WenY Wonders Why

HK Trip: Central favourites!

2012-01-30T23:55:00.001+08:00

After spending much time on Kowloon, we finally decided to cross over to Central to look around. Typically, tourists would visit places like Lan Kwai Fong which is a drinking hole famous for people watching. IMHO? Overrated! Perhaps that its coming from a non-drinker, my argument is invalid :P! The other attraction would be the Peak which is a great place to catch the skyline at night:

Been here a couple times now! Still captivated by it! The only bad thing about this place is that its freezing and extremely windy. Coming at night in winter is crazy! Add that to the long queue to take the tram down and @@!

After awhile we headed back down to the CBD to find some stuff to eat. We started with two scrumptious egg tarts which were fresh from the oven!

I have to say, short crust pastry has never tasted better! The Tai Cheong bakery one was so moist yet crumbly! Kick ass! As for the custard, it was good but not mind blowing! Nevertheless, with a crust that is to die for, this was really good! Imagine a hot egg tarts and you are hungry on a cold night! No wonder this bakery is often frequented by a men who once used to be the Premier of HK!

After having our egg tarts, we were looking to have noodles! Instead of slurping down delicious serves of wanton noodles at the famous Mak’s place, we ate at a rival store just opposite the road as the former was closed.

Among the locals, Tsim Chai Kee is often preferred as the noodles here are cheaper and tastier. According to my sister and friends, Mak’s place is 50% more expensive and is served in a bowl no bigger than the small Ikea soup bowls but its yummy! The serving size would not have been an issue because Kau Kee which served the “best braised beef noodles” is just down the road! But oh well!

Disappointed as anyone could be, this turned out very much to be a blessing in disguise as the wanton noodles here were kick ass no doubt!

My first spoon full was pure satisfaction as the hot broth tasted very delicious. It was slightly oily so as to complement the smoothness of the noodles which were good itself! Springy and more importantly, it does not carry that raw flour flavour. Wantons were great as well. So definitely no complains from me! Satisfaction achieved! But in all honesty so as to no discriminate, I find that all the top wanton noodles as voted by the locals always have good prawn wantons. It is good the people here do not take crap because that is the way it should be!

Darling who is allergic to prawns opted for the sliced beef and fresh minced fish ball noodles:

Served with the exact same broth and noodles, the only difference here would be the condiments. Seeing how tender those slices were, I really could not resist but pick bits and pieces of darling’s food! It was good as well. The tender beef slices could easily rival the king prawn wanton as the best condiment! The fish ball too was good but little darling did not quite like the seasoning of the fish ball. There was this sort of taste which I thought was fine but she disliked it. So I willingly helped myself to both the fish balls :P!

I could not be happier after our meal. With our stomachs filled, it was a great feeling compared to when we were starving up at the peak. The meal as Tsim Chai Kee might be accidental but it was a great eat! Is this what the call serendipity? However, the next time I come, I will order the noodles with all three condiments! The wantons, the beef slices and the fish ball! Why? Because it is only 10 HKD more at most :)!

WenY

HK Trip: Desserts @ Paul Lafayet, Tsim Sha Tsui

2012-01-27T17:23:00.001+08:00

On day 3, we enjoyed a scrumptious dim sim meal at Tim Ho Wan which I blogged before here. Soon after, we decided to check out the Tsim Sha Tsui district which is well-known for its high end fashion and hotels where Bentleys and high powered German limousines are ‘normal’. Of course I did not pick up anything for myself but I would have loved too if I could afford it :P! But we did not leave empty handed as we picked up a little gift for the darling’s little brother sponsored by her sister xD!

At night a light setup is used to showcase the beauty of the Central district from the Avenue of Stars. I would not say that the show is mind blowing but it was worth the experience considering it is free to watch anyways!

The view of Central from Tsim Sha Tsui!

After visiting all the touristy stuff in the area, it was time to get serious! Fooooooooooooooood! And since we already had our dinner, we were looking for some dessert in the area. There we searched for a Paul Lafayet branch which is a French dessert shop with various outlets around HK. Seeing how lovely the desserts looked when we reached, we could hardly contain ourselves!

Crème Brulee is something so good that it has consistently topped my charts for favourite dessert year after year. With the perfect consistency and crust, this dessert can easily make anyone crave for seconds. And believe it or not, the one at Paul Lafayet delivers superbly. The creaminess and sweetness was just spot on. It does not leave that creamy taste and neither is it so sweet that it becomes cloying. The texture was just right, silky smooth and extremely light. Air bubbles were non-existent. To finish it all, the burnt crust was delicious despite being done by the waitresses at the store which seemed rather inexperienced at first. I have to say, darling and I was really impressed. What more could you ask for?

Macaron tart with wild berries. A pastry filled with custard and decorated with berries before being finish by a Vanilla macaron. While this dessert was good, I found that it tended to be something that was rather difficult to enjoy politely. Its a dessert where one needs to take a bit of macaron and a little bit of berry along with the custard to get the right chemistry of sweetness and freshness. When the berries were eaten alone with the custard, it tended to carry too much acidity making the whole dessert too sour and if you go with the custard and macaron alone, you’d probably complain of its sweetness. Either way its a tough call. But when messy fingers come in, nom nom nom! :)!

Classic Blueberry Cheesecake. A simple cheesecake with the right amount of cheese in the mixture always leads to an orgasmic sensation. Too much too brittle, too little too soft. Its really an art which I have to say many have perfected and flopped. I have eaten many good cheesecakes and despite having a large variation in prices, the quality of good or bad depends solely on the shop itself. At Paul Lafayet, I would rate it somewhere between ok and good. Probably nothing above but definitely nothing below. But after having so many decadent desserts halfway through the trip, it was a hard call especially after having the awesome Crème Brulee!

Once we were done ordering, a friendly men approached us and started talking about the restaurant. He was actually the owner of the franchise in HK and he was really friendly. He told us about how the restaurant came by and its key effort to increase customer satisfaction lies in the core ingredients which are fresh with absolutely no preservatives or flavouring. I think he mentioned imported from France too? I guess that explains the fairly pricey price tag of the desserts there! When we finished our little chatter he offered us free macarons! Nom nom nom! But to be honest, I never quite understood macarons. They are always too sweet for my liking with the exception of flavours like Jasmine and Lavender. Those are really special!

Having stuffed our face, darling and I were all smiles. I guess having good desserts to reward ourselves after a long day of walking is well earned! Would I recommend Paul Lafayet to my friends? Heck yes! Despite being labelled as factory food by some, it taste nothing like it. In fact, I was actually surprised with the quality of the desserts despite them being made in large quantities. Kudos!

WenY

HK Trip: Desserts @ Luk Lam!

2012-01-27T02:32:00.001+08:00

After an obviously mediocre meal of wanton noodles, the little darling and I decided to drown our disappointment by enjoying desserts in the Sam Shui Po area. One thing I have learned from all my previous trips to HK, is that the desserts here are truly amazing and they clearly part of the HK dining culture. Dessert shops here are mostly filled with people of all ages especially at night. Luk Lam clearly was not lacking in fans that day. There was a queue for takeaways and the tables inside were packed. In fact, they even have an established Facebook fan page! And from what I have seen, lots of check-ins and a good amount of fans on it too!

Like?

My usual dessert :

The dessert which I ordered was a mix of mango, sago and pomelo fruit! Generous servings of mango paired with a sure win combination made this dessert a winner for me. Always is!

As for darling…

Dinner sucked? No worries! EAT ALL THE DESSERT! Yeap that’s right, the mango pudding, durian pancake and a red bean soup mixed with tau fu fah! Even the couple who shared table with us thought we were nuts when they saw what we ordered!

By the time we were done, the mango pudding came out the obvious winner out of the three with their pudding having the right amount of sweetness and taste. The additional milk was spot on as it went really well with the flavours of the pudding! As for the durian pancake, the generosity of Luk Lam in putting the fruit in did help make this dessert worth the money but as a person familiar with the king of fruits, the quality of durian used was deplorable. Instead of being creamy and rich, it was unripe and crunchy. Could have been a lot better! And the worse one that night was the red bean soup with tau fu fah! Red bean soup was unenthusiastic. Bitter orange peel was horrible. Not to mention their tau fu fah (bean curd dessert) was rough in comparison to the ones we had before. Honestly, I would never eat that dessert ever again! I guess it just was not my type!

Overall, this is the right place for mango type desserts like the one pudding and soup I ordered. But I was also told that their black sesame desserts are delicious as well. Regardless, I would never come here for either the red bean soup or tau fu fah again. Definitely have them written off my list!

Stuffed to the brim? Checked! Satisfied? Checked!

WenY

HK Trip: Wanton Adventure @ Lau Sham Kee

2012-01-25T16:09:00.001+08:00

If you have tried looking for the best Wanton noodles in Hong Kong through the internet, you will realise that this is a never ending debate involving both tourists and locals. Finishing our day at the big Buddha, darling and I got off the train a few stops earlier at Sam Shui Po. There, we dined at a highly rated Wanton Noodles shop call Lau Sham Kee which has been dishing out quality noodles for many decades now. On top of its list is the Ha Chi Lou Meen or in English the dry wanton noodles with dried shrimp roe. Darling despite being allergic to prawns ordered that despite being allergic to it while I conservatively picked the traditional wanton noodles.

The classic dry wanton noodles!

The famous dry noodles with dried shrimp roe.

Each of the noodles came with a serve of wanton soup as well:

Over all, I have to insist that we came here expecting more. The prawn noodles instantly scared the little darling off and instead she had mine. In all honestly, the noodles were sufficiently bouncy and tasty but having that much hyped roe is an acquired taste rather than anything else. For me, I love seafood but found that the roe left me with a gritty feel which I dislike. Instead, I am more seasoned to slurping smooth textured noodles! Hence, I felt that this was nothing special. However, I must insist that the wanton soup tasted yummy and with the added freshness of the prawns, what can I say? It was yummilicious! In fact I happily enjoyed darling’s bowl of soup as she was allergic to prawns. Double win! But do not be put off from giving this restaurant a try. In fact this might be for you considering this place is packed from lunch till midnight proving that some people really enjoy the shrimp roe noodles. Hence, do give it a shot as its really near the train station at 82 Fuk Wing Street,Sham Shui Po, Kowloon H.K.

WenY

HK Trip: 2nd day! ADC + Big Buddha!

2012-01-24T18:47:00.001+08:00

On the second day, our breakfast started unexpectedly with something that came from Australia! The Australia Dairy Company or ADC as commonly mentioned among locals is one of the hotspots in Jordan where the queue is long all the time. But thankfully, the turnover here is quick. How fast? Well, so fast that the waiter does not even have time to bother about you. When little darling asked them about their specialty, he pointed to the wall and say ‘OK? OK? I’ll just get you two of those sets!". =.=! Totally insane! Also their food flies out fast. Our orders were met within 5 minutes.

ADC is most famous for its Scrambled Egg and Butter Toast!

When the only thing 100 people eat is this, you know shit just got real! While the my hype was almost as great as my doubt, it was almost maniacal that the scrambled eggs here tasted better than ones back in Oz. Believe it or not, butter was used unsparingly. Everything tasted good thanks to it. Another big difference here is the use of salt where they decide what’s good for you rather than otherwise. In Oz, most big brekkie comes with flat tasting eggs which allows you to add salt and pepper to your liking. My take on this? 10/10! But of course do not expect this to fare as though it is something worthy of a 3 starred restaurant!

Darling on the other hand asked for fried eggs which were better than the ones I had at Sayers where the eggs were cooked in a little pan to the extent that something that was meant to taste magical ended up “OK”!

The egg white itself was cooked just nice still smooth with a coating of oil, while runny yolk are still finger licking good! Good but no match for its scrambled version!

Macaroni and ham with soup!

The macaroni soup with ham is the accompanying dish which in my opinion, the suckiest one for the day. With pieces of ham, this dish was unpopular with many people as there were plenty of unfinished ones around. And to be honest, doesn’t the soup look suspiciously mixed with butter? I guess it was! I would not recommend this! Another set of scrambled egg and toast would have been more appreciated!

Our meal at ADC cost us around 65HKD/RM26/$A8 for all the above and 2 drinks. Quite decent in my opinion ;)! If you are making a trip to HK and are sick of dim sum, this is definitely worth a shot despite its poor service! Even a friend who studied in Melbourne mentioned that one of the thing he misses the most in Hong Kong is ADC! So my fellow foodies be sure to put ADC in your address book @ 47 Parkes Street, Jordan, Hong Kong.

After our quick breakfast, we visited the big Buddha which I have to say, is still looking pretty kickass despite me coming here just 2 years ago! To get up there, take the cable car called the “Ngong Ping 360”! You have a choice of crystal or normal cabin!

Darling and I tooked the Crystal Cabin Package which was cheaper than taking either of rides by itself! And jesus! I really hated the Crystal Cabin as it was scary as hell! Worst of all, the cable car ride takes something like 30 minutes?

Up in the hills we decided to feast on some delicious Tau Fu Fah. A dessert commonly found in Asian markets and in Perth, at Dim Sum places!

Silky smooth consistency makes this hard to beat. Even the ones in the CBD areas of HK was no match for the ones near to the big Buddha!

Curry fish balls were an extra order after we started tucking into our desserts :P!

After eating, starts our long ascend up the flight of stairs leading to the Buddha statue.

Ambitious child makes her way up the flight of stairs while..

Someone is tired! Doesn’t matter! Still lovely to me :D!

The Buddha and us!

After walking around and taking more pictures, we came back down and prayed in the nearby temple before helping ourselves to another serve of Tau Fu Fah! This time at another place! My take on it? Equally good! Hence, it is fair to say that the dessert around in this area is consistently good! And I guess this will be all for now :)! Will try to get the next post up soon!

WenY

First day: Taiwanese Food in HK!

2012-01-23T23:07:00.001+08:00

Reaching HK just before lunch, the place has not even changed a bit. The same shops, the same things all in familiar places. That’s good news for me considering how badly I fare in speaking their language! For lunch we were thinking of having dim sum at Tim Ho Wan, the only Michelin starred hole in the wall dim sum canteen the world! But knowing the size of their fan base, it was impossible, true enough, it was! Hence, using a handy application on iPhone called Open Rice, we found a popular Taiwanese restaurant in the area.

Braised Pork Rice or Lu Rou Fan, was pretty good! Definitely much better than the ones I have had in Taiwan where their meat consists mainly of lard. Packed with vegetables, pickles and a braised egg, this was definitely a decent quick fix before running around town shopping!

So if you peeps are looking for this place, its called Seam Eett Taiwan Restaurant located in 2N Hung Kwong Building, 2 Tung Choi Street Mongkok.

WenY

HK: Mini Post

2012-01-09T21:51:00.001+08:00

Currently typing of my phone, it's my first day in Hong Kong. Using a handy local program, I've been visiting popular eating places which I have to say, it's really good. Pictures are probably going to be absent as the dslr isn't the lightest thing to bring about. Shopping has not failed either. Quality items at bargain prices. Got to go now. Time to get on the streets again. Regards, WenY

Holidays at Home: Back in Malaysia.

2011-12-29T13:52:00.001+08:00

I reckon 2011 is the year which I have been away from home the longest. 11 months to be exact. I have been home for a week now and boy life has been pretty interesting. Ok, not quite that considering how much I’ve been doing nothing but rolling in my bed! Nevertheless, the comfort of home never leaves me dissatisfied. Factor in the yummylicious hawker style food and roast, and damn its good! Over the weekends mom brought me out for lunch in the city. Located on Peel Street, this stall is one of the more unhygienic places to dine but then again, it is these sort of restaurants that keeps the culinary scene in Malaysia authentic and unpretentious. Operated by a crew of elderly woman, parents and I feasted on some of the tastiest morsels of chicken feet and meat roast served with authentic ‘oily rice’.

The BBQ Pork or Char Siew is one of the roast meat that is almost NEVER good back in Perth. Often served smothered in honey, I’m totally left speechless with the reinterpretation of this meat roast in Perth. Putting disappointments aside, this Peel road specialty is definitely one of the best ones in KL. With its outer bit slightly charred, it is crunchy on its outer bit with a melt in your mouth layer of lard. Taste wise, sweetness is not overpowering and is instead very tasty as a whole. Yums! But I do have to say, it gets a little scary after awhile. The fat is not exactly the healthiest thing either haha. But still a damn good eat!

The chicken feet was another highly recommended dish by my parents that day. Even my sister thought the chicken feet here is absolutely yummy! I thought so too! The chicken feet here is braised until everything just falls of the bone effortlessly. Its sauce was soy based giving it a salty finish but that did not quite satisfy me as I was hoping for another taste not just saltiness. Nevertheless, chicken feet fans should definitely give this place a try!

Lastly the roast pork was another dish here which was totally kickass. As always, the requirement for a good roast pork includes defined layers of meat with a well marinated bottom layer finished with a crispy skin which carries a good crunch. And if its in Perth, the quality of pork is always questionable as the meat are sometimes a little porky which can be a turn off! Again, this is another Peel road specialty which gets me drooling even as I am typing now.

When we were done with the food, the total bill came up to Rm35 including drinks and 3 serves of rice. Nothing beats such value and it is these sort of places where the make or break comes purely from the quality of its food, not from the ambience or whatsoever. I am totally a sucker for this place now. Coming NYE, perhaps a swim at the clubhouse would be a good start to the morning before having lunch here! *drool* *drool*!

HK and Taiwan in 1 weeks time. But before that, sometime with the darling and her family in her hometown! HOLIDAYS! RWARRR!

WenY

Bites: Shiro Japanese Restaurant @ Perth

2011-12-22T19:02:00.001+08:00

I was recently invited by Daniel to tryout his new establishment set in the heart of the Perth CBD area. Shiro Japanese restaurant sits nicely in Central Park just beside the Commonwealth Bank. With an awesome decor that faces the park, it really is a nice place to be regardless of night or day. If you have a big group, Daniel even has a long table capable of accommodating a large group of 20 or so. Moving on to the food, Shiro offers a variety of Japanese cuisine including some which are given catchy names like the Rolls Royce or the Salmon GTR. This made me excited and I was dying to try some. As the list was long, I definitely could not afford to order every single item and limited my choice to the dishes which Daniel had in mind for my friends and I.

For starters, we ordered the:

The Soft Tofu Salad @ $7.90 has two serves of bean curd on a mayonnaise dressing topped with spring onions and red cabbage. While the accompanying sauce was decisively delicious enough to go with the tofu, it was the texture of the tofu that my dining companions and I did not like so much. For us, a tofu with a smoother texture would be highly preferred. Nevertheless, it was still a decent opening to our meal that night.

Our next appetizer was the Namban Tsuke or the cold fish tempura @ $7.90. According to Daniel, the fish is deep fried before being marinated for about 24 hours or more. To me, this was really quite enjoyable. Its sauce in fact reminds me of the sauce typically found in Thai dishes which is usually a concoction of sweet, sour and salty; and to a further extent, fruity. My friends were also agreeable with some commenting that perhaps a little more softness in the fish would have been appreciated. But I reckon for something that will be left in a marinade for 24 hours, it does have to be a little over fried than normal.

The Sunomono Salad @ $13.90 consisted of Prawn, seaweed, and cucumber smeared with ponzu sauce. For me, this was exceptionally pricey for something that I find to have capture the freshness of all its elements but for a young crew like me, “meh”!!! Instead “karaage” all the chicken, throw all the ponzu and and mayo party please! Perhaps a mature audience only show?

Our next appetizer was the Ocean’s 5 @ $37 which was a HIT! The serve of scallop, yellow tail, tuna, snapper and salmon were one of the freshest in the business. No wonder Daniel says its a big hit with its customers. Everyone thought it was delish and another serve would undoubtfuly be much welcomed. Even the scallops were still fresh and sweet!

After ending our sashimi note on a high, we moved on to a slightly toned down version which to me was the best dish that night. The Salmon Aburi Maki or Salmon Belly blow-torched before being topped with flying fish roe and drizzled with mayonnaise on sushi rice captures all the sweetness and richness one would expect from a fatty fish belly. It was faultless with a certain melt in your mouth feel. Boy how can you not want that aye? My words? Definitely worth the $5 price a piece! But do not expect Moby Dick to land in your tummy when you are done because I WARN you its small. Its more of a delicacy, not a main course but damn it was good!

The Rolls Royce as it name suggest should be no less than luxury, exclusivity and satisfaction on a plate. For $23, you get 8 pieces of sushi filled with lettuce, crabstick, and cucumber topped with diced prawn tempura, Unagi, cucumber, onion and tiered with apple sauce, teriyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise, finally topped with scallion and tobiko. Hmmm. not bad! While it might be hard to distinguish or appreciate the effort spent in preparing this dish, do not be fooled. It was truly deserving although at this particular time, it has started to feel as if the Japanese Mayonnaise that I truly love so much is starting to weigh down on the dishes. Nevertheless, Fishman in particular found this dish worth coming back for. I’d second that. Definitely beats those outrageous looking Spider rolls which is no more than a show.

Next we moved on to a main that we ordered to share, the Toothfish braised in Shiro style soy sauce @ $34.90. At first, it looked really good. Perhaps my expectations were slightly more than your typical filleted teriyaki fish. But it was the sweetness which I though made this dish a little difficult to eat. Having some sugar in foods can be good such as how having salt in chocolate foods help bring out its flavour. But too much and you know you have messed up. This was exactly how it turned out for me. Not quite there but I reckon there is still space for improvement. The little darling agreed with me too and thought that this was too sweet for her liking. But looking back in retrospect, this is the kind of sweetness most Caucasian like is it not? Cannot blame Shiro for keeping up with consumers need. Then again, I was here for authentic Japanese food with a touch of creativity and excitement. Looking back then, I realise this does not quite satisfy my requirements.

The chicken Teriyaki @ $19 was decent but I would not say it was the best. For me it lacked the fragrant that I desire in every chicken Teriyaki. Neither did it carry that lovely contrast between the skin and the flesh. Í am super keen of the Teriyaki at Kanta’s and this definitely does not match what I was looking for. However, taste wise, it was not too far away.

Over all, our meal was pretty good at Shiro’s Japanese Restaurant. While the things like Rolls Royce, Salmon Aburi and Ocean’s 5 are likely to leave you wanting for more, it is the other missing minor details like the sweetness of the tooth fish or the poor consistency of the tofu that will leave you wishing for improvements. Nevertheless, it is still a brilliant place. I have read most private reviews and one thing consistent is about the price Shiro charges. I do have to admit that some foods are expensive such as the soft tofu salad @ $7.90 or the Sunomono Salad @ $13.90. Even the Teriyaki @ $19 seems luxurious for what you get. Perhaps a slight revision would help draw the crowd. But based on its prime location, it is no wonder that such prices are charged. Perhaps the targeted crowd is not you and me but corporate people dining at the company’s expense. So if that is the case, I have all the right reasons the believe that Shiro will go a long way and become a successful establishment in the heart of the city, and this is because it serves good food; and truthfully, people will be willing to pay. Thanks for the 10% discount Daniel :D!

WenY

Bites: Birthday Date @ Jacksons, Highgate.

2011-12-19T21:40:00.001+08:00

On my birthday, the little darling brought me to Jacksons. When we stepped in, we did not know what to expect from one of Australia’s finest establishments except a large price tag. Seated at one of the more private corners, the restaurant looked rather classy but spared the clutter which was to me a good thing. One disturbing thing though, was the silver bull head ornament that was glaring at us the whole night from the wall beside our table. Scary! Enough said :)! Looking through the menu, Jacksons have an impressive list of culinary delights which had me drooling for a bit. But deciding what to have was not easy so we decided to go for Jacksons degustation which spanned 7-course long. See what we had below!

Complementary bread basket.

Consisting of house made bread rolls, lavosh & cheese sticks the ‘free things’ actually made us quite full even before we started. I guess strict family upbringing didn’t quite allow me to waste food :P! Moving on, one of the best things about the bread basket was the butter which accompanied the savoury pastries. I cannot distinguish origins of a slab of butter but the lescure sea salted butter from France as mentioned on the menu website was absolutely yummy. To a certain extent, it tasted slightly like cheese! Bread rolls with some pink salt and butter was perfect chemistry. Perhaps a slightly warmer bread roll would be welcomed!

Next was the complementary amuse bouche which was what I can say one of the best tasting starters of all time. A crisp cone filled with some gazpacho sorbet, fetta mouse and did I hear asparagus foam too? To finish it was a small serve of red onions. As advised by the waitress, I had it in one shot and wow! It was really good. The taste was a mix of saltiness, and sweetness with that necessary addition of red onions finishing it off on a delightful note.

Next was the chilli squid, compressed watermelon, Thai salad and a small serve of peanut to add texture. Chilli squid was cooked to perfection without any hint of rubbery texture. The Thai salad on the other hand had all the necessary acidity which brought out the flavours of the squid with the peanuts providing a slight crunchiness which was already present in the fresh salad. To finish off, the sweet melon provided a soothing finish that kills of any spiciness that might be present. This was easily the best appetizer that night. As darling is partially allergic to seafood, the courteous crew at Jackson’s reinterpreted this dish using tofu to replace the squid and to darling’s delight, it was flawlessly recreated!

The next course was the Cambinata yabbies, spring onion pancake & tomato.

For most parts of this dish, it was good. But spectacular? Perhaps not quite so! Yabbies were fresh, and the accompanying sauce was good. Could not really tell what sauce was used but it spelt seafood. Moving on,the truffled eggs did not quite have that truffle taste but it was every bit satisfying in terms of texture and taste. But the name might be a little deceiving to some. For me the downfall of this dish was the spring onion cake which tended to be annoyingly sticky on my tooth at all times. It did not turn out to be as crunchy as I expected it to be. Taste is not its strong point either. But regardless of its flaw, I’d reckon that this dish was still good. Perhaps a distinction?

Seeing the dish itself made me giggly, especially the part with the Chinese sausage. For the little darling, yabbies were a big no-no! Instead she had a crispy skin pork belly with seared scallop and Chinese sausage. In my honest opinion, the crackling was divine and darling did agree. Chinese sausage was Chinese sausage. Asked about the scallops and darling says she forgot. I guess it was alright? But unfortunately, the pork belly meat tended to have a little porky smell which was fine to me but not so much to her.

Next was a dish we were both fine with, the fish dish.

The fish of the day was the cod fillet encrusted with a shark bay crab crust served with nicoise salad. I tell you OMG. I have been known to be particularly fussy about my fish. While the fish here was really good, quail egg was yums,and the sauce was no different either, the smell of the entire dish was horrible. I had to put the anchovy aside. The nicoise salad was not really my type of salad but I had it anyways. This was definitely the lowest rated dish of the night. I felt like the salad did not really complement the fish enough. I am honestly not as expert and the chef at Jackson’s should know more but those are just my thoughts :)!

The second complementary dish was a beautiful lamb roast served with pickled radish and root vegetables on a carrot puree.

Is it just me or are the complementary courses really kick ass at Jackson’s? Even darling who strays from lamb because of its gamey odour thought that it was really nice. The attentive kitchen crew even carved out the vegetables to maintain its original shape! For me, tender lamb was all the rave but perfectly cooked vegetables definitely help this dish triumph over its former course of fish.

The last appetizer for the night was the hare & mushroom Empandilla, red wine & chocolate sauce with runner beans.

The Malaysians have the curry puff, the Italians the Calzone, Indians the Samosa and the Spanish the Empanada. Unfortunately, Jacksons reinterpretation of the little Empanada or Empanadilla did not quite satisfy us. The mixture of hare and mushroom did not quite excite my senses as it felt rather blend. Beans were just for show but sauce on the other hand rather special. Also, I did like the crisp pastry coating the outside of the Empanadilla but as I started chewing through it, hmm was it undercooked? Or perhaps it was intentional? Overall this was OK but not mind blowing.

At this time I was already stuffed to the brim but our mains have yet to arrive. For me I had Jackson’s surf n turf.

Looking at Jackson’s plating and style of surf n turf definitely strikes you as something unlike conventional surf and turf which usually sports a large steak topped with creamy garlic prawns. At Jackson’s its a travel through a cow. Funny term. But you get a small piece of sirloin, a tongue steak and a beef cheek. As for the prawns, the chefs decided to ditch the garlic and was instead cooked with an orange infused cream sauce. The crusted beef cheek was tender with a tasty marinade. Somewhat reminds me of my date with the little darling at Nine Fine Food where the lamb and scallop served was flawless. The tongue steak was equally satisfying. Unlike Japanese restaurants that serve tongue steak slightly chewy, the tongue steak came with a melt-in-your-mouth feel giving it a creamy texture. And the sirloin itself was cooked medium and fared well with it being tender in each bite. Tiger prawns was ok but it was the sauce that tasted brilliant. Much kudos to that.

The darling on the other hand had the pheasant stuffed with foie gras served with sauerkraut, ham hock, and carrots carrots. The game bird was exceptionally tender and soft. Makes me wonder how it was cooked. Foie gras had minimal effect on taste but it added texture to the dish. Sauerkraut was a lot nicer than conventional German ones which is a lot more sour. I guess it is a good thing that it is less sour :D! Overall, darling thought it was nice.

After resting a bit, the wait staff brought out our next course, a savoury dessert.

Right of from their website, Boise la tradition with a black pepper & white balsamic vinegar strawberry salad and crumbs for texture. Over all, darling and I felt that it was decent but tasted rather mature and we could not quite appreciate anything on that plate. Darling herself is not quite a fan of pepper. As for me I did like the cheese and strawberries but the pungent taste from the herbs and spices were quite unwelcoming. But I believe though that it was actually good for other people and think that it is a question of personal preference.

Next was the third complementary dish, a dessert which consisted of biscuit bits and lemon curd topped with a rosemary meringue.

Seriously, this dish was another give me five or what?! Darling thought that the meringue bit was a little too sweet but for me, the whole dessert was just spot on. It really amazes me how the rosemary played an important role in toning down the sweetness making the dessert delicious. The lemon curd itself was smooth throughout and everything really worked well together. I liked this a lot!

As for the next dessert course, we had:

For dessert we had tea and coconut brulee with a violet macaron, lavender ice cream and honeycomb. Darling says it was good but this differs significant from her preferred dessert which usually sits around a combination of berries, chocolates and ice cream rather than herbs. For me, I thought it was a little weird at first but after a few spoon too many, I got hooked and ended up really enjoying the dessert. Brulee was refreshing, ice cream felt light and texture wise, creamy in every spoon. Very entertaining dessert. I liked it :)!

After finishing the dessert, I thought we were finally done. Jeans were already starting to feel tight and home was nearby. Couldn’t wait to jump in and snooze of.. and just when you thought you were done, the waitress offered us drinks and brought us little things to accompany our hot drinks and to end our night.

Two truffles were the ‘things’ that night. One was a white chocolate truffle with blood peach and raspberries while the other was a milk chocolate ganache. Both were the direct opposite when it came to taste. The white chocolate truffle felt refreshing with a hint of fruitiness from the fruits which were served in a jelly like form. Very nicely done. That was darling’s favourite that night. The chocolate truffle on the other hand was served slightly melted so that once in your mouth, all you get is that delicious sensation of chocolate. To me both was equally good but given the state we were in after so much food, I reckon the white truffle with blood peach and raspberries prevailed the better of the two.

By the end of the meal, I was definitely stuffed but at the same time was really happy. 1 year older but tonnes happier. Good to have finally graduated as well. It was all a very good feeling yet slightly mixed. Jackson’s for one is definitely a memorable dining experience. Could make it a yearly occasion as I believe it is truly deserving. Impeccable service paired with top notch food will satisfy even the fussiest eaters around. There was little to fault with. If anything I had to complain about, it would probably be the garnishing which seems to be a little repetitive but acceptable anyways. Other than that, perhaps the fish could do with a little more improvement? Before we leaving, the little darling and I gave the waiter a little tip believing that it was well earned. She provided us with explanation for every food detail and where hygiene is concerned, all staff at Jacksons wear white gloves which gives it a classy look but at times can look slightly intimidating as the gloves look no different from the ones used in the medical field?

WenY

Bites: Izakaya Sakura @ Northbridge

2011-11-23T01:16:00.001+08:00

Standing where a previous Izakaya restaurant once stood, Izakaya Sakura is the successor to Ayami which despite is decent quality food and excellent service, did not stay for long. Stepping inside with the little darling, I find that little has change since my visit last year. The decor, the sitting layout, and even the bar still sits on the same spot as it was during Ayami. Putting that aside, upon our arrival, the prompt service by the waitress was welcoming as she reviewed our booking and brought us to our sits.

Izakaya Sakura

After spending just moment on our seat, the waitress presented us with 3 miniature bowls filled with cold appetizers. Each were $3 and so we decided to take 2 out of the lot.

The potato salad was nice, clean and refreshing unlike its western counterpart while the pickled vegetables were just as good. Slightly sweet with a hint of sourness due to the sweet vinegar used in it. Overall, it was a good appetizer which helped enhanced our appetite that night. To be honest I was already starving and having sour foods did not help at all @@!

Izakaya is equivalent to Tapas where diners call small serves of food to share. In Australia, this is becoming an increasingly common offering. In my dictionary of Izakaya restaurants, diners are spoilt with choices such as the over-mentioned Ha Lu, Kanta, Satsuki, and a whole lot more. Tonight the little darling and I picked an assortment of dishes. Some old, some new. Our first dish for the night was the Mentai Mochi Cheese.

Set upon a bed of shredded cabbage was 5 mochi topped with spicy cod roe before having cheese melted on it. The end product while far from outstanding was a different experience. Something so chewy as mochi when heated further created a very very chewy thing which I have to say, I chewed until I got tired. Spicy cod roe felt a little wasted here unfortunately as the taste did not quite complement nor stood out in this dish. Nevertheless, don’t try, won’t know! A good experience but next time I might shy away from it.

Next was the Buta no Kakuni or Japanese braised pork belly.

I’m not going to hide the fact that good pork belly pleases me ALL the time. This version made by Izakaya Sakura was every bit satisfying. Melt in your mouth bits of pork doused with sake-fragranced sauce was lip smacking. Also, do not be put off by the liquid-y sauce as the perfect balance of sweet and saltiness is good! A bowl of rice complimented this dish perfectly. Also, do not leave out the poor mustard as it has a good chemistry with the pork belly.

Next was the Agedashi Tofu which is one of the little darling’s favourite.

While some places tend to deviate from the traditional way of serving this bean curd dish, Izakaya Sakura served it in its most common form which almost never fails to deliver. This might not be outstanding when compared to all the other restaurants, but as a bean curd lover, keeping up with the standard was all I needed.

Next was the Karaage with a Citrus Ponzu sauce.

While KFC has been keeping their special recipe a secret for many years now, they did not realise that the Japanese does not even need it. One of the worst kept Japanese secrets has got to be the Kaarage which despites its simplicity, never fails to deliver to this unhealthy appetite of mine. Crispy yet tender and with a marinade that is tonnes more appetizing than a KFC, this was yums! If there was anything there which I could fault with, it has got to be the rate the citrus sauce made the chicken soft. Otherwise, this was good :)! Other than these dishes, we also called a sashimi which to me was terrifying. But darling nevertheless help devour those 1/2 inch thick salmon slices which is so ewww!

We finished the night with a simple dessert called Taiyaki which simply means Japanese pancake filled with red bean paste with green tea ice-cream!

Darling’s a dessert lover and I can tell that she enjoyed this. While we were expecting the pancake to have a crispy wafer shell, it was none of that and turned out soggy instead. But fret we shall not as the green tea – red bean combination never fails to deliver. The ice cream by itself was just spot on. Green tea was refreshing and did not leave any powdery sensation on my palette. Creamy in each scoop. WoW! The weather is scorching today and damn I would like a serve of Taiyaki!

If anyone were to ask me whether I’d recommend Izakaya Sakura, I would. Despite ordering quite a fair bit of food, the total bill was somewhere around $70 for the two of us which was fairly priced. A similar meal at Satsuki was something like $80 and Ha Lu about $90? Furthermore, the service was really really attentive. I felt like my every dining needs were attended to promptly. Food albeit ordinary, was cooked perfectly. In fact, calling the food ordinary is not really quite appropriate considering it was darling and I that chose to order what we ate. In the end, it was a pleasant evening. I would definitely return one day!

WenY

Bites: Kitchen Inn @ Thornlie

2011-11-20T23:09:00.001+08:00

This is an over due post thanks to my finals which ended a few days ago! 3 weeks ago, my sister introduced to a very unique eating place in Perth. While ambience is not one of its strong points, the type of dishes served here are special as they are those typically found in the Eastern states of Malaysia. Truthfully, its a rare find. Expectedly enough though, they bring favourites such as the Kampua Noodles, Glutinous Rice with meat, and other Malaysian favourites such as the Siu Mai (pork dumplings) and Bak Kut Teh (herbal pork).

For me, I begin my meal with a single serve of the Pork Dumplings which costed $4 I think.

There are many things which I liked and disliked about the meat dumplings. While I’ll try not to complain about its looks, seriously please, it looked dead with its skin tasting slightly dry. But do not be put off by it saddening appearance as the well-marinated meat was something one would enjoy. Dipping it in chilli oil did tend to make it slightly un-Malaysian considering I almost never use chilli oil when eating dim sum in Malaysia. Nevertheless, this was decent but would be kickass if it had a little more colour. Perhaps some carrot bits? More importantly, minutes more in the steamer would have made a whole lot of difference too!

Glutinous Rice Dumpling (Zhong)

The glutinous rice on the other hand was hard to fault with. From the well cooked rice, to its lovely ingredient of mushrooms and pork. This was spot on! To be honest, it reminded of home where we would pay less than $1 to a man who often regarded my dad as his ‘brother’ when I was young. I’d have to say, classic Malaysian ones over the glutinous rice served in Hong Kong dim sum places. They’re obviously two very different things but hell yeah! Malaysia FTW!

Kampua Noodles @ $6.90

After savouring all the little pleasers, my bowl of noodles finally arrived. From the first bite, I was already impressed on how the chefs have maintained their style of serving. Unlike most places who tend to justify price with content, Kitchen Inn plays conservative by continuing a style true to its root. Cheap and loaded with carbs. Flavour on the other hand was verified by the only mate that hails from East Malaysia. His take on it? Good stuff. Enough said. The noodles in my opinion tasted good. The sauce used gave the noodles a very tasty coating which unfortunately tended to dry quite quickly. When it does, Kitchen Inn has a sambal (chili paste) which was very very good! I used a spoon to finish up the remainder of the noodles which I enjoyed a lot! To wash it all down, a hot teh tarik @ $3 and it was home run!

By the end of the meal, I was bloated. Something like a pig crossed over with something really fat hmmm maybe an American? Jkjk. Nevertheless, Kitchen Inn has proved itself worthy. Admittedly, and sadly, such food would be difficult to find even in Peninsular Malaysia where the population is probably 10 times more than that of East Malaysia. What more when its thousands of miles away from home? I guess its true that some things taste best where they come from. Luckily enough, original decided to move.

WenY

Bites: Kanta @ Langford (Visit 2!)

2011-10-22T20:32:00.001+08:00

Kanta has been, for a long time my choice of restaurant for quality Japanese food. Over the last 5 years I saw this establishment in the Langford suburb bloom from a hidden jewel, to a restaurant where it is impossible to be seated without a booking. Sometimes, a week or more in advance for dinner. Leading the kitchen is Akira-San who seems to have taken the backseat and is now only managing the sushi/sashimi side of things while everything else is left to his trusty apprentice!

While I have been here plenty of times before, Kanta has changed this year with its staff now wearing official Kanta shirts and more importantly, a revamped menu. Oh, and don’t forget the new website they have which you can check out here. New introductions to his already decadent menu includes an array of pork belly dishes and a few more traditional Japanese sushi like the spicy Uramaki or the thick Futomaki. In this visit of mine, I knew I had to depart from my usual Teriyaki Chicken or Gyu Tongue Steak to find out how the new offerings stand against an already impressive list of dishes!

For our appetizers, we ordered plenty of rolls, sashimi and other entrees like the Agedashi Tofu and the Ika Shioyaki which is a classic favourite among my circle of food loving mates.

Ika Shioyaki @ $8.50 or octopus tentacles grilled over the stove with salt were every bit appetizing . The fresh seafood naturally carries a sweetness which, when paired with the charred flavour from the grill, was absolutely good! Freshly squeezed lemon added that extra zing which complemented all the flavours! Add that extra kick from the sinful mayonnaise and damn it was good!

No stranger to the Japanese culture is the sashimi moriawase for which you can get a small serve of kingfish, tuna and salmon for $16.50.

Fish is not my sort of thing, but for the girls, they loved every bit of it! Oh, and do not forget fishman YiHeng who loves fish too!

But my highlight for night is a much welcomed addition in the Kanta establishment, the Teriyaki Pork Belly @ $18.50.

Garnished with Saffron and Brussel sprouts, the pork belly seated gracefully on a mixture of teriyaki sauce and a cream sauce which is a concoction of mayonnaise and spices. The meat was good with the perfect amount of fat. The girls found it a bit unhealthy but to me, it was just spot on! While the pork belly as a whole was tender and juicy, there tended to be a few bits which were not that well cooked. But that did not matter much. If you are not a fan of teriyaki sauce, this might not be your cue, but otherwise, the setup of a good sauce with a well-cooked pork belly will blow you away. Another noticeable feature of the dish was the four little dots which were another type of sauce which reminded me of the Korean Bibimbab sauce ahah. Slightly peppery with a hint of sesame flavour which brought added flavour to the whole dish! For me, the downfall of the entire plate was the Brussel sprouts which were a little bitter :(!

As a whole, Kanta is still a leader in its class of restaurants. The authentic Japanese canteen which still dishes out classic Japanese favourites like the teriyaki, sushi and sashimi are hard to beat. While simple decor paired with lethargic waiters might seem unwelcoming at times do not be fooled. But if you are keen on decor and have a suitable budget to match, other good Japanese restaurants with like Satsuki, Halu, Toraya and Nine Fine Food are hard to beat but would have you poorer by $40-70 dollars. My dinner at Kanta only cost me $25 today. What can I say? Love it!

You can check out my previous post here where I had listed a few other goodies Kanta has to offer! ;)!

WenY

Bites: Zambrero Fresh Mex Grill @ Leederville

2011-10-13T23:59:00.001+08:00

Pigging out with your best pal is probably one of the best fun possible! But after one to many meaty meals, it was good that we finally decided to go off track and have something a little healthier. Nevertheless, a healthier one does not equal us mutating into cows feeding on salads or sandwiches, instead we were off to something a little less alien. Yobi and I decided to give Zambrero Mexican @ Leederville a try. So is this Mexican enough or wannabe?

Looking at the board, choices were extremely limited only to be varied by sauce and meat. But that was alright, so long as it tastes good! For me, I decided to go small with a taco @ $6 filled with chicken, tomato salsa, and the verde!

Seeing how my meal came together really had me wishing that I ordered something else. With no more than 2 tablespoons of meat followed by a tonne of vegetables, I literally moo-ed my way to the counter. Sceptical as any T-Rex would be, impressions were not lasting as my first bite had me go “Wow this is tasty!!”. Yobi had the Burrito @ $11 which was somewhat similar but instead, they had rice in it too + it was A LOT bigger.

Overall our meal was here was pretty decent! But to be honest, it was just tasty filled tacos/burritos. If there is anything simpler than pasta, it has got to be Mexican food. For me the art of guacamole is easy. Pair it with a box of tacos for dinner and you would have every one smiling at the dining table (+ a plate of nachos too). Would I come here again? Sure why not? Would you bother going back to all the trouble just to feed one person? Probably not! Also, this over Subway any day!! :P! Mexicana!!!

WenY

Bites: Modo Mio @ Burswood

2011-10-11T22:39:00.001+08:00

If I were a chef, I believe the greatest joy would be a diner’s appreciation for food cooked my way. Unpretentious, inspired and creative. For Giampaolo Maffini, that is exactly what he does at Modo Mio or ‘My Way’, a restaurant that has been gaining momentum ever since its launch. With pleasant reviews, this was the perfect venue for the little darling’s 20th birthday dinner with the guys considering how well Modo Mio has been promoted for its personalised service and authentic, but more importantly, tasty food.

While we waited for the rest to arrive!

For the night, we ordered a few dishes to share among ourselves with the pizzas coming out first.

Pizza Asiago e pollo which had a tomato based topped with chicken, Asiago , onion, pink peppercorn & mozzarella. As simple as the ingredients might seem, it actually is really delicious. The pizza ingredients was tasty and not too salty. It felt balanced. But what really made me like the pizza was the crust. I am known for hating Italian pizza crusts. Why? Simply because most places tend to have it in the oven until the crust becomes overly hard and dry. Despicable! But at Modo Mio, it was GOOD!

While the Pizza Asiago e Pollo was good, the Pizza al Prosciutto stole the show! Like the chicken pizza, it was a tomato based pizza but this time with parmesan, mozzarella, Parma ham, and rocket salad. Again simplicity was at its best. The pizza was delicious, crust cooked till the perfect, prosciutto well salted and the cheese and tomato sweetness were just spot on. But if it can be done, it would be great if the prosciutto can be more well placed. As this pizza was shared, it was actually quite difficult to eat because the prosciutto often get dragged off from one slice to another. Moving on to our mains!

The star:

Carre d’agnello in crosta di nocciole, salsa al timo e tortino di zucca or Oven baked lamb rack with a macadamia crust, thyme jus & butternut pumpkin flan. Overall, the lamb was the best meat dish for the night. There were many reasons why we liked it so much! For me, crust coating the lamb rack was simply delicious and magnificent. Also, the meat had a pink-ish middle showing it was cooked to perfection. Following on, while I am never a fan of pumpkin, the flan that accompanied the dish was actually NICE! It had a creamy centre which complemented the meat well. Overall, this dish was the best among all that we ordered!

Red wine marinated Angus beef tenderloin, pan-fried foie gras, polenta & taleggio ravioli, onion, pommery mustard marmalade. As we had just dined at Nine Fine Food the day before, the little darling and I were expecting a flavour filled foie gras that would complement the angus beef like a pair made in heaven. Unfortunately, this was not so. Pan-fried foie gras was not magical but felt a little dry, as if it has lost its creaminess =X! Beef was perfect but cheese filled ravioli felt bland. Not that this dish is not nice but our hopes for perfection was perhaps a little far fetched.

Another dish worth mentioning for the night was the filled pasta with a cream sauce finished with shaved black truffle. The sauce was superbs, pasta lovely and until now I still cannot think what was in there but oh it was good. As there were less than 5 pieces, we each barely had one! Nevertheless, it was lip-smacking! The cream sauce had us drooling for more. Myself? I spooned every bit possible onto my little pasta! I have actually just checked the menu and this dish is off the list. Rather unfortunate but I am sure it is a matter of time before it comes back on!

Perfection!

After having our dinner we moved on to a few desserts to try, for the little darling her dessert also served as a birthday cake! A rather special one I would say!

Seeing basil did not scare the darling from her favourite dessert. In fact, vinegar was almost non-existent! The traditional Italian custard with strawberry marinated in aged balsamic vinegar, and basil was to the little darling, ‘quite nice’!

For my sister, she chose to have the her normal Tiramisu!

This was finger lickin’ good! In comparison to a few that I have eaten, this is actually nice. Perhaps it is just me because this does not have a liquor flavour that felt overly strong and neither were the sponge fingers drenched in concentrated coffee. It felt just ‘right’. Or at least it did for a person who does not drink coffee like me!

Lastly, my dessert was the chocolate pudding with marsala wine and sort but omagawd. Almost died from this dessert. The chocolate pudding was really rich but the overall experience was to me a little too ‘adult’. Rich chocolate felt slightly bitter, liquor soaked fruits and wine everywhere. Ewwww!! But I think if you are into desserts that are not overly sweet, this might just be the one for you. Just my two sense but it could be wrong anyways !

Overall, I have to say that the small servings and rolling cutleries were not the highlight of the restaurant. Neither was the venue which was draped in luxury only to be let down by the low ceilings making the place a little claustrophobic. But if you are looking for good Italian food with a wallet to match, this might just be your cue. Also, headwaiter was keen so serve and ensured that we were well taken care off. Definitely had to thank the waitress Anke, that was assigned to our table of 16! Priceless experience and, great place with little to improve on! Probably for a stingy pot like me, perhaps Giampaolo can double the size of my mains! :)!

WenY

Bites: Nine Fine Food @ Highgate

2011-10-08T01:26:00.001+08:00

It’s that time of the year again! Little darling now turns 20 and I was going to bring her to a different place to celebrate. Scouting around, I found Nine Fine Food which is a combination of Japanese and European cuisine. Looking at various food blogs, I must admit that personally, my taste buds were dying from its curiosity. Nevertheless, my choice of venue was not just for me as the intimate lighting at the venue made this place perfect for dates and despite having a crowd, it was not unacceptably noisy.

Nine Fine Food.

Looking around the menu, Nine Fine Food has some good offerings which seems really tempting. Spoiled for choices, we decided to go for the ‘OSOSUME’ which translates into a 4 course meal. While it might seems rather posh, the 4 course meal is actually a lot of value for your money! For starters, we ordered:

the Goose Mousse is a foie gras mousse topped with soy infused Tobico caviar, broccolini with Chocochujan spiced miso. While I have never been keen on fancy food such as caviar or foie gras, this one was definitely a “WOW” to me. While I was skeptical about the taste after having smelt it at first, my first taste of it had me wanting more. The whole thing was actually superb. Crispy lotus roots topped with the miso and foie gras – caviar was absolutely yummy! Even darling, who would never EVER touch such ‘exotic’ food said it was really good.

Foie Gras take 2!!

While I was happily eating my starter, the little darling herself was busy enjoying her sashimi platter

The Sashimi 9 would normally consist of 9 types of sashimi but the little darling decided to omit the prawn and squid sashimi as she is allergic to those type of seafoods. Nevertheless, she had extra serves of salmon, kingfish, snapper and tuna. Funnily enough though, would half cooked tuna be considered as sashimi? Not that is matters considering darling says this dish ticks all the boxes as a good sashimi appetizer!

After finishing our first appetizer, the waiters gladly cleared our table for the second course of appetizer. This time we had:

Beef Tataki was my choice for the next appetizer which had lightly grilled tenderloin beef fillets top with a truffle mixed Yakumi condiments, and finished with a chilli lemon soy dressing! Yummy! This was good, meat well cooked but somewhat a little too thick for my liking. I would rather thinly sliced beef. Also, Yakumi or healthy condiments were getting a little bland at this stage because I had the same ‘cucumber’ condiments for the Goose Mousse. Instead, I would have liked to have finely shaved onions in addition to the cucumbers for that extra flavour which goes so very well with beef tataki! Nonetheless, it was still good but just not THAT GOOD.

This next appetizer that the little darling ordered was an absolute winner. Called the lamb and scallops, this appetizer as its name and looks suggests has lamb and scallops. To be exact, marinated grilled sliced lamb round steak, blended spiced miso braised lamb shoulder, seared scallop with balsamic, soy & truffle oil dressing. Outcome? Mind blowing. This was so good I woke up the next day wanting to have it for breakfast. Despite its very small size, I would be far too keen to trade this dish for my Beef Tataki. Lamb meat was very, very tender. It literally crumbled under the weight of the fork without effort. For awhile, I though that the meat was actually pulled before being shaped but could not really tell. Putting that aside, the meat was superbly marinated and extremely tasty. Add that sweetness of the scallops and õmg! This dish to me was very well constructed in terms of texture and flavour. Not like I can tell superb textures from good ones like pros can but this was simply just fantabulous.

After finishing two courses, it was time for our mains. With the appetizers setting such standards, it was only normal that the little darling and I have high hopes for the next course. And here we go starting with my very lousy photo, the Oceans East:

The Oceans East was a representation of the seafood in the East. Did it represent it well enough? Well, with scallops, eel (unagi), fish and soft shell crabs, I’d have to say that Nine Fine Food was close.. pretty close. Also, by having fruits as part of the main dish, it had a sense of freshness that lifted the heaviness of the fried soft-shelled crabs. The fish which was part of the dish was super yummy! Scallops were ok but again, cucumber was all over it, so errr not really that good? The unagi, presumably cooked with teriyaki sauce was scary as it always is for me who never liked eel. After just one piece, I decided to abort mission and left 3 other pieces for the bin! Oops! Things were all quite decent for Oceans East. Other than the eel, I reckon that the only thing that did not really appeal to me were the wasabi mayo and that other red chilli sauce. I guess the sauces just did not quite appealed to me as something felt lacking!!

For the darling, she had the tenderloin steak.

Along with the well marinated steak was some sautéed mixed Asian mushrooms, dukkah spiced mash, fresh greens, garlic & olive oil infused creamy sake rice wine reduction. As a steak should be well marinated and tasty on its own, this was just spot on. Even without the mushroom sauce, the steak was a pleaser. Mash was decent but sauce was really salty. In essence, the sauce would go well with the mash. But problem as it lies was that the sauce was just too much for the mash. Even the sautéed mushrooms were a little saltier than the little darling’s tolerance. For me, I thought it was salty but I liked it anyway because I come from a family that prefers salt over sugar any day! Over all, this would have easily been called delicious considering the number of places that cannot really cook a good steak. Perhaps a little control of salt would have make this a superb dish?

Having finished our three course, it was time for our desserts. With the clock ticking minutes away from 9 and a stomach that is filled to the brim, it was time to sit back. While waiting for the dessert to be served, the little darling and I had time to share an intimate talk as there was just one other couple besides us. This means a really private space which of course, is a privilege in any popular restaurant!!

After a while, the desserts were served. We both ordered the same thing:

The Mattcha Brulee! The light torched green tea custard brulee was smooth with a hint of refreshing green tea taste. I also liked the way the green tea controls the sweetness in way that is delightful. Also, unlike some places which tend to have a bitter layer of green tea syrup, this was one just fine. Not too concentrated. As a whole, this was perfection. In fact, I reckon green tea suits Crème Brulee a lot better than berries do although I believe that the little darling will have a lot to say on that statement of mine!

At the end of the night, we were really satisfied with the restaurant. The food was in my opinion, a different experience as it was in fact quite special. It was like going in and coming out a different person. Probably just an illusion to the mind although I’m pretty sure I came out fatter hehe! Every thing went well that night, food was good and the waiter/-tress were keen to serve. Just last night the little darling and I were talking about our meal here and she told me that she really liked it. Therefore, in my honest opinion, Nine Fine Food is a good restaurant. So good that I would not mind coming here over and over again!

WenY

Bites: Sayers @ Leederville

2011-09-30T21:17:00.001+08:00

Sunday morning started off gloomy with a dark overcast and slight drizzle at 8. Stomach felt sucky and it has almost been 4 days then. But no way was I going to let this persistent annoyance destroy the first Sunday of my holidays! So I slipped in a pair of nudies and off we were for brekkie! Sayer’s has been on my radar since my sister mentioned it but we never had the time or opportunity :( . So Yobi’s presence was the perfect chance for us to try out this highly recommended cafe!

Sayer’s cafe was super busy and finding a place during the weekends can be challenging. Fortunately, the friendly staff were helpful and found us a place after a reasonable 20 minutes wait. Before sitting down, I looked around the cafe and liked the layout of the cafe which is pretty special. To me, there were 3 main concepts that really worked well. You could be sitting in your typical neighbourhood cafe sipping away on a cuppa or in a lane-style cafe or an open backyard alfresco.

The little alley which sits a decent group of two or three.

The backyard sitting area with a more open environment.

As we had a large group, the backyard sitting area was well to our cause and we gladly sat there. Pets are allowed too I reckon. Spotted this adorable cocker spaniel running around its owner while panicking because it was about to rain.

Worried and tangled!

Skipping on, we ordered a good selection of hot brekkie and it took them slightly longer than most places to have the food served. My sister had already finished her drink before the food came!

Cappuccino?

For myself, I ordered the Sayers pork sausage with fried eggs, sweet potato crisp, mash and toasted Ciabatta @ $19.50.

While I have lots of complains for ALL sausages that accompanies the big brekkie meals in Perth, it would be rather weird if I had complains for a sausage where the dish itself was centred around it. Also, nothing can be more revolting than a cut-into-half sausage protruding out of a small pan screaming for attention while the gem of the dish (the green mash) sit hideously under a shrivelled tomato. For me, I was not blown away by the pork sausage. It did not taste superb in any way and was even difficult to cut. Nevertheless, the bread did its job with the fried eggs. Having every thing together brought a little chemistry which worked superb. Tomato sweetness + the saltiness of the meat worked well with the eggs although most element did not standout individually. But it must be pointed out though that the mash were the one of the yummiest mash I have EVER had. Its not the consistency but rather that unique flavour from the combination of spices of whatever the had in it. Real winner for me!

Yobi played conservative with a full serve scrambled eggs with toast ($11) and a side of smoked salmon ($5). He did not have plenty of words for it and I reckon I would be the same like him if I ordered the same thing. Not that this dish is simplistic or anything but yeah, its well cooked scrambled eggs which were sufficiently light and fluffy but more importantly, well seasoned and not overcooked! Or so says my sister which I think its true after having some of hers.

Ricotta & white chocolate hotcakes, sticky toffee apple, double cream & maple @ $16.50

Sticky toffee apple was good but perhaps a little seasoning would have added a little more ‘WoW’ factor. Hotcakes were above average and the lovely sauce was definitely a worthy talk. Overall, the dish was good together. A little bit of apple followed with a small piece of hot cake doused with the sauce before being finished with a dollop of the cream was delicious!!

Big Brekkie @ $22.00!

While the price is definitely steeper than most places, the big brekkie definitely has its own uniqueness which makes is distinctive from others. The mushroom for instance was different from your typical buttery-sweet mushrooms. It was filled with a pine nut pesto which was really tasty but slightly too heavy. The beans too, were delicious with a good amount of spices. Hash brown was special but not really quite my type. It had a good amount of onion, vege and I think bacon which really did not work for me.

Poached eggs were perfectly cooked with a runny yolk! Scrambled eggs were better than most places and was really cooked to perfection. It was rich, fluffy and was slightly runny! While these were the merits of the big brekkie, the bacon and chipolatas were unfortunately unenthusiastic. Tasteless sausages were a let down while the bacon felt undercooked. I would love to have seen two types of bacon. One, a crispy fatty-skin bacon, while the other one like the bacon above. But only one was present and did not really appeal. Nevertheless, a request would perhaps allowed me to get what I wanted.

Overall, Sayers would be among my top breakfast cafes near the CBD area. While I like Crumpets and John St. Cafe, this would be a qualified competitor. However, close rivals the Imp and Toast should not be overlooked. While price is concerned, Sayers would not be a place you can ideally call ‘CHEAP’ but is still decent for a Sunday brunch which fills your tummy till dinner. Also, well-designed layout was another ‘wow’ factor for me which had me smiling! Definitely a good experience which would make me return over and over. Perhaps little darling in the alley way, the housemates in the shop and all my homies in the backyard alfresco?

WenY

Bites: Bua Siam @ Langford

2011-09-27T11:14:00.001+08:00

The word ‘Thailand’ has always had an important meaning to me. Whether it is was about having Thailand as my neighbouring country, or having good Jimmy as a trustworthy buddy in Perth. So to add, I have always loved visiting Thailand and even have Thailand running through my veins! More importantly, I have a strong liking for Thai food and never would I turn down the opportunity to try any recommendations. My friend recently celebrated his birthday at Bua Siam in Langford and he told me that he though it was pretty good. 1 month has lapsed and here I was. Bua Siam for dinner with the peeps and Yobi!

To start our meal, we called for a serve of Thai fishcakes @ $8.90

To our dismay this dish did not turn out well leaving much to be desired; and to a certain extent, we were debating whether the fishcakes were bought frozen off the shelves. Perhaps that explains 8 pieces for 9 dollars which is a very hard find nowadays. Or at least when you are in Australia.

Next was the Roast Duck red curry @ $21. The sauce was thick, creamy and a little too sweet. It had generous portions of fruits and vegetables, but was caught a little short on the duck meat. Nevertheless, it still has a good taste but did not satisfy!

Then came the Beef Green Curry @ $19. The green curry was good but I felt a little hint of bitterness in the sauce. Not quite sure what went wrong but overall it was OK. Beef slices were tender and not overly done.

And what is a Thai meal without the trademark Tom Yam Soup! We ordered a large bowl @ $15 and manage to dish out 8 small bowls for each of us. While the soup did not taste exactly like Tom Yam, it was not all doom and gloom but failed to meet the standard set by S & T! Sister commented that it tasted a little more like a HK style Borsch soup!

Another dish we ordered is a popular stir-fry dish, the Pad Bai Ga Pow which to me is stir-fry meat with basil! Unfortunately, this dish was not enchanted by that lovely smell when you finish of this sort of dish by stirring in the basil leaves with the fire off giving the blend meat a refreshing basil fragrance! Rather unfortunate that it appealed to me more of a Chinese stir-fry than a Thai one :(! Believe it or not, few people were still asking where was our Pad Bai Ga Pow even after this dish was served =.=!

We also ordered a steam fish with coriander, lime and chilli @ $26. While the sauce was quite good, the fish meat was absolutely terrible. It felt as if the fish was really old or perhaps they used a fish which texture is unknown to me! Perhaps I would go for the deep fried fish with three taste. I reckon that would be something that suits me better!

Last but not the least, we ordered a minced meat salad (Larb) which I thought was one of the best dishes that day. It had a good mixture of spices and sauces which went perfectly well with the rice. But this was not what I expected because I would normally have the Larb with cabbage or lettuce. Nevertheless, it was a good attempt even though it seems like the capsicums have gone astray into this dish. However, some commented that it was a little too salty which was true, but with rice it was alright.

At the end of the meal, I felt full but hmm that sense of satisfaction just was not there. It was as if I could still do another round. Yobi on the other hand thought it was ok but it could have been better! I asked him for a score out of 10 and he reckon about a 6 although to me that was the maximum score I would have given. The little darling and her girls were now a little worried, perhaps more reluctant to go for Thai food if it is not S & T or perhaps Dusit Thai. What can I say? Can’t blame them can I? haha even my sister’s facial expression was = @@! But I reckon the main problem at the end of the day was that the intensity of the flavours have been tuned down to suit the Australian crowd rather than a Thai one.

WenY

Bites: Tan Po Po @ Mount Lawley

2011-09-25T19:15:00.001+08:00

It was 11 and without a proper brekkie, we were starving for some lunch. In front of us was the place where Tan Po Po used to be but no one was in it. Calling the shop various times, we were told that they were open. So Yobí suggested, maybe there was another entrance. But obviously finding another entrance does not work when the shop has relocated to the other side of Beaufort street! Oh and Yobi is back in town for the week. With the little darling’s birthday soon, some good foodie action is sure to happen :)!

Going back to Tan Po Po, I remember that the old shop used to be inside IGA:

But it has moved and a lady told us that it was just across the street now.

Starving and with little on his mind, I suggested that Yobi tried the much hyped double chicken Teriyaki which I thought was decent for its price of $7 dollars or so.

The Teriyaki Chicken looked superb with two rows of chicken covered with Teriyaki sauce over steaming rice. But I must suggest that the word double is a bit tricky considering the chicken is not really all that much. Chicken was not juicy because it was thin, but taste as far as I can recall is pretty good as its sauce is well-balanced. For Yobi, he would have liked something not chicken ahah. He did not quite like chicken but had no complains for the price he paid.

For me, whose stomach is still not at it’s best yet, I opted for something pretty light. I went for the Agedashi Donburi.

The bean curd was OK. It lacked that special batter consistency often seen in most places. Its sauce was thicker than most but was welcoming with the bowl of soy rice! The soy rice was a mixture of rice, mushrooms and carrot which was to me, all very healthy! I would not complain too because like Yobi I too knew that $5 bucks cannot get me far in Perth. Perhaps Meccas at best(although I would have liked that a lot). Overall, it was OK.

But my vegetarian meal did not end here. I also ordered potato croquettes as a side! You get two well sized croquettes for 3 bucks.

For me, this was my highlight of my trip to Tan Po Po! The croquettes were empty with no fillings but its light panko crust and tasty mash was all rage. I reckon I could do with 10 of these for lunch next time!

Overall, Tan Po Po’s price must come with suitable expectations. If you seek a large serve of thick juicy Teriyaki chicken, prepare to travel 10kms more and pay 50% more. Tan Po Po has its merits, which I believe is well accepted among its customers. It feels authentic as it can be making this a favourite among the Mt Lawley residents. This is good because I find that most Japanese restaurants here have that authenticity which has helped this particular Asian food beat its peers over in the Eastern States. Verdict? I would come here again! Maybe next time I would get the Tempura bento or something else :)!

WenY

Bites: Old Cathay @ Victoria Park

2011-09-14T16:31:00.002+08:00

Last Sunday, my sister decided have the Moon Cake festival dinner earlier since the little darling, and I were going to be super busy with our mid-semester tests during the mid-autumn festival itself. Without much ado, we book a table for all of us at Old Cathay in Victoria Park which sits comfortable underneath the Monadelphous Office. As we went in, I enjoyed the assurance of a large crowd at the restaurant. But I suspect that part of the crowd was actually using coupons which were sold a couple of weeks ago! Nevertheless, it did not matter much! I was going to eat here anyways :P!

The Menu

There was 7 of us that night, so we decided to order 6 dishes. Some were blogger recommendations, others were simply what we felt like having :)

Our first dish was the Curry Fish Claypot with Lady’s Fingers @$24.50. The sauce looked slightly pale at first which in contrast to its taste, was miles apart! The curry sauce was aromatic, rich and downright delicious! It was well liked among us all. However, things did not turn out so well for the fish due to the deplorable quality of the meat which had a horrible consistency. After the first slice of fish, I never took another. This left me with mixed feelings because it now seems that the hero material turned out to be the much coveted sauce and the lady’s finger instead of the fish.. now.. you would not pay $25 bucks for sauce and vegetables would you..

But before I could whine another word, the Sweet & Sour Pork @ $15.80 came!

Before I talk about this dish, let me talk about the TYPE of Sweet & Sour Pork I like. It’s simple, the pork must still hold some crunch. I hate a Sweet & Sour Pork dish where the batter uses baking powder which develops a soft batter which makes the meat look non-existent. The sauce must not be overly sweet, and must be tangy! By tangy I mean that sharp aroma when it first reaches the table! And the one at Old Cathay had it all. A typical Malaysian Sweet & Sour Pork which was YUMS!

The next dish was the Eggplant with Minced Pork and Salted Fish in Claypot @ $15.80! While this dish sounded promising, the taste was slightly too salty for my liking. Initially, I did not like it but after a few more pieces, I was like “Hey! This is actually quite good!”. This dish is one of those claypot styled eggplant dishes which admittedly, goes well with steamed rice! But this deviated from my usual eggplant dish which is normally cooked with minced meat and preserved bean sauce. Still yummy though!

After this came the star of the night, the Steamed Whole Herbal Chicken @ $34.80!

I know this picture totally sucks! But OMG, the herbal chicken was super nice! While having corn starch mixed into the sauce was not the best way to go about it, everything else was undeniably good! The chicken was soft, the skin sinfully tasty. The herbs were just right! And this kept us refilling our rice bowls! The little darling herself had 2 bowls while my sister definitely ruined her diet plan. It was good, what more when we were starving!! Definitely a winner that night.

Next was the Sizzling Beancurd with Shredded Chicken and Mushrooms @ $16.80!! This dish was quite atypical. Nothing outstanding unfortunately! Next time I will try out their Giu Fei Beancurd which is popular among diners there! Could that be my replacement for the Fuzhou Beancurd @ Hawkers? The last dish for the night was the Sambal Longbean @ $14.80 which turned out mediocre only. At least for me, the beans just were not up to expectations! Next time, I will request for Sambal Spinach or Kangkung instead!

To end the night, we ordered a few desserts to share. Being in a Malaysian restaurant, it was only normally that were ordered something which reminds us of home! And we surely did!

A trio of ice creams which are a close remake of the Ice Cream Potong in Malaysia! The jackfruit (yellow), pandan (green) and taro (purple)! The waitress told us that the ice creams were homemade. After tasting them all, I liked the jackfruit the best. It had that necessary taste and fragrant. The pandan taste was a little too mild while the taro was missing that little saltiness that most taro ice cream has!

After enjoying a good meal, we were satisfied. While most of the food were delicious, (only naturaly considering the chef is Malaysian) a few things needs to be done to improve the vegetable dishes and the curry fish. To sum it all, Old Cathay is a good eat with decors that are equally impressive and worth boasting. The waitress were eager to serve unlike a few restaurants which I will not point out. Overall, I was satisfied and its definitely a restaurant which I will be visiting again shortly! Before finishing and paying, sister and I naughtily dropped a request for Durian Ice Cream to be put on the menu. For most Malaysians, Durian Ice Cream will definitely be a treat. And I also need to thank the little darling’s dad who treated us that night. Hohohoo! Free meal xD!

WenY

Bites: Tasty House @ Northbridge.

2011-09-09T00:27:00.003+08:00

After attending a graduation last week, I was hungry beyond hungry when it finished. So was my sis and Kevin! Undecided on where to go at first, we finally decided to settle for some Chinese along Roe St. Our choice for the night was Tasty House as we were craving some crabs and my sister said they were having a promotion. I have eaten here plenty of times. To date, perhaps 30 times? I come here often for supper and occasionally dinner. Honestly, it serves SOME genuinely good food although some dishes had turned out very horribly before (see my order list below). Luckily enough, it did not fail when my stomach was at its most needy state.

To start the stomach a little, sis ordered the beef and coriander soup!:

The soup was delicious although for a few moments I contemplated on whether I was drinking soup or sauce. Crunchy coriander bits and beef mince made this a welcoming appetizer for a hungry tummy!

Mud Crabs cooked with XO Sauce and Vermicelli was yummy! The noodles were every bit tasty! I love this style of cooking the crabs! Back home in Malaysia, this is easily comparable to the Kam Heong crabs cooked with Vermicelli. Two very similar dishes originating for two different countries! YUMS! Funnily enough, we ordered some rice to go with the dish! And that was because:

The crabs had a good amount of eggs in it! Lucky or not hehe I’m all smiles to a loaded crab! And at the same time the crab was pretty big! I think it was like 1.2kg each? I’d have to admit though, that the seafood in Australia has never been all that great although the scallops and mussels here are quite a treat! Besides this dish, we also ordered a spinach dish which was cooked with fermented bean sauce (fu-yi) and it which turned out beautifully! All in all, what we had for dinner was every bit satisfying! The dinner ended with a sweet note thanks to the complementary red bean pancake which was yummylicious despite being sold in frozen packets!

So, what are some of the best things to be ordered here? Well if you are coming for late nights supper, I would recommend to you the baked cheese rice with ham and chicken in cream sauce. On the other hand, darling is a big fan of their salted egg and pork porridge which is supper good too! But if you are here on a dinner occasion, there are plenty of dishes which you could try. My recent favourite is the OX Tail in Red Wine sauce which is a hearty Asian styled stew which goes well with rice; especially during cold days. Other beef dishes which turned out well was the black pepper steak and the scotch fillet with XO Sauce and snow peas. Do note that the Scotch fillet with XO sauce and snow peas is a wildcard which can be superb at times and awful! As for seafood, I need not go further down the menu when I see the salted egg prawns! A definite prawn dish if I were to call prawns! Do note that the prawns here are not overly fresh as with other restaurant around town. Be it prawns in a Chinese restaurant or Western, they tend to have that artificial crunch in them which is non-existent when I pick my prawns from the markets.

Sorry if this post was too long for its own good! I realised that Tasty House has been treated quite unfairly and thought that it deserved better !

On a side note, this month is going to be a busy one! With mid semester tests and the little darling’s birthday coming up, there is surely to be a few days extra that I will be eating out! So keep a look out ;)!

WenY

Bites: Ribauldo’s @ Como

2011-08-25T23:45:00.002+08:00

While it is hard to not fall head over heels with a Italian model or sports car, it is probably even harder to not drool over good Italian food. When a coupon website promoted an Italian 3-course meal for two @ $49, I was SOLD! Many times have I passed the Kwinana freeway but I have never noticed this little eatery tucked among the many dwellings on Melville Parade. Ironically though both D’Tandoor and Pagoda on the same row were more noticeable with their bright neon blue and red sign boards which reminds me of a certain place in Bangkok. After calling countless of times, we finally managed a slot yesterday night. As of now, my list of good Italian food consists of Spaghi’s or Ciao Italia which all in car terms would have been supercars these day. So how did Ribauldo’s fare in this stiff competition? Well head down to see what we ordered ;)!

Bread was a mix of hard and some crispy. A balsamic and olive oil mix has been a favourite of mine although Bruschetta is still my no.1 :)! However, my housemate Nee taught otherwise and felt that the offerings in another restaurant was better. But hmm, thinking of what she said, I too realise that the balsamic vinegar felt lacking. Perhaps it was a little sweetness that was needed. I did not eat the olives by the way, never liked the flavour ahah. But fishman said it adds a unique flavour to the bread!

A fresh garden salad was next and all I can say is MOOOOOOOOoooooooooo!

Fishman kept complaining that the little darling and I are unhealthy because we refuse to even touch it but blahhh!! I wanted to keep my stomach for the mains and dessert :P!

Now that we have reached the mains, I clearly understand why the patrons are divided over the food served at Ribaudo’s! While most of the mains were decent, one was just atrocious! We ordered the following:

The Spaghetti Marinara had tiger prawns, fish, calamari, cooked in a sauce with garlic, onions, white wine, tomato, Basil and chilli, finished with fresh parsley and lemon. End product? A very delicious Marinara that carried a subtle seafood fragrant while packing loads of taste in each strand of pasta. The seafood presented was odourless with a strong garlic taste and a hint of spiciness. For me, this was the winner of the night. Fishman being a lover of seafood had plenty to comment on the way Australians misuse the word tiger prawn. He said the size of the tiger prawns here are pretty much the same size as the head of the tiger prawns he gets back in Malaysia. I cannot help but agree too. However, the optically miniscule prawns did not stop him from loving this tongue-tastic pasta!!! Nee Nee liked this too but the little darling did not have any because she is unfortunately allergic to seafood.

This next dish was really tiny! Vitello alla Griglia or grilled organic veal medallions served with creamy mashed potato finished with a red jus! As the veal slices were really small, it was hard for it not to be cooked through. The end result was a slightly tougher than usual slice of meat which to my housemates and I is a little tiring to eat. The mash tended to be dense and still had small bits of potatoes. Not quite sure whether this was intentional or not but it was edible! Over all, a decent but not really recommended dish!

The next dish was the Lasagne con Pollo or sheets of pasta layered with chicken sugo, Béchamel, Parmesan and Mozzarella. While the initial impressions were good, a spoon of it had me think otherwise. Overcooked pasta sheets which literally disintegrate was not quite the way I would have liked it. The chicken sugo were like broken bits of chicken tasting clay. The cream sauce was not enough to moisten the whole experience and hmm. Ok put it this way. I did not like it, neither did fishman and Nee Nee. Little darling kept mum for the moment ahah!

Lastly was the Pizza de Carne which had a good topping of chicken, olives and mushroom. The cheese was enough, the chicken tasty but the crust was all but hmm not quite there yet. Go around our dining table and you will find half eaten pizza crusts. You then cannot help but conclude that the crust just did not satisfy!!

But it was not all doom and gloom even though the mains did not quite put up the show we expected. Nonetheless, move over main and welcome the desserts!

The Vanilla and Raspberry Panna cotta served with Raspberry Coulis and Fresh Strawberry

Chocolate and Almond Semi Freddo served with Raspberry Coulis and Dusted with Cocoa

Both desserts turned out well for us. Without a doubt, the favourite for the night was the panna cotta which was uber smooth and to me I though it was very carefully served too! Taking small scoops and a paying attention to the dessert, the little darling found a small layer of white chocolate at the bottom of the Panna cotta! Yummy! Overtime, this Piedmontese dessert has been adopted by various non-Italian cultures. The Japanese for instance have reinvented the dessert in a way which incorporates green tea, an iconic Japanese beverage. But going back to its roots, the Italians does it best! As for the ice cream, it was pretty nice but ahah it tasted salty too =X! Perhaps it is just a way to bring out the chocolate in this dessert? I know many cooks use salt to help bring the flavours of the chocolate together, so I guess it really works!

Overall, our dinner at Ribaudo’s was quite a nice one with some hits and misses. For the price of the coupons, it was well worth the buck! However, the restaurant could do better with its pizza base. It simply just went into the oven for too long! Also, the veal should have appeared more generous as a main. The lasagne.. really was no more than canteen/cafeteria quality and should have been a whole lot better. Luckily, the night ended sweetly with a delicious Panna Cotta which really lifted my mood from :( to ! In the end, is Ribaudo’s a supercar or a normal one? Well, Ribaudo’s is worth a try and perhaps paying full price will make a difference. In fact, it had better make a difference because for the price it charges, it has a lot of expectations to meet! Over and out :P!

WenY

Bites: Elmars @ Swan Valley.

2011-08-25T00:27:00.003+08:00

It has been a lengthy discussion for weeks if not months for a date that all of us could go to Elmar’s together. Despite all the clashes of schedules, we managed a time slot last Saturday. Upon our arrival, we were happy to see a crowded lot filling both the outdoor and indoor dining area. However, it was quite a turn off when we were asked to sit in the bar area because we did not make a reservation when just a few days ago I was told that I did not need to make one. The boastful waitress who insisted that Elmar’s is the busiest restaurant in the area did not help make us comfortable too. Nevertheless, after complaining about the little comfort the bar area had, we were given proper seats! Phewh!!

Elmar’s

The 7 of us decided to order a few dishes to share as we wanted to enjoy the different things Elmar’s had to offer. Looking through the menu, one thing was clear about the Germans. They loved their pork! Luckily enough I do not have any problems with that except on one occasion where a tour organiser hilariously thought I was a Muslim. I am tanned OK? ahaha.

Too get the best of the German’s we had to try their specialties of course. To start our meal, we ordered a few starters:

Elmar’s Cheesy garlic toast @ $8.90 for 3 pieces were a bit on the pricey side but served our tummies well! It was yummy and delicious in every bite! However, I thought that the bread was a little dry and could be more moist in the middle. But after having the garlic bread at Ikea, I decided otherwise and felt that the one at Elmar’s was more edible for sure >.<!!

Our next appetizer was probably the highlight compared to the rest :P! The potato skin despite being the least eaten part of a potato was cooked to perfection! Golden, crisp and lightly salted, I cannot be more pleased! In fact, everyone was just as pleased!

(This picture was from TheMemoir)

As for our mains, we ordered the following:

Elmar’s Bratwurst Plat @ $36.90! A trio of Elmar’s Bratwurst - Grillbratwurst, Cheese Kransky and Coarse Bratwurst, on a bed of Potato Mash and Sauerkraut, with Crisp Garden Salad with a side of Mustard! The sausages were delish and I thought that the middle Cheese Kransky one was really good. Little bits of melted cheese tucked in it made these tiny morsels of food really pleasant and a tad nostalgic considering cheese sausages were one of my brekkie foods when I was a kid back home! And to be honest, I really dislike the Sauerkraut! I think I have a lot of adapting to do! Lastly, considering the price we have paid for 3 short sausages, I felt pretty ripped off for sure. The value was somewhere but definitely not in the food. The mash itself, oh god, it has definitely been made better at home before, if not many times!!

Nevertheless, the side of Fried Potatoes with Onion & Bacon (Bratkartoffeln) @ $9.90 did not disappoint!

Although onions and bacons were absent in the picture, it was still quite ok. Not too salty but a good accompaniment compared to the Sauerkraut! lolx!

Even though we had a decent start to the meal, it was not until the Rolled Pork Belly @ $33.90 was served that I was finally satisfied! Even YiHeng though it was delicious!

Tender Pork Belly, Rolled with Honey Mustard Glaze and Elmar’s Kangaroo and Emu Chorizo, Served atop Fried Garlic Zucchini with Rosemary Potato, Beer Mustard Sauce and Homemade Red Onion Confit! While every thing on the plate was almost flawless, I felt that the sauce somehow dragged the entire dish down. The defect was not major, but it just felt lacking. Oh, and do not be worried about the kangaroo and emu chorizo as it turned out odourless with a peppery taste!

Elmar’s Specialty the Pork Shank (Schweinehaxe) @ $42.90 was meant to be the killa but turned out otherwise or hmm perhaps it did kill… our jaws.

Nothing needs to be explained here I would suppose? :P! Pickled cabbage, with the onion and bacon potatoes. Hmmm ok and the much publicised German specialty, the pork knuckle. It is a slow cooked and roasted pickled pork shank encased in a crunchy crackling. To our dismay, everything about this dish did not satisfy. Did the hype kill the dish? Perhaps so! The meet was tasteless, cracking was barely crispy and oh @.@! The crackling took ages to chew and nobody actually liked it! Fortunately, the side of mustard did add the much needed flavour missing from the meat! I came home with a sore throat and aching wisdom tooth after having this =(! 5 days after and my tooth still aches now as I type this out ahhh!!!!

Surprisingly, sharing all the food made us quite full even though we did not order a main each! While everyone decided to go to the Margaret River Chocolate factory, the little darling and I decided to end our meal here with a dessert. Below is the dessert we ordered, the Crème Brulee @ $15.

Definitely not recommended. The custard was rough, the layer of sugar was slightly thin but sufficed because the custard was no more than a centimetre thick. Could have been smoother but otherwise..! By the end of the dessert, I would have honestly preferred to do without it! $$ waster!!

Putting our cutleries down, we looked at each other and from our expressions, it was rather clear how we felt about our meal at Elmar’s. I cannot say we certainty that the food served at Elmar’s is truly German or pseudo-German. But what I can say is that Elmar’s is definitely not a restaurant where money is well spent. Despite sharing our meals, those who chose to had dessert or beer paid something closer towards $30 which is quite pricey for the standard of food we were getting. If it was good, perhaps a 50 dollars would have been worth it. But not this time around. One thing we have learnt well though, that is do not get your hopes up high just because the radio plays a restaurant’s commercial too often!

WenY

Bites: Crumpets @ Victoria Park

2011-08-21T01:45:00.002+08:00

It’s been a while since I last came here! On my first occasion, it was a sudden wake up call on a rainy Sunday from my housemates, where the wet morning was brighten by the lovely offerings the Crumpet cafe had. Despite the negative reviews it’s been getting, I went there again to find that what Crumpet does best, it still does! I went there last Thursday after work for a quick brekkie. Situated not too faraway from my new place, its really convenient! However, one down side that seemed to be quite clear was that Crumpet really lacked the flair and ambience of a breakfast cafe. Sure it did not quite have that John St. cafe feel, which is a lovely cafe with a blue splash of paint situated along a tree-lined street hidden just a few minutes from the beach. Nevertheless, the Crumpet has its own appeal with the indie looking crews which were keen on becoming trend setters rather than followers among themselves.

Multi functional tool? A ladder that is both useable and decorative.

But with our hungry tummies sounding like V8s in little Toyotas, decoration matter little now. SHOW US THE FOOOOOOOOOOD!!

We started off with a serve of crumpets with honey and butter for $4.50. The crumpets were not your typical supermarket ones with a fishing net design on its top. These had a slightly crispy crust and they were delicious! These lovely delights came piping hot which to me, is just perfect for putting that slab of butter in before putting the honey inside it! I would have to say that this is one of the best way of starting a savoury breakfast! Fill your nostrils with that melting butter aroma and let the honey make your fingers dirty!! Yums!!

Soon after the crumpets, two cups of freshly squeezed orange mixed with mandarins @ $6ea were ordered to quench our thirst!

The drinks were originally meant to be pure mandarins but we had to make do with a orange and mandarin mix as they were a little short in supply!! the drinks came out beautifully despite being mixed and was quite nice as it was a little less sour compared to the other freshly squeezed orange juice I have had. The thought of sweet mandarin juices had me reminiscing juice moments in Thailand two years ago!! YOBI if you are seeing this lets go Bangkok!

The big brekkie with poached eggs and at the bottom, the big brekkie with scrambled eggs! Both were the same price @ $19. If you are a fan of good beans, I have to say both serves of beans were good in a yummy tomato paste! The mushrooms were juicy and the bacon were a decent mix of crispy and soft. Overall, a deserving breakfast for the hardworking crew! However, proudly enough, I can make better scrambled eggs that Crumpets can!… AND that is according to my housemates who have tried eggs at Toast, Imp, John Street Cafe and every where else. I guess I am starting to get a hang of it!

Sausages were meh!!! Luckily some rescue came with the bite sized hash browns which were really easy to eat. In fact too easy that it felt too little! In the middle of the hash brown is a yellow stain which I was thinking could be mustard but swallowed it too fast to decide. But it adds a good flavour I must say! Yums!

And for the YiHeng a.k.a fishman, he ordered the toastie @ $9! The toastie had bacons and egg between crispy toast finished with some aioli and relish! YiHeng’s verdict? Nice and really filling but from my point of view, the Imp still rules when it comes to plating,and taste of its bacon toastie.

Fishman’s toastie brekkie! Looks a bit too plain for my liking! Compare it to the one at Imp here.

Nevertheless, the toastie did not let Crumpet down. I find Crumpet to be able to give me more than Imp did. The beautiful Crumpet start was gorgeous. Any sweet tooth will not be able to resist its temptation. The big brekkie, is not quite the best although I did enjoy the hash browns and baked beans. Mushrooms were ample but not quite as good as the ones at John Street Cafe.. and not to mention, they serve the best and most original hash browns too! Furthermore, the ambience is something that might put a few off, if it is more than breakfast that they seek! And lastly, something I was not too keen on was the longer than expected waiting time at Crumpet. The crumpets came out super quick, but the rest were just too slow. I would probably accept that the juice were super slow because the mandarins were pesky to work with, but otherwise it is not decent! Nevertheless, I still find Crumpet very appealing to me and would go there for breakfast if I am not willing to travel to Cottesloe! Unless, there is a better substitute..hmm.. is there?

WenY

Bites: The Monk Brewery @ Fremantle

2011-08-13T03:58:00.003+08:00

We recently celebrated Vanessa birthday at The Monk in Fremantle. From my previous trips to Fremantle, the Monk has been a place I’ve always passed by but never ate there before. With rave reviews in the pipe and through word of mouth, it seemed like a must try. Pair those reviews with a steady steam of awards for their home brewed beer, the Monk is a must GO. So, how did that turn out for us? To begin, the interior was well presented and was well above my expectations.

It was really spacious and slightly dimmed with a high concentration of light in the centre of the dining table to see the food. Also, I found the fitting quite stylish and there was a good mix of sitting areas. Some were intimately hidden, while others like our table of 20 was in the middle of the dining area. Quite good really.

Reservation for 20!

Unlike all Monks, this one has a different approach to its religion. It’s way? Good food & Great Beer. So, now for the most important question: did the Monk’s philosophy satisfy me that night?

Lets see the food we had that night. I only have a say on the food I have tried by the way!

Tiong’s entree was a mix of prawns and sausages was it? Cannot really remember. It also had a garlic sauce I believe?

The next appetizer for the night was the one most recommended dish by all reviewers and patrons . The sticky pork belly with scallops and Asian salad @ $20!

The delicious sticky pork belly and scallops is described by most as flavourful and delectable. Without tucking it, I was already pleased with the way the dish was presented, neat and nice! My first look without touching the dish tell me that the sticky pork belly along with the scallops and salad has a very Oriental feel to it. When it comes to taste I loved the sticky sauce that came with the Pork Belly. The acidity of the beansprout salad was lovely too. But after that, it was down hill.. all the way.. The let down was the decency of the cooking. With about 6 plates of these lovely beauties on order, every plates’ quality were different. Mine has two main problems. One, the pork belly was not soft enough. The skin ended up being chewy while the bottom bit was a little tough. What I was really looking forward to was a soft layer of meat with a melted layer of lard enclosed in a beautiful soft/crisp skin. But it was not so. The scallops on the other hands were not seared properly. A little longer on the pan would have been perfect. Charles on the other hand felt that his scalloped tended to be a little raw. It’s not that we cannot eat raw scallops because they are delicious when served as sashimi. But in this scenario, it was BAD. Not at all acceptable. One trivial but hmm ok not really trivial. The serve was inadequate and not as I have seen on other bloggers’ posts. Each plate was written to cost $18.50 but cost $20 instead. In addition, we see 1 set of scallop and pork belly less. So putting that to numbers we had 6 plates but which had a total of 18 pork-scallop pairs and paid $120. In contrast the old menu would provide us with 24 pairs for $111. That is a whole lot of difference! Money back please! $$$$!

The girls called a few mains to share and one of it was Monk’s Ribeye @ $40:

The girls and everyone else including Vil and Edwin seemed really please with the steak. It was deliciously juicy, more importantly, the chefs listened and cooked to order. The potatoes were not out of the bag chips but hand cut and fried. It was delicious. The sauce did justice with its good flavour but lacked the much needed saltiness. Luckily the potatoes itself were salty enough! But the drawback of the Rib eye was from the knowledge the Monk website puts up! We went there hoping to get a 350gram slab for $38 BUT ended up paying more for LESS. A little nuisance here considering that this problem went on the entire night .

Goat Shoulder Meat or was it called Greek Goat. Whatever it is, Henry’s first mouthful left him with a speechless expression. Pretty much said what it needed to anyways. “WTF”! Easy

Kelvin, Henry and I were the unluckiest people that night. We ordered this disastrous dish. To sum it up, uninspiring, blend, horrible and oh jeez man! Seriously? The meat was lean and it tastes horrible in stew! The sour cream/yoghurt at the top did not help a tad. Aubergines pickles were used but why? Over-roasted potatoes sounded promising but it was a big NO-NO with this dish. At the end, I only ask one question. WHY ME? For $32 bucks I believe it was a BIG BIG mistake. But the joyful crew at the Monk should only ask ONE question. Why was this even on the menu? Oh my god. Seriously!@#

Nana’s Steak Sandwich!

Fish Pie.

The Fish Pie was pretty much a Shepherd’s Pie with a creamy sauce and fish flakes instead of a meaty one. Xin Nee and Xin Ling took a bite into the pie and immediately said ‘I think your Shepherd’s Pie is better’! Wahahahah! My take on the pie is that the fish-cream-mash combination didn’t really do the trick for me. It felt rather flat. The sauce did not have enough flavour and the fish.. what did they even do with it before making the pie?

At the end, the dinner left me with mixed feelings. The dish served to us that night really showed me how wide the quality of food can range in one restaurant. From the delicious steak all the way to the horrible goat shoulder. Also, Cherry ordered the Risotto that which through my experience is a no nonsense-killer dish. The end result at the Monk? An inedible Risotto which even the most forgiving monks will not eat. Why? Undercooked and consistently crunchy bits in it had us return the dish after a few spoonful. THAT INEDIBLE. But I have to insist that perhaps the sheer volume of us that night left the Monk’s with little time and ingredients to serve our hungry crew. Perhaps an intimate evening for two will allow the chefs to work up their magic. But then again, the company might end up stealing the limelight from the food.

WenY