Perth on a Platter

Cookies and donut

2012-12-02T06:31:00.001-08:00

Best Apple Strudel!

I am going to spill information about my favourit-ist Apple strudel!

Presenting to you..COOKIES & DONUTS

In Southlands Boulevard Willetton, there is a little kiosk called COOKIES & DONUTS. Situated in front of Coles selling cakes, donuts and pastries, it looks like the usual cake kiosk but no...they have the best apple strudel EVER! So good that it is always sold out by noon.

I was lucky enough to have the best mummy EVER whom went and bought me some apple strudel. The apples are always crispy, fresh and juicy, custard and cream all so creamy with volume sandwiched between a light and fluffy pastry, topped off with a dusting of icing sugar. Every component compliments each other. The cream and custard isn't like the usual ones you'd find, it's more creamier? with volume yet not overly sweet and does not seem fatty. *when it is?* ugh I don't know what I am talking about..it's just GOOD :)

I can devour the whole slab of apple strudel alone and not feel UGH from the fatty overload, instead I am more refreshed and sad coz it's gone :( I shall now showcase this apple strudel that I speak so highly of.

This slab of apple strudel will set you back $7

Sadly I have to share with my siblings :(

fresh apples, cream, custard what more do you want!

My whole family loves loves LOVES the Apple strudel and we believe it's on par with Corica if not BETTER. Give it a try and be the judge for yourself.

Southlands Cookies & Donuts
Kiosk 3
Southlands Boulevard
45 Burrendah Boulevard
Willetton WA 6155

Bivouac Canteen and Bar

2012-09-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

http://bivouac.com.au/

Bivouac was chosen as the dinner spot for a long overdue catch up with F and E. Initially I wanted to go for the brunch as it seemed very popular, but because I seem to always go in the wrong days ie. Sunday, I decided to try a dinner service first.

Bivouac has a concept of providing a venue for rest and recuperation, much like a Bivouac itself. Dishes are Mediterranean inspired and therefore meals are designed for sharing. True to its name the canteen like venue has a relaxed feeling and a very youthful vibe to it with a few VERY UNIQUE art work displayed.

We were greeted by a young energetic waitress and started pondering over the menu. This was the verdict we came to:

Chacuterie board: wagyu bresaola, serrano style air dried pork, salami tascana, olive mortadella, ham hock terrine, pickles and char grilled sourdough 22

slaughtermans gnocchi, ox tail ragu, reggiano 23

moroccan mechoui lamb, chickpea puree, date and preserved lemon relish 29

gin gin goat chops, chermoula rub 16

First to arrive was the chacuterie board and we were disappointed, it wasn't the fault of the kitchen, more like us not knowing what most of the terms meant on the description. We all saw the word "wagyu" and was like "YEP! iwantthat". None of us knew what bresaola meant and turns out it meant air dried salted beef, in other words, this platter was basically store bought items plated on a chopping board.

Chacuterie board

Although our first dish was a disappointment, it only got better from then on. The gnocchi was well done and I was glad we shared as it got rather repetitive in flavour which is what I usually find with gnocchi in general. Ox tail ragu was so tender it melted in out mouths but I have to admit, I had to get my head around the fact that I'm eating a "tail".

slaughtermans gnocchi, ox tail ragu, reggiano

My favourite dishes would be the Moroccan lamb and goat chops. First of all the lamb was cooked to perfection and packed full of flavour which masked the lamb smell that usually puts me off lamb. Chickpea puree was silky smooth and the date and lemon relish just tied the whole dish together. The goat chops also had alot of flavour, it's flavours you can see and reminded me of what Jamie Oliver would whip up. I would have liked more pieces though, one piece each isn't enough.

moroccan mechoui lamb, chickpea puree, date and preserved lemon relish

gin gin goat chops, chermoula rub

Next was dessert, it didn't take long for us to order as we basically went, "I'll have all of it *finger circling* except that *finger points*" too easy. We ordered the following:

The deconstructed tira mi su, savoiardi biscuits, crema della duchessa and cafe marsala

Persian love cake $9

pistachio white chocolate and cointreau parfait, caramelised nectarine, honey wafer $14.50

baklava $6

When I saw the word "deconstructed", I instantly thought MASTERCHEF, I was so excited and when it came out, I have to admit I was a little bit disappointed, I guess I was hoping for crumbs of biscuits scattered on the board with little dollops of cream and a drizzling of rich coffee, but it was more simpler than what I imagined it to be. The waitress explained to us how to approach the dish, grab a biscuit, dip it in the coffee and and scoop some cream. We did as we were told and as soon as the biscuit hit our palate WHOA! that coffee was strong assss, the second time round, we didn't do a dip, it was more like a skim off the coffee. Despite the let down in my expectations, it was fun sharing the dish with awesome friends.

deconstructed tira mi su, savoiardi biscuits, crema della duchessa and cafe marsala

My favourite would be the pistachio white chocolate parfait, it went well with the caramelised nectarine. As for the Persian love cake, it was basically a cake with syrup, it looked beautiful and went well with the fairy floss as the taste is simple and not very sweet.

pistachio white chocolate and cointreau parfait, caramelised nectarine, honey wafer

Persian love cake

We also tried a baklava and was told it was home made. It was very hard to cut into three pieces, I'm not sure if baklavas were meant to be that hard, I found it rather average and a little bit too dry for my liking. At least I can say I've tried baklava.

Baklava

Overall, I enjoyed my experience in Bivouac and will definitely return to taste their new menu. Service is excellent, food is delicious, beautiful presentation and we left paying just over $40 each with 7 dishes in total.

Pepper Lunch

2012-09-06T07:24:00.002-07:00

"Healthy fast food"

I love it when something new opens in Perth, restaurants in particular. Pepper lunch is one of the new kids on the block and judging from the hype and positive feedback, I think it has been accepted into the cool kids club.

Pepper Lunch offers fast, Japanese, healthy food and has already boomed globally with the 200 outlets in Japan and another 100 outlets dispersed in Singapore, China, Taipei, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and now Australia. Pepper Lunch works on the concept of having customers grill their own meals in heated iron dish. Their menu offers items from flavours of japan pepper rice to sizzle it your own way fine steak and if you're lost with what to do, there are videos demonstrating step by step methods with each different dish and the friendly staff will also explain the processes.

I ordered the Shimofuri pepper steak and bf had the Cut Steak with Kimchi and Cheese. I was very surprised to find such cheap prices with the steaks offered, waygu in particular, it is definitely worth the money. When my dish arrived, I was told to smear the butter on the meat and grill to my preference, then mix with the sauces provided of my choice, these being soy sauce, garlic sauce and a sweet sauce. It doesn't take long for the steak to cook, so if you like it rare and don't want it to cook further, place it on the vegies.

Shimofuri pepper steak

I enjoyed my meal, it's simple and quick and my steak was tender * I would like to think it's because of my pro grilling skills XD*, the down side would be that it had a lingering force defrosted taste to it (not sure how to explain it), it was very faint that it didn't bother me too much and hey what do you expect with such prices. I had a taste of the cheese kimchi fried rice and it tastes like what you'd find in a Korean restaurant but with corner kernels and cheaper.

Cut Steak with Kimchi and Cheese

Overall, I think Pepper Lunch is here to stay judging from the numerous customers it receives. Though the food is very simple and nothing to rave about, it offers another option of fast food that is healthy rather than the usual kfc, maccas and hungry jacks and I reckon the novelty will keep it going.

John Street Cafe

2012-08-26T06:51:00.001-07:00

"Hashbrowns!"

John st cafe is the perfect pit stop for breakfast after walking the dog along the beach OR for brunch and getting updates of all the shameful things you did last night then burying your head in the sands of Cottesloe beach. But yes..you get my point, this place is a great place for breakfast/brunch and to just embrace the Australian way of life.

This little cafe is nestled between homes on John st in Cottesloe, it is too far into John st to see any beach but location wise it has probably added value to the homes nearby. This popular blue building has the theme of the beach on the walls and tables and everyone seems to know about it. I guess this could bring the property value down due to the constant people traffic. Anyways.. enough of the real estate nonsense lets talk food!

The girlfriends and I went on a busy Sunday morning, we all woke up early to beat the crowd, well only one of us did and the rest eventually got there. The menu consists of the standard breakfast items, nothing unique, prices are the usual price you'd find in Perth brunches ie. not very cheap. We all knew about the home made hashbrowns so we had to have one. I ordered the big breakfast which included the hash brown and a chai latte, the others had eggs benedict with an added hashbrown, scrambled eggs on toast and mushroom with an added hashbrown and finally a smoked salmon benedict with..and I will say it one more time....an added hashbrown XD.

My big breakfast was BIG! Everything on the plate was perfectly done, it's hard to go wrong with the big breakfast, scrambled eggs well scrambled, sausages well sausaged, tomatoes well toasted, but the winner would be the hash browns crunchy on the outside and soft mustard and herb seasoned potato in the centre. Anything homemade is win for me!

Big Breakfast

If there's Chai latte on the menu, I always get it and this case was no different. My chai latte was perfectly made, I just kept raving about, it just had so much body to it with the thick creamy milk even after thoroughly mixing it.

Chai latte

V had the eggs benedict and she loved the hollandaise sauce, this is coming from someone who has tasted alot of hollandaise sauces in her lifetime. E had the mushrooms and scrambled eggs on toast she loved the mushrooms, she also ordered a fruit smoothie which was packed full of fruit.

Smoked salmon eggs benedict + hashbrown

Eggs benedict + hashbrown

Scrambled eggs on toast and mushroom + hashbrown

Overall, I enjoyed my breakfast, best hashbrowns so far. Each component of our dishes were cooked well, it's a good place for the standard breakfast menu and will keep the bellies full till well over lunch time therefore, more time to work on that tan.

Little Caesers

2012-08-26T04:03:00.000-07:00

"Best pizzas"

http://www.littlecaesarspizzeria.com.au/

I remember back in the good ol days when people would organise mini road trips to Mundaring just to try out the award winning pizzas in Little Caesars. I was one of them, gathering a large group of friends and just ordering everything off the menu to make the most of our journey. Till this day Little Caesars have saved everyone the road trip and expanded to Perth city, it has now opened a couple of branches one in Leederville and the other in Hillarys boat harbour.

In addition to the Mundaring branch, I've also dined in both Leederville and Hillarys and still have never gotten sick of their pizzas. What makes their pizzas different from the usual Eagle boys, Pizza hut and Dominos is the gourmet pizzas they offer and simply the unique and creative pizzas on the menu such as pisagne (a lasagne on a pizza). They also have delicious dessert pizzas which isn't limited to just pizza with chocolate and ice cream, it consists of pizzas like baked upside lemon cheese cake, pecan pie, green tea pizza and french cinnamon tea cake.

Little Caesars is generous with their toppings on their pizzas and are baked on thin bases allowing our stomachs to sample more pizzas from their extensive menu. Don't hold back on the ordering as pizzas are presented in tiers so table space for pizzas won't be a problem, otherwise just sacrifice a guest ^^.

My favourite savoury pizzas would be:

Greek Lamb: Corrigin Free Range lamb, mozzarella, semi-caramelized onion, fetta, Kalamata olives, rosemary, tzatziki $16.50

Pork Star: Free Range Linley \/alley pork mince, caramelized onions sweet potato, crushed fennel seeds $22

Smashing Pumpkins roasted pumpkin, cashews, mozzarella, parmesan, cream sauce $21

Pisagne in the middle tier

Bottom tier: Greek Lamb

As for desserts, it would be the award winning pecan pie and upside down cheese cake:

Baked Upside Down Lemon Cheese Cake: creamy cheesecake mix, crushed biscuits, icing sugar, strawberry sauce $16.50

NewYork Pecan Pie: butterscotch pudding, pecans, icing sugar, golden syrup, pecan to ee $16.50

I've tried the green tea pizza but wasn't really a big fan of it. it was rather dry and pretty much a green tea cake. Ironically it is the best dessert pizza photo I have.

Green tea dessert - Hillarys


Top tier: Mudhoney pizza, second tier: Apple strudel, bottom tier: upside down lemon cheesecake - Mundaring 2008

If I'm craving gourmet pizzas, little Caesars will be the first place on my mind. Get there early as they don't make reservations and due to it's popularity it's usually packed and there are limited seating. The newest branch in Hillarys can accomodate more than the one in Leederville and has beautiful views of the boat harbour, it is also the only one out of the three branches that opens for lunch service, unfortunately it is quite a drive for those that don't live up north, but surely having pizza for lunch would be enough of an incentive to drive up.

Ciao Italia

2012-08-26T03:31:00.000-07:00

"Creamy creamy fettuccine!"

I cannot remember how many times I've dined here and how many times I've waited outside for a table amongst the large crowd and just salivating from the thought of my favourite fettuccine dish. Ciao Italia is my favourite Italian place in Perth and is well known for its delicious authentic Italian cuisine. The dining experience may not be the most comfortable setting on a busy night, but despite being cramped together in a small table and eating in such a loud atmosphere, people still flock in because their food is worth it and hey..coming together is very Italian if I'm not wrong.

Ciao Italia seems to be a favourite to many and its success is evident from the expansion of the restaurant to double its size in order to accommodate the numerous hungry diners, despite their efforts, there seems to be a correlation between square metres and number of customers, as the number of customers also increased with size, they just can't win in this situation and many customers are still left waiting for quite some time. This is the down side of dining here, they don't do reservations so it is a gamble to get a seating but it ain't a gamble for the food.

To maximise business, the restaurant is crammed with small tables covered with red and white checkered table cloths screaming ITALY. The staff are also Italian and seem to thrive in such atmosphere, they always have a prompt and upbeat attitude and are also happy to take photos for you sometimes even offering, I guess they know the Asian ritual of taking photos of food and each other with food. Not only that, if they know it's your birthday, there will be a moment when the music changes from Italian music to a birthday song and the staff will sing in a cheerful manner. Birthday celebrations seem to be popular here as I've always seen at least one in the times I've dined here.

I have tasted many dishes from their extensive menu and have enjoyed all their dishes but there is always a favourite and that would be the FAMOUS CIAO ITALIA FETTUCCINE. You can't come here and not order the fettuccine. It is what makes this place my favourite. The fettuccine is unbelievably creamy and it's just SO TASTY, I reckon the preparation for this dish involves slathering cream sauce over the fettuccine followed by a cream reduction, more sauce, then cream reduction and repeat, you get my point, it is deliciously CREAMY. Other usual dishes include the wood fired pizzas and spaghetti Marinara which has a generous serving of seafood and is also a popular dish amongst my friends and I. I'd definitely recommend sharing everything, save yourself the creamy overload from the fettuccine and sharing is caring after all. I heard the desserts are also a hit especially the tirumisu, unfortunately I've always been too full to fit in dessert :O my second stomach has always failed me in Ciao Italia.

Cramming everything in our small table

Ciao Italia fettucine..MY FAVOURITE!

If anyone asks for a good Italian place, it will definitely be Ciao Italia. I'd recommend coming early to beat the crowd. They also don't open for lunch, another delay for all the Italian cravings and hence the accumulation of customers suffering from Ciao Italia fettuccine withdrawal symptoms.

Ellie's Tent

2012-08-21T02:04:00.001-07:00

"Shake those full bellies"

http://www.eliestent.com.au/

Looking for somewhere different to dine? A different experience? Cuisine? Ellie's tent is fun interactive dining, Lebanese style.

Ellie's tent is perfect for large group bookings and seatings are unique, you can choose to have table and chairs OR sit in harem squares! in this case pfft..who needs chairs :P I booked the harem square for 16 people and we were given a whole section just for us.

First impressions coming in, it didn't look as extravagant as the photo on the website, I just saw wooden tables and chairs and fabrics draped across the ceiling, but after walking further towards the end, voila! there were the harem squares.

Ellie's tent interior

The harem square comes as a floor seating or high floor seating (basically like a square booth). I would've preferred the high floor seating but it wasn't able to fit 16 people. Having said that I still enjoyed sitting on the floor. Our seating was elevated by a step and covered with carpet, the area was decorated with middle eastern decor such as instruments, candle stands and rugs displayed on the wall it really added to the experience.

Dining lebanese style in harem squares

Bf and I shared the Lebanese banquet $35pp, it was definitely more than enough and I wouldn't have chosen anything else. I wanted the ultimate Lebanese experience. The banquet consists of Hoummos, Moutabbal, Tabbouleh, Falafel, Sambousik, Fetta Cheese, Shish Tawook, Shish Kebab, Seasoned Rice, Shawarma Lamb, Shawarma Chicken.

First of all the falafel arrived and the lovely waitress told us about how her mum's (chef) falafels are slightly different to the ordinary hence it was a little more greener (don't quite remember why, parsley?), her marketing skills for the falafel worked and my other friends ended up ordering a couple for themselves, I think they gave it to them for free too :) I liked the falafel, crunchy on the outside and soft in the centre, it was like a potato ball but with chickpeas..obviously healthier haha. The sambousik was like a full on meat curry puff minus the curry, I enjoyed it but honestly I still prefered the usual curry puffs.

Falafel

Sambousik

The hoummos and moutabbal looked delicious with the paprika and olive oil drizzled on top, both dips went well with the pita bread, I particularly liked the sweet smoky egg plant flavour of the moutabbal. The Shish kebab was tender, I probably would've liked it more marinated but that's just me..always wanting everything marinated haha..The taboulleh and feta cheese was fresh and complimented well with all the deep fried and grilled dishes, it was fun eating the banquet, you could put all the meat and dips into the pita and have it like a kebab or just have a little bit of everything.

Hoummus, Moutabbal, feta cheese and falafel

How good does this hoummos look

Shish Tawook, Shish Kebab and tabbouleh

The bf and I was very full at this point, BUT THERE WAS MORE :O the seasoned rice dish with shawarma chicken and lamb and in the end we couldn't finish it. I didn't quite enjoy this, it was probably because I was too full and was forcing it in, but I think it needed more flavour. Overall I enjoyed the banquet but I found most dishes had the same level of subtle flavour, I think maybe having a stronger flavour with the meat and rice would allow the refreshing nature of the tabbouleh, feta cheese and dips to shine and compliment the main dishes.

Seasoned rice and shawarma chicken and lamb

Most of my friends ordered from the ala carte menu which majority is basically one of the items from the banquet and a side. Here are some snaps.

Soon after finishing our meals, the music suddenly became louder, that was when I knew my long awaited moment has arrived. BELLY DANCER! They didn't call her a belly dancer for nothing, she really knew how to shake it. A couple of us were good sports and joined the dancer when she 'lured' them in, do not assume that just because you're sitting in the back corner, you won't be targeted by the dancer, even if it's inconvenient for you to get out of your table she can still pick you regardless. There were actually two sessions of belly dancing so don't be quick to leave after the first dance.

Belly dancer!

No one is safe haha!

Ellie's tent is a great addition to Perth's multicultural scene and I enjoyed experiencing the Lebanese cuisine and customs. Definitely dine in the weekends for the belly dancing.

The Roastery

2012-08-19T00:44:00.003-07:00

"Taking coffee to a new level"

http://essenceofcoffee.com.au/pages/the-roastery

Like your coffee? Live down south? I know the perfect place. The Roastery. This cafe located in Southern river is well known for their coffee and though I am not much of a coffee drinker myself, I have friends who know their coffee well and are regulars here.

I have been here twice, both times for lunch and true to its name The roastery has huge coffee roasters which I believe they actually use and bags of different coffee blends on display for customers to buy or taste. You just know you're in good hands in the coffee department here.

During my first visit, I had the signature steak sandwich which was HUGE! it was pretty standard steak sandwich and I struggled to finish it due to it's size..I am a sucker for the word "Signature". I did not order a coffee this first time, but after having a look around and reading the variety of coffee blends they offer with a description of its taste, I was intrigued and knew this isn't going to be another ordinary coffee. What intrigued me was the taste descriptions of each coffee blend from sweet chocolate flavours, blueberry jam, citrus, pine, spices, oat, honey..it's never ending. It's like wine tasting but with coffee, I knew I probably wouldn't be able to taste any of them wih my unsophisticated palate, but I had a chat with my friends who claim that those flavours are evident. The different coffee blends are displayed on the wall and I believe everyday they would change the coffee blend they're using and display it on the blackboard and with that selected blend customers can have it as a latte, long black, cappuccino, mocha..anything their heart desires.

The second time I came I ordered a spicy tomato soup with basil oil and parmesan toast and I made sure I tried their coffee blend, at that time, they had the "Ethiopia Harrar" on the board with the following description:

Ethiopia HARRAR

Process Method: Dry Processed

Heavy bodied, spicy and fragrant, the Harrar region coffees of Ethiopia are known for their bold aromas and flavours exhibiting wild berries, dark chocolate and jam-like notes in the cup.

This particular Harrar coffee displays blueberry with a jammy sensation and a hint of cinnamon fragrance. It is bold in colour, mouthfeel and aroma. Something of the exciting exists in each cup.

NOW HOW COULD YOU NOT WANT TO TRY THIS RIGHT? [order locked in]

The tomato soup was delicious with a hint of spiciness and a generous drizzle of delicious basil oil, all these components of the dish separates it from all the ordinary tomato soups out there. It was very thick and hearty and the parmesan toast was divine! crispy yet soggy from the parmesan overload and buttery goodness, I wish I had more.

Spicy tomato soup with a drizzle of basil oil and parmesan toast

Now for the long awaited moment, My mocha arrived and it looked GORGEOUS! coffee in a cute looking mug. I took my first sip, placed the cup down, froth moustache and all, everyone waited for the verdict.....and....I THINK I can taste the blueberry =-=''...I don't know if it's just in my head and that I really wanted to taste it but it was definitely different from all the other coffees I've had, it had a slight fruity flavour to it. So yes, I guess I did taste the blueberry?? failed palate aside, I still enjoyed it.

Mocha Ethiopia Harrar blend

I would recommend this place for coffee lovers out there. If you're not much of a coffee drinker like myself just try it out and test your palate, you will be wowed by the coffee art anyways. The menu is rather standard but they usually have different dishes each day, I was lucky to have gone when the tomato soup was up. I also heard the breakfast is pretty good too, I will try to wake up for it next time as I will definitely be coming back.

Tuck Shop

2012-08-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

"Stop reading and just GO!"

I was going to write a post about Tuck Shop but realised the numerous blogs that have flooded in on Urbanspoon ><" I've decided to save you the same read over and over again and keep it short and simple. THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE, delicious dishes, lovely atmosphere, excellent customer service and very reasonable prices.

I had the roast pork belly on a bed of potatoes and apple sauce at $21. The people around me started raving about how good the dish is. I believe when strangers start talking to you about the food, you know you've come to the right place to dine. The verdict..Delicious! and it's the type of dish you'd pay $30 for in an upper class restaurant.

Yummy pork belly!

My tip would be..come here early because this place is always packed therefore I wasn't able to come back the second, third, fourth time, but yes..you get my point I will say no more. Now off you go..go everyday, because the menu is ever changing in your favour XD.

MillPoint Caffé Bookshop

2012-08-16T10:08:00.002-07:00

"I'm BOOKed for life"

millpointbookcaffe.com.au

Never would I see myself stepping into a bookshop in this very technologically orientated society, but it all changed when C and I met up for a catch up at Millpoint Cafe bookshop. It was a rainy, cold afternoon and like them movies I was running in the rain with my umbrella hoping it wouldn't flip on me and opening the door to a warm bookshop, stepping into creaky wooden floor boards, the smell of books and coffee just instantly warmed my heart, it was the perfect place to catch up on a rainy day.

Millpoint bookshop cafe is literally a bookshop and a cafe in one, located opposite my favourite Italian place Ciao Italia. There were books displayed on shelves and tables scattered in between, it sets up the perfect environment to read a book and sip on coffee. There's only 3 large tables in the bookshop area but have no fear, there's more at the back of the store with the option to sit outside under the sun. In this case everyone sat under the shelter.

Warm bookshop interior

Best spot at the back..otherwise it's metal tables and metal chairs

C and I sat at the back, it was packed and we were lucky to have gotten a table, I believe you can call up to make reservations as there was a table reserved, if you can't get the tables in the bookshop definitely request for the couch outside.

I ordered the scrambled eggs with goat's cheese and chives served on toasted ciabatta bread. C had the vegie deluxe sandwich consisting of eggplant, sweet potato, tomato, roasted peppers, greens and fruit chutney. For drinks I had the tropical dream - orange, pineapple, lychee and lemon.

My scrambled eggs was cooked perfectly, not too runny and not too dry, there was white pockets of goats cheese which I loved! not being ripped off in the goats cheese department here. My juice was refreshing, I loved the lychee addition.

Gourmet chevre scrambled eggs

Tropical dream

I tasted abit of C's sandwich I liked it..very healthy and the combination of sweet potato, eggplant and roasted capsicum was a perfect combination, the chutney was slightly salty which went well with what was a naturally sweet sandwich.

Vegie deluxe sandwich

Overall, I enjoyed the atmosphere to this cafe and the simple brunch it serves, I am definitely BOOKing another catch up here either for brunch, lunch or just desserts as they have plenty of cakes displayed at the counter.

Friends Restaurant

2012-08-15T08:00:00.002-07:00

"Winner of a two-star Michelin award, a two-star Egon Ronay award and four AA Rosette"

http://www.friendsrestaurant.com.au/menu.htm

Please note: I tried this place almost a year from now and just haven't had the time to blog about it. I liked it that much that I felt it deserved a posting ^^

My close FRIENDS and myself decided to try a degustation for the first time. We chose 'Friends' restaurant as the chefs scored 2 michigan awards in their pockets and at the price of $95, it seemed pretty reasonable for degustation in such a restaurant.

On arrival, the outside looked modern and classy but the interiors was a different story. To me it looked rather outdated and cluttered. I didn't fancy the floral grandma curtains and the fake vines that looked as though they have collected dust over the years. Some of the decors was very pretty though and overall it had a nice warm homey feel to it which was most important, the restaurant had views at all angles and was very spacious.

We went on a chilly Saturday night and the restaurant was rather quiet. I started questioning whether people just didn't know about the restaurant or it just wasn't that great, the crowd was mainly old people with too much money to spend..we felt quite out of place.

Each table had a cute lamp and a salt combination platter! very exciting ^^ We were then presented with a basket of different freshly baked breads to choose from and then served canapes which was delicious.

Salt platter

Freshly baked bread

Canapes

Now I don't quite remember the exact name of the dishes but I do remember the taste very clearly. First course I had artichoke and truffle soup..This was delicious! So rich and creamy and the truffle flavour was definitely there, the flavours was so rich I can understand why it came in such small amounts.

Artichoke and truffle soup

Second course I chose the rabbit terrine, This was nice but my friend had the salmon which I would actually prefer over my terrine. Nonetheless it was still delicious.

Rabbit terrine

Salmon

Third course I had chicken, I realise I'm not too much of a fan of foam on my dishes but putting that aside, the chicken was cooked perfectly, very tender. But I have to admit I wasn't very WOWed with this dish.

Chicken

Fourth course was the seafood terrine. This looked very beautiful and tasted delicious too. It is flavours you can see. I enjoyed this more than the rabbit terrine.

Seafood terrine

Fifth course was the pork belly and potato mash, I'm just so eager to talk about this dish. The pork belly was DELICIOUS! crunchy, well seasoned skin and OMG the mash potato is the BEST mash I've had in my life..it was SO creamy, silky and SO buttery! DELICIOUS! My friend had the waygu steak and he also enjoyed it, probably not as good as my dish as he wasn't raving on about his dish like I did..then again, it could be a guy thing.

Pork belly on a bed of mashed potatoes

Waygu

Our rhubarb souffle was our Sixth course and it took awhile to get out but when it did, we realised it was fresh OUT of the oven and smelt so good! We all loved this dish!

rhubarb souffle

Overall I love this place, service was excellent, food was delicious and through my palate I now understand why they've won such awards. I would definitely come back to try their ever changing menu, perhaps taking my bf here on a special occasion ;)

Beethoven

2012-08-12T06:47:00.002-07:00

"A German feast fit for Beethoven"

I love eating German food and dining in Beethoven didn't disappoint. I came here with the bf and his family, my first impressions of the interiors is a little tired and outdated but tables are fairly spaced out so it's a good place for intimate dining, there were also couch seatings which I am a fan of. I also loved the mural on the ceiling.

Nice mural on the ceiling

Honestly, I actually thought this place would have a dress standard after having a browse through the menu displayed outside a few years ago (I was turned away after seeing the prices, mains starting at $35 onwards), the exteriors also looked deceivingly posh. So I have to admit I was abit disappointed at its rather casual standards which did not match the prices of the dishes.

We ordered the following dishes to share amongst us:
Market Fish Fillet served on creamed saffron leaks, spring onion vierge and finished with a spiced tomato Shorba sauce

Camembert cheese wrapped in smoked salmon crumbed and oven baked served on a baby spinach, poached pear and walnut salad finished with a gourmet mushroom sauce

Moroccan spiced tiger prawns served with cold potato salad and basil oil

Pork shank- Oven roasted pork knuckle with crispy crackle, served with Sauerkraut, Roast potatoes and fresh apple mousse

The Market fish fillet was delicious! you can really taste the saffron from the creamy leaks and it goes well with the perfectly cooked fish.

Market Fish Fillet served on creamed saffron leaks, spring onion vierge and finished with a spiced tomato Shorba sauce.

Camembert cheese wrapped in smoked salmon crumbed and oven baked served on a baby spinach, poached pear and walnut salad finished with a gourmet mushroom sauce.

Unfortunately the smoked salmon dish was not as good as I thought it would be, I think it was the poached pear and walnut salad that got me excited, but in the end I couldn't really taste/find much pear. More sweetness from the pears would've gone really well with the dish. I also expected oozing camembert cheese, but that wasn't the case :(

Moroccan spiced tiger prawns served with cold potato salad and basil oil

The Moroccan spiced prawn dish would have to be one of the winners! the potato salad was so creamy and prawns spiced and cooked perfectly. The only thing I would fault, is the portion..it should have been bigger but then again, it was an entree so they're forgiven :)

Pork shank- Oven roasted pork knuckle with crispy crackle, served with Sauerkraut, Roast potatoes and fresh apple mousse

It isn't a German feast without pork shank. This was the hero of the night, we all dug in like a bunch of carnivores. the slightly sourness of the sauerkraut and sweet apple mousse went so well with the juicy tender pork. Potatoes was delicious too..buttery and perfectly cooked, I would have liked abit more potatoes though. Germans must be really good with their potatoes as I was also blown away by the potatoes served in Alpine.

Overall, I had a pleasant meal, the only thing would be the prices of the meals, if it weren't so pricey I would happily go back. Negatives aside, I do hope people will give it a chance and that Beethoven will keep running for many more years to come as Perth isn't blessed with many German restaurants.

Little Stove

2012-08-11T10:39:00.003-07:00

"The grass is greener down south of the river"

When I hear about brunch places in southern suburban areas, I always welcome myself with arms wide open into their doors XD because for one it saves me travelling to the city or Vic park and going through the hassles of finding parking and two..not alot of people know about them and so there's a greater chance of getting a table instantly.

Usually cafes in the suburbs lack character but Little Stove is different, it had a quirky vintage feel, alot of character that screams COME CHILL! as the first thing you see are the old grandpa sofas and a vintage television (I knew these would come in handy one day). It was a perfect place for a girly catch up with M and with the spacious interiors, there was no holding back on the gossip :P.

Vintage interiors

Unfortunately we missed the breakfast times so had to order from the lunch menu. I was a little bummed as the lunch menu didn't have alot to choose from, most being salads and baguettes and though they seemed like good salads, I DIDN'T COME OUT FOR A SALAD >_<'' The menu was cute though, being printed on paper that would take anyone back to their high school days, lets just say..I really studied the menu.

Cute menu

The drinks menu on the other hand was quite extensive from all kinds of coffee and chocolate drinks to freshly squeezed juices, teas and milkshakes. For the juices you are able to mix and match, M was going to have watermelon with pear and apple, but in the end they didn't have watermelon so she just had apple juice which she ended up loving. I opted for the Chai latte and it was perfect! the milk was all so creamy and perfect amount of sweetness and chai.

Chai latte

After eliminating all the salads and usual baguettes in the menu, we chose the chorizo linguine and lamb burger to share. Out of the two, I enjoyed the lamb burger most despite it being difficult and messy to eat. The tasty lamb patty oozing melted brie cheese with the sweet relish was a perfect match. I also loved the chips, super crunchy and well seasoned. As for the linguine, I found it rather average, but M enjoyed it as it was light on the palate.

Chorizo linguine - with neapolitan sauce, parmesan + rocket $22

Lamb burger with crispy chips

Lamb burger - relish, brie, balsamic onion, cucumber, greens, fries $18

I will definitely come back to little stove and this time coming for breakfast which begins 7am to 12noon. Service was excellent and our waitress looks just like rachel from glee! :O she is so cute and cheery :)

P'tite Ardoise Bistro

2012-08-07T08:10:00.008-07:00

"Good honest french food"

http://www.ptiteardoisebistro.com.au/

Being the awesome gf that I am, I took my bf to a French restaurant P’tite Ardoise Bistro for his 25^th bday. I was very excited as I heard many good reviews about this place from both friends and reviews from Urbanspoon.

I made reservations 2 weeks in advance and was told the seating at 7pm was booked out and that I can come at 6:15pm but they will need the table back at 8:30pm. I said no worries and made my booking. I also queried if they do anything special for a birthday occasion and was told they would stick a candle in the dessert and sing happy birthday..sounds good enough to me.

On arrival we were greeted warmly with a french flair. The restaurant is small and cosy and tables are close together but that didn’t really bother us. Probably not a good place if you’re planning to dirty talk your date haha.. Menu had quite alot of options both front and back in french and english. One side being the classic menu and the other being menu du jour which has dishes that changes daily.

Firstly we were presented a basket of bread to indulge with butter, olive oil and olive mash on the table. Delicious. For entree I ordered the pork belly and scallops from the menu du jour..it was a hard choice but I ended up going for my usual likes =-= . The bf chose the escargot..I’m terrified of snails so the last thing I'd do is put one in my mouth, but I was very excited for him.

Pan seared scallops and Pork belly on celeriac puree, bouche cider sauce

Unfortunately I was so excited to dig into this dish that I forgot to take a photo first =-= This was delicious, to me if pork and scallops are cooked well..you really can’t go wrong with the dish. I still preferred the pork and scallops from Silverspoon though. It was great but there wasn’t anything unique about it..I think it needed something sweet to it? apple?

Pan seared scallops and Pork belly on celeriac puree, bouche cider sauce

Snails cooked my way

Bf enjoyed the escargot, he found it difficult to describe the taste but he enjoyed it.

Escargot

While we waited for our mains, the staff came out singing happy birthday to a customer just a few tables down, I was thinking DAMMIT there goes my ultimate surprise, but bf didn’t really put alot of thought into it. PHEW!

For mains I had the duck *face palm* always going for the duck, but my friend recommended the duck so I couldn’t resist. Bf had the steak. We were also given a complimentary side dish of steamed vegetables to share.

Twice cooked duck leg with vegetable tian, orange sauce

Overall, I enjoyed this dish, the crispy skin and the meat that just fell off the bone delicious! Orange sauce went well with the duck and I loved the potato stack.

Twice cooked duck leg with vegetable tian, orange sauce

Char grilled rangers valley black angus 300 day grainfed sirloin steak with herbs sauteed potatoes red wine jus and bearnaise.

Bf loved the steak, I had some too and it was perfectly cooked and tender. bearnaise sauce was abit sour for my liking, I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be that way. The hand cut chips looked and tasted delicious as well as the gravy. Steak size was more than enough and the bf got rather bored of the dish after awhile, I guess in the end of the day, steak is steak.

Char grilled rangers valley black angus 300 day grainfed sirloin steak with herbs sauteed potatoes red wine jus and bearnaise.

After finishing our mains, we ordered desserts, I ordered the crème brulee (classic menu) and the bf had the trio of mini's chef selection (menu du jour) which was what I initially wanted but didn’t want to order the same thing. The restaurant quickly filled up with diners by then and it was almost 8pm. I was still optimistic that we’d finish by 8:30pm but it turned out to be quite a wait. I realised almost half of the guests were celebrating a birthday function including the table beside us. We waited to the point that we started fiddling with our phones and while the bf was browsing through his phone the staff came out singing happy birthday and boy was he surprised haha! Watching his face was priceless. Dessert had a little candle and was presented nicely that made my night and hopefully his night haha.

Creme brulee

This was delicious! Lovely caramelised sugar topping and creamy brulee, perfect texture and flavours. The shortbread cookie moulded into an Eiffel tower was average, just a cookie and was a little bit hard. I didn’t finish it in the end, overall an enjoyable dessert. You won't be disappointed creme brulee lovers.

Creme brulee

Trio of mini's chef selection

Visually this was very cute and wasn’t as sweet as it looked so the bf who doesn’t normally like desserts loved it to pieces.

Trio of mini's chef selection

Happy Birthday!

We finished just after 8:30pm and was not pushed to leave nor did it look like they needed the table, I’m thinking it’s just a business tactic to maximise table turnovers. After paying the bill, the lady presented a box full of candy for us to choose, that was nice ^^. Just a little warning though, the bread is $3.50 pp..so if you're going to eat bread..eat 10! Haha..*so asian*.

Overall, I had a pleasant meal, but I have to admit I was abit disappointed, though it could be because I had high expectations. I just felt the dishes didn’t have a sense of uniqueness or a modern feel. I guess this place is where you’d get good ol French cuisine. No doubt the chefs have skill and I'd come back knowing the food would be cooked to high standards. Service was excellent and the french waiter is very cute! BONUS! So YES I'd come back ^^

Taro Taro

2012-08-07T03:33:00.011-07:00

"Can we have some TARO with that?"

Taro Taro has sparked an asian frenzy all over perth, I first heard of this place from my work colleague who loves the food. So being the curious foodie that I am, I decided to try it out with bf and C.

Taro Taro sells Taiwanese desserts and is popular in Taiwan. If I had to describe Taiwanese dessert, I’d say it is a bunch of asian stuff in a bowl. Nothing fancy, nothing pretty, just tasty and refreshing.

On arrival, the place was packed with people...asians...I looked around and felt like I was in asia..Taiwan in particular. We were lucky enough to score a table and abused C's coupon ordering the taro taro signature herbal jelly soup, the famous fried chicken, braised pork rice and lychee and green tea ice drink. For the taro taro signature dessert, you can design your own and select different toppings, you can also choose to have it warm or cold and staff will ask for % sugar preference.

Our taro fiesta ^^

The Taro Taro signature herbal jelly soup comes in quite a large bowl so I'd recommend sharing and trying out other dishes. Though not pretty, it is refreshingly delicious. I really liked the sago, better than Utopia sago, it was soft and gooey but not too gooey. I also enjoyed the soybean pudding and grass jelly, there was something fresh about the ingredients, grass jelly was very soft and jelly-like, different to those in grass jelly can drinks. As for the taro, I don’t remember =-= hahah.. bf absolutely loves taro...actually...maybe I didn’t actually have any taro coz HE ATE IT ALL :O

Taro Taro signature warm herbal jelly soup

The fried chicken was yum! Basically chicken rolled in MSG..ALOT of MSG, how can you go wrong right? Braised pork rice was rather average, but it’s cheap and fills you up. So if you’re looking for a cheap lunch go for it. As for the drinks..the name says it all, tastes like lychee flavour with ice/ green tea flavour with ice.

Taiwanese fried chicken and pork braised rice

After a decent first impression, I've returned twice, but it was disappointing. Due to the high demand, they ran out of TARO! :O bf was particulary devastated as he was the one longing for taro..me..not too fussed haha..but despite not having taro, the joint was still packed with asians. We had to replace the taro with another topping choice, the second visit I chose the lotus seeds and the third occasion I opted for the lychee balls.

Lotus seeds was well..lotus seeds, I don't know how to explain the taste but mum makes it at home so it wasn’t anything special, I just chose it coz I knew it was good for you. Lychee balls was very interesting! When you bite into the balls it squirts out lychee liquid. I was so fascinated with how they’d inject the liquid into the balls. It’s like those fish oil capsules except more pleasant to eat.

Taro-less herbal jelly soup with lychee balls

I also tried the Oolong tea milk float. My friend who tried this in Taiwan absolutely loved it, but in this case she was disappointed. I decided to try it myself and yeh..I didn’t find it that great, pretty much just Oolong tea. I wasn't sure if I was meant to mix the milk into the tea or increased my 25% sugar to 50% as it was rather tasteless and the milk float tastes like nothing, just a slight flavour of milk.

Oolong milk tea float

Overall, I think taro taro is overrated, but I still think everyone should try this place out. Though I know people have been disappointed especially my Taiwanese friends, I don't find it bad at all, it's a good change from the usual ice cream chocolate dessert and I reckon it's a healthier dessert option too. I hope taro taro will be ordering a GAZILLION more taros from now on after their taro crisis, otherwise..I expect a name change.

Kai Japanese

2012-08-06T08:28:00.006-07:00

“Get your slurp on!”

One of my favourite ramen hot spots is Kai in bullcreek Parry avenue. I’ve been here twice and it’s usually quite busy. A very small joint so be prepared to wait for a table. I think if you live down south, crave for ramen and don’t want to travel a distance, Kai is the way to go, otherwise I would still prefer Nao.

Chairs for the awaiting customers

Interior

I’ve tried the karaage chicken tonkotsu ramen and the chasu miso ramen. Ramen comes in a big bowl of miso goodness, very hearty and the noodles cooked perfectly. I’m not sure if the noodles are house made but it still tastes good. I’ve also tried the takoyaki which is delicious, you can see the octopus in the balls so that's always a good sign.

Out of the two ramen dishes I enjoyed the karaage tonkotsu ramen most, karaage chicken was perfectly seasoned and the egg perfectly cooked with the gooey yolk centre. Each order also comes with pickles and soya sauce side dishes.

Karaage chicken tonkotsu ramen

Chasu ramen

Since I always have the Chasu ramen in Nao, I can't help but compare and realise the chasu in Kai is a little bit tougher not being the melt-in-your-mouth texture like Nao. The difference is not a big deal, still delicious!

The one thing that separates Kai to Nao is the green tea, when they say green tea they’re not kidding, it’s green assss! And they come in a plunger with green tea leaves and roasted rice kernels. I’ve never seen green tea so green. It's the green tea real deal yo!

This is real green tea!

To summarise it all, definitely a place to go for good ol japanese ramen! popular, delicious and great price. Will come back to try the other dishes.

Nao Ramen

2012-08-06T01:21:00.008-07:00

"Ramen NAO please"

http://www.naojapaneserestaurant.com.au/en/noodle/

Picture taken from Sunday Times

To me..ramen is very simple and it's not hard to have a good ramen, it's just a classier name for maggie mee. So I believe a good ramen place has to stand out and not just be noodles in a broth. "Nao" definitely is different from the rest. It has been voted one of the best ramen places in Perth..why is that? because they make their own noodles of three different flavours: chilli, egg and spinach and with that you have a choice of four different broths: miso, shio, spicy and shoyu.

Like many popular joints, Nao is usually packed with customers so I won't suggest going in big groups unless you want to wait for ever. It is situated along Murray st, if you walk towards Royal Perth Hospital from CBD, it's on your right. Keep your eyes peeled as it's not exactly screaming "you're here NAO" hehe..look for a black sign with the name and a coil fish.

I've dined in Nao 5 times and I seem to always order the chasu (roast pork) ramen with miso soup and spinach noodles. The chasu is good soft fatty goodness ^^ and the noodles taste home made not like those you'd find in a maggie mee packet. My friend is a chilli lover and always orders the chilli noodles and sprinkling more chilli flakes. I've tasted the chilli noodles and it isn't spicy, this is coming from someone who can't really eat spicy food so it's all clear to those who are chilli intolerant.

To accompany the ramen I've always order takoyaki, it's beautifully presented with fish scale shavings, seaweed and a drizzle of japanese mayo. YUM!

Chilli chasu ramen and spinach chasu ramen with miso soup base.

There will be more visits in the future for me and I've decided to try the corn butter flavoured ramen in my next visit, it will be hard to part the chasu but I've heard good things about the corn butter. I also would like to try the other broths.

So if you're ever craving ramen..you know where to go NAO, I've tasted the rice dishes and they were pretty standard. So it's RAMEN all the way NAO! Hert hert..*pls excuse the lame NAO jokes* =-=

Superstar waffles

2012-08-05T06:37:00.005-07:00

"SUPER delicious!"

Last night I went to superstar waffles with the bf having dessert before dinner as I was afraid it would be SUPER packed with people if we went after dinner. It's abit difficult to find the place as it's nestled away in an alleyway just opposite bivouac and next to K3G along William st.

To our surprise, the little joint was quite empty..YES! *fist pumps* beat the crowd! I love the interiors, blackboard, bottles, vintage side couch and menus on clipboards. Perfect place to have a waffle and WAFFLE with your friends XD

The menu was filled with a variety of waffles and an extensive drink menu with unique drinks such as green tea latte and taro latte. I got excited and ordered the taro latte, bf had the flat white and as for waffles, we shared the peanut butter mousse waffle.

Taro latte

This was delicious! I'm not a coffee person so I enjoyed the creamy taro taste, there was something refreshing about it. I would have liked it abit sweeter so I wondered why I wasn't given sugar, only to realise after almost finishing the drink that the sugar were in the bottles that I thought were decor ALL THIS TIME :O *face palm* but thats alright I'm healthier because of my stupidity ^^ and it was still delicious.

Don't be fooled..they're not just decor >_< there's sugar
in them

Flat white

I'm not a coffee person so I can't comment on how good the flat white was, taste all the same to me but the bf felt the coffee beans were abit burnt. If that was the case I'm sure it was a one off thing after reading many good reviews on their coffee.

Peanut butter mousse waffle

Peanut butter mousse-
Waffles with peanut butter mousse, topped with oreo crumble,
served with freshcream and oreo biscuit.

This waffle was SOOO GOOD! especially the peanut butter mousse. I have to admit I was abit worried that it didn't have syrup to go with the waffles as I was so use to having gelare waffles..but after having this..syrup what?? delicious! highly recommended.

Overall I had a positive first impression and will definitely come back to try the other flavours and the green tea latte so look out for more posts! We left at 8:30pm as the joint was getting pretty packed, so I'd suggest coming early as this place is the talk of the town/fb atm. I believe gelares has a new contender.

Gopi Curry Leaf

2011-09-05T10:35:00.003-07:00

Being a Malaysian living in Australia, I am constantly craving roti canai, roti prata, roti tissue, roti bomb, roti boy! anything ROTI! my constant cravings fuel my urge to find the perfect place that makes a good roti prata that is up to our standards..So far I have not come across any until I started hearing about Gopi curry leaf. After reading blogs and hearing comments from my friends...I felt like there was a glimmer of hope..a potentially life changing restaurant which just so happen to be 5min away from my house! aaahhh....I guess the saying says it all "sometimes the solution is just right under your nose".

So my girlfriends and I went on a saturday morning with high hopes. We managed to get a table in the very small joint and we started snapping away ready to reveal this secret to all malaysians out there. I was filled with excitement when I saw the Indian man making the roti! memories of malaysia just flooded back in.

We all ordered a roti prata and a drink (teh tarik and milo ice). There were choices of fillings for the roti. We mainly ordered the roti with onion and plain roti. There was quite a mix up with our orders, my friend who ordered the milo ice was given warm milo TWICE! and there were alot of confusion with what dish was what. Service aside..we didn't really mind..we just wanted our roti...once our orders finally arrived...we all dug in! pulling apart the roti and slathering it into the curry....we tasted and....

We were WRONG =-=

All our roti with difficulty distinguishing which was which

Puny piece of lamb

Teh tarik and milo ice

So what went wrong? firstly...the curry was terrible! It was watered down, and only had a little puny chunk of meat (lamb). I don't really like lamb and I realise I was not given a choice of what curry I wanted in the first place. We were all given it as default..Lamb curry...with almost no lamb..so basically curry water. My friend was lucky and she chose the chicken curry...BUT that was no different from the lamb curry...only a tiny piece of chicken and again very watered down..it didn't give our roti much flavour. As for the roti...the roti prata with onions was overly packed with onions, my friend was practically digging them out...we all agreed that the roti wasn't like the one you can get from malaysia for 1 ringgit! (~30c) actually 1 ringgit is a rip off..cheaper! something was missing, I just can't quite pin point it...maybe it just lacked the buttery taste, but It wasn't a total miss either. Our drinks was also a disappointed..in terms of meeting our standards..but it was good enough for me to drink without comparison...my friend was not very happy with her milo ice..it looked like something I can make at home.

I think my review could have been alot better if the curry was up to standards and I would go back regularly regardless. We all left disappointed and voted that makan makan was probably better. I wouldn't discourage anyone from trying this place out..I think malaysians should at least try it and judge it for themselves, the place is no doubt popular and judging from ppls faces...they didn't seem to be as disappointed as us...perhaps our expectations were just too high...OR...they've decided to settle for anything thats close enough to Malaysian roti =-=....OR we just went on a bad day.

One things for sure...I'm back to square one for now.

The Bonsai Restaurant & Cafe Lounge

2011-09-05T09:46:00.001-07:00

I've always been eager to try The Bonsai Restaurant which offers a contemporary style of japanese fusion.

This has not been my first time at bonsai, I've tried the desserts on 3 occasions with mixed reviews. The first time I came was when it was newly opened and took a bite off my friend's strawberry cake..it was DELICIOUS! so I came again for a dessert catch up with my friend and again I enjoyed my dessert...not so much the hot chocolate though that's for Koko black and Epic cafe to sort out. The THIRD time I came back for a friend's reunion, all our desserts were disappointing...cake tasted stale and dry...and so from that experience I didn't want to try the desserts this time round.

It was the three of us dining and we were just looking for a light dinner so decided on 3 sharing platters and 1 main to try out.

First came the Smoked salmon wrapped sushi with cream cheese and bean dressed with aioli.. I enjoyed this dish..simple, fresh and lovely textures of the creamy cheese and fresh salmon.

Smoked salmon wrapped sushi

Then came the waygu beef sharing platter. Perfectly sliced thinly, full of flavour and still refreshing on the palate. I also enjoyed this dish.

Waygu beef

We also ordered the braised pork belly. The pork belly was tenderly braised and melted in our mouths. To me this tasted rather home made and for a japanese fusion restaurant...home made wasn't really what I'm looking for. In saying that, it wasn't one of my favourites.

Braised pork belly

Our final dish was a main. Tsukune Chicken Steak, a specialty Japanese chicken-mince steak in teriyaki sauce, served with a side of homemade guacamole and cherry tomatoes. I think when people read chicken mince steak..they are instantly turned off as it is basically a meat patty, but I enjoyed this dish, it's very simple, nothing fancy..anyways I guess you can't really go wrong with teriyaki sauce and mince meat. The down side is that our rice was rather hard so it ruined the experience of this dish.

Tsukune chicken steak and rice

Our bill came to be $21 each, which was a little bit on the pricey side for 2 little sushis, two slices of beef, one pork and 1/3 of chicken mince. It is after all japanese contemporary so I wasn't surprised, Overall, I enjoyed my meal and I wouldn't mind coming back. Maybe I will give the desserts another chance, but from my past experiences, looks was decieving as the desserts were presented so beautifully at the counter, but in reality, the taste was rather average.

Nine Fine Food

2011-08-26T09:13:00.002-07:00

"Fine food, Fine atmosphere, Fine prices = FINE dining"

I have so many places queued up to be blogged but NINE FINE FOOD just skipped the queue, I just couldn't hold it in, I had to tell all of Perth NOW!

Nine fine food is a hidden dime tucked away in the outskirts of northbridge. It was brought to my attention through my friends raving about it on their facebook statuses and albums and also by asking around, I realise the word has gone out and everyone I've asked absolutely LOVES IT! I've never really been a big fan of Japanese cuisine but I do love my japanese fusion and since my bf's birthday was around the corner I took it as a perfect opportunity to take him out to Nine fine food so I can finally try this place out...I mean...to pamper him for his birthday of course *hert hert* after all he's such a big fan of Japanese cuisine.

Being the awesome gf that I am, I decided to surprise him by inviting all his close friends, I made a reservation for 10 people and was told numbers more than 8 can only choose from the set menu. O_o I was worried there..I didn't really know what that actually meant and what comes with the set menu...I wanted to have the 4 courses they offer that everyone I know seem to order... but I took my chances.

THE DAY finally arrived..I was so excited to try the place out...oh..and to surprise my bf hert hert...anyways...yes he was very surprised....birthday aside...lets go straight to the food. FOOD was O M GOdelicious!! not to mention the prices too! The set menu turns out to be a choice of the 3 course TOKUTOKU ($52) or a 4 course OSUSUME ($62), which was exactly what I wanted. Pretty much half of us chose the 4 course and half chose 3 course..me being one of them. With each course they offered a couple of choices..different dishes to cater for everyone with different tastes.

Warm feeling ambiance..perfect for dates

Cute little lamps

Touch of japan

The lovely waiter asked if we wanted the second course served at the same time as the first for those who chosed the 4 course meal in order to keep both courses in sync and we agreed to do so. My choice for the first course was the lamb and scallop and I have to say..I'm not a big fan of lamb but this is one of the best lamb I've tasted. It was so tender and it didn't have that wierd smell I find with lamb. It was so mouthwatering tender and had a sweet savoury taste to it. The only thing I'd change for this dish is for it to be BIGGER..ALOT BIGGER...like..never ending supply big...okok getting carried away here haha..

Lamb and Scallop

My bf had the sashimi and beef tataki for his first and second course and it was all good reviews from there..I didn't try the sashimi as I'm not a fan of sashimi but my friends absolutely loved it and it was fresh and beautifully presented..I tried the beef tataki and it was surprisingly tender and had a refreshing taste to it, the beef just melted in my mouth despite it being rather raw and so I was expecting a chewy kind of texture. My other friends had the goose mousse and the crispy spicy seafood and they too really enjoyed their meals.

Sashimi

Beef Tataki

Goose Mousse

Crispy Spicy Seafood

My second course was the duck violet. I know after blogging about Red cabbage I swore to never order duck again as I've always been disappointed expecting a peking duck or something..but nope..I broke that promise and I ordered DUCK again. This time...I really enjoyed it! the combination of sweet sauce and savoury flavours worked together and I'm such a fan of those kind of dishes. The duck meat just fell off the bone and it was a joy to eat. The only thing I would change for the dish is maybe a more crispier skin to the duck...but then again..it's probably just me unconsciously wanting it to taste like peking duck or roast duck =-=.

Duck Violet

My eel loving friend had the Unagi eel which I disliked! I just don't like the fishy taste that comes with eel but my eel loving friend really loved it! she claimed it was a waste to give me a little piece as I didn't appreciate eel like she did haha. So to all those eel loving peeps..I'd say..order this. The bf had the tenderloin steak and I tried abit of it..it was good steak..not chewy and very tender, lots of flavour though I'm not a fan of shitake mushrooms hence I didn't order it.

Unagi Eel

Tenderloin Steak

Finally for dessert majority chose the the green tea creme brulee (mattcha brulee) and tiramisu..I had the creme brulee and thought it was very simple..simple and delicious..it had a very subtle creamy green tea flavour to it which was good for me seeing as I'm not a big green tea person :S don't ask me why I ordered the green tea creme brulee ahha..I really liked the tiramisu though..one of the classiest looking tiramisu I've seen. One of my friends decided to deviate from everyone and chose the black sesame gelato (kuro goma gelato). Everyone took a spoon out of it and they enjoyed it, to me the name says it all...tasted like black sesame ice cream.

Mattcha Brulee

Tira Misu

Kuro Goma Gelato

Overall...I absolutely loved this place! I'm definetly coming back and perhaps trying the degustation out ($99) I heard it is very different from the set menu which is good..I'd like to see what other talents the chefs have up their sleeves. I would rate nine fine food to be one of the best finds this year..recommended to all yo! and that's a big compliment as I'm not a big japanese cuisine fan myself.

Tip 1: There is discounts if you have the entertainment card

Tip 2: It is definetly more worth having the set course rather than ordering from the A la carte menu. (see menu below)

Alpine Restaurant [CLOSED]

2011-07-19T09:25:00.003-07:00

I can finally cross off trying German cuisine on my list after visiting ALPINE in Carlisle with my two buddies! I walked out the restaurant with a fat belly and a lasting impression that Germans like to eat & drink BIG"!.

On arrival we were greeted by a friendly lady, I believe she was the wife of the owner (chef). My first thought of the interiors was wow..cluttered there was so many decors and so may excellence awards displayed on the walls as well as a picture of the lady herself posing with John Howard. There was german music playing in the background and we happen to be seated right under a Cuckoo clock which sounded every hour..*I think* I have to admit it gave me a fright the first time.

Not long after being seated I realise she was the only waitress serving..I knew it was going to be a long night as I've read reviews about the slow service, but that was forgiven as she was such a sweet lady and my outing was to catch up with my two buddies I haven't seen for awhile.

My two friends started off with good ol german beer, I LOVED the BIG mugs that came with the beer which was BIGger than the average size too.

The menu was filled with a huge selection of meals...all sounding so good! but after reading reviews of the big portions served, we decided to share one entree. We ordered the "Frikadelen" Pork veal and beef rissole served on toast with iceburg lettuce and fried onions $15.50. Presentation wise..it wasn't very good looking but it tasted delicious..reminded us of an open burger. The patty was flavoursome, well seasoned and the roasted capsicums were really good! they were perfectly roasted and soft. The dish was rather oily though, but it was GOOD oily, the kind of oily that made it taste good, not to the sickening point. I have to say, good thing we shared our entree coz this entree size was like a main.

Frikadelen

My friend also ordered a soup "Goulash" which he quite enjoyed, it looked rather thick though but very hardy.

Goulash

For mains, I ordered the "Schweinebraten", rolled roast pork belly in malt beer sauce $19.50. My first impression of it was WOW this is big followed by..where is my PORK? as it was drowned with the malt beer gravy, I did not get a hint of beer taste in my gravy, but apparently you're not meant to taste beer? so it just tasted like ordinary gravy, abit gluggy for my liking though. The pork on the other hand was very tender, perfectly cooked, though it seemed like it was more braised than grilled which I was expecting. The dish came with sauerkraut and roasted potatoes which just looked so golden and YUM! there was ALOT of potato though, I didn't manage to finish all of them.

Schweinebraten

My friend had the "Kassler" $19.50 a smoked loin of pork grilled served with sauerkraut and potatoes. This dish seem to be popular as I saw a newspaper article about it displayed on the walls. The dish looked just like mines..minus the gravy. It looked delicious! and he enjoyed it, though after trying the pork it seemed abit dry but my friend thought it was fine.

Kassler

My other friend had the cheese schnitzel $35 and boy was it HUGE! chicken covered with cheese accompanied with skewers of tomato and more CHEESE. He managed to finish it all though he did repeatedly comment on how much cheese was on his dish...numerous times.

Cheese Schnitzel

Both my friends had no space for dessert BUT I DID!! So we shared two desserts. "Appelstrudel" $9.50 and "Rote Grutze" $9.50, a light dessert made from fresh raspberries and red currant served with cream or ice cream. One of the few Schleswig – Holstein Specialties.

Rote Grutze

Appelstrudel

The Rote Grutze was rather rich, despite it being described as "light" In simple words, it basically tasted like jam with ice cream. Abit too sour to finish the whole thing. We didn't finish it in the end even by sharing amongst the three of us.

The appelstrudel was delicious, it was warm and crispy on the outside. A perfect warm dessert to end the night. It wasn't like the famous Corica apple strudel but I reckon the fact that it was warm, made it alot better.

Overall, my dining experience lasted 2 hours! due to the slow service and well..we had alot to say to each other, price tag was $31 and I was very full and satisfied. I can now happily tick of "German" food off my list of cuisines to try ^^. I wouldn't mind coming back to try out the other specialties they offer.

Toast

2011-07-17T09:28:00.003-07:00

"a toast to TOAST"

Toast was the destination for a girls day out brunch to celebrate my dear friend's birthday...conclusion...I love this place!

Toast is situated in East Perth Claisebrook, a perfect setting for a relaxing day out with a sense of classiness. Though it is situated in the upper class East perth, it certainly does not look the part, just an ordinary cafe with wonderful views and friendly service. If you want a more classy environment, go next door to the royal pub, it makes Toast look like the student cafe.

Lovely view from the inside

Interesting table settings

To start off my brunch from the very extensive menu, I ordered the Sweet Pea drink consisting of water melon, orange and basil. I LOVED IT! I knew I couldn't go wrong with water melon and orange but the hint of basil really made it unique. It was very refreshing.

Sweat Pea

My friend had the banana smoothie and that too was delicious, rich banana taste that was "genuine" haha...not those artificial banana flavours.

Natural banana smoothie

I shared two dishes with my friend. The first dish was the potato, mint and feta pancakes with poached eggs and smoked salmon, sour cream and chives. I think it worked by eating the dish with all the components. The smoked salmon was rather strong in flavour but this was balanced with the perfectly poached eggs and fresh avocado with the different textures of the shredded potato which was still quite firm, wasn't mushy as I expected.

Potato, mint and feta pancake

The second dish we ordered was the corn fritters with avocado, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. I think I enjoyed this dish more, it was more simple in terms of flavours. My friend who is on a quest to find the best hollandaise sauce in perth thought it tasted abit sour, but just very faintly. To me, hollandaise sauce is just creamy yolky sauce that just makes everything looks delicious ahha.. I had no problem with it. The corn fritter wasn't everyone's thing and I've heard mixed reviews from my friends..it really comes down to personal preference, but I did enjoy it.

Corn fritters

The birthday girl ordered the open rye sandwich with smoked salmon, tomato salsa, avocado, capers and a poached egg. Her dish was huge and had a very refreshing taste with the mint and tomatoes. I would enjoy this dish, but as it was rather large, I'd probably get sick of it half way..I'm glad I shared two dishes with my friend.

Open rye sandwich

My other friend had the big breakfast and she said it was standard, nothing special about it. Though it was overall better than the secret garden big breakfast. The eggs was actually cooked properly. She couldn't finish it.

Big Breakfast

Last but not least my other friend had the eggs benedict. She too enjoyed her meal. She had "Beach Bear" as her drink which I thought tasted really good! So refreshing! It was probably better than mine.

Eggs Benedict

Beach Bear (Highly recommended)

Overall, I enjoyed my brunch in Toast, meals were prepared with fresh produce accompanied with excellent service. I'd definetly recommend this place...DO NOT go without ordering a drink from the fresh juice combos.

Pancakes & Grill on James Street [CLOSED]

2011-06-15T07:10:00.002-07:00

"Eating for Challenge MD"

http://www.pancakesgrill.com.au/

Pancakes & grill on James street was the venue chosen by my friend Yvonne for her charity fundraising dinner.

Yvonne took up Challenge MD! The Mont Blanc Trekking Challenge 2011 to raise awareness and funds for Muscular Dystrophy sufferers. In order to be successful she has to reach a quota of donations...so please donate to her...she has worked so hard and she's still just under with less than 10 days to go. Every penny counts so Please DONATE to Yvonne's Challenge MD....and click the BLUE donate button NOW ^^

Thank you!

Pancakes & grill on James street was nice enough to make a 2 course set menu of main and dessert with a free drink as part of Yvonne's charity dinner.

For mains, we all had a choice of a savoury crepe...I ordered the Mexicana which I enjoyed...it was generously filled with mexican goodness and a stringy cheese to follow.

Mexicana - A hint of chilli. two homemade crepes filled with chilli beef together with slivers of almonds, spicy sauce, grated cheese and sour cream. Viva!

Other pancakes that were ordered....

Pocket full of chicken - Tender pieces of chicken and fresh mushrooms in creamy sauce. A golden melt of parmesan cheese, our special tomato salsa and sour cream.

Fisherman's - Healthy fish and prawns smothered with creamy white wine sauce delicately spiced. Top with homemade hollandaise and seafood sauce.

Tabriz - French crepes filled with wholesome ground beef, cooked in red wine, herbs, onion, mushrooms, tomatoes, capsicums and spices then topped with homemade tomato sauce

Everyone enjoyed their crepes and was rather stuffed but no way is dessert going to waste! especially knowing that their dessert pancakes are a hit.

I tried the Blackforrest cherry and the Jaffa Orange. I enjoyed both desserts in particular the Jaffa orange pancake..it was fresh and really tasted like the Jaffa Orange flavoured lindt chocolate...the pancake was abit more chewier than the blackforrest cherry pancake though.

Blackforest cherry - Succulent cherries in a Liqueur sauce on a chocolate pancake topped with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream and a downpour of grated chocolate.

Jaffa Orange - Slices of fresh orange around a fluffy buttermilk pancake drizzled with brandied orange sauce and topped with chocolate fudge, ice cream and cream.


Chocolate jewels - A real chocolate pancake topped with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, then showered with grated chocolate plus chocolate fudge drizzled over the top. * think they forgot the grated chocolate*

Hot Bavarian Apple - Hot, spicy apple, sultanas and cinnamon served with a buttermilk pancake, topped with cream and ice cream.

Raspberry cheese 'n' cream - A delicate french crepe with delectable mix of cream cheese, sultanas and vanilla accompanied by a scoop of cream vanilla ice cream. Surrounded by raspberry coulis.

Overall, the charity dinner was a success, the warm environment, lovely company and everyone being content with their food was a perfect recipe for MORE donations. I probably would come back to pancakes & Grill but probably just for dessert as to me the crepes were rather repetitive in flavour.

V Burger Bar

2011-06-14T08:25:00.002-07:00

http://www.vburgerbar.com.au/

I've heard many wonderful things about this Burger joint in Victoria park, so I came here with two of my friends again on my quest to find the BEST blue cheese burger!

When we arrived, the joint was packed...all seats were taken so we ended up sitting on a bench...and I ordered the BLUE MUSHY - prime beef, melted blue cheese, grilled mushroom, mixed lettuce, tomato, onion and aioli $14.

Blue Mushy

The burger was nicely presented with a chargrilled bun and lots of height, but honestly, I did not enjoy my BLUE MUSHY. Something was missing and I realise it needed something sweet like a relish which most burger joints that I've been to had relish in the blue cheese burger. Without it the burger just tasted boring and quite tasteless. I couldn't really taste the blue cheese either. I was rather disappointed AND I had a hard time eating the burger with my two hands so had to use the knife and fork =-=. My friend couldn't understand why I kept ordering the blue cheese burger so he decided to give it a go for the first time...it's a shame it didn't live up to my standard. He too didn't really think it was that great.

Front: Blue Mushy, Back: F.B.A

My other friend ordered the F.B.A - Full Blooded Aussie $13.80...she ate it all with ease but wasn't raving about it much either. So I guess it was just standard.

We also ordered onion rings and aioli on the side and these onion rings were HUGE! and crispy but also VERY oily...it made me rather sick after eating two..we had a hard time finishing a bowl.

Onion rings with Aioli

Overall...the blue cheese burger was a FAIL here and I've definitely had better, but I wouldn't discourage others from coming here and trying out the other burgers.

Opening Hours
Monday – 5:00pm to 9:30pm
Tuesday to Thursday – 11:30am to 9:30pm
Friday to Saturday – 11:30am to late
Sunday – 11:30am to 9:30pm