tender chicken with the strong coriander flavour and delicious satay sauce. The entrees were a great start to our meal.

Most of the other dishes are really meals for one but we did share a small portion of each other’s meals to get a taste of the meals offered. I had a taste of the Penang Char Kuey Teow which was excellent and had lovely flavours. Still, not as good as the KL Chinatown version I ate. I also had a taste of the Singapore Fried Bee Hoon which are vermicelli noodles with chicken, seafood and other ingredients. Wasn’t too bad but not to my liking. For a start, I don’t care for vermicelli noodles to start off with. For my mains, I got a lovely, crunchy, flaky roti with a bowl of chicken curry. There were 3 pieces of chunky chicken with potatoes and a spicy curry surrounding all ingredients. A little bit pungent but nothing I can’t handle and quite flavoursome. I really loved the roti and there was a generous amount of chicken. In between I sipped on my iced white tea which had a lovely tea flavour and sweetness without being too confronting. I was pretty stuffed but I did sample a bit of ice kachang which was delicious. This is the first version in Perth I’ve had with crushed peanuts, along with the usual ingredients of sweet corn, palm sugar, ice jelly and loads of ice. Excellent and nearly on par with Island Bistro in KL.

Tak Chee House Food Review Summary

Verdict: I loved the entrees of lo bak and satay chicken which were full of flavour and tasty. The small sample I had of the char kuey teow was authentic and so too the ice kechang. I loved the crispy, flaky roti and wished I got served another but with the generous serve of chicken curry, I was stuffed. I enjoyed my meal and appreciated the friendly warm service. The bill did add up quickly so maybe a little bit overpriced. Cash only. Bookings essential.
Price: Reasonable
Taste: Delicious
Value: Reasonable
Recommendation: Recommend

See my prior blog post:
Food Review of Tak Chee House – 2 Feb 2012

Tak Chee House Restaurant Details

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Related Posts

1. Korner Cafe – 13 Apr 2012
2. Tak Chee House – 2 Feb 2012
3. Hong Kong BBQ House – 27 Jan 2012

Not far from Jun’s Japanese, I spied another interesting Malaysian restaurant called D’Nyonya Penang Restaurant. I went up to the windows and had a look through the menu and was sold. I had gone for another late lunch so I had a choice of table but there were a few patrons enjoying a leisurely afternoon.

Along the right hand side is a continuous bench with cushions while everyone else gets a chair with a string of tables in between. Nothing fancy about the place but it has an inviting feel. Sitting down and looking at the menu, the dishes remind me just like when I had visited restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I particularly fancied the Penang Char Koay Teow ($10.50). Within a short time of placing my order, a plate well filled with my meal was presented to me. I was really hungry and couldn’t wait to dive in but the meal was still hot given it came straight out of the wok. I ate a bit around the edges till things cooled down but I loved it despite getting my mouth a little bit burnt. Patience is a hard quality to display when very hungry and with a delicious looking meal staring at you.

I really enjoyed the silky smooth and soft texture of the wide cut flat rice noodles. The been sprouts, squid, prawns, and all the other ingredients combined really well in making this an excellent lunch. I remember the same dish I ate in Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur and this was not that far off. The only thing missing was the crunchy salty bits of pork fat and the intense smokiness of the wok immersed into the rice noodles. The rice noodles in my meal did take on a slight smoky flavour but I really enjoyed the meal and flavours. Looking through the menu, there are pictures with some dishes so they certainly caught the eye and I wouldn’t mind trying some of their other dishes.

After wolfing that down, I also enjoyed a large glass filled with Teh Ice ($3.50) which is chilled red tea with condensed milk. Lovely flavour of the tea and the milkiness of the condensed milk with ample sweetness. Excellent meal and I enjoyed the tea. There are vegetarian options available and they also have halal food –  Halal Certificate from the Islamic Council of Western Australia. There are other restaurants in this chain in other countries.

D’Nyonya Penang Food Review Summary

Verdict: Coming here and perusing the menu took me back to my time in Kuala Lumpa, Malaysia. I thoroughly enjoyed my plate of Char Koay Teow which had delicious soft silky smooth rice noodles with ample seafood and excellent flavour. The iced red tea washed it down. Cash only.
Price: Reasonable
Taste: Delicious
Value: Excellent
Recommendation: Recommend

D’Nyonya Penang Restaurant Details

http://dnyonya.com/

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Feel free to subscribe via RSS or be updated via email each time a new post comes out on PerthFoodReviews.com. Alternatively, bookmark this foodie site on your favourite social media site below. Remember, when it comes to food, it’s all about the taste.

Related Posts

1. Globe Wine Bar and Restaurant – 20 Mar 2012
2. Maurizio Restaurant – 10 Feb 2012
3. Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur – Little Penang Cafe

The first time I went to visit Jun’s Japanese only to discover it was closed during the holiday period over Christmas, I’d kept on walking around the block to discover more eateries that seem very hidden away from the hustle and bustle of Hay and Murray Street Malls. After visiting Jun’s Japanese and absolutely loving their chicken karaage, I thought I might as well make a visit to some of the eateries around this side and see what they’re like.

Today’s visit took me to Korner Cafe. I’d gone for a late lunch around 2pm so I didn’t expect it to be busy. There were a few tables with patrons enjoying their meals so I took a seat and was promptly brought a menu and asked for drinks. Quite a lot to look through but the majority of the menu caters for a dining experience revolving around a group. They have entrees, mains and desserts to choose from. They do have a section for meals for one which was what I was after, centred around steamed rice or noodles. I settled upon the chilli chicken curry with steamed rice.

While I was waiting I was also brought a carafe of chilled water and I looked around the open restaurant. Seats aplenty and quite open and breezy. There was a table nearby with magazines and newspapers so I grabbed a newspaper to look through. I didn’t have to wait all that long and was presented with a decent sized oval plate with an equal portion serve of steamed rice and the chilli chicken curry. It looks just like the version at Han’s Cafe which I love. Lots of bright colourful vegetables mixed in amongst the pieces of chicken with flecks of red chilli flakes.

I dived in and mixed the sauce and chicken with the rice and ploughed through it. A generous serving which was quite tasty but lacking something in flavour. I’m not sure what it was missing, but it needed something. I think Han’s Cafe’s version is far better but this wasn’t a bad meal by any standard. It isn’t chilli hot despite the chillies and has that nice mix of slightly sweet and sour flavour. I managed to eat through the lot and left feeling comfortably full. There’s a fair amount on the menu so you can certainly sample a variety of dishes.

Korner Cafe Food Review Summary

Verdict: The chilli chicken curry with steamed rice was quite tasty but lacking something in flavour to make it excellent. A decent serving which left me comfortably full and good value at just $11.95. Nice relaxed setting.
Price: Reasonable
Taste: Great
Value: Reasonable
Recommendation: Worth Visiting Again

Korner Cafe Restaurant Details

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Feel free to subscribe via RSS or be updated via email each time a new post comes out on PerthFoodReviews.com. Alternatively, bookmark this foodie site on your favourite social media site below. Remember, when it comes to food, it’s all about the taste.

Related Posts

1. Zensaki – 11 May 2012
2. Eat Drink Perth – Twilight Hawkers Markets – 23 Mar 2012
3. Tak Chee House – 2 Feb 2012

Another team night out but involving other teams from work, we headed over to Pot Black in Northbridge for a few hours of fun hitting the pool tables. A few of us decided to head out for dinner so we stopped by Zapata’s again which is just up the road on James Street. It wasn’t as packed as last time so we were able to pick our table and opted for one outside in the pleasant weather. Being a Wednesday, Zapata’s have daily specials with today’s offer being $10 cocktail carafes. So instead of picking up a cocktail for $10, you could get a carafe instead. ”Death by Chocolate” for me thanks which was shared with another member. We started out with the ”Los Tres” Dip  ($13.10) - 3 dips including chilli con queso, salsa mexicana and guacamole. That was a nice start which we shared amongst us. Love the gooey cheesy sauce which was just like last time’s visit – delicious.

I decided to go with something different for my mains so opted for the “Al Pastor” ($16.90). This is one of the dishes from their range of traditional soft corn tortillas. After a reasonable wait, a tray of all our dishes is brought out and served to us. I received a tray with a plate of 4 tortillas; a small shallow pan of the minced pork marinated in achiote, served with onions, pineapple and coriander; a small bowl of  corn salsa; and a little jug of a light brown gravy looking sauce. It’s very hands on as you are presented with the prepared ingredients and you just assemble the tortillas and eat. I went looking for what the marinade was - achiote. According to Wikipedia, achiote is a shrub which is used in certain cooking cultures to give colour as well as flavour. After drinking the creamy milky Death By Chocolate cocktail which was just as delicious as last time, I was feeling full so a slightly lighter meal like this was perfect. The pork mixture had nice flavour and the corn salsa added freshness while the sauce provided moisture. Simple meal which went down well. A word of warning, I’m not sure where, but I suspect the sauce has something which is frightfully hot. After eating the first tortilla, the second one had my mouth burning and my lips zinging. Fortunately a bottle of cold water was near which provided temporary relief. The third tortilla was worse and the last, which I tipped the remaining sauce mixture was completely mild. I did have a bit of the pork on it’s own and it was fine. The few pieces of pineapple were a slight saviour but boy was that hidden chilli really hot.

Zapata’s Food Review Summary

Verdict: Second time round to Zapata’s was just as good as last time. I loved the Death By Chocolate cocktail and the dips are a nice way to get started, especially the gooey cheesy dip. I opted for a lighter mains in the Al Pastor and happily prepared and ate 4 tortillas with a lovely pork mixture with corn salsa and a lovely sauce. Somewhere in those ingredients was one almighty hot chilli which was really hot. After downing the bottle of water, I think the burning sensation subsided.
Price: Reasonable
Taste: Delicious
Value: Excellent
Recommendation: Recommend

Zapata’s Restaurant Details

http://www.zapataswa.com.au/

Like This Blog & Want A Second Helping?

Feel free to subscribe via RSS or be updated via email each time a new post comes out on PerthFoodReviews.com. Alternatively, bookmark this site on your favourite social media site below. Remember, when it comes to food, it’s all about the taste.

Related Posts

1. Jus Burgers – 8 Mar 2012
2. Zapata’s – Northbridge – 1 Mar 2012
3. Chocolateria San Churro Northbridge – 15 Feb 2012

This is the second last Friday left in March 2012 and the Eat Drink Perth food festival is nearing a close. I must have tried nearly every food stall that I wished to try and I’m now scraping the bottom of the barrel to find the undiscovered gems. I got to Forrest Chase shortly after 5pm and was glad to see the twilight markets were not jostling for a spot with another event within Forrest Chase like last week. Plenty more room for everyone, including far more tables and chairs. I had a quick walk around and noticed that a few stalls seem to have disappeared over the weeks. A few new stalls have popped up in their place so I located a new stall which I hadn’t visited selling Malaysian cuisine. From my trip to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore last year, I was keen to reacquaint myself with some familiar flavours.

After having a look at the menu and feeling quite hungry, I decided to pick up a couple of curry puffs at $2 each, a serve (of 4) chicken skewers with sate sauce ($5), and a serve of biriyani with 2 curries ($10). I chose beef rendang and chilli chicken as the 2 curries. I dived into the chicken skewers which had a delicious grilled flavour and the sate sauce was excellent. I also enjoyed a curry puff before heading to the train station. That quick entree was enough to satisfy my hunger for the time being.

When I got home, I left a chicken skewer each to my parents who were happy to enjoy the offering and a curry puff to share. Meanwhile, I dived into the biriyani which was delicious. I really enjoyed the flavour imparted into the rice with the grains loose and well cooked. I received a decent serve of tender beef rendang chunks which had an excellent flavour. The chilli chicken packed a bit of bite and that went down well. I was pretty stuffed and got a very generous serve for just $10. I couldn’t eat it all and offered my parents a taste. They loved it and want me to pick up a serve each for them next week. I thoroughly enjoyed the Malaysian offerings of this food stall. Excellent value and generous, tasty, flavoursome food.

Next week is the last Friday of the twilight hawkers markets so make sure you head down to Forrest Chase between 5-8pm to sample some cuisines from various cultures.

Check out my other posts for an idea of the foods that might still be on offer:

• Eat Drink Perth – Twilight Hawkers Markets – 16 Mar 2012
• Eat Drink Perth – Twilight Hawkers Markets – 9 Mar 2012
• Eat Drink Perth – Twilight Hawkers Markets – 2 Mar 2012
• Twilight Hawkers Markets – Friday 27 Nov 2011
• Eat Drink Perth 2011 Friday 18th
• Eat Drink Perth 2011 Friday 11th
• Eat Drink Perth 2011 Friday 4th

Related Posts

1. Eat Drink Perth – Twilight Hawkers Markets – 16 Mar 2012
2. Iku Sushi – 13 Mar 2012
3. Eat Drink Perth – Twilight Hawkers Markets – 9 Mar 2012

Late last month, I had an invitation from one of the owners of Shiro, Rafael, to try out the new restaurant and of course, blog about my experience. Apparently Shiro opened late October last year which goes to show you how observant I’ve been. With the whole Eat Drink Perth 2012 and the various dining offers available, it’s been a busy March eating out. I kindly decided to take Rafael on his offer and thought lunch would be a good start so I asked some family members if they were interested in joining me, which of course they were in full agreement. I did take a walk in Central Park to have more of a sticky beak and what is apparent are the long walls of glass not fully encasing the restaurant allowing plenty of fresh air and sunlight  to enter. The long side of the restaurant has a long bench where patrons overlook the park and makes for people watching while you enjoy your lunch. Apart from Shiro, inside the spacious foyer of Central Park is also another cafe that also opened up.

After walking in to the restaurant we were promptly taken to our table and seated at the comfy booths. The restaurant has a lovely spacious feel due to the high ceilings and even though the restaurant is long and narrow, they manage to pack a number of patrons in while not being squashed. The long bench overlooking the park is to one side, booths line the middle, and then on a slightly elevated level, are a number of smaller tables. There’s also an upstairs area that was just as packed. The interior contains lots of wood giving a warm, cosy and earthy feel.

After looking through our menus, we decided to order the sets which range from $24 for vegetarian, to $27 for the beef or chicken, to the $32 for salmon. The non-vegetarian sets generally come with the following:

• Garden salad
• Miso soup
• The choice of 3 pieces of sashimi or 3 pieces of assorted tempura
• The choice of 3 pieces of Maki sushi or 3 pieces of Nigiri sushi
• Donburi with either beef, Teriyaki chicken, or salmon

I must admit, while I have eaten Japanese, I’m not too familiar with the names of the dishes. For example, take the name of the restaurant - Shiro Izakaya. Izakaya is a type of drinking establishment where one goes to after work for a casual affair and they serve food along with the drinks. Sounds like the drinks are the focus with the food a side accompaniment.  Sashimi is considered a delicacy and an entree to lighten the palate before the rest of the meal. It consists of thinly sliced fresh raw fish dipped in soya sauce. One of my friends introduced this to me and it’s actually very tasty despite sounding offputting. Then there are various types of sushi. Maki sushi takes it name from the bamboo mat used to roll the sushi. Nigiri sushi is oblong shaped and hand moulded by the chef. Finally, there’s donburi which literally means bowl. A rice stew is simmered with it’s various ingredients consisting of vegetables and a protein such as beef. It’s served in an oversized bowl, donburi. I’ve provided very simple explainations to give you an idea as to what we ate but doesn’t do justice to Japanese cusine.

On to the actual eating of the meal, I ordered the beef set (set menu B). The garden salad was really fresh and tasty with the delicious Japanese style dressing adding plenty of flavour. The sashimi was fresh and delicious in that excellent dipping sauce. The Nigiri sushi doesn’t look like the typical cyclindrical seaweed encased sushi, rather, they’re like little figurines with the seafood covering the top of the rice to give the appearance you’re eating a miniature fish. I really loved this. Presentation is fantastic, a striking characteristic of Japanese cuisine. The sashimi did come with a small blob of wasabi which cleared my nose out very quickly so I had the tiniest of portions with each bite. I had a piece of a tempura onion ring from one of my family members. The onion was very tender and the rawness removed. The light, golden yellow tempura batter was fantastic! Light and tasty, slightly crunchy but not overly deep fried and just melt in your mouth. I also had a small portion of Maki sushi which was delicious. In between each of the bites of this and that, I sipped on the enjoyable Miso soup and had also ordered aloe vera juice which was delicious.

All that food and I hadn’t yet eaten the donburi which intrigued me. My simple explaination of donburi earlier doesn’t do justice to what I was served. It’s like a bowl of rice that has been cooked in the beef juices, soy sauce and mirin and then encased by thin slices of tender beef and onions. The meal is actually a bit intense, very rich, but the greens atop and the pickled ginger especially, cut through the richness and give a tang. The rice is full of flavour and very enjoyable, as too the beef. Apart from that, I did have a taste of the chicken Teriyaki which was flavoursome and not too intense nor salty, and some of the salmon which was fresh but needed to be dipped in the soya sauce to add flavour. For a set, there’s lots of variety and plenty of generosity. I was struggling to finish my meal but did manage. To end the lunch, I did have a sip of now cold Japanese tea. I’m not a tea drinker but this tea was very light to the palate. I’ve had Chinese tea which I can stomach but have noted the intense flavour. The Japanese tea on the other hand, is the opposite – it goes down easily and is almost non-intrusive.

To finish off, I was intrigued by the desserts so I asked the waitstaff for the dessert menu in which she confidently recited the offerings available with an explanation of a few dishes. Throughout our meal, service by the various waitstaff was excellent. I decided to have a scoop each of green tea ice cream and black sesame ice cream. One of my other family members ordered the banana maki with yuzu sorbet. Since that was brought out first, I had a taste of the crunchy spring roll encasing the soft warmed banana which was delicious. I also had a small taste of the yuzu sorbet which was extremely refreshing and had a slight flavour of lemon. After a while, my dessert was presented. The green tea has a strong aftertaste of the green tea flavour lingering at the back of your palate but is not immediately obvious on first taste. I enjoyed this but preferred the black sesame which has a slight resemblance to chocolate but you still get the sesame flavour. The texture was very different being grainy but I didn’t mind the smoothness of the ice cream along with this graininess and the subtle black sesame flavour.

Boy was I full! Shame I had to go back to work. I met both owners, Rafael and Daniel, and was chatting to them about the restaurant. I’ve certainly not seen the kind of offering Shiro presents in Perth. It’s a different slice of Japanese cuisine. The dinner offerings are very different to that of lunch, geared more towards fine dining maybe in a similar vein to that of The Bonsai Restaurant Cafe and Lounge. Well the place is packed and firing on all cylinders so I guess Shiro has struck the right chord. Best wishes to Daniel and Rafael and my family and I were happy to be guests at their restaurant. Best wishes in their continued success.

Shiro Izakaya Food Review Summary

Verdict: I really enjoyed the ambience the restaurant provides on a lovely warm sunny day. The lunch sets are excellent value and a great way to sample various elements of Japanese cuisine via the variety offered. The serves were generous and once you have a few bites of sashimi, sushi, or tempura, munch on the garden salad, sip your miso soup, and enjoy spoonfuls of the donburi, you will feel very full, probably too full. I enjoyed all the elements offered, in particular the sashimi and tempura, and enjoyed trying something new in the donburri which was yet another way to enjoy rice. The service was excellent throughout our meal and the desserts rounded things off.
Price: Moderately Expensive
Taste: Delicious
Value: Excellent
Recommendation: Highly Recommend

Shiro Izakaya Restaurant Details

http://www.shiroizakaya.com/

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