Hungry Again?

Toast

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 17:58:00 +0000

Ahh Toast.
I adore toast for 2 reasons:

For what it is - the snack food to line your stomach when you are starving in the moments right before your main meal is fully cooked (try Lawson's traditional bread for its thick, fluffy centres!);
AND,
The Google search for "toast" which led me to discover TFP's site, which I have to thank for my less-than-desirable grades due to intensive studying of food porn rather than why the world economy is headed for doom.

Oh, and the actual place?
After reading many a reviews on why this is one of Perth's best breakfast places plus multiple visits to this peaceful breakfast haven located on the sunniest side of East Perth, I can see why Toast is not only a staple in the household but is also a staple in the online Blogosphere community.

Blimey - $6.50

The drinks category is kind of a serious thing at Toast. With about 2 handfuls of choices of freshly squeezed, juiced and blended fresh fruit juices, these are the next perfect answer to a stinking hot day besides diving into the glistening waters right beside this restaurant.

There is nothing to hide about these pure, fresh, pretty much naked drinks that are stripped from any nasty artificial stuff. Complete with a frothy, pulpy top, Summer arrives in a short, stubby glass cup. Pity, as thin and slender is even more perfect for Summer :)

A refreshing cup of carrot, apple and watermelon will also have you thinking, "Blimey! Blimey is bloody good!"

Herb & Mushroom Omelette with Fresh Herbs & Tasty Cheddar - $18.50

As a student, I would choose the road less taken, and pick the essay question I suspect most people would scoff at.
So as a diner, I would choose the more adventurous, more exotic sounding dishes less ordered.
Consistency: live your life with some of it in hand.

Thus it is a surprise that I have chosen out of Toast's "Usual suspects" category of the menu, with the seemingly normal, boring, predictable choices. But however average, oldies are goldies and classic breakfast items are fail proof.

With toast and butter sidekicks that unfortunately melted faster than a sweating pig, the plump, mushroom filled omelette burst with sliced mushrooms and oozy melted stringy cheddar - making this golden parcel a deceptively filling meal.

Spiced Ricotta, Honey & Almonds Crepe - $13.50

If we had a rewind button for every time we have a deliciously unhealthy breakfast, or for every time we made a mistake...I would not be the person I am now.

I would be the size of an extravagant mansion.

Look at the way your skin glistens in the sun...

Crepes take on either a sweet or savoury direction but end up at the same end destination of Satisfaction. The delicately thin packages, with light and crisp edged wrapping paper encasing thoughtfully prepared fillings, are personally gifted from the chef themselves out of the kitchen.

With subtle tasting innards that don't overpower other flavours and result in too heavy of a breakfast dish, the creamy filling is contrasted against a handful of crunchy toasted almonds, creating a texture perfect plate of crepe.

Add to that golden blanket a glaze of honey, a dusting of icing sugar, and to your breakfast order.

Another one of Toast's exotic fruity creations...
Seriously, juice with Toast is kind of a big deal.

With their fresh real ingredients and consequential pulpiness (sometimes), it made it possible to choke and splutter "I've got juice stuck in my throat!"

Eggs Norwegian - $16.90

An overindulgent breakfast needs to taste like heaven, just to make sure all the calories taken in haven't gone to a waste. And at Toast, that criteria is satisfied every single time, regardless if you've eaten your whole day's recommended energy intake in a single plate or not.

Simple, decadent layers of silky smoked salmon, poached eggs and golden velvet that is hollandaise are proudly stacked atop toasted english muffins and wobbling high with guilt and pleasure.

Sunshine. Sunshine, everywhere!

I think what makes Toast such a winner are their perfectly poached eggs. With just a slight prick of a fork, or a finger, whatever object you please, you witness a brilliant golden lavafall cascading over the mountain of food, leaving its striking presence everywhere along its path.

The wedge of lemon gives the acidity boost needed to cut through the rich, nearly unctuous taste of the dish from the creamy salmon, creamy yolk, creamy hollandaise and possibly creamy muffin base that will ultimately be drowned in all the excessive creaminess not yet consumed.

Roast Beef Pressed Sandwich - $12.90

I decided to deviate from my usual chicken, bacon, semi dried tomato, avocado and seeded mustard mayo ciabatta roll once in a blue moon and tried another option from their Simple, Fast Work Lunch category. Usually I can't justify the reasons for spending that price for a simple pressed sandwich I could replicate, and replace those reasons with excuses.

However, I can't help it. Simple, but so well made and packed with flavour that I can't resist such a simple order from a place offering so much variety. And while I'm not a fan of rocket most days of my life, my taste buds seem to welcome the peppery crispness of the balsamic dressed salad, giving it an overall tangy flavour.

Too little, gone too soon.

Sandwiched between a paper-thin top layer of turkish bread are equally thin fillings of roast beef, caramelised onions, roasted capsicum, rocket and chilli jam. And while I know perfectly how good toasted turkish bread is slathered with butter, I ask for mine without.

But turns out they include some cheese in here too, which unfortunately costs me my top layer of bread to be uneaten. Deeply saddened, I savoured the rest of the hot crispy roll wishing the ingredients were not so sparse. This roll would not be what it is, if it weren't for the sweet and juicy caramelised onions.

And a word of warning from my poor fingers, this comes out alarmingly HOT. Proceed to stuff in your mouth with limited handling time, 'cause seriously, who is civilised enough to eat sandwiches with a knife and fork?

Caramelized Banana Crepes - $14.90

It's embarrassing sometimes, to be a big eater. After placing 2 dishes for 2 people, staff assumed that was the end and proceeded to ask if we wanted any drinks. Sheepishly we asked for a third dish instead. :) Meal status upgraded to feast level!

While savoury crepes grilled with cheddar requires the suppressing of temptations, I've only ever tried the sweet variety offered at Toast. Yep, Toast does a great crepe too! And while their Rhubarb & Raspberry Compote with Toasted Almonds was something different, the tartness got sickening for me towards the end.

THIS however, is something to love. Banana crepes to top off breakfast is the cherry to top off the cake. 2 neatly folded parcels on 2 plates is the perfect design for sharing if you're not a pig. Hot crepes adorned by thin, crisp edges, with sugar crystals melting slowly into brown caramel, it's just the scatter of fresh bananas that make this a slightly more healthy choice.

So for the moment, I'm quite loving Perth for its (mostly!) undisrupted sunny days through the Winter months. A relaxed breakfast at 3pm by the water with the crisp afternoon sunshine streaming through the windows casting shadows onto my banana crepes -

Not what I asked for, but just what I needed.

...

Love needs patience and because you're going to love your food at toast, you're gonna have to need heck of a lot of patience to get it. I've found a sweet benefit that my laziness brings - a relatively empty restaurant in afternoons, the peaceful aftermath of early morning breakfast floodings. Weekend mornings, although the best time for a leisurely breakfast, is the worst timing for a seat.

Although not entirely fitting with the artificial but aesthetically pleasing Claisebrooke Cove on its doorstep, Toast makes it work by injecting some of its own down-to-earth realness to the place. Its informality is different yet comfortable, with wobbly chairs and tables perched outdoors under big shade umbrellas, colourful Ikea plastic cups (sometimes with too much dust floaties!), and decked out with an overall mismatching dining room.
Very cool. And with the open style room, also very cool.

Loving their all day breakfast availability, as you can get your breakfast at 5pm if you're busy living life to the fullest by sleeping it away. Because eggs should be on a menu all day, all night long :) An ever-changing Specials Board adds novelty dishes and actually seeing (lots of) corn in your corn fritters is always exciting. Smaller eaters can order half serves at 25% off the price, and while I'll never take that offer up, I'm somehow absolutely stuffed EVERY time after Toast that I've needed to complain and sleep right after.
Just not the most recent time, where I took in a waffle an hour later.

And perhaps on par with the food here, is the staff that run the place. Chirpy, cheery and friendly peeps that acknowledge your arrival and come over, even though it's an order and pay at counter system. Everything is more personalised when chefs bring out your orders with a free smile on the side :) One gripe nothing to do with Toast, is the ridiculous $3 for 30 minutes parking across the road. East Perth - high rollers...high rollers everywhere.

Toast, like the piece in my hand at the moment - is so hot right now.
From the 14 different versions they stock, everybody wants a piece of Toast.
With a no bookings policy, you're gonna have to wait patiently for yours.

***
(08) 9221 0771
7 days: 7am to 7pm
Public holidays: 7am to 5pm
Kitchen closes 5pm

***

Took Begi

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 16:14:00 +0000

Whenever I get Korean cravings, I like to satisfy myself in the maximum possible way.
The best way is to go all out and make a hole in your wallet by splurging on Korean BBQ buffet, a surefire way to refill and overfill the hole in your stomach.

But at times when you feel a little fat, or feel a little poor, there are other delicious cheaper means to please.
So once you learn to tame your innate animalistic instinct to opt for the endless meat buffet meal, you will start to appreciate the other relatively animal-friendly side of Korean cuisine.

It took me a while, but I eventually got there.

Assorted Side Dishes

The thing I love about eating Korean is the generosity of it all. Your meals are always paired with little endless side dishes that you can keep asking to be refilled, without getting rejected.
Where else could you get that luxury?

The assortment of side dishes goes by a rotational variety, with this particular visit bringing dishes of soft marinated bean sprouts, crisp pickled cabbage and carrot shreds, sticky sweet slices of lotus root and a bitey kimchi which I took for a swim in my drinking cup before I ate it.

And these are the perfect solution to when you are not hungry but not yet full by the end of the meal. Or conversely, if being full is not enough and you rather be stuffed.

Hot & Non Spicy Marinated Thin Sliced Prime Soy Beef Stew - $19

A perfect dish to counteract the chilly weather outside is a hot, toasty and comforting bowl of soup that warms you from the inside out. The simmering soup section of the menu involves Korean traditional clay pot dishes, served with a trusty bowl of steamed rice.

This is a bit pricey at $19, but it's got the goodies. Laden with tofu, vegetables, soy beef and sweet potato noodles in a beef bone broth, it's a Winter warmer and gives you a full facial steam while you eat it.

Being served in soup however, the beef would benefit from stronger flavours and the interesting sounding sweet potato noodles being just glass noodles were a personal let down.

But rice in soup has always been a childhood favourite, because I didn't have to chew.
Oh yes. I was beyond just lazy.

Stir Fried Soy Chicken Bibimbap - $13

Bibimbap is a nourishing home style type dish, full of simple ingredients that don't lack in taste. Crisp seasonal vegetables of bean sprouts, zucchini, carrots, spinach and shiitake mushrooms are decked out on top of steamed rice, crowning a mound of stir fried soy chicken adorned with sesame seeds.

Best destroyed with all the ingredients mixed up, with each mouthful a perfect balance of protein, vegetables and carbs like a healthy balanced diet should be. As yummy as it already is, Korea's signature dish is missing the ubiquitous fried egg I longed for!

Egg - the humble household kitchen staple. How much of an grumpy chap would you be if your breakfast fry-up didn't have an egg in it!

How hygienic does this seem?

Before there is even food served on your little table, it's highly likely that it will already be messily cluttered with various items. The metal eating utensils are wrapped and sealed with paper and are definitely not the wooden/plastic disposable kinds, yet unwrapping your own cutlery is a rare occurrence nowadays and makes it seem pretty sanitised and clean (regardless if they really are or not!)

Water is served in what actually look like actual water bottles, the type you'd take around with you. It is cute, and reminiscent of my kindergarten days where I was proud of my very unique (or so I thought) drink bottle.

Which I found out a few wiser years later, was actually a clear squeezy sauce bottle complete with nozzle and cap. I HAD BEEN USING A DAMN SAUCE BOTTLE AS A DRINK BOTTLE FOR YEARS, DAMN IT! It must be quite hard to beat my parents' ignorance!

...

A journey to "discover the secret to authentic Korean dishes" will lead you to Took Begi in Perth's CBD. I am no expert, but it sure is a crowd pleaser judging by the inability to just get a table straightaway here. Part of it IS due to the limited seating however majority of it is probably because of its popularity amongst diners, and you really can't jam any more sardines in a can.

Somehow it is always crowded, even into the later hours of the night. Luckily, whilst waiting outside we noticed the banner on their window offering a takeaway offer of buy 2 get 1 free or buy 1 get 50% off Bibimbaps. A smart strategy, and one enticing enough to make the idea of eating in the car seem at least a bit better!

Staff are quite polite and the kitchen is pretty efficient. Ambiance wise, they're here to please your appetite. Some of the seating is a bit of a tight squeeze, as after my meal I literally turned around in my chair to pay the bill at the counter right behind me. Guess you could call it intimacy! The place is brightly lit, flooded with fluorescent lighting with a no frills dining room. Though I don't really care about how you look, I only care about how I'm treated and how well you feed me :)

Pricing is fair for what and how much you get, with a menu variety giving ample choices. Jumping on their takeaway offer, the portion seems a tiny bit smaller but of course, the price is even smaller and could be a contributing factor to that. However despite the small plastic containers your meat is compacted into, it becomes quite an acceptable portion when you mix it through your Bibimbap. That is some well vacuum-sealed protein!

Now, if I could vacuum pack my stomach...

***
(08) 9225 4557
Actually on Pier Street, a walk up from Miss Mauds.

***

Saowanee's Place

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:24:00 +0000

You know you had some bad ass Thai food if your stomach is beating you up while thanking you for setting it aflame. And not the type that leaves you spending leisurely time in the water closet either, because then that would just be bad Thai.

I'm not talkin' bad, but bad ass.
Bad ass Thai food will do no less than leave you wanting more.
I'm not your typical female shopaholic, but I'll gladly eat til' my stomach drops.

Saowanee has perfected the recipe for addiction, because my taste buds temporarily developed a sudden surging tolerance for playing with fire with this particular meal.

Saowanee's Tom Yum Soup (Small) - $9.90

If your stomach isn't very agreeable with certain foods, Thai cuisine might just pose a small problem. So many of their flavours focus on the spicy, salty, sweet and sour components that bring out the best kind of dish you could put in your mouth, but not the best kind of swirly whirly concoction to put into your stomach.

As such, I needed to weigh up my options. Highly saturated in fat coconut milk dishes to tone down the spicy factor and risk a stomach ache? OR, emit the fatty creamy white liquid and leave the spicy dishes alone and risk a stomach ache? WHAT TO CHOOSE?!

Perhaps To Choose or Not To Choose Thai, would be a more suitable question.

Teaser sized, but I am content

The Tom Yum is far from being protein heavy, but you are presented with a choice of what you want in there from tofu & vegetables, chicken, prawns or seafood (an entire sea of prawns, squid, fish and scallops).

Along with the meat, are morsels of mushrooms and tomatoes. The closer you bring a spoon of this towards your mouth, the more intense the rich aroma finds its way into your nose. If crack was a food, this is it. I could not stop sniffing.

Digging up my soup soaked treasures

Tom Yum is arguably a traditional and classic Thai dish that is recognised world over and favourited by appetites from any culture. It is a distinct representation of what Thai cuisine is all about, the different flavours of different ingredients that come together so perfectly when you cook 'em all in the same pot with a sprinkling of talent.

This small bowl is a magical blend of the sensations of taste - the tarty sourness of lime juice, leaves and lemon grass, the fiery heat of chillis, the saltiness of fish sauce and the light creamy sweetness of coconut milk. Just missing the bitter taste, but no one's missing that party pooper!

A slurp of this practically slides down your throat not leaving any skid marks 'cause it's just so smoooooooooth with the dash of coconut milk. So many flavours mingling on your tongue at the same time makes for a good time.

Lamb Green Curry - $21.90

Seems like I wasn't particularly adventurous and had the same mindset as when I visit Hans Cafe: "MUST. GET. GREEN. CURRY." Because a dish that makes itself so comfortable within Thai cuisine must be up to scratch to give Saowanee's Place the title of Favourite Thai Restaurant right?

They certainly don't under deliver on this classic - sliced lamb pieces moist with fragrant green curry sauce brimming towards the edge of the dish. Lamb was The Chosen Animal out of the choices of chicken, beef, pork, prawns, fish, seafood, Thai fish ball and if you really must, vegetables & tofu.

The lamb was strikingly similar to beef when it was muddled with the curry sauce. And although the amount of delicious juicy capsicums, potato chunks and bamboo shoots made eating them unstoppable, they were the only things left to eat when you have a small amount of lamb supplied in the dish.

Steamed Thai Jasmin Rice - $3 per head

The perfect complement to intensely flavoured Thai cooking is more like a requirement: rice.
Rice in its original form of glory, to fill up the belly, to soak up the juices and gravies you'd rather pour down your stomach than the kitchen sink, to be the staple carbohydrate in Asian cuisine, to just be there.

Rice, what would 4 billion people do without you?

$3 per person gets you a heavy porcelain ornament-like piece doubling as a storage for rice. It's not particularly cooked to my personal liking because it's mushier in some places and not served at a hot temperature that steamed rice tastes best in. However you do get bottomless servings to make your plate a bottomless one, to satisfy your bottomless food pit.

Table placements

Table arrangements at Saowanee's is a bit homely, neatly cluttered and a little bit cute.
Delicately folded paper napkins in resemblance of flower lanterns rest on plates that matches the crockery that your main dishes are served in, with a nice touch of flowers in a small vase (albeit fake).

At least fake flowers will last forever...when everything else just dies.

...

You have every right in the world to be a little boastful with a breadth of awards under your wings all while continuing to soar even higher. Being featured as Best Thai in Perth, WA's favourite Asian Restaurant, WA's Favourite Thai Restaurant and multiple finalist awards for just being excellent close to pretty much every year, Saowanee's Place hits all the birds with its one cuisine.

Proclaiming that you will "experience the taste of real Thai", they promise to deliver on that promise. Serious about this, the menu is full of traditional favourites of Thailand's abundant culinary creations each with strong flavours and rich fragrant aromas. Apparently they even had a hand at making their own spices initially, back when it wasn't readily available in Perth - which makes their dishes deliciously intoxicating to consume.

The place has a somewhat golden ambiance, literally. You dine under a warm, yellow glow of lights in a casually comfortable but subtly elegant dining room. The addictive smells wafts throughout the place and adds to the warmth of the atmosphere while it mingles in the air with diners' voices. And while portions are just fair given their prices, you are very likely to be unable to finish or eat less than your normal capabilities due to the hotness if you don't order wisely!

I notice takeaway prices are cheaper and I also notice service can be inconsistent. It was very start-stop service as there is attentiveness at the beginning which then slowly becomes increasingly difficult to get some attention. Regarding some loud burly chaps who had drunk a little over his limit, staff handled his requests with a little less tolerance. But they do well with food and even if they haven't mastered authenticity in your eyes, they still please the appetite!

In a restaurant like this, your senses are heightened. Thai (hot!) food wakes up your senses - gets your eyes watering, burns your taste, makes you sweat, gets your nose running and gives you a temporary dose of the flu.
And although you get free water to hose down your flaming stomach, we found that a soothing McFlurry does the job a whole lot more professionally.

***
(08) 9228 9307
Lunch Friday only: 11.30am to 2.30pm
Dinner Mon, Wed - Sun: 5pm to 9.30pm
Closed Tuesdays
***

Hanami

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 09:12:00 +0000

So on one beautiful late afternoon, the sun was dipping into the river out on the horizon. Birds were flocking together in the skies, joggers daintily jogged past me on my shabby fold-up bike, their muscles flexing, skin glistening,
everything was just so perfect...

Until I casually crashed into another cyclist.

The embarrassment hurt so much more than the pavement scraping against my flesh. Ouucch.

Now, I'd usually need a few tubs of ice cream to numb all the shame I felt from being observed (laughed at) by the group of onlookers who were all gracious young men, but somehow!

The idea of salad seemed like the perfect remedy to soothe away the pain (of embarrassment!)

Exception? Has to be Hanami's salad. And it is ONLY Hanami's salad that I have an extreme soft spot for.

Salad isn't always disgustingly bland

Salad doesn't always have to taste and look disgusting.

Disgustingly healthy would probably be the more suitable term. Whereas at Hanami, you can enjoy delicious salads that are chock full of vibrant, fresh ingredients although not exactly entirely guilt free (with the generous ladle of oily salad dressing).

And THAT, is the only reason why I risk my voracious-eater-no-signs-of-self-restraint reputation and order salads for dinner here. If you minus all the vegetables, it's actually a little unhealthy.

Hanami Special Salad - $13.90

Stick with me now - craving for salad is actually possible. Because when a bowl of healthy ingredients is served that is both capable of pleasing both your sight and taste, you want more.

The Hanami Special Salad presents a mixture of vegetables and Japanese seaweed with a variety of seafood (seafood extender, sashimi, clam-like pieces), tossed through a sweet, citrusy, fragrant salad dressing. The flavours and textures come together really well, and the lightness of it means you can keep on eating with no worries now and no regrets later.

Salmon & Avocado Salad - $13.90

Another salad available is the strikingly similar Salmon & Avocado Salad, which replaces all the different types of seafood with the one fish you'll ever need: salmon.

They are very generous on the omega 3, with chunks of melt-in-the-mouth salmon cubes scattered throughout the entire salad, so that even your last bite wouldn't be a mouthful of just vegetables. Just so fresh tasting that you can clean out the contents of the entire bowl.

You could get a bit sick of the sauce after a while, and it may get a little oily at the base towards the final sad moments of your salad coming to an end. And while the creaminess that comes from huge wedges of avocado and velvety salmon cubes, while delicious, can get a bit too much, the crisp texture of raw vegetables and tangy sauce will help cut through the feeling of eating mouthfuls of creamy lard.

Salmon & Avocado Salad (more recent)

If you are out with dining companions who don't know you very well, it is certain that they assume you're trying to lose weight, on a diet, or just too bloody health conscious. Especially more so when you have an anorexic figure and then not finishing your salad on top of that!

I notice that all these pictures resemble a game of Spot the Difference Between My Salads.

But if you are playing the game, you would most likely spot a slight difference - the amount of salmon that is missing between the two bowls! There seems to be a slightly smaller amount given in the bowl that I ordered on a much more recent occasion than the first.

Salmon Sushi Roll (5 pieces) - $8.90

Hanami wins much brownie points for presentation and food styling. Plating on a fan-shaped dish makes it look a little delicate and a lot of delicious. Priced at above-average sushi price, it's kinda like...designer brand sushi. Yes you've got the looks, do you have the quality? Do you fall apart after a few ~~washes~~ touches?

Salmon sushi is never a loser, especially with perfectly rounded sturdy sushi with sushi rice with a good consistency. The salmon filling does however, taste different to the pieces they serve as sashimi, with these ones tasting a little bit chewier.

Salmon Sushi Roll (10 pieces) - $13.90

One thing they do different here is the inclusion of a dab of mayonnaise inside the sushi along with the other fillings. It ensures the contents are moist, but to some it may taste a little strange with the soy sauce that sushi is usually dipped into prior to eating.

Salty and sweet combinations work like a miracle sometimes. Besides those times, they aren't always the best partners!

Beef Udon - $13.90

Even when you try to pick a relatively cheaper item from their menu, a bowl of udon here does not even come across as that. Honestly speaking, udon is udon, you can't really make it flashy and I'm waiting on the day I come across spectacular Udon. Which I suspect, would probably never come.

But what is different here that makes this pricier bowl more worth it is the meat. Whereas a lot of the time you will chopstick up pieces of thin, tasteless, chewy strings of beef in noodle soup, the beef included here is thick and juicy, minus the stringiness while plus the flavour.

Slightly more justifiable for a bigger priced but no-bigger-sized-bowl of udon.

Assorted Sashimi Large (18 pieces) - $29.90

So like most sashimi fanatics know, sashimi is a pretty good indicator of the overall quality of a Japanese restaurant. If it can deliver up fresh, good quality, velvety smooth raw fish that has you lusting after it, you've got yourself a pretty safe option.

The Assorted Sashimi comes in 3 sizes with a selection of the best creatures of the sea to consume raw. They all give a satisfying mouthful - firm, sweet and a heavenly moist, soft texture. The recognisable, vibrant coral colours of salmon and tuna alongside 2 other white fleshed fish (perhaps snapper or kingfish? Pffftt and I call myself a sashimi fanatic!), a few very limited pops of caviar and marinated octopus salad will set you back $30.

If you get the chance to try lobster sashimi, DO IT. For the love of God, do it.

Napkin Crane

Cranes for every seat on every table adds a nice touch of Japan to Hanami, as does the wooden furniture and kimono-wearing waitresses. You can imagine how big a portion crane folding becomes part of the staffs' job responsibilities here!

Relatively complex to fold, cranes look simple yet are such a powerful symbol of peace. Sadako And The Thousand Paper Cranes is a story told in my childhood that will stay with me forever and somewhat inspired my own ongoing mission of 1000 paper cranes.

And while I am about 600 short of my target, it is a privilege that I'm folding cranes for leisure, and not as a hope for life itself.

...

As one of the restaurants I come back to once in a while, Hanami delivers up good quality, fresh tasting Japanese fare. The food is tasty but if you are on a mission to dine out on a budget, you may find the upmarket pricing a little intimidating to your wallet. The pricing does accompany good portions however, I don't always feel inclined to come back here to satisfy my ongoing Japanese cravings.

Many perceive the seemingly downmarket ambiance does not match the upmarket prices, and I do agree the atmosphere is somehow a little bit cold. However what it lacks is made up for by attentive staff and prompt service in its noticeably always busy restaurant. It might feel a little restricted to be eating with a time limit too, as our 6pm dinner meant we had to be done and out by 7.30pm, so bookings are probably recommended for even 1 diner really!

With the aforementioned good service however, it comes down to where you're seated. Although all tables are thoughtfully fitted with personal buzzers to call for service, I question their efficiency. Hanami's full capacity means the restaurant overflows with patrons and tables right out into the dark carpark, where the ambiance drops to a big fat zero.

As much as I feared of being seated outside, you have no voice if you have no booking. After periods of waiting and spamming the buzzer multiple times to try get somebody's attention to make an order, it was convenient to leave unnoticed. Mount Lawley has flourished to a hot eating spot overtime, and Hanami seems to have maintained customers that are hot for it.

But for myself, I find that it is neither hot or cold. Hanami does alright, just not just right.

***
(08) 9371 9855
Mon - Fri Lunch: 11.30am to 2.30pm
Mon - Sun Dinner: 5.30pm to 10pm
Public Holidays: Dinner only or closed
So is it dinner or is it closed?

***

My Place Bar & Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 17:26:00 +0000

It is not often that I have breakfast at breakfast time.

It is not even often that I have lunch at lunch time.

It is VERY often that I have my breakfast at an afternoon tea sort of time.

And so if by rare chance that I am up in the early morning, albeit bleary eyed and zombie looking, I will crawl to a cheery breakfast serving institution to make the rest of the day a bit more bearable.

But on a cool Autumn Saturday, the weekend has not even begun for the majority of people still snoring away in bed. The lack of patrons at My Place certainly did not make it a cosy nor cheery breakfast serving institution on a cheery Saturday morning.

From initial thoughts, I'd much rather my own place called home rather than My Place in the Perth CBD right now.

Breakfast Buffet

The place, on top of visibly looking empty, feels very empty with its dull atmosphere, minimal decor and missing the usual buzzing activity that comes with good breakfasts that kick off a good weekend. This was quite a lonely breakfast, with one other lonely table which made our lone table relatively less lonely.

But still. Lonely.

And while the words "buffet breakfast" is just enough to make me ~~bounce~~ stumble out of bed, their offering of a buffet breakfast was honestly unappetising, sad and disappointing, said in the nicest possible way with a nicest possible face. I wish I was still snoring back in bed.

Breakfast Buffet

This picture accurately depicts all the hot items available from the buffet. Had I known this, I wouldn't have got excited when I read the menu promoting a $20 Full Buffet Breakfast! with toast, preserves, fruit loaf, croissants, danishes, english muffins, fruit salad, yoghurt, cereal, bacon, eggs, tomato, hash brown, sausages, baked beans and unlimited tea/coffee/juice.

By no means was it misleading as they did have all the mentioned items, but with quality that can be dramatically improved on. Everything is inside metal steamers, mediocre quality and lukewarm at best. And priced at $20, I probably wouldn't even have used the enticing Buy One Get One Free breakfast offer during Eat Drink Perth season.

At least I had fun with their conveyor belt toaster that spits out DIY hot toast and croissants?

Trying to end on a sweet note

I think I set my own personal record of eating the LEAST amount at a buffet. Losing the will to make multiple trips to the buffet table, I tried injecting some sweetness into my breakfast instead but to no avail :(

Despite being one of the first customers of the day, these sweet pastry items do not send out any message of being freshly baked, or even really fresh. They have a slight sign and taste of being stale, and an undesirable softness with dry centre fillings. Good old never-really-fails Banana Muffin was no different with its dry, bland muffin body and overall hardness.

And I have never, ever seen decorations atop muffin tops go hard to such an extent, until now that is. Picking off the bananas and praying they could be swallowed, they boomeranged right out of my mouth. And I wasn't even expecting them to be soft nor sweet! Just like dehydrated, tateless, non-crispy banana chips on my muffin.

I really tried to like everything. I really, really did.

...

Honestly, no more words are needed for this particular experience. It is NOT, however, a be all and end all situation that will blacklist My Place in my books. It is just this one aspect of theirs that is not the best that they offer to their customers, so maybe their forte doesn't lie with buffet breakfasts, but when the place comes alive at later hours towards the evening.

Looking at their promotions, they do attract a decent crowd at night that would be a major transformation to what I saw on an early Saturday morning. It was utterly dead but it could be a different story with a live DJ on Saturdays and karaoke on Friday nights. Mixing alcohol, microphones and music is really a fail-proof cocktail after all.

With quite a large menu and good prices, maybe I will find myself back one day in the far future but judging by the food on this particular experience - I would probably never be back. But judging by their A La Carte breakfast menu, I actually would be back if food is prepared fresh from the kitchen this time round. I would much prefer that I will be waiting for my food, instead of food sitting around in metal pans waiting for me.

And at that hour of morning, it didn't even look like there were staff even working. There was the one staff member who took our payment initially, and no other staff were seen. Ever. Again. Even with our plates stacked high, tables were uncleared for the entire duration. Fine by me, as they didn't have to see my big pile of leftovers until I was far, far away from the premises.

I can't say how the ambiance is in the evening. They seem to say they cater to all but with such a lacklustre interior in the morning, they definitely do not cater to early breakfast goers with even more reason not to get out of bed in the morning. If you are an early bird, stay home for breakfast.
Because your place is probably so much better than My Place. At least in the mornings.

***

(08) 9225 6665
Monday - Sunday: 6.30am to late
Kitchen close 9-9.30pm
Open 365 days, no surcharges

***

The Classroom

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 17:54:00 +0000

Ah, school. The things that seemed to matter the most back then, just don't seem to matter anymore.

I not so fondly remember clearly my pre-school days, when each new school day meant a whole new day of crying, wailing and hiding in the pantry, thinking that was the solution to escape the wrath of school forever.

Alas, that failed and I ended up being educated.
Thankfully, due to my parents' persistence of dragging me out the door kicking and screaming.

After plonking me at school, things usually got worse. From their hiding spot where they had been observing my every move and watching how I accepted my new foreign surroundings (I didn't), Mum and Dad were forced to come out - when I threw up all over myself.

And while I now appreciate how important an investment into education is, I just wasn't made for school back then. I thought schooling was the worse thing that could happen to anyone.
Who needs to know how to read anyway?
What an ungrateful little brat I was.

And stepping into The Classroom, is really stepping into a classroom.
A place you were in X years ago. Or...quite possibly even XX years ago?

Zucchini Fritters, Cucumber & Feta Whip - $14

After immersing yourself in an environment you most likely won't be in ever again, remembering the days when information sources came in hard copy form in the Britannica encyclopedias lining the shelves, and before the internet became God and made the impossible possible, it's time to sharpen the provided pencils (with the provided sharpeners!) and tick the correct boxes on your Canteen Menu.

$4 iced coffees and chocolates are served in classic metal milkshake canisters in the background, but unfortunately could do with a bit more liquid in them.

Freshly deep fried, the fritters resemble 5 delicious ugly ducklings that taste like beautiful golden swans - rough, scraggly, crunchy golden exteriors with contrasting cheesy and soft innards, with slightly hollow centres that are so imperfect but perfect all at the same time.

Serrano Jamon, fresh Peach, in-house Ricotta & Balsamic Pearls - $16

This next plate is a flavour, texture and colour combination that celebrates the marriages of sweet fresh peaches, salty rolled cigars of dry cured Spanish ham with the intense vinegary bursts of Balsamic pearls.

Perhaps good for presentation purposes with the leafy specks of greens, otherwise the flecks of vegetables do little to add taste to the overall mouthful.

A work of art!

The Classroom most likely took and aced some art classes in their time! :-)

Pork Sausage Rolls with Fennel & Apple, Apricot Chutney - $14

Never would i have done or would even consider order sausage rolls at an upmarket bar.
4 mini party sausage rolls for $14? Yeah right! Yes they might be gourmet, but actually worth the $14? NEVER in a million years!

Yet I felt a simultaneous acceptance of this, just how the majority of us accept $15 gourmet burgers over their $4 fast food counterparts. Typically a to-go food, sausage rolls usually lay around in the baine marie getting progressively more tanned and cooked while this version retains a crisp, airy casing wrapping a plump, juicy minced pork filling.

The dipping dish of apricot chutney will be a happy addition to those who fancy the fruity + meat combinations, except I like my meats salty thanks :-)

6 Hour Bourbon Beef Short Ribs, Smoked Salt & Chilli Pineapple Wedges (Large) - $32

This scored unexpectedly surprising top marks in my schoolbooks that one chilly night back at school Such a warm, homey, spectacular chunk of meat that you' typically find basting in your oven at home, but had been slow roasting in The Classroom's oven once upon a time before your visit.

Likened to a slab of tar, it is only the moment it goes in your mouth that you witness such a tender, soft and flavoursome cut of beef, too soft to be true. As expected from short ribs, the fat-to-meat ratio might be a bit high, but all is forgiven with ridiculously good protein.

The jar of thick sauce served with the meat is sweet with a strong smokey taste that accompanies the meat really well, as with the golden smoked pineapple wedges, trickling juices infused with hints of chilli and salt.

Hand-cut Crinkle Chips, Sumac Dusting & Chipotle Aioli - $6

Nothing screams old skool louder or gets kids fatter faster than hot chips served in that recognisable yellow paper cup. Disappointingly, I could resist stuffing my face after my first few as this particular batch were evidently a little dry and sad. Not enough crisp from not enough crinkle nor enough dusting of flavour, but chips are ever changing.

The chipotle aioli however, is a different story. Aioli is a godsend, exactly why I borrowed this for other dishes ordered on the night. I'm known for being a sauce addict, and I don't really need anything to eat with sauce. Who needs chips to eat sauce? Not I.

In the background are glimpses blueberry and mango juices, each bottle priced at $6.50. I guess at that price I assumed a freshly squeezed glass would be served instead of bottled juices. Nevertheless, they are of good quality honest ingredients, blended and bottled.

Chermoula Chicken Drumsticks, Roasted Sweet Potato & Eggplant, Zesty Yoghurt - $17

Simple but well made ingredients go a long, long way. The simplicity of chicken drumsticks take on a Moroccan flavour with crackly skin caramelised with a chermoula marinade, with hints of herbs and garlic. Using the chicken leg is wise, to take full advantage of the succulent tenderness.

Roasted root vegetables are always a winner - sweet potato and eggplant chunks with a refreshing yoghurt ladled over the contents on the plate. It balances out the strong flavour of the chicken with a lighter taste but with that much needed creamy texture.

Feel welcome to perve on some leg

Love a juicy, smooth, sexy leg.

...

A welcome addition to Perth's growing trendy chic bar scene to rival its Eastern counterparts, its interior is nothing short of impressive and much kudos go out to the entrepreneurs who brainstormed up this fresh new concept and the eclectic decor. All the effort contributed to creating this real life time capsule complete with nostalgia, decked with old school artifacts high and low - finger paintings, netball rings and even hopscotch on the ground to skip back to your childhood.

The recycled and new furnishings take on a retro style, a true overload on your sight. The whole place has gone crazy at a Bak2Skool themed dress up party. It IS quite excessive itching on kitsch but you can't help but appreciate the nitty gritty details of the place. I even took an unnecessary trip to the toilet just to check out the proposed Spanish lessons while you do your business. Seriously.

The Classroom presents a small but enticing menu, demonstrating a creative flair by creating a gourmet twist on classic canteen food. Designed to share, the unsubstantial dishes remind you that school always taught you that sharing is caring. The teachers here are referring to the staff (cheesy right! :-)) have limited contact with you because you pay at the bar, assigned a buzzer and collect your order from the kitchen canteen, just like the ~~olden~~ good old days ;)

They are big on cocktails here, ranging from the History cocktails paying tribute to classic cocktails, to the imaginative Art concoctions to the downright trippy Food Science cocktails that comes as a smoking, bubbling or flaming science experiment in a cocktail glass. An eye catching display is their alcoholic storage lockers, doing everything BUT lock up the numerous spirits on offer. THIS classroom is definitely not an alcohol free premises!

It might be the last thing on your mind to go back to school, but if you've gone a little bit older but a lot more wiser, it's good to get down and refresh some faded memories. With a very dark carpark and so appropriately having a sex shop as its neighbour, it is indeed a little bit seedy, yet so perfectly reflecting the whole school thing where everybody is running around on hormone highs.

***
(08) 9444 7729
Tuesday - Friday: 4pm to late
Saturday/Sunday: 12pm to late
Monday: Private classes

***

Pepper Lunch

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:53:00 +0000

When you can't go see, hear, touch Japan, you can now taste Japan.

I first heard of Pepper Lunch through E's sheer excitement that the fast food of Japan was due in Perth very soon. I consulted Google requesting an explanation and a whole load of bright, fun and vibrant food pictures came up - all the way from Japan and Singapore.

It was so new that there was no Australian site in existence!

Armed with the sniffles, a blocked head, an umbrella and pure determination to eat fast food, we braced the rain and cold and ... was left outside standing waiting for a free table, gazing at the warmth and sizzle of the atmosphere inside with longing eyes.

It seems like everyone has caught the Pepper Lunch bug and is quickly spreading it around via (word of) mouth while the only thing I managed to catch was an annoying cold, standing outside and strengthening my existing flu bug.

Snif.

Seasoning & Sauces

Placed on every table are bottles labelled sweet sauce and garlic sauce, vital additions (as recommended by the restaurant) to enhance the flavours of the meats sizzling their life out in front of you.

Widely loved for serving teriyaki anything, Japanese cuisine has many dishes having sweet marinades and the like. Drinking a spoonful of the sweet sauce just to test it out, proved to have an overpowering sweet tinge that I really ought to have expected. Good for sweet people.

Its counterpart, the savoury and powerful garlic rendition has quite a strong flavour with a distinct smell of garlic. Both the sauces take on the runny liquid form, rather than the thicker gluggy kind.

Salmon Pepper Rice - $11.50

I didn't even have time to complain about hunger with the speed that my order came out. I couldn't wait to start eating, probably not because of hunger but pure excitement when you hear the SSSSSIZZLE approaching, louder and closer.

Personally when I'm choosing a dish and there's salmon on the menu, I don't really have a choice anymore. It's no longer a choice - it's a calling. But overcooked salmon is not, and I was horrified at how quickly the hotplate cooks the salmon while I did my usual pedantic food modelling.

But in hindsight, if you posed for that long on a 260 degrees celsius hotplate, you too would be cooked at an alarming rate.

The best kind of moat is a Salmon moat

The best thing with this is how your food stays hot hot hot! You really have to destroy the beauty of it and mix the ingredients, combine the flavours and turn it into something akin to fried rice.

A mound of rice supposedly hides a special sauce in the centre, surrounded by a moat of sliced salmon pieces and garnished with juicy sweet corn kernels, spring onions and lots of pepper makes for a very peppery lunch at Pepper Lunch indeedy.

Blending with one another, all the fresh ingredients contribute towards a very gourmet tasting fried rice, enhanced by that creamy, buttery sauce.

Cut Steak & Chicken Combo - $13.80

For those who can't choose to save their life, there is the handy option to choose a combo option, which combines two meats in the one dish. The combo option includes a side of vegetables to balance out the protein, of beansprouts, carrots and beans. Or, a bean.

Adding the available sauces to the pan lets you create your own meat & vegetable stir fry, but the beef risks getting overcooked too quickly. I talk with experience, having suffered through unnecessary tough beef but thankfully, nice peppery chicken.

Probably wise to protect your beef from the heat and create a barrier using the vegetables, where YOU control the cooking pace and not a silly old hotplate.

Combo with Free Upgrade (Rice & Miso Soup)

If "free" gets your blood pumping, Pepper Lunch is offering a celebratory offer of a free upgrade to a set menu as a grand opening special, but only until the end of June. I think I just missed out on their HALF PRICE offer, which would really be a steal!

The free upgrade gets you a bowl of rice and a choice out of miso soup or a soft drink, which usually sets you back an extra $3.50. You will probably NEED to have the main with rice, so with the end of June fast approaching, the dollars may add up to be quite a pricey lunch.

But for now, I'm taking full advantage of the delicious prices and somehow found myself again there the very next day, experiencing deja vu as I stood outside waiting for a vacant table, yet again.

Shimofuri Steak - $15.80

I questioned the quality of the steak before I tasted it, admittedly not expecting anything that would make me say wow. This meal is one of their more expensive choices but only by a small margin, but what is a good steak, if tenderness fights a losing battle to heat?

But if you act quick smart, you can retain the softness in your steak and the juicy marbled fat in the flesh. The thick steak is far from chewy, with a melt in your mouth texture from the slight fattiness of the meat and the mound of their special butter on top, slowly disintegrating from the heat and bubbling onto the steak.

Salmon & Cut Steak Combo - $14.80

If you're after a better tasting steak, these cut up pieces might disappoint. Their smaller size gives more surface area for the heat to cook them from all directions. FAST.

Quite a good proportion of salmon, and yet again an overcooked, overly dry and flaky salmon is no good. Think fast, act fast, and save your salmon. Eating here is really like cooking and eating at home, with no-one to blame for the food outcome but yourself.

In fact, it directly resembles what I do at home - cook in frying pan. Eat directly out of frying pan. Just to get out of doing the dishes.

Salmon & Hamburger Combo - $14.80

Since mixing and matching the same meats but in different combinations don't make the dish taste any better than it can, I was eager to taste the rest of their menu. Their hamburger offer consists of a meat patty, albeit a very oily one but a very good one.

Not only can you taste the fat, you can see the visible fattiness escaping from the patty and consequently cooking the patty again. So full of fat and so good that I had to give it away.

It is probably not much worse than eating a burger, except you haven't got the bun nor the accompanying veges to mask the unhealthiness and help you pretend that it really isn't that fat at all.

Double Hamburger Steak - $12.50

Pepper Lunch opened in the rainy season while I was sick - not the best combination but the ingredients in this is! Much like a dismantled "dude burger" on a plate, the Double Hamburger Steak gets you two meat patties and a fried egg sunny side up.

With a perfect, wobbly, golden egg yolk, you've struck gold. And this is the closest I'll get to flipping my own burger patties without working at a fast food joint!

Cooking Instructions

Each meal comes with a set of instructions on paper wrapped around the hotplate and is up to you to follow. But really, follow those rules.

The staff serving your order to your table do give a quick reminder and tutorial on what you should do, but do not give a demonstration as you can have the fun yourself. A direct but honest tip that I heard staff tell our neighbouring table who ordered the Kimchi Rice:
"Don't put the sauce in this one. It does not taste nice!"

More Cooking Instructions

HURRY!! TURN IT OVER! NOW!
Creating a sense of urgency helps!

...

Please forgive the general smokiness of the pictures, as I did my best attempt of ferociously fanning away the heat from the hot plates. All the fumes make this place get hot and steamy inside - a good haven from the chilliness outside, but you're going to have patience. Its central location makes it extremely popular, crowded, but thank God it has a pretty fast turnover even when it is constantly buzzing with activity.

With quite a small fit out, there is lack of ventilation. You won't leave smelling like Korean BBQ, but you'll likely leave with telltale Japanese BBQ smell stains on your clothing reminiscent of fresh, sizzling meats. The hotplate cooks extremely fast and I couldn't even take pictures without it sizzling the life out of my cows. It seems to transforms meat from raw to rare straight to downright overcooked - completely skipping out the whole just right stage without you noticing.

The system of ordering at the counter minimises the fuss and maximises the speed. Staff are friendly, polite and efficient at clearing finished dishes, to get more customers in the door but are considerate enough to teach you how to eat your lunch when delivering to your table. However there is no waiting system in place, with customers trickling out the door messily and the layout of small tables means that if you come in a herd of more than 4, you'll most likely need to deal with longer waiting times. Be prepared to have a sad.

Staff dealt with the grand opening crowd pretty well. Their disorganisation with drinking cups worked to our advantage, with the worker simply giving us free bottles simply because their cups weren't washed :)

You experience the hustle and bustle of Japan in this tight squeeze shop. Not exactly, but remotely comparable with a chorus of Japanese staff shouting (greeting) at you on your arrival and shouting (saying goodbye) at you when you leave. Food is extremely fast without being fast food, yet Pepper Lunch is a "fast food" franchise in the bigger parts of the world.

If this is fast food, I wouldn't know what to call the ~~junk outlets~~ junk food outlets we have here.

***
(08)9325 3532
7 days from 11am
Last orders: Sun to Thurs 9pm; Fri/Sat 10pm

***

Basil & Mint

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:53:00 +0000

Recently (in Perth's terms), the daggy but quite comfortably so! suburb of Morley welcomed the $60 million Coventry Square Markets to its vicinity. It houses a whole variety of stores within, ranging from fresh fruit and vegetables and butchers to homewares, toys, clothing, jewellery and the usual clutter of items that have a million or no apparent use that you expect to find at markets.
And unlike many of the other markets in Perth, this one opens 7 whole days.
And being open for 7 days in Perth, is quite a big deal.

But of course, I don't care about any of that.
I care about the offer of food and drink from the cafe strip out the front, where an army of eateries are the focal point of the markets. Though boasting a sleek and contemporary exterior, the market's outer shell is quite a stark clash with its monotonous, under-furbished interiors.

And even MORE recently, a small scale tornado flurried through the area and disturbed the usual peace and quiet of Perth's oasis of serenity. It picked up some roofs and trees along the way and wrecked anything else it fancied during its short visit, noisily proving that things do visit Perth once in a long while.

And it seemed to take a liking to the relatively new Coventry Square Markets.

Beef Green Curry served with Jasmine Rice - $14

Although a simple dish, Green curry is an addictive feed that attracts me to keep coming back once, twice, three times to a restaurant. It is that medley of subtle spiciness, mild creaminess but fullness of flavour that contributes to a perfectly made dish of curry.

Basil & Mint's fusion of Vietnamese and Thai cuisine delivers up a scrumptious Green curry set lunch, loaded with sliced capsicum, bamboo shoots, broccoli and snow peas in a fragrantly creamy curry sauce. Diners can choose out of a protein selection of beef, chicken, pork or tofu and vegetables for $14 or pay a bit more for lamb or prawn curry.

That sauce! Paired with steaming hot steamed rice, you can even omit anything else inside the bowl because rice and damn good curry sauce, is all you'll ever need.

Green Curry (Beef)

But of course, having a dish full to the brim of tasty curry-soaked vegetables and tender beef is always nice too.
And is way more acceptable than being served plain curry sauce and rice.

Pho Dac Biet - $14

Vietnamese restaurants claiming to be Vietnamese restaurants without the expected bowl of pho or the like to be seen on their menu very much so confuse the hell out of me. Yes, that does exist and I was disbelievingly impressed at this absurdity when I saw it!
How is a hot dog a hot dog with no sausage?

Thankfully there are a lot of familiar Vietnamese terms at Basil & Mint, however not many waiters on that day who could understand them. Life isn't always perfect and you can't always hire authentic waiters on top of authentic food.

Pho Dac Biet gives you a big porcelain bowl of combination rice noodle soup with raw and cooked beef slices, beef balls and tendons, submerged in a beef stock that could have a more intense flavour as its soup base. At the bottom line, they can improve on quality at this inflated price.

Bun Bo Hue - $13.50

This visibly red hot soup dish is usually a combination of sliced protein and liquid fire. Pork and beef meats and pork balls replace the usual appearance of Vietnamese processed pork loaf pieces and pork hock. The carbs in this heavy proteined dish is rice vermicelli, in an otherwise meat laden meal.

Compared to other versions you can find, Basil & Mint's Bun Bo Hue borders along a watered down creation of a strong, fiery Bun Bo Hue. More suitable to milder tastebuds, it is a more subtle hot and spicy soup and doesn't taste as full flavoured as the numerous ones I have come across.

The chef himself came out and we told of our honest opinion, to which I hope he takes the feedback as constructive and not just plain faced criticism of his ability from undeserving diners.

...

A concoction of 2 cuisines in the one restaurant has proved quite well for Basil & Mint. It is not the most authentic of food you can possibly find, but after weighing up your options and without putting too much weight on Basil & Mint's plates, it does quite satisfactorily. You do alright.

Food is not short of tasty yet you could possibly feel like your hard earned dollars deserve more, especially if you've tried and grown accustomed to the restaurants scattered around Northbridge. Prices are higher than par while portions are at par, but settings and decor are anything but below par. At the same time, there's a hollowness that I can't describe, perhaps due to the emptiness of the restaurant on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

The fit out is a polished, neat and fresh dinig area with modern decor that differentiates it from other plain and homogeneous Vietnamese restaurants, which only seem to capitalise on food. I have absolutely no problems with that, but it doesn't hurt to eat your food in nice surroundings, at which you pay the price with higher prices.

Everything comes with a price, but not everything comes with a price you are willing, or need to pay.

***
(08)9275 8883
Lunch & Dinner: Tuesday - Saturday

***

Rockpool Bar & Grill

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 16:10:00 +0000

Way before its actual opening, Rockpool did good at creating the hype and anticipation preparing for its birth in Perth's Burswood Entertainment Complex.
And surely with a fit out of just a measly couple o' millions, it deserves to be an attention hogger in every right.

All the rave and attention among Perth's rapidly growing foodie scene was really unavoidable with everybody very Neil this Perry that - the man is a true celebrity for starstruck foodie paparazzi. Strutting your stuff down the entrance with plush soft carpet beneath your feet, you feel that sophistication and just nearly as classy as the lush surrounds of that candlelit hallway.

Rockpool was undoubtedly a huge hit on Valentines Day, still buzzing with activity past 9pm - the earliest we managed a booking. Oozing with stylish elegance, the place is huge. Calling it a fancy foodhall doesn't give it justice, but then again...you don't have dinners by candlelight too often in food courts.

With a faint glow of dim lighting above us - I call them sleepy lights! - we went ahead, and squinted at our paper menus.

Lemon Lime Bitters - $6

A glass of simple and classic Lemon Lime Bitters to start.

Little did we know this was to keep us hydrated for the long wait ahead for food.

Complimentary Bread and Butter

Luckily, you are kept entertained with warm, fresh and chewy bread. A crusty hardness to my liking and a generous slab of creamy butter on a wooden block is always eagerly accepted with hunger. Complimentary bread is really an addiction when it's served right before your mains.

Usually you wouldn't want to prematurely hog up stomach space with bread but they really do give you enough time to digest it. We found ourselves craving more and would have enthusiastically asked for more, if we could flag down a waiter. More bread would have been gladly welcomed, as would more attentive service.
The drinks and bread came out fast, but that's where the speed stopped.

Mussel Steamed with Chilli, Peppers & Vermouth - $24

Just before we were certain that we were forgotten, entree proved that we were not. Plump and meaty morsels of juicy mussels gaping upward in their opened shells, freshly cooked in a tasty chilli broth of mild hotness. This was tasty, and is probably one of their entrees that are good value for money.

This is where extra bread comes in handy, to really wipe clean the pot of its juices. After a while of trying to get some extra bread with the remaining broth growing progressively colder, I gave up and made a spoon out of an empty black shell I retrieved from the discarded shells bowl.
There are always other means of finishing up the broth and cleaning the pot.

David Blackmore's Wagyu Chuck Braised in Dark Lager and Onions with Potato Gnocchi and Silverbeet - $49

And then another century flashed by and main dishes were presented. In hindsight I should not have ordered a block of meat that is famous for its melt-in-the-mouth texture from all its marbled and plain chunks of fat. Close to half this portion had a mound of fat attached that I really could not touch, but the remaining half of meat was tender and soft enough to pierce with a spoon.

If you do not enjoy swallowing plain, pure, saturated fat, it is better to choose alternative cuts which have the fatness marbled into the meat instead of excess fat on a cut from a cow showing clear signs of obesity.

But I scraped up every last piece of sweet juicy onion, silverbeet and creamy potato gnocchi there was. The gnocchi in particular, is one of the better gnocchi's I have tasted - and I'm not even a remote gnocchi fan.

Rangers Valley Dry Aged 300 Day Grain Fed T-Bone 450g 60 days - $75

At Rockpool if you're no expert on cow bits and pieces, the menu showcasing your long, detailed choices can be quite bedazzling. Dry aged? 300 day? 36 month? Grain fed? Grass fed? Not fed at all? Choose what you can afford? It can fry your brains out.

But it should be the case that regardless what you order, one should taste just as good as another from their woodfired grill. The cows don't suffer from intensive industrial cruelty, meaning happier cows and happier cows meaning higher quality meats.
The menu does state that Dry Aged beef does not benefit from cooking past medium rare.
But it's a shame Rockpool has not held up its philosophy for our particular T-Bone, which was cooked on the well-done side of medium rare and certainly did not benefit from that either.

The blackened char on the sides gave the overall steak a little too much of a bitter aftertaste and well-done meant it was dry, tough, and resilient to chew as a result. I'd hate to say that we were quite disappointed, and had to take turns to try and finish that $75 worth of flesh on a plate.

Bearnaise Sauce

The lack of garnish or sides with the steaks really puts focus on the meat. No other option, as there is nothing else present, besides a lone wedge of lemon that doesn't do much to steal the limelight.

Thankfully, there is condiment service and you have the choice of not just a dollop, but a whole Aladdin's magic lamp full of your chosen sauce. A creamy, silky bearnaise sauce was chosen out of the buffet of mustard, BBQ sauce, horseradish cream and harissa condiments available, wheeled out on a trolley for your convenience.

Sauteed Mixed Mushrooms - $25

All signs of your plate point to the suggestions to order, or perhaps over order,side dishes to accompany your lonely slab of beef. Whereas other restaurants serve side dishes as complementary and are overlooked, Rockpool's extensive selection of sides nearly outnumber and outshine the main stars of the show (menu) and are a major component with evidently lots of thought contributed to producing amazing sides.

We are big mushroom fans and although expensive, this side dish of mixed mushrooms was cooked well and had no excess juices leaking from them, which is the only thing I hate about mushrooms really. Good natural flavours but a little oily towards the base, and it may look like a small serving but don't forget how much mushrooms shrink instead of bloat!

...

Rockpool is dimly lit in the evening, much like the rest of the complex. Its grand exterior is so over the top but its mesmerising settings give that touch of class that adds that special experience and makes you feel like you're so worthy of being pampered. It is no surprise that its interior exudes intimacy with decor of earthy themes and shades of natural tones that resonate throughout the restaurant. Floor to ceiling drapey mesh curtains cast shadows over dark cosy corners which may be a bit too dark, for I nearly stumbled into the neighbouring table - unless my inability to walk in heels is to blame.

Rocking numerous awards since its opening for best new restaurant, best steakhouse and best wine list, Rockpool's steakhouse concept has the beef display, the wine cellar and an impressively designed dining room with an open kitchen to showcase the skill of chef talent. With a commitment to fresh and uncompromising on quality control, the beef ages in a custom built room behind glass panels in that very same candlelit corridor entrance. Much like artwork that provides a striking contrast to the warm bask of glowing candles, the tonnes (literally!) of meat either excite or repulse your appetite.

It is unfortunate that I didn't get the same amazing steak I witness in others' photos but I do admit it is truly an experience for your senses. My steak was very dead but they have the range to excite the red meat carnivore. It is important to remember it is not fine dining - it is a bar and grill that boasts extravagance and oozes style just like fine dining but you get good proportions for price and not a measly speck on a huge plate with too much excess empty space.

But it really seems like it is the service that is questionable. It sounds inconsistent but my experience was overall positive. Staff seem professional but maybe TOO unobtrusive despite their proposed forensic attention to customers and food alike.

So much positive publicity around Rockpool but surprisingly ratings on Urbanspoon suggest otherwise. Unfortunately I am not unanimous to all the rave reviews either with my particular experience and while it is a special addition to little old Perth, I might return to Rockpool later rather than sooner.

***
6252 1900
Lunch: Sunday - Friday
Dinner: 7 days

***

V Burger Bar

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 19:08:00 +0000

When I am not quite full after dinner and still have the munchies, a big fresh quality burger works wonders to fill that not quite empty but not quite full void in my stomach.

I must sound like a ~~monstrous eater~~ monster, to treat a normal sized burger merely as a snack one.
But no, I am completely normal and V Burgers' burgers are delicious.
I would gladly go for 1 (or 3) for breakfast, lunch or dinner and as entree, main or dessert. Or a void filler. I am completely captivated.

V Teriyaki Chicken - $11

This was the very first culprit that started my love affair with this very attractive burger joint.
Back when I disliked Jus Burgers for its very normal and bland burgers (which I now fully take back), I wondered how Jus managed to steal all the hype and limelight from Mr V here. Personally I thought he shone 10x brighter than Jus ever did in my eyes!

It was the standard curvature position of the hands to wrap around a big burger, the jaw lock of attempting to fit the whole thing into your mouth and the downright mess on the table, your clothes and your face that comprises the real burger eating experience in its entirety. And the sauce overload from the V Teriyaki Chicken satisfies the last criteria best.

A perfectly grilled chicken fillet glistening with teriyaki glaze nestled among juicy caramelised onion, tomato and mixed gourmet lettuce is enhanced with creamy wasabi mayonnaise that leaks out with every single greedy bite.

Onion Rings - $4.80

Onion rings done well can convert the most biggest onion hater to temporarily dismiss all that anger and devote it towards enjoying the deep fried, majestic ring of pure gold. Although generous in size, it makes sense that V Burgers is appropriately named and famed for its showstopping burgers and not exactly for their battered and fried onions.

Served with an aioli dip, it cannot hide the greasiness of these golden loops - they are quite heavily battered and oily as a result. The batter reminds me of the general fish n chip type, which could be improved on and battered with a lighter hand.

Try em - you'll either love em or you'll be indifferent.

Usually, 3 males with roaring appetites and metabolisms (luckily enough) would mean one serving each still might not be enough. But with all that batter and grease, it really should be more than enough.

V Burger offers an Onion ring + Drink combo for $6 when a main burger is purchased, allowing you to eat more, pay more while paying less at the same time.

Crispy Crisp - $10.80

And as if a burger on its own is way too healthy for your standards, V Burgers challenges that with its gob smacking Crispy Crisp - a tall, towering burger with circular tiers of onion rings. This is the first that I've seen of the burger revolution with such fillings, but I really shouldn't be surprised after witnessing a friend downing potato crisps sandwiches like a normal BLT sandwich.

It is close to impossible to fit all the fillings in a single bite. You're going to have to try your best to have the prime beef patty, battered onion rings, mixed lettuce, tomato, relish and aioli together, as I tried my best to take the opening bite and ended up with a mouthful of bun and a shred of lettuce at best.

Just looking at this pulled on my heartstrings, with a little flutter of pain. To eat it would completely yank all those strings off.

Mr Pinky - $15

With the seafood section of a burger menu usually showcasing a boring crumbed white fish fillet, Mr Pinky was truly impressive. This burger is a lot more manageable in height and most mouths can open to the size that can comfortably take a clean bite out of this one.

A seared Tasmanian salmon fillet is grilled to the point of moist and flaky goodness doused with a fitting honey mustard dressing, liberally coating the mixed lettuce, tomato and onion salad inside. One of the priciest burgers on their menu, but such a gourmet burger.

Unfortunately, I've noticed a substantial decrease in the size of the salmon fillet slotted into the burger. Not to say it is way too small, but is always sad to see when viewed in hindsight to the times where I couldn't stop commending just how big the fish fillet was when I first had it.
My first burger had 2 thick fillets side by side, compared to the second time round, where the single fillet had lost some weight and its companion.

F.B.A (Full Blooded Aussie) - $13.80

My memory fails me and I can't ascertain whether this is the F.B.A or the Eggy Steaky. I am inclined to conclude that it is the F.B.A burger for it includes beetroot, and the images I slightly remember of bloody, gory scenes on tables and clothes whenever beetroot is around.

The Full Blooded Aussie is bloody indeed, with the sauce of vibrantly red beetroot staining the entire burger with its blood. It's like you ordered a red wine soaked burger bun, or a maniac killer just assembled your burger.

This is what I would call a "Man Burger", with seemingly endless burger fillings of a prime beef patty, your usual salads, melted cheddar, bacon, fried egg, sliced beetroot, relish, aioli and BBQ sauce. A mouthful to say, and an even bigger mouthful to eat. The ingredients scream AUSSIE so much that the burger itself is all yeah eat me mate.

Avocado Chicken - $13

This is what I imagined I would go for, purely for the love of avocado. It sounds so seemingly normal next to the enticing options on the menu that I decided that I needed to break my boundaries a bit from choosing avocado schmavocado every single time.

A simple tender grilled chicken fillet slathered with avocado guacamole, tomato, onion, mixed gourmet salad, aioli and topped with melted cheddar. I appreciate that the chicken fillets here are cooked just right and don't have those charred, blackened carcinogenic grill lines embedded into the flesh which seem to suggest that it is freshly ~~cooked~~ burnt.

Freshly cooked and prepared ingredients, seriously bursting at the burger seams.
Will also make you burst at the seams, with excess careless burger consumption.

Chickorian - $11

It was the lime sweet chilli mayo inclusion in the description of the Chickorian that disillusioned me toward a food spasm. I'm big on sauce and prefer most of my things saucy (we are still on the topic of food yes?) The way I eat sauce would make one ask would you like some burger with that sauce?

I've learnt to ask for my burgers to be cut up, which seriously makes it easier (i.e. make it possible) to enjoy the fillings inside the burger at the SAME time in the SAME mouthful. The chicken and coriander patty was still quite discerningly pinkish, and while I feared that it was slightly rare, the sheer power of laziness quite easily beat the effort of finding out if this was fully cooked and could be safely eaten without being as sick as a dog afterwards.
I need to change.

The coriander was definitely visible but with a flavour so not overpowering that I could hardly taste it. I'd understand that coriander is a hit or miss with many people and shouldn't be too strong, but a stronger and more intense flavour would be appreciated for those who have already decided to order a chicken & coriander patty.

Battered Chips - $3.80

Burgers without a side of chips almost seems incomplete sometimes. V Burgers offers a Chips + Drink deal for $5, alongside their $6 onion rings + drink combo.

Similar to the onion rings, the chips are well fried but don't leave that big of an imprint in the memory. They're hot, they're crisp and they're golden, but they lack a little seasoning and overall wow factor that memorable chips have.

Med Veg - $10

Finishing a dinner at the restaurant next to V Burgers but seated right in front of the entrance of the burger joint instead, it seemed like a waste not to top off dinner with a burger finale. We weren't full, but it was the sheer convenience and coincidence that V Burgers was located right next to our dinner spot that propelled us to make a burger as our dessert.

To combat the guilt of eating a burger just minutes after a whole dinner, we chose a no-meat burger - because vegetarian is always inherently healthy. Roasted vegetables bring out a certain moist sweetness from within that is impossible to taste when you eat them in their raw, crunchy, healthy form.

There is a whole vegetable garden packed between 2 slices of burger bun - the inherently sweet flavours of grilled zucchini, eggplant, red peppers and salad intermingling with slathers of thick basil pesto and aioli. The pesto is chunky, strong and with substance, enough to replace the missing savoury and creamy texture of Danish fetta cheese that I ordered without.
Sad, because a burger sans anything is a pity. Unless it is beetroot.

...

I came for the burgers and fell in love with the buns. A good bun is much like a good friend - it is strong, it holds everything together when everything is noticeably falling apart. And V Burgers then, is a very good friend and has very nice buns. Their light sourdough bun and turkish style bread rolls have strength, texture and substance and while they get soaked with the generous amount of sauce, their gradual sogginess does not disintegrate into a pile between your fingers.

Their burger range offering is similar to the other restaurants that have hopped onto the burger train revolution, with pleasing prices. The range of prices seem to be bigger here, and sadly while the increased prices are fair and make them on par with competitors, their portions in some burgers have diminished. Never fear though, for their burgers are still generously filled and deceptively substantial. Something not so substantial however, is their limited drink selection offering mostly soft drinks and the all important H2o.

The staff here serve you well, though there is limited interaction in a system whereby you order at the counter and the minimal requirement of service or utensils that go into wolfing down a burger. Though they do make that effort to ask you how was your burger? and they are wonderfully inviting even if they're about to close after a long dinner shift. They start to clean around you, and while it is not their cue to hint to us we need to stuff the burger down our throat and leave, we thought it best not to push the boundaries of patience too far.

V is situated on the corner of a little restaurant village, brightly lit and being successful at attention seeking. Its interior can get a little cramped from too many burger demanders at the same time, but it sports a very open shop design concept to let out the steam of overcrowded areas as well as the enticing sizzling aromas of patties sizzling on the grill. Quite a cosy feel, various framed newspaper article clippings promoting its successes, cartoons and photos of diners at V Burgers - they like their customers, and we like them too :) I LOVE em.

Somehow my burger eating experience is the messiest possible way. I usually end up with a sauce moustache but here I also adopt a dripping beard too. With more sauce ending up on my plate than in my mouth, it almost looks like I've just finished exchanging kisses with a sauce dispenser instead.

"Prepared with Love, Served with Passion" is how V Burgers does their thing.
So be warned, 'cause love and passion is gonna get so, so messy. Have fun ;)

***
Monday: 5pm-9.30pm
Tuesday-Thursday: 11.30am-9.30pm
Friday-Saturday: 11.30am-late
Sunday: 11.30am-9.30pm

(08) 9355 3702
***

Osaki Sushi

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 07:08:00 +0000

As I stepped out of my car ready to eat, I was greeted with a daggy, dreadlocked, unshaven but nevertheless friendly gentlemen holding spray bottles and a windscreen cleaner.
"Want your windows cleaned mate?", he asked.

I paused. "Sorry I've no coins!" I responded cheerfully and with as much truth in my voice I could project across.
This didn't phase him by any means, as he proceeded to spray my car screen anyway.
"That's alright, I'll just do it for free. I've got nothing else to do"
Naw. I strode back to the car with shame in my step and fumbled around for loose change that usually lives under my car seat.
I sheepishly handed him my spare change and made my escape before we both realised that I had just lied to his face.

***

So you would have picked up what sort of environment Osaki Sushi is located in from that little excerpt. It's definitely not intended to have bad implications, as it instead left me with a positive impression of the locals. Free window wash with your dinner, with complementary streak marks. Nice guy though!

Teriyaki Chicken Set - $10

A Red Rooster craving unsatisfied at 10pm led me to discover this small, undiscovered Japanese haunt quietly doing its business in the suburbs. I took an immediate liking to the place as soon as I discovered a second row of chicken underneath the top layer!

Generosity is a rare gem.

Usually teriyaki flavour gets sickly sweet for me after a while, but this one was a-okay! Their bento sets are such good value and they really are filling. Tender teriyaki sauce coated pan-fried chicken thigh fillets still have a slightly crispy layer of skin attached, with the bottom row fully soaking up the moat of sauce surrounding it.

On top of a miso soup, the 3 pieces of mixed sushi becomes a challenge to eat if you leave that until last. Typically you'll get a chicken, a california roll and a vegetarian sushi that become really effective tummy fillers.

Teriyaki Chicken Bowl - $8.50

I downgraded the next time to the bowl version of the Teriyaki Chicken, with an equally satisfying amount of meat content. If you're a thighs person over a breasts sorta guy (or...girl...), you might prefer the meat to have more moistness. You get a bit of a jaw workout working your way through all the chicken, so more sauce might be beneficial.

Would you like some rice with your chicken?

The amount of chicken they give really makes me happy, when I stare down at my thick and cosy blanket of chicken thighs. The juicy sweet, caramelised skin, a light sprinkling of sesame seeds, the close to 1:1 ratio of protein to carbs - so velly good.

Your usual big serving of rice isn't the case here, with the portion being close to completely overtaken by thigh.

Side salad

All of Osaki's main meals come with a side dish of salad, much needed to balance out the meaty meal. Presented on a separate dish, it's quite substantial in size and flavour alike. Just a simple salad of lettuce, cabbage and carrot strips tossed through with dressing that bears some resemblance to seeded mustard - but I am hooked.

On this tastier version of coleslaw!

Teriyaki Prawn Set - $11

A more decadent choice of teriyaki - lightly battered fried prawns smothered in sauce with a prematurely softened batter. The prawns are now wrapped with a sweet, sticky and soggy coating thanks to the syrupy teriyaki.

Personally I'd be more excited at the prawns if they were still crispy and less soaked. But this very characteristic means they are bursting with moisture and flavour, sacrificing the *crunch crunch*

Tempura Soft Shell Crab Bowl

I couldn't contain my excitement when I spotted this on the menu. You hardly see this on menus at casual Japanese eateries and when you do, you hardly see them at a price you (...I) can afford to be splurging on a meal.

When it was placed in front of me, I tried to contain my disappointment. Not at the dish itself, but more at the amount of batter on there. It was an impressive amount of crab in there with the bowl laden high with gold chunks...yet looking a little dry.

Soft shell crab would make you think the whole thing is edible, shell included. That's why upon eating this, you'll find feathery crab gills still in tact, battered. You're going to have to be like me in this instance, painstakingly peeling off the batter as you eat to pick out all those indigestible breathing tubes.

Tempura Soft Shell Crab Bowl - $12

This was entirely different to what I had conjured up in my imagination and a lot more...heavy battered instead of light. You'd have a mouthful of batter and this really outshines the crab...in an unwanted way. The presence of the crab is insignificant because of all that fried flour around it that steals its glory.

And this is where the accompanying dipping sauce comes in with its creamy texture and mild sweetness that won't overpower other flavours. A taste somewhat similar to honey mustard with a squirt of mayonnaise - the sauce that never fails in any circumstance.

Tempura Soft Shell Crab Set - $14

You might even get a smaller amount of crab with the bento set, but nevertheless enough.
Even a voracious eater will probably be satisfied by this!

Bento Set

It's a little hard to finish, unless you have an immense love of deep fried batter and no sense of remorse.

The Clawww

Packed in a small area, the deep fried claws tower high like a bunched up Pinnacles - rugged and jagged with rough, uneven, weathered surfaces.

On the table

A bunch of vibrant red roses adds some much needed colour to the shop, placed on top of the table inside. Yes. Table. Singular!
With hardly enough space to fit the second small table, this place has seriously limited seating even with 2 tables outside. You're not spoilt for choice in terms of seating options but the abundance of choice in the menu compensates.
With something bad, comes something good :)

...

Small, no ambiance and a complete lack of a restaurant atmosphere doesn't deter me from taking an immediate liking to this place. It is small and cluttered and for that it exactly resembles to that description of a shop having a homely feel to it. And for such a small eatery it does a great job in kicking on to late hours when most other shops are closed, except for every other shop in its immediate vicinity with flashing bright lights beaming an open sign for 24 hours.

Osaki appears as a family owned and operated shop, as it is only ever the same 2 staff taking orders and cooking. They come across as the most accommodating staff I have experienced in a while and are ever so friendly that I feel particularly...warm when eating there :) My usual habits of taking half my life to decide on my orders and turning up to restaurants 3 hours later than a normal person would is not a problem here, as patience is their virtue while I weigh up my dinner choices like it's my last supper.

Menu wise, it boasts a large range of choice for such a small (you can really tell my emphasis on small can't you!) shop and at affordable prices that give no sign to the large serving size you get. It's pretty slow and quiet all the times I've visited so food is cooked and served fast with no compromise on freshness. Unfortunately they have notified a $2 increase to their prices when I popped in to grab a takeaway menu to write this blog post. Sad, but modest. Things only ever go up these days!

With a little TV droning away in the background in their kitchen, it provides much needed sound to take away the silence of dining in this seemingly secluded restaurant. It's a little treasure I was introduced to when I couldn't get my fast food fix and I love finding neighbourhood eateries that are unknown but really should be discovered, for it is unexpectedly good. And with pretty much ZERO activity on Urbanspoon with only one positive vote on there, I hope to see Osaki's successful, thriving business in future!

Plus with their advertising of "Japanese Dinning & Take-away", people seem to accept and embrace this little eatery, spelling mistakes and all.

***

Open Tuesday - Sunday: 11am onwards

(08) 9242 4408

***

Tan Po Po

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 12:26:00 +0000

Food: fills you up, nourishes, makes you happy (well, makes me happy), makes you sleepy as hell (again, maybe it's just me).

I fell into a sleep coma right after a bit less than quite crap buffet breakfast. The food wasn't particularly up to standard for its price but it's a buffet after all, with that magic word switching my brain to an eat-more-than-I-can-handle stance.

That day, I woke up, ate, slept, woke up, ate, slept, woke up, ate, slept. Do you smell Snorlax?
Quite a productive day, no? My past life as this pokemon is still evident in my current life. Not good.
I may sound like the biggest, laziest slacker but the truth is...
I am.

Given the menu full of sample pictures, I told my stomach to calm down and shut the hell up. After a lengthy conversation with my brain, I finally came to an unsure, rushed decision on what I was going to order, making a mental note to come back another time to try what I couldn't today.

Tuna & Salmon Sashimi

Rule numero uno at a Japanese joint is: TRY THE SASHIMI.
In fact, rule number one anywhere for me is TRY THE SASHIMI. I've fallen into a deep lustful attraction with this fresh deepwater fish.

This is listed on the menu as the Sashimi set served with rice & salad for $8.80. The waitress who took my order must have noticed my agony in trying to choose so suggested that I could have this without rice & salad, for $2 less.

And who wouldn't pounce at $6.80 for 12 pieces of this? We then realised this lessened price meant lessened sashimi - thickness & freshness. It wasn't too bad, but lacked the smooth textural sensation you get from thick cut slices. You really can't ask for much at that price.

Tanpopo Bento Box (Fish Teriyaki) - $9.80

The abundance of Japanese eateries scattered around means they'd need to distinguish themselves. Some choose to position themselves to the higher end with premium prices while others build their business around budget, wallet friendly prices and appealing to patrons like myself - a perfect representation of a poor person who blows all their money on food.

Very filling, Tan Po Po's version of a Bento box has it all - variety, value and COLOURS! And at such a good price, it's a happy (and legit!) steal. Described as a Japanese style lunch box, it includes your main meal choice, 2 golden crumbed pieces of prawn on a bed of cabbage, mixed greens, rice, miso soup, pickled ginger and edamame - the inedible soybeans in a hairy pod.

I'm not going to describe the first time I tried to swallow these - whole - because it's only a little embarrassing. Lets just say, I swallowed the outside as well, with a lot of difficulty and grunting about how chewy it was. I am now a little more brighter than that.

Una Don - $9.50

You'll need to have a tolerance for sticky, slimy textures to like eel, or just have an acquired taste for it. Having said that, one might think, and why should I even want to like sticky and slimy food? Why, for the love of eel of course!

Eel prepared the Japanese way pretty much follows one single homogeneous preparation method across the cuisine. Eel is typically grilled with skin on the underside still in tact, with a sweet smoky sauce served on plain white rice, acting as a perfect sauce absorber. Tan Po Po calls it special sauce, but I don't taste the difference.

Simple, but goes a long way to satisfy. I like eel for its very characteristics that others dislike about eel, namely its slight mushiness, slippery softness and thin bendable bones that are completely edible. I've had a bad experience with fish bones jabbed in my throat and using unsuccessful methods like gulping down unchewed rice and whole bananas to push it down.

After all that, I've learnt that 1). Tweezers are your best bet; and 2). That you should actually chew before you swallow. I was still mindless at age 7!

Curry & Rice

On a hot day, curry sounds less than attractive but Japanese curry is mild and won't add hotness to the hotness already in the atmosphere. Priced at around the $6 mark, I'd prefer to get something else or pay more for better curry.

Too little chicken, too much sauce, and unfortunately little old Goldilocks here couldn't say it was just right. Overall an average curry, bordering disappointing.

I understand that you get what you pay for, but with all the other more generous dishes that Tan Po Po offers at bargain prices, this is hardly worth it. Their menu states this is specially cooked curry with chicken & veges and served with rice & salad. Sadly I'd have to make modifications to that description to normally cooked curry with limited chicken shreds and vegies served with rice and grainy salad. A pity, because I was enjoying that carelessly washed tangy salad before that horrific CRUNCH of crispness in your mouth. It was sand.

Seaweed Salad

With a reasonable price of around $3.50, this becomes a good side dish in addition to your main meal. A light, crunchy texture of green seaweed strips tossed through with sesame seeds and fragrant sesame oil - and may be slightly addictive.

Its never really served in big portions, so the dainty small serving of it always leaves you with not enough.

Udon Noodles

Udon has been a childhood favourite of mine that is slowly starting to disappear. Thick chunky flour noodles in a soy flavour soup is served with your choice out of chicken or beef, with simple green garnishes of seaweed pieces and spring onion.

To me, udon can never really stand out from any other bowl of udon due to its plain simplicity. It is good on its own, just not distinguishable. Quite a decent sized bowl for it's price though, also around the $6-$7 mark.

I'd have random cravings for it sometimes when I'm in the mood to slurp and suck.

...

It is good to associate Tan Po Po as a cheap and cheerful little establishment, similar to what Taka dishes out but less the feeling of a mass production style of cooking and that get in and get out way of dining. Catering to a crowd who is on a mission to have decent food that doesn't bust their budget, it does well in that aspect. Groundbreaking quality food with such a low price tag, it does not do well, and it shouldn't be expected to. Have suitable expectations and you won't be disappointed. Gotta be keepin' it real :-)

Portion wise, good if you're playing a bit of portion control game with your diet and also good for its pricing. Pictures are ACTUALLY accurate representations of the food you get served, no misleading depictions here. How many times does your Big Mac actually look as majestic as the picture you see? Reality check.

It's in a pretty prime location being on the Beaufort Street eating strip but if you're not the lookout for it, you'll miss it. I guess it goes unnoticed among the rest of the competition on that street - even primer than its prime location would be somewhere in the CBD where demand for good value Japanese food is plentiful and unsatisfied.
(I still grieve for Mr Samurai on Barrack Street. It was sad to see you go!)

With Japanese tea house under their shop name, it hardly looks like what you'd imagine it to be. It is small and a little dainty, but depending on which side you're facing in its interior. Ambiance wise, it has but also lacks at the same time. "BUT HOW?!" you wail.
Ornaments adorn the entrance with limited stools and tables but walking towards the counter, the shop gets progressively shabbier with some parts of the dining area doubling as their storage room.

I was looking forward to my second, third, numerous times to coming back to slowly work through their whole menu but my second visit put a sudden halt to my adventures. With my digestive system nowadays I can't accurately shift the blame to the restaurant, should I get poisoned. But the curry DID taste suspicious and the BOTH of us did get a stomach ache afterwards. I haven't been back since, with the fear of seeing my food long after I consume it.

BUT (a big but!) I'll give it the benefit of doubt and say we were probably just unlucky. I'll be baaack.

***
Closed Sunday
(08) 9328 8313

***

Phong Vinh Noodle House

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:02:00 +0000

Usually you know your own strengths and weaknesses. When confronted with the question, our
conscience is temporarily lost and most of us lie our hearts out and butts off, but with no guilt whatsoever.

But I won't lie. One of my - oh so many! - innate strengths that I am so fortunate to be born with is -
my appetite. That's about it, really. As I don't think I'm good for much else.

But I'm oh so proud to call it mine when people gawp in awe (or disgust, I'm not sure) at just how much I
can fit into my little tummy - which many call, to my horror, "the bottomless pit".
It's like it's expandable. Always handy.

Why I say all this? It's because sometimes I myself marvel (yet quite horrified) at this strength of mine.
It took me from eating at home, to the Twilight Food Hawker Markets, to Phong Vinh - one after another.
Hopefully one day, it takes me places. Conquering the world, one cuisine after another.

Satay Sticks - 5 for $6

I quite miss the presence of the Twilight Hawker markets that lingered for about half a year or so in the CBD centre. They stuck around because of its popularity, the delicious aromas that wafted into the air against a twilight backdrop made perfect scents - HA! - to attract the crowds that created its success.

It was not just the food (albeit being the biggest attraction no doubt) but the sights, the sounds, the smells of large masses of people after one thing but the same thing. The atmosphere of it all, of hungry people congregating together and appreciating the simple but nourishing food that our beautifully isolated city has to offer.

The satay stall evidently attracted the biggest crowds with the biggest cloud of smoke fumes from cooking, with impressively but annoyingly long lines that warrants the wait for freshly grilled and caramelised meat lollipops laden with crunchy peanuts in a sweet chunky satay sauce. On the small side, so gives justification as to why you can eat, and eat, and eat and eat and eat some more.

Pho Dac Biet - $11

I felt inclined to name this my favourite Vietnamese restaurant after my first visit. I've tried a few of their dishes which don't fail to impress in terms of price, quantity and taste. Personally, the way I judge a Vietnamese restaurant is through its pho. If they don't do a good pho, I am skeptical. But still welcoming.

My particular bowl of Combination Beef Hofan Soup was no different to how I remembered it to be - generous, warming and filling. Combination beef really does means a combination of beef parts: different cuts of raw and cooked beef, tendon, omasum, balls...and starting to sound a tad sensual (or disgusting).

This contains pretty much ZERO vegetables besides spring onions, if that can be counted. It becomes a subconscious action of mine to load up my bowl with the bean sprouts provided just so it magically transforms into a nutritional meal.Beef stock is full of flavour but definitely doesn't leave the dry mouth feeling that MSG is so good for.

Mi Bo Kho - $10.50

We did temporarily swap our dishes but after digging into this, I decided it to be a permanent swap. Another winner of a dish is this rich, flavoursome, hearty combination of egg noodles in a gluggy soup, abundant with soft cubes of braised beef and carrot chunks that have fully absorbed the juices they are stewed in. I can't believe I'm saying this, but there really was TOO MUCH BEEF!

As with most of their dishes, you are spoiled with the choice to switch between springy egg noodles, chewier rice noodles, rice vermicelli or if you get excited by smooth textures, hofan would best answer to that desire. Each noodley strand is a different texture from their shape, size and form - the variety to be expected from a "noodle house". So use your noggin and select your noodle :)

Sinh To Bo - $5

I really love a good Asian style smoothie full of unconventional flavours of same old strawberry, creamy chocolate and very ordinary vanilla. All the smoothies you see at a Vietnamese restaurant are those of Asian inspired ingredients. And yeah avocados may not come to mind first or even connotated with anything Asian at all, but you probably can't play I spy an avocado shake anywhere else.

Very likely you'd think UGH! but I assure you it is very MMM! It's not a full on gluggy mashed up avocado made into a drink, but a lighter flavoured smoothie with a creamy consistency and similar to ice cream if it were more solid. I love avocados and I love ice cream so mathematically speaking, I love this. And I do.

I'd say it's like an avocado sundae, but then even I think that sounds revolting. So nah.

Sinh To Sau Rieng - $5

Perth's William Street was transformed into an entertainment strip on a March weekend for the annual William Street Festival. Held in celebration for the arts and cultural diversity that characterises the street, the amount of artistic fare and local designers' creations on display outshone the presence of the small number of food stalls.

It was a sunny day (too sunny!), I was starting to sweat like a pig and with Phong Vinh conveniently located on that very street, we popped inside for a bit of people watching and a lot of air con. The thought of a durian smoothie ignited my tastebuds more than that of the watery slushees up for sale on the street.

The distinctive durian aroma (so tempted to describe it as stinky) and flavour resonates throughout the glass, making the tall, slender icy cold blended durian fruit shake the perfect accessory for a stinking hot day.

Bun Thit Nuong - $11

I love Vietnamese cuisine for its refreshing flavours which make good use of the fresh raw ingredients that go into compiling the dish. It's not too heavy and fish sauce is THE prominent addition used to flavour the food, an intense tango of salty & sweet.

The compilation of this dish revolves around crisp textures of the raw vegetables and salted roast peanuts sprinkled atop. Paired with rice vermicelli and morsels of grilled pork, there's nothing really unhealthy about this meal. It's even bordering healthy. And believe it or not, miracles do happen and healthy food can be quite delicious.

Bun Thit Nuong - $11

Probably as close to eating a salad I'll ever get.

...

Some people do believe you can suss out a restaurant based on its clientele, but with this place you can't really tell. It has a mix of different people eating different types of meals for dinner from its many choices from the menu. Foods whipped up are well flavoured, and while nothing is really bland, self serve condiments are within reach and the all important hoisin sauce can save the day any day.

Unlike many places where staff are hit and miss, here it is consistently helpful and accommodating. It's akin to a no frills no spills system - well, no frills but yes spills, with a minor accident involving scalding hot soup spilled onto us - but with spills mopped up and subsequently showering us with apologies, all was forgiven.

A brightly lit, spacious, airy dining room creates a casual atmosphere where you can slurp your noodles loudly and to your heart's content without being stared at. With the standardised and recognisable thermos of hot tea given to you upon sitting down, the familiarity of Phong Vinh to Tra Vinh up the road - from similarities in its menu to the tea flasks used - CAN be justified: related owners, apparently. So the food is on par, on the better side of good.

You know you're in the vicinity of Northbridge when your dinner is interrupted by the hardworking guy, adorned with lights and other flashy devices strapped to his body, persistently selling overpriced flowers day in day out. Too bad flowers are only reserved for special occasions and dates these days, meaning I got downright rejected when I casually asked A for some flowers on a particularly normal night.

But even with its tainted reputation, you can always rely on Northbridge restaurants to stay open and dish out nourishing, good value meals. So unlike someone who won't buy you flowers, you can count on the restaurants. At least they will never let you down, or reject you.

***

Sun - Wed: 10am - 9pm

Friday - Sat: 10am - 10pm

(08) 9228 8238

Golden Century

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:24:00 +0000

"Go make me a sandwich."

Luckily, I don't get that a lot. And not because I am not a woman, but most likely because people don't trust my cooking for some odd reason.

And when asked where women belong, you and I know we are most likely thinking of the same thing. Jokingly. But joke or not, we know we shouldn't domesticate the humble but miraculous woman, and associate her with all those C words - cooking...caring...cleaning...kitchen.
Yet so, so courageous in the face of life's difficulties.

It's a family tradition of mine to tackle the rowdy crowds of Dim Sum in Northbridge every year when Mum's Day comes around. With the restaurants bursting to overcapacity and people flooding out the door on weekends, it already looks like it's Mothers Day every single Sunday. Imagine the real Mothers Day. Floods turn into tsunamis.

The one day in the year when Mothers are acknowledged and treated like a real lady, and rightfully NOT told to go to her kitchen (where real ladies belong, apparently). I've grown up with a role reversal among my parents, with Mum never having resided in the kitchen.
So I've learnt my mother ain't a real lady.
My dad is.

Prawn & Pork Dumplings

After my whole table performed several loud renditions of table pounding, I think it finally came to the staffs attention that we weren't trying to get their attention but just keeping my never-grow-tired niece occupied with sound and movement.

The carbohydrate and protein feast to come started with baskets of plump and juicy prawn & pork siu mai dotted with balls of fish roe. Best eaten when popping hot and fresh, cause that's when they are moist and burn you with hot deliciousness.

Prawn & Scallop Dumplings

By the end of this post you will notice how very closely the term Dim Sum is just another synonym for prawn dumplings.

Yeah, I know, not quite true. But if you have a prawn allergy you probably won't be able to eat over half the items available! I'd be bawling my eyes out in the corner.

I am quite partial to these silky white and smooth babies, delectable in appearance and taste. A luxurious mouthful of seafood featuring the bouncy texture of prawns, sweetness of scallop juices and mini pops of fish roe wrapped in a slightly chewy transparent dumpling skin. Fit for a queen. I.e. fit for me :)

Chicken Feet

I actually loved these when I was a little toddler but I have now grown out of chicken feet. I now have normal feet. However I have yet to grow out of a little toddler's size. Sigh! Some things just never change, while other things change too quickly.

Everyone should eat feet at least once. It's probably not something you'd imagine yourself drooling over or craving, unless you have a foot fetish...Ugh.

But forget that a chicken once used these to run around and embrace the taste of something that has been braised in a savoury black bean, slightly sweet and garlicky sauce, and now you'll just be spitting out bones that have now been sucked dry, instead of being grossed out by a foot.

Deep fried Crab Meat Dumplings

It should be a sin to serve these cold, or to re-fry them when they are cold and serve them up again as "freshly fried". But when they are indeed freshly fried without the quotation marks, crab meat dumplings are quite yum. Just like every other deep fried until golden brown item.
Everything should be deep fried. That's probably what the person who came up with deep fried Mars Bars thought as well.

Golden triangles that are sort of reminiscent of the humble hash brown, these are also white inside with the springy texture of crab meat. Now, I don't know how much of that crab meat is ACTUALLY crab meat, and how much more I'm inclined to call these Crab meat flavoured dumplings.

But coated with an exterior of crunchy golden batter, nobody cares that it contains little crab (or none at all).

Prawn Dumplings

Nobody goes to Dim Sum without consuming these. NOBODY! It's become so standardised that any Westerner can say har gow as fluent as if they are fully Asian. It's beautiful how food can transcend through all cultures while languages is a bit hard to.

A blanket of clear smooth dumpling skin with crinkled edges tightly hugs mounds of juicy prawns - it's a perfect, snugly fit. And the way your mouth wraps around these dumplings is also a perfect, snugly fit.

Steamed...Omasum?!

I used to always refer to these as tripe until I did a Google search and was exposed to images that differed from these. Honeycomb tripe is in fact another Dim Sum dish (you want it? Dim Sum's got it!) but is quite different to these. Honeycomb tripe gives a lot softer chew and their "honeycomb" appearance means it absorbs a lot more juices.

So I've learnt a new word - omasum. No doubt (well, some doubt) that these also come from somewhere inside a cow but better looking than most offal. Texture wise, they're a bit like...fabric. (WHAT?)

They look a bit spiky but they aren't, and gives a "hard chewiness" as opposed to the "soft chewiness" you get from, say, a tendon. And by now I know I'm not even making sense so you just gotta embrace all animals (and their insides) and give it a shot yourself.

Deep fried Meat Dumplings

Quite literally, these are salt water dumplings. Thankfully, they are not full on salty and do not have an oozy liquid centre (unfortunately). Instead, they are like deep fried savoury Mochi balls, with a contrasting texture of crispy skin coating with another layer of chewy, sticky, glutinous skin.

Their centres consist of a filling of minced pork meat, sometimes among other ingredients like Chinese mushroom. As with all encased items of food, they become volcanoes with dangerously hot molten lava centres. But delicious molten lava you'd run towards, instead of bolting your life away from!

Egg Custard Tarts

And while I'm on the subject of delicious molten lava centres, here are some pods of golden lava. They are so beautifully made, with silky smooth and wobbly custard centres baked into multi-layered tiers of flaky, aromatic, buttery pastry bowls. A lustful cocktail of intense taste and textural sensations in a much loved Hong Kong delicacy, baked fresh from the kitchen.

On every visit whenever she steps into this restaurant, my mum makes a point to 1). Physically go up to the waiters, 2). Call the waiters over, 3). Tell every waiter who comes within her vicinity to "Leave 3 plates of Egg custard tarts for me for later!" And then 4). Remind every waiter that she has told them to save her 3 plates of egg custard tarts.

Poor waiters. They suffer the same nagging as I do.

So like, you can sort of tell from this maniac obsession of hers, that they must be quite alright, right?

Apparently she reckons they serve the best egg custard tarts. It was a nice gesture that they charged us 2 plates and not 3 when they dropped and hence served us 1 less egg tart. Like a touch of liquid sunshine,they're so warm to look at and touch. I'd much prefer eating than walking on sunshine oh ohhh! :)

Layered flaky goodness

Just a tad closer so it's easier for you to grab one straight through your monitor ;)

And close-up shots to get your heart pumping and mouth salivating. And downing a few of these would probably get your cholesterol levels pumping equally as much too.

Beef Tendon

Something you'd expect to be fibrous and tough, but instead is braised until soft and a little chewy. Mum has teeth of steel and loves hard stuff - i.e. chewing on bones. Yes I'm serious and no that wasn't a joke.

As such, I'm so used to and have taken a liking to tendon being cooked so that they are still hard but give a good chew. These are much softer and people probably like them more done this way, but to me it feels like I'm eating heavily flavoured baby food.

Egg Custard Buns

These are a favourite amongst many and funnily enough, if you put on a serious stern face and tell someone they can eat the paper underneath, they do actually believe it. And then proceed to eat it right in front of you.

I was in year 9 when a teacher came in with these buns and distributed them to the class and told everyone the paper was edible, only to hear sounds of PUH! later on when it proved a bit difficult to swallow. Teachers. Always a reliable source of information.

Perfect white circular spheres of fluffy bun-ny goodness, served steaming hot in wooden steamer baskets. Many people peel off the layer of skin formed on the bun itself, but that used to be my favourite part of the bun. Stupid me. Hated animal skin but loved bun skin.

Egg Custard Bun - Innards

So here we go again with the pool of golden surprise when you rip the bun in half. Now, this really CAN burn. I mean, the others can burn, but boy this one can BURN.

Dim Sum has always had Custard buns with a soft, sort of solidified custard centre. In the past few years, I think it was Golden Century that introduced the revolutionary new bun that actually contained a fully LIQUID centre that pours out from the interior. I was in love for a long time.

Namely the "Flowing Sand Bun" in direct literal translation, the centre holds a vivid and bright puddle of gold, a buttery mixture of salty yet sweet egg yolk and salted egg. Things have changed and the filling size varies, now with an added gritty texture (just slightly). Maybe to fit in with the whole "golden sand" theme.

Prawn Rice Flour Rolls

Yet another prawny dish, featuring pretty much the same ingredients as the Prawn dumplings but in different form and shape. Cause you should embrace everything, in all shapes and sizes.

Whole prawns are rolled into sheets of soft flour with a sweet soy sauce poured over them after they are served to your table, so that they don't prematurely get soggy.

Deep fried Prawn Dumplings

Deep fried prawn wantons made me really happy as a kid. I enjoyed the crispy skin SO much more than the prawn fillings inside, as would any other kid, and maybe any other adult too.
The deep fried pastry is crinkled and it makes them that much crunchier.

These are always served with a side dish of a sweet and tangy mayonnaise for dipping, which is the standard sauce to have with these prawn dumplings at Dim Sum. It provides a contrasting, soothing and cooling effect to the (should be) very hot dumplings.

It creates an extra layer to comfort your tongue from the heat or to protect your fingers, dunk your fingers in the mayonnaise and THEN pick up the prawn dumplings. Get into it.

Pan fried Potstickers

I'm aware these aren't really referred to as Potstickers, but I will. Quite literally translated as "pan stick", these are like the Chinese version of gyoza. They both have the chewy exterior skin with edges sealed via crimping together and then pan fried on one/two sides until crispy and golden.

Love the hard crispiness settled on the skins plus the generous filled insides of pork and chives. These savoury dumplings are served with a dish of red vinegar as dipping sauce. I tend to do without as sauce cancels out the crispy factor. They stick to the pan until that crispiness is reached and hence, quite originally, pan stick.

Chinese Doughnut Rice Flour Roll

We couldn't pass up a plate of this. We've learnt to pass up a plate of deep fried squid tentacles cause that simply doesn't excite us anymore but this still does.

If you're wondering what a chinese doughnut is, then I'm gonna be very useful and describe it as indescribable. I could simply say it's deep fried dough, but in reality it's so much more than that and tastes so much better than you're imagining right now.

It's pretty damn oily but it's cleverly and easily concealed and goes unnoticed by all that sweet soy sauce. The dough sticks are lovingly rolled into silky flour sheets and garnished with spring onions and salty morsels of dried shrimp embroidered into the silky smooth edible white fabric.
Tad pricier than most of the other dim sums.

Scallop & Prawn Dumpling

I know this is already featured somewhere up there, but...it's just so pretty!

Steamed Chicken Buns

Okay. I gotta admit, I was surprised and puzzled when Mother ordered this. It seemed a tad too ordinary but when I gave it a chance and decided to give it a try, I was surprised again by...just how ordinary they were. I beg them to differ.

The pie version of this is a lot nicer, with fine chicken mince and other ingredients encased by a buttery pie pastry, resulting in something like a mini dim sum pie. Sure BBQ pork buns have their fame, but I'm not dazzled by them. So I'm even less dazzled by their chicken counterpart.

Not bad, but just not interesting.

Chicken Bun - Innards

See? Exciting?

Chicken pieces in a bun.

Steamed Fish Balls

I had a sudden craving for balls. Fish balls, to be exact.

So we called a basket of steamed balls. They're less bouncier than the smaller ping pong sized fish balls you commonly see, but bigger in size. Composed of fish paste, they taste more fishy than the aforementioned fish balls - not the bad fishy smell and taste but the actual seafood taste.

They sit on a base layer of soft bean curd skin that has sat there quietly soaking up all the juices the fish balls have to offer, and become so sweet as a result. Nothing satisfies quite as much as big white fluffy balls!

...

If you're craving Dim Sum, Golden Century is a safe place to satisfy those weekend/weekday/everyday cravings. Parking is a pain in the ass, which results from being in such a central location in the Northbridge hub, Perth's well known but also well-known-for-all-the-wrong-reasons entertainment precinct. It also sits perfectly opposite a particular...well known park in Northbridge too. Well known location in a well known location. You can't miss it. It's so well known.

Many of the Dim Sum restaurants go by that identity by day and dish up an entirely different dinner menu when the sun goes down. This place is one of them. But their Dim Sum menu is a good variety, with the typical dishes and a variety of others, but not the level of creativity as I see what Sydney and Melbourne are offering yet :( The prices are as expected and they don't skimp on portions, with well cooked food and not a bland dish in sight nor taste.

Decor is simple and practical. We were a bit disappointed to hear that much of the foods had run out as a result of our terrific plan to come a bit later than peak lunch hour so that we didn't die in the mass crowds. Genius no more.
But that way I guess we received more attentive service and food was served hot because a). It was cooked to order for us or b). It was freshly reheated. I guess that's still okay, cause food wasn't cold from doing rounds on the dining floor when it was full house.

While I can't fault much, there is one pressing thing that irks me to no end. One thing, but a big thing to me, as it is a continuing occurrence and not just a once off. What's one thing that everyone is sensitive about?
$$$. And out of curiosity I once calculated the bill before we take it to the counter to pay and it came up much greater than I'd calculated (but still <$10 difference. Still). Mistake maybe. But is it still a mistake if it happens once, twice, 3 times after that? And we get told that we are not getting charged for tea too. As much as I am unwilling, I doubt the honesty and I hate the feeling of being unable to trust.

On a brighter side, even though staff are worked flat out, some of their politeness really shone out as something different to me. Empty steamers were collected briskly, teapots were refilled and requests were answered to swiftly and with a smile, which is hard to get nowadays. Asked a staff for 2 pots of tea and these were placed on the table literally 2 seconds after by another staff.

Ok, they were efficient, but that was probably a result of my dear Mother telling every waiter to "please give us 2 pots of tea" en route from the entrance to her seat.
Deja vu? Nope. That's my Mother for you. Persistent as hell. That's probably how she got Dad.

I hope every single Mother in the world over had a lasting, loving and enjoyable Mothers Day.
You deserve every bit of it.
And if you aren't a Mother, treat your Mum like one!
:)

Anghiti

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:31:00 +0000

I chuckled when a friend quite seriously said to me,
"Mate. First time eating Indian. Last time eating Indian" after a meal she had that probably resulted in something that bore great resemblance to the curry that she put into her mouth.

It's unfortunate she has now denied her own chance to appreciate a great Indian curry: brown, gluggy...but simultaneously rich and majestic in taste.
It's one of those cuisines you love or hate. But depending on the side you look at it from, you'll agree with only half that phrase deliciously ugly: curry is damn delicious or just plain ugly.

My friends aren't TOO shallow and we all know to look beyond just appearance. Apparently beauty is only skin deep but this little beauty resonates deeply through the depth of the bowls they are served in.

And excuse the crap blurry photos, 4 months back I always felt like such a drag making my dining companions wait. Nowadays they just know to wait. Otherwise I shout. (At them) :)
Not the other type, where I pay for the food.

Lemon Lime Bitters

Everyone on the table had the usual LLB except me. A few full untouched glasses needed replacements though, after A had a bit of fun in knocking over the drinks and watching the glass fly decadently and golden liquid free flowing across the wooden table.

Staff did not make a fuss out of this, nor the other incidents where she continued her clumsy streak and dropped heavy cutlery on the table...on the floor...and probably on us too.

Tandoori Mixed Platter (Medium) - $29

My friends thought it smart to tell me that dinner started half an hour before it really did.
So here I was, waiting for latecomers while I starved. So ordered this platter for myself as a snack while I waited.

HA, just kidding. I know those who know me are thinking, you're so not kidding.
This tantalising platter arrived freshly grilled from the clay oven with assorted the proteins of fish, chicken and lamb, with each piece bursting with flavour from the strong marinade.
It's a shame this meal for one had to be shared between 6.

Shahi Paneer (Mild) - $16

While we decided against ordering certain dishes because some simply didn't like the ingredients, we ordered a dish I COMPLETELY couldn't touch (eat). I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

This indulgently creamy pot of golden melted cottage cheese smelted together with onions, cashew nuts and yoghurt gravy is mild but nonetheless heavy flavoured.
I went all out and indulged in about half a teaspoon of this.

Butter Chicken (Medium) - $18.50

I know D&J make a very subjective judgement on the quality of an Indian restaurant solely based on how they prepare Butter Chicken. I know that's not entirely fair but you're your own master of your appetite :) Who's to judge you on how you judge others?

Arguably one of the more well known names that pop up in thought whenever Indian is mentioned, succulent chunks of roast chicken coated and then drenched with a sauce that is thick, buttery, tomatoey and infused with spices. It's a real delicacy.
Where would India be without spices?!
Still in...some ocean I guess :$

Lamb Rogan Josh (Medium) - $18.50

This boneless lamb dish is a simmer of brown onions, whole spices and yoghurt. The cooling and soothing properties of yoghurt gives it that medium level of hotness that is easier to handle in the mouth and stomach.

I hate eating hot foods that leave me fanning my tongue, make my eyes leak and have me make hissing sounds throughout the rest of dinner.

Aloo Baigan (Medium) - $15.50

Curry is always associated with the different meats and the delicious ways they are prepared, but all their vegetarian dishes, laden with ~~nearly as~~ also as delicious vegetables are sometimes overlooked. What? Pfft, vegetables? Well pfft, give it a shot.

Along with potato, aubergine (eggplant!) is such a well suited partner to curry. Prepared with and immersed into exotic herbs and spices, the vegetable becomes slightly transparent, soft and full of flavour after soaking up all the rich curry gravy into its flesh.

Jeera Pulao Rice - $4.50

Sure you can eat meat and just meat but you probably, most likely will not do such a carnivorous act.

Indian basmati rice is very distinct, and distinguishable from the usual rice I faithfully eat every day and night. These rice grains are long and can look quite worm-like and I really shouldn't have said that.

This rice doesn't have the usual sticky properties of rice and has a harder texture than the softness of steamed rice. Each grain separates itself from its duplicates in the bowl.

Pickle - $3

So this is what pickle is in Indian cuisine. I did imagine the pickles you find in cheeseburgers at McDonalds.

Apart from the blurriness of the photo, it is quite an accurate depiction of the little porcelain dish holds - a blurry fiery red vegetabley mess.

Aloo Paratha - $5.50

Thin, flat breads with a soft potato filling spread inside arrived in a metal basket, looking and feeling mighty hot. Like rice, bread is such a complementary carbohydrate to have with curry.

It acts just like an absorbent cloth to soak up the curry juices and wipe down all the curry drippings off the tabl...plate.

Garlic Nan - $4.50 and Chilli Nan - $5.50

My memory challenges me and I really can't remember whether why these 2 types of different naan breads were served together. Maybe we were given the option to go half-half when 2 girls were having a b*!#$fight over the table on which bread to choose.

Unlike the paratha before, naan bread takes on a more crispier texture from their thinner style, not housing any fillings inside. Instead, they are flavoured on their exterior, extremely aromatic and taste so good when they are hot enough to burn your fingers.
But my lesson is soo not learnt.

...

Claiming to be the Masters in Indian Cuisine with a worn out, faded and visibly weathered restaurant sign post would needs guts and a very good chef to dish out the goodies. Fortunately they do stand out and stand up to this, holding the prestigious position of WA winner of Favourite Indian for 2010 and 2012. Their (lack of) effort to fix that old, battered, discoloured restaurant sign post outside is not reflective of their effort they put into the food that they serve up.

Stepping inside gives a stark contrast to the parking complex outside, a warmly lit atmosphere with a spacious floor plan layout. Located up the back is the kitchen, like a giant fishbowl available for diners to gawp at, watching the chefs busily swimming around inside around their clay oven ornament. This traditional Indian charcoal stove is what they pride themselves upon, the cooking medium fueled by charcoal and wood fire and used to cook all their foods that are fueled with spices and passion.

Deserving of their award, I couldn't fault much of what I tasted. All were aromatic, rich and with intense flavours, glistening with sauce.Checking the menu now seems to show an increase in prices. However at the time I had my Indian fix, the prices were good for value for Indian cuisine with good serving sizes, indicated by my as-per-usual finishing up job when everyone else declares they are full.

I used to think the place looked a bit plain, cold and hollow with a chain restaurant feel attached to it. But my, how time flies and things change. A few years on, it's more cosy, classy and more intimate. Wooden floorboards, artwork on the walls and the warm glow of lights casts shadows in the room amongst the brown and yellow themed atmosphere. The now less brightly lit dining section oozes comfort with decor that echoes the colour of the food itself. Wise!

We needed more time to decide on ordering and waiting around for VERY late people (i.e. 40 minutes) but then staff left us lonely for too long when we said give us a moment :( Late on they were attentive, responsive and quick to come to our rescue when they saw us watering down the place with our Lemon Lime Bitters.

Lack of desserts on their menu meant we conveniently popped over to the dessert store a few doors down for some ice cream - Blockbuster. And the rest of Perth are probably shouting directly at their screen and indirectly at me saying that's a video rental store you twat!

Life is what you interpret it to be, through your own set of eyes.

Jus Burgers: Northbridge

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Thu, 10 May 2012 06:50:00 +0000

Once upon a time, McDonalds would be the only place to go if you ever felt like a whopper. Hungry Jacks. Whatever.
Back in the olden days, we had limited choice. Fast forward a few sleeps, we are spoilt rotten with too much choice.
Burgers no longer have their long-standing reputation of being greasy, unhealthy, hungover food that goes straight to your thighs after consuming it. They stop at the stomach, all because of a fancy little word:
Gourmet.

A hip word that is gaining so much publicity in the food world. You'll get shunned if you deliver anything less than outstanding. Everybody is a food critic nowadays.
People's standards have changed. (For the better!)
Move over fast food, until when I next need you.
...Tomorrow? :$

The birth of earlier successful burger joints quickly led to a whole mob of burger-serving offspring to populate little old Perth. We evidently have a healthy appetite for healthy fast food.

Pomegranate Frappe - $6.95

Although it was a wet, rainy, stormy, lightning-striking-everywhere Australia Day night, it was simultaneously sticky, humid and hot. The rain pelting down could make you sweat. I can't remember the last time Perthians witnessed a spectacular light show of firework and lightning together, with rain pissing down on them.

It was so unbelievably stuffy, but perfect weather for an ice cold frappe. This stunning velvet creation features a refreshing blend of "pomegranate juice, berries, splash of cloudy apple, fresh mint and ice" and was really quite too SOUR! But so very refreshing and bursting with fresh ingredients.

We managed half the cup at best and ended up with an attractive berry-stained smile, thanks to all the abundance of gritty berry chunks and seeds.

All of Jus Burgers burgers are lovingly created with a grilled sugar-free Turkish bun, homemade aioli, relish, fresh lettuce, tomato and spanish onion. Something Jus Burgers deserves recognition for is being the state's first restaurant to sign to the Buy West Eat Best initiative, sourcing all of its produce locally from a cast of WA suppliers all over the region. There's no fakeness or artificialness here, unless you consider the only seasonings of salt and pepper added when cooking to be artificial!

There is an emphasis on fresh and no compromise on quality with their "no freezer allowed" policy, a very impressive procedure to exist in a restaurant to be honest. Stuff goes bad, start to rot, start to smell ...which then makes you appreciate the efforts required when a place endeavors to deliver FRESH FRESH FRESH and AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE all time, every time.

Original Beef - $11

I opted for the basic but equally satisfying Original Beef burger, full of simplicity, originality and free of frills, spills and hormonal imbalances. You're eating nothing but bare, naked cows in its pure original glory.

A juicy, hand pressed, char grilled patty of Western Australian Amelia Park beef hanging out with other burger staples sandwiched between a sturdy, crispy Turkish roll - Burgers just might be better at Jus.

Wagyu Beef - $15

Also on the line for dinner is the Wagyu Beef, a mountainous stack of WA Vasse Valley Wagyu beef slathered with wasabi mayo. Listening to the sound of that conjures up a taste sensation with hints of hotness, creaminess and fatty portions distributed throughout the thick slab of wagyu.

The wasabi mayo has a subtle spiciness and could probably be toned up a fair bit to add that extra hit to the overall flavour of the burger. When wasabi is involved, I want WASABI and not just...wasabi.

Mango Smoothie - $6.50

When Perth's Food and Wine month promoted Eat Drink Perth, I never once parted with my Eat Drink Perth booklet and quickly became my essential necessity. Chock full of discounted, delicious offers and coupons from all around the CBD and close-by suburbs, it wasn't a surprise to see Jus Burgers featured in there with their burger and drink contribution.

Usually selling at $6.50, their sweet deal delivered up a $5 mango smoothie with the purchase of a discounted Wagyu burger. A creamy concoction of blended mango, ginger and a splash of lemon gave a slight hint of citrus in a tropical beverage, infused with notes of spicy ginger undertones.

Wagyu Beef - $10 (Eat Drink Perth special)

Here's a cross section of the same burger from above, sliced through and making it a tonne times easier to eat. Or if you look at it differently, it can be a tonne times harder to eat, ingredients falling out from every angle of the burger.

It's become a habit of mine to ask for sliced up burgers, so you can see every intricate detailed layer inside the burger :) Nothing to do with the ease of my own eating pleasure of course.

Mullet - $15

I generally frown upon mullets. Jus has revamped the look and it has never been so good looking. I could do with a mullet in 2012. But with some sauce.

Mullets scream AUSTRALIAN! so loud, with the whole load of fry-up ingredients compacted into the one burger. Building blocks of salad, char-grilled beef patty, free range fried egg, bacon and cheddar cheese (minus beetroot please!) towers high and rocks with instability, even with 2 skewers pierced through their hearts. We watched our burger sway dangerously on the countertop and tapped a waiter's shoulder just in time to save it from meeting with the floor.

...

Rightfully earning and thus rightfully boasting a multitude of awards over the years since 2009, Jus Burgers has become a famed burger name and an Australian celebrity with a loyal fan base. Being a continuous and consecutive winner of I LOVE FOOD awards (doesn't that award capture everything so well :)) for Best Hamburger in Australia, they must be doing something right to please people's palates.

This burger bar has several stores in the primest of prime locations (think: Northbridge, Leederville, Subiaco, Fremantle), all areas saturated with food and foodies. Along with happy and quirky staff, all the burger bars share quite small and slightly cramped spaces that are compensated with recycled, fun and functional decor (Ikea lamps and synthetic grass...on the CEILING?!). Constraints in seating does mean you have to scramble for a seat, making you feel much like a watchdog and barking at those who steal the next available table.

I admit I didn't take an immediate liking to Jus Burgers burgers. But seeing it out-rivaled WA's and even the entire country's burgers, maybe I was viewing it with coloured spectacles after falling in love with Grill'd burgers. And indeed after a 2nd, 3rd try, I now wear clear coloured glasses when perving at food. Their menu includes so much choice and caters considerably for those dining with dietary and ethical requirements with the expected gourmet prices for burgers.

Reading up on the man himself, Justin Bell - the bawssse of all this, it's easy to gauge the commitment put into chaperoning all the stores, AND our environment they are in. And as if this nationally successful and recognisable name isn't enough, Jus also receives commendation for environmental sustainability. Jus Burgers sells just burgers, which really lets them focus on delivering a quality and fancy elevated sandwich.

What can't this guy do?
Probably fail.

***
(08) 9227 0668

Monday & Sunday: 11.30am to 9pm
Tuesday to Saturday: 11.30am to 10pm

***

Big Bowl Noodle House

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:27:00 +0000

Yep, these guys sure do have big bowls.

And big spoons to match.

I think they have shrunk in size though, to more accurately reflect the amount of noodles you get inside that oversized porcelain bowl. It's not an under serving by any means, but things just look so much smaller when you place them next to bigger things...or into bigger things.

In the same way, Big Bowl becomes quite a small one among the big eating strip along Albany Highway. It doesn't really stand out as a place you'd really crave to visit all the time. Admittedly I end up in here only when other restaurants are closed, closing or closing down.

However, it is always a very trusty fallback option, albeit not being first choice. Noodles never disappoint, especially when they are the fresh homemade kind.

And even if they aren't - Noodles. Still. Never. Disappoint. How many lives has 2 minute noodles saved?

Pork Meat Balls Noodle - $9.80

On this occasion I felt like something simple, which is what this place caters for perfectly. Something light, soupy and not too big of a serving is just what anyone needs for breakfast. But then again, a huge delicious filling buffet of eggs, mushrooms, toast, muffins, sausages, etc etc etc would probably be a more tempting invitation to WAAAAKEEE UPPPPP!

A selection of noodles gives you the choice to select from thin, thick or wholemeal noodles. Above is a freshly cooked, steaming hot bowl of wholemeal noodles, bok choy and pork balls (the G rated kind) floating in clear soup.

Wholemeal noodles from here are reminiscent of pasta. They have a bit of a grainy texture and provide a satisfying mastication :)

Prawn & Pork Wanton Noodle - $9.80

Wantons are something we always make and eat at home but don't really make it into our food choice when we venture out to eat. Wantons at Big Bowl are worth a try though, with plump crinkly centres full of minced pork but limited prawn content.

Thin noodles have a lighter texture than their thick counterparts. A cloudier soup, but in terms of taste I don't think it's any different to the other soups used in most of their noodle dishes. A richer taste is always desirable but then again, you're just desiring more seasoning and good food doesn't rely on that. After all, they do pride themselves on Natural ingredients, Natural flavour, No preservatives & Healthy gourmet food. It's pretty good that you don't feel like you haven't drank for a whole week afterwards.

Usually people follow Eat First, Remorse Later.

Pffftt. I follow Eat First. Who Cares!

...

Big Bowl comes with big bowls, big spoons, big dining space and a big menu. It's got its menu creatively made into wallpaper on some of their walls as well as on their tables, shielded under a clear glass panel. Makes things easier as everywhere you look you are bombarded with WORDS. MUCH LIKE THIS BLOG. WORDSWORDSWORDSWORDSWORDS

On the menu, you get something close to 60 choices revolving around noodles and the like. Different variations of noodles (ho fun, rice noodles, RICE...) within multiple methods of cooking (soup, stir fry, baked, braised) and you're spoilt with choice. Serving sizes are quite alright and is really good for a quick stop fast food noodle shop, minus the excessive calories. Fast food, meaning your food comes out in about 5 minutes flat. Seriously. That s#!^ is crazy.

Efficiency is top here: walk in, find a table, perve on the menu, order at counter, pay at counter, get table number, sit down, wait 5 minutes, food served, eat food, go. Quick and easy, but as expected with such a system to dining, table service is minimal. Staff are there, but you only sort of notice them at the beginning when you walk through the door. First impressions count... but then the second, third, etc don't, it seems!

Having said that, the place has made a niche into the noodle market and does not really serve up Chinese food as such. There's none of your typical Sweet n Sour porks or Chilli Pepper squids or any other of those dishes Chinese food is predictably associated with (probably thanks to Billy Lees!). These noodle nutters are big on noodles, made from scratch in house. Dumplings are the other stars here, so if you want wantons or want tons of noodley goodness, Big Bowl should be your first choice. Not your 2nd...or 3rd...or "just as a fall back option".

The interior of Big Bowl, like I said, is big. It's spacious, clean and rather...big. The large space extends to the back, as does the open kitchen. It will really remind you of food court style dining no doubt, with the table numbers, limited service and a capacious area featuring rows of ample seating.
This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm here for noodles, not a cup of tea.
So I'm cool with that.

Ciao Italia

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 18:12:00 +0000

When you see a sea of people crowding around a source of light at the Mill Point Road intersection, you'd think that there was free food or something.

Anything that included the word "free" really. Humans are realistic.

But this wasn't the case. It just doesn't make sense, but as you get closer, you realise the restaurant makes a lot of scents. And you become one of those many peeps swarming around the lights and smells, itching to get a feed.

The source of attraction that is Ciao Italia, its charm luring in hungry moths from all over Perth.

Chilled Berry Fusion drink

After a long wait outside but shortly after being ~~seated~~ squished and packed up compactly onto a table next to the semi-open kitchen, drinks were needed. I thirsted for food more than I did for drinks though, seeing the tables right next to me laden high with big plates of Italy.

It's so close you could taste it - provided you extended your hand over to the next table. And if that wasn't weird, you really could reach it. The tables are that close.

There aren't too many drinks on offer here, most of them being soft drinks and some other bottled beverages, the Berry Fusion being one of them.

Garlic Bread - $5.50

To suppress our stomach grumbles, the infamous garlic bread starter came out super fast. Specks of garlic and a light sprinkling of herbs adorn pieces of toasted bread generously lathered with butter.
It smells gloriously rich and one single bite contains both fluffiness and crispiness. *swoon*

The only way I can eat garlic bread :(

One of the downsides to deliciously fatty food is that I'm very susceptible to it. I can't tolerate them very well. If you are curious about my autobiography Life Without a Gall Bladder, it would feature images like this. It's how my diet has consequently changed for the worse (because I have to eat like a health freak)!

So out of one slice of garlic bread, this is what I DIDN'T eat. Yep, I can't touch the very heart and soul of what garlic bread is all about. This slice of gold is too golden for me and the crust becomes the only edible bit, so thank God it's crunchy and just to my liking. Yes, it IS a better diet I admit.
But it's just so, so, so painful to eat so healthy.

Gnocchi Napoletana - $21.50

Gnocchi is fondly known in Italian cuisine and at Ciao Italia as their very own homemade potato dumplings. I'm so used to dumplings having substantial fillings inside that I don't feel obliged to term these as dumplings. But dumplings schmumplings, they're still little delights to pop.

The small sheer size of these little things are so easy to keep eating, and eating, and eating without realising that you're still...eating. Liberally bathed in a herbed tomato sauce, soft, slightly mushy but still having a slight chewiness, they're actually really filling after a while.

Ciao Italia Fettuccine - $22.50

The thinnest person on the table ordered the fattest dish on the table (and maybe on the menu as well!) We all know those skinny people who look like they've been deprived of nutrition, who in fact can eat 5 times their own weight. In one sitting.
I may seem like one of them, but so many people beat me hands down. I'm so curious to see what I'd turn into if my metabolism suddenly broke down. God forbid!

This plate features a combination of marinated tender free range chicken strips, sundried tomato and fresh diced tomato in a calorific creamy white sauce. Heart attacks only cost $22.50 nowadays.

Gnocchi Bolognese - $21.50

This is like a replication of the Gnocchi Napoletana, the addition of minced meat producing another texture and visually adding to the presentation of the gnocchi. Delizioso! :)

Spaghetti Bolognese - $17.50

Spaghetti Bolognese was the healthiest option I could spot on the whole menu. Trying to spot a healthy dish on a menu of Italian cuisine is sure challenging, if not impossible. They sure know how to make rich and delicious tasting food but keep looking good.
Where on earth does all that cheese consumption go?!

Spaghetti was cooked just right with whole strands that wrap effortlessly around your fork. So much rich and meaty sauce that flies everywhere and makes a striking appearance on your clothes.

Dessert Cabinet

Can't comment on dessert 'cause what the hell, I didn't have any dessert! But I managed to snap their dessert cabinet which takes up much valuable and needed space. The cabinet doesn't house much variety but it does house "Perth's best tiramisu"! (Or so I've read). BEST!
In capitals so you can tell I'm shouting in your face.

Best is a loud and daring position to claim. Not a big tiramisu fan myself, I'd be an inaccurate judge on this. Unfortunately you're gonna have to go and pig out.

Dessert Cabinet

...

Ciao Italia is such a roaring, successful establishment, evident from the lines outside the restaurant despite the slightly annoying No Bookings policy. You sorta have to just get there and hope for the best after you put your name down on the long waiting list. This dinner is gonna be a test of patience.

Sometimes you get the impression they seem to operate on a mass scale, systematic procedure of getting you in and getting you out ASAP to have the highest turnover possible. But it is the most efficient way, and they even have their rule of not seating you until your whole party needs is present outside the restaurant. These guys know how to make optimal use of space, with tables situated right up near the toilets too. So even if you came in, hate it and want to leave, it's still a challenge to get out.

Staff are really good at handling the crowd and are very evidently, are mostly charming and charismatic Italian waiters. We waited an hour, was seated at 8pm and left before 9pm. Barely had time to chew my food but they have a knack for making you not realise just how rushed your whole dinner is. I think you have an intrinsic sense of urgency when you see people standing outside in the cold wishing you'd hurry your ass up.

Dining in seems to be the popular option even though diners are ushered in and compressed into a small, tight-fit brick building with a maze of chairs and tables. This all adds to the ambiance of the bustling, loud, but warm and happy atmosphere where voices, Italian music, sounds and smells are all rebounding off each other. It's unusual to see somewhere so densely populated in Perth. The proximity between tables and people is dangerous, requiring you to take extra care to make sure you don't knock someone out as you struggle past them. As I talk from experience.

Takeaway seems to be a busy area too, and deliveries can be arranged to a limited number of Southern suburbs. Prices are on par with most other Italian restaurants but Ciao Italia produces huge servings and seem to have a love for cinnamon powder as presentation! IT'S EVERYWHERE! The pictures you see are SMALL servings too, which are $5 cheaper and they are quite...not small. They pride themselves on homestyle Italian cuisine and a wood fired gourmet pizzeria producing crazy larger-than-life sized pizzas!

Bring two things: A big appetite and wear your eating pants. Loose fitting ones too, cause you'll be competing with your stomach.

***
(08) 9368 5500
Tuesday - Saturday: 5pm to 10pm
Sunday & Monday: Closed

***

Edo Japanese BBQ Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:58:00 +0000

Every single night, I look forward to dinner.

Every single night, I hate deciding where to eat.

Judging by the amount of posts labelled under Japanese I have consumed, you'd think what I ask every night is "What do you feel like tonight? Japanese, Japanese or Japanese?"

I could, should and would. And I probably will.

Sashimi

I don't really know anybody who doesn't like sashimi. Those who don't, are usually misled by their own impressions of it being slimy and having a strong raw, fishy smell. To that, I would say DUH IT'S FISH but actually, quality sashimi has none of that.

Fish that doesn't smell like fish, is good fish.

Edo's sashimi offerings are fresh, thick-cut, lustrous pieces of gold in the form of salmon, tuna and snapper. The brilliance of the colours on the dish are bold, vibrant and is my type of eye candy. I could stare at this all day. IF I resist gobbling it up.

Rice

Calling the donburi version comes with a small heaped bowl of sesame seed studded steamed white rice.
A must.

Sashimi Donburi (Main + Rice)- $8.90

Intense colour adorning the raw fish slices with its white stripey embellishments, its a godsend that fish fat is actually so good for you. Edo lives up to its claims of providing sashimi that is fresh daily, proof when you taste a generous, melty, smooth consistency, buttery slab of these different versions of raw chickens of the sea.

Curry Vegetables Bento Lunch - $9.90

As much as I'll get shunned for this, I think Vegetarians are disadvantaged in the dining world. Because like I've read somewhere, "Becoming vegetarian is a big missed steak" and while anti-meaters will be disgusted with that and the thought of a big slice of delicious juicy steak, I couldn't agree more.

By no means am I anti-vegetarian and I love my meat-free meals and friends alike. I myself, am also pretty meatless and could do with a bit more on my figure. But life is already so full of mistakes that I just simply cannot afford yet another missed steak!

Curry Vegetables

J, as a vegetarian who can only choose Curry Tofu out of a meaty menu, hearing "sorry we've run out of tofu today!" is not a very pleasant experience. Did it mean no vegies no say no lunch today?

Instead of having to watch this carnivore devour her meal, we asked for an on-the-spot creation of a vegetarian dish with whatever meat-free ~~leftovers~~ ingredients they had lying around in their kitchen. Alas Edo whipped up a vegetarian curry compilation of cabbages, carrots, onions, cauliflower and whatever else healthy stuff I don't want to see.

Traditional Japanese curried vegetables among the usual Japanese bento box offerings form a vivid, colourful canvas of colour which sorta makes up for the lack of meat :P

Small Salmon Sashimi - $7.90

The freshness of the sashimi still fresh in my mind, a second time ordering their salmon reinforced this. With a softness that requires minimal chewing, these just about melt in the mouth with a sharp wasabi hit. I tend to deliberately hit myself with a level of spiciness I cannot handle every time I eat the stuff. Wasabi consumption just doesn't feel complete without crying.

Katsu Chicken Bento - $9.90

Considering how much you have to pay these days just to keep your stomach from grumbling, at $9.90 for an entire bento box is pretty damn good value. All their bento boxes come with rice, miso soup, dressed garden salad and assorted sushi (sometimes smoked salmon, other times Californian roll...a lot of the time, chicken).

Katsu Chicken

The Katsu Chicken variety features breadcrumbed and deep fried chicken fillets. Dribbled with that recognisable dark sauce, but even better combining these golden strips with the rich, creamy and absolutely MAGICAL Japanese mayo blob in the middle.

Wasabi Beef Bento - $9.90

Before my crazy food fanatic days, I'd come to Edo and seeing wasabi beef really excited me. The first time, they'd misheard my order and gave me Teriyaki beef instead. Upon sending it back, it seemed that they plopped this splatter of wasabi cream on top and sent it back to me as Wasabi beef. It musn't look like this, I thought.

The second time, it came out looking like the same splat on non-wasabi'ed sauce drenched marinated beef. I was still in doubt.

This third time, I finally accepted that this was indeed Edo's variant of wasabi beef. Usually I don't need very much, if any at all! convincing. Very different to my interpretation of wasabi beef, where the wasabi is stir-fried into the beef. This version is suited better to those who are a bit of a wasabi wuss, as the sauce isn't distributed evenly over everything. To me, this is everything a teriyaki beef with wasabi topping should be.

Salad, Miso Soup & Sushi

ANNNNNNNDDDDDDDD I'M BAAAAAAACKKKKKK! - about a week or so later. When coming for dinner, choosing teppanyaki is a no brainer and comes oh so naturally. It's one of the more affordable Japanese BBQ options I've spotted in Perth, if not the cheapest. This art of dining doesn't take up a lot of stomach space but your wallet ends up with a large dented space :(

Teppanyaki at Edo doesn't come with the personal theatrical cooking show or with talented chefs throwing your dinner at you. $25 can probably get you half a steak or so at fine-dining but here you are loaded with a set menu of salad, soup, steamed rice, teppan vegetables plus different entrees and barbeque mains, depending on your choice.

My choice? The Sakura.

Sushi Entree

The meal starts off with a sushi entree - simple, light, leaves you delirious for more.

Fillings aren't shabby or skimped on either, which is always good to see. On this occasion, prawn and tuna sashimi make extravagant appearances.

Fish Fillet

A small, lightly pan fried fish fillet is presented next, which you should savour really, really, really slowly while waiting for the rest of the dishes to come.

If you position yourself close enough to the cooking hotplate situated at the counter, you could still get your dose of entertainment of watching the chef's cooking that Teppanyaki is famous for. But if that's what you were really after, you could always just watch yourself cook, in your own kitchen.

Just not the same.

Beef Tenderloin

I don't know about you, but somehow beef becomes exquisite when it is done Teppanyaki style. Whether it is pure chef talent, my own bias, the addition of a secret untold ingredient or just a sprinkling of magic, I fall in love with these tender babies over and over and over again.

With this type of unconditional love, I never want to part ways with eating this. Which might mean I double, triple, quadruple, five-ple, laksjdflkwejvodklawejfkjlksdfj-ple my intended red meat intake in the one sitting.

Unbelievably soft and tender bite-sized cubes of grilled beef, full of aroma and flavour. Served with a pool of cloudy beef stocky sauce, the little juicy meaty pops has me love struck.

Teppan Vegetables

And to balance out a very proteiny meal, a side of stir-fried vegetables (read: mostly beansprouts) makes an appearance. Just cooked, crisp and full of simplicity is just what I ordered.

Teriyaki Chicken

The last to come was this alfalfa garnished, teriyaki glazed dish of chicken thigh meat chunks. All in all, a good balance of seafood, red meat and white meat.

The dishes initially come out slow then suddenly, bam bam bam your table is loaded and delightfully cramped with a feast of mini dishes. From afar, you look like a fatty who over ordered and up close, you feel like a fatty who under ordered.

You can never please everybody, so the best you could do is to please yourself :)

Stumbling around Subiaco, it is so difficult finding food options because there's just TOO MANY! Stumbling into Edo is one of my treasured finds that I often come back to. The place is of simple set up with neat and cute furnishings, with red and black as its dominant colours.

Large number of choices available in the menu with slight changes in prices when it comes round to dinner time. Takeaway also seems to be a popular option with a small availability of seating in the restaurant. And loving restaurants who stay open the whole day, readily available at your call. You get your whole range of Japanese fare at very delicious prices and delicious portions.

There is a casual atmosphere circulating the place with free water/tea, order and pay at the counter system and uniform-free waitresses. Staff are there to do what they are supposed to do, sort of like an inherent no-fuss policy in place. Fine by me.

I think me having 3 dates with Edo in a month is the beginning of something very real.

***

(08) 9382 1608

Open 7 days: 11am to 9pm

***

Sasuke Japanese Takeaway

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 12:38:00 +0000

Nestled among other more vibrant, more populated and overall more enticing strip of eateries, I never
gave more than a second glance at Sasuke. Truthfully, ok not even a first glance. Its less-than-attractive
existence just didn't entice me like a usual Japanese restaurant would have.

I should have known from theory that the more ~~simply~~ non decorated places are the ones who serve
mind blowing, amazingly delicious food because they focus on this strength. And so they should, a
restaurant's main job is a food provider after all. Sure, a feast for the eyes is great but a better feast for
the tummy is greatest!

Teriyaki Chicken - $8.40

Seeing meals for less than $10 is hard to come by these days. Fortunately, coming to Sasuke makes that an easy task. Their menu features many dishes at yummy prices. Can't remember if takeaway prices are different to dining in prices, but they should sit pretty close if they weren't the same nonetheless.

This token Teriyaki Chicken meal features tender bite sized chicken thigh pieces liberally drenched in sweet teriyaki sauce, which spills over as a flavoursome rice marinade. Served with a side of edible garnishes of cucumber and finely shredded cabbage and carrot makes for a good lunch option.

Gyu Don - $9.40

Ginger makes me want to throw up and cry. But this very dislike of ginger made me choose the Gyu Don, laden with the yellow stuff. It smelt, tasted and even looked so strong of ginger. WHAT THE HELL is wrong with me? The 40 degree heatwave must have fried my brains.

But even though I think ginger is putrid, eating stuff cooked with it is quite alright. Eating the thing itself is not. Food cooked with it adopts some of its sweet, slightly spicy undertones and is actually quite...edible. This bowl looks more like stir-fried onion and ginger over rice with a garnish of beef, but actually reminds me of home.

The meat lacks the overall sweetness and juiciness I imagined it to have. Thinly sliced rump steak gets its flavour from a soy-based sauce, and coupled with mass amounts of onion and ginger, I am a bit psychotic to order this.

Katsu Curry - $9.40

Less than 24 hours later, I dragged my cousin back here to try some more of their cheap and cheerful offerings. After extensive, overboard, annoyingly indecisive perusal of the menu, she finally came to the conclusion of something like, "I still don't know what to get!" Apparently one time, her friends had ordered, paid, and were eating their meals while she was still deciding on what to eat.

I digress. But seriously, her deliberation over the menu is like she's having her last supper and is choosing her last meal on earth. Something like that.

So it is with considerable improvement that she chose the Katsu Curry within 15 minutes or so. A typical dish of Japanese curry is served with rice with your choice of crumbed chicken breast or fish. It's good the sauce doesn't flood the rice and chicken, allowing the chicken to retain its freshly fried crunch but its dryness permeates through.

It also comes with a side note stating *No extra sauce*, which I thought a bit restricting. But I'm cool with that, I wouldn't want more of that sour! tasting curry sauce anyway.

Raw Salmon Sushi (10 piece) - $9.50

After being advised I couldn't choose any beef dishes that day as they had somehow ran out of that meat, I reluctantly jumped over to their sushi options. I thought this was a safe choice as they seem to promote this choice with freshness and efficiency, only being freshly rolled to order.

Sadly, freshly rolled means thrown together quickly and a rushed compilation of a sushi roll. The ingredients fell apart easily at a touch, before getting anywhere remotely near your mouth. Yes the sushi rice was sticky, but only because it was mushy. The salmon didn't taste that fresh and seemed to have watery content within it, which spoils the whole mouthful really. Proportion wise, the abundance of rice to salmon content seemed to be imbalanced.

I sound so angry. And no, I'm not done yet with my gripe! I sound like someone who hasn't taken their anti depressants. But really, life's too short to waste calories on bad sushi. And plus, charging extra for including avocado in my sushi was a bit annoying, being a pretty standard ingredient in sushi. It's like buying a sandwich and needing to pay extra for the lettuce inside it.

BAH, I don't think I've had such a negative reaction before! I'm okay with whatever and won't make a fuss even if I saw a live bug still in my food (which actually happened at a restaurant I probably won't ever return to again. It's not so much the bug that bugged me, but rather the manager's indifferent attitude to, HELLO THERE'S A MOVING INSECT ON MY PLATE?! It's like it was my fault that I spotted the bug. Grrrrr!)

Raw Salmon Sushi

I usually see the glass half full, but this time, I have to say Sasuke's glass was less than half.

At least it looks nice?

But like the phrase that's been used to death by society (who don't necessarily follows), looks aren't everything. You have to taste them first ;) It's the inside that counts.
These insides fell apart. You can't EAT presentation per se.

...

I thought I had found a local Japanese place that could provide me with regular dinners and satisfy my urges for Japanese...(food). After the little sushi incident, I had second thoughts about giving Sasuke a second glance. Not to say it has completely thrown me off, everyone deserves a second (third in this case!) chance to redeem themselves. I do like the place, considering I went back for breakfast the day after the first time I visited!

Menu wise, they go beyond the usual Jap dishes but still within the Jap cuisine. Fried rice, soup dishes, stir fried dishes, ramen are all available at reasonable lunch prices that extends to dinner. The choice to upgrade to a bento box is available for an extra $3.50 is an attractive option, which gives you the main dish, rice, salad, seaweed salad, potato croquette, 1 vegetable spring roll, and either 1 inari (sweet bean curd pouch stuffed with sushi rice) or 2 sushi (however $2 extra). All these extra surcharges! They have a full page in their takeaway pamphlet dedicated to all the extra charges for condiments. Even soy sauce. Gripe.

It's good that the charges aren't hidden, all the options and separations are considerate but mind boggling. Those who want to alter their dishes and are intolerant of gluten and animal consumption are punished by having to pay extra money for requesting for dishes prepared to be gluten free or free of animal product. It's a nice gesture, but is tainted with the attached price tag!

Presentation food wise, good. Presentation shop wise, could do with a makeover. Limited seating probably makes takeaway a better option, since there's not much to look at inside or outside the restaurant, being pleasantly situated in and with large glass windows overlooking a very potholed carpark!

Portions are decent but if you're a big eater, you're not going to be full. I wasn't full.
We craved sashimi (FRESH sashimi) and got ready to drive to a different Japanese restaurant right after finishing Sasuke. Unfortunately 3pm is Perth restaurants' resting time and everywhere is usually dead.
I even left with my own souvenir of this place, casually thieved a spoon in my hand as I walked out. Accidentally.

(I gave it back though).

***
(08) 9445 7831

Mon - Thurs: 11.30am to 2.30pm & 5.00pm to 8.30pm
Fri: 11.30am to 9pm
Sat: 11.30am to 8.30pm
Closed on Sun and Public Holidays
*During Winter Months (Jun, Jul, Aug), Friday's Opening Hours are 11.30am to 8.30pm

***

Bbar Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 10:56:00 +0000

My first memories of this cafe are pretty much, "what the hell, it's a Medical Centre -___-"

Many thanks to Urbanspoon misleading me to a wrong address and many thanks to my bright self for
not thinking of looking across the road where a whole shopping plaza stood.

Originally on time, I was now 15 minutes late and was still driving up and down the same street like a
lost child, convinced that this place had closed down and been transformed to a Medical Centre.

So, so, so oblivious.

Still feeling like breakfast at a time way past lunch, it was good to see breakfast was still being served
until 2pm. Good news for early birds like me, whose day doesn't start until after 12pm. Call it lazy if you
must, while you drag yourself off the bed at 6am every morning :)

Zucchini & Pea Fritters, Smoked Salmon & Watercress Salad - $11.50

I started my day with Something light, that being a category in the menu and with this choice falling under that. And light and healthy it tasted indeed, with a green vegetable patty and all.
So not my typical order, because I usually judge people who eat salad.

The patty could have done with a bit more flavour, but it was a refreshing change to the usual items you see on breakfast menus. A generous inclusion of peas lines the fritters and makes for a good mouthful but I am more partial to the poppity pop sensation and sweeter flavour bursts accompanying corn fritters. And eating something yellow makes me feel better than eating something green.

Nevertheless, these were pretty ok but nothing too memorable. I'm a bit doubtful on just how watercress the watercress salad is, as it looks suspiciously like rocket instead.

Another angle

They say looking at green objects is meant to be good for you. So, sit and stare your guts out.
Much like what I'm doing at the moment as I am lacking inspiration with this annoying mind blank.

B Benedict with Smoked Salmon - $13.50

My piggy counterpart ordered a more standard breakfast dish, that being the B Benedict. This was a masterpiece stacked high with colourful layers of poached free-range eggs, smoked salmon, avocado, raw baby spinach and creamy liquid sunshine, fondly known as hollandaise, all atop circles of rye bagel.

Piggies who are pig lovers will be happy to see that the smoked salmon can be substituted with bacon or leg ham. This might have enhanced the whole dish's flavour by adding that extra saltiness, and made up for the hint of dryness in the bagel.

Hollandaise masterpiece - $Priceless

If you're wondering how the hollandaise tasted, I can't comment because...this happened.
And if you're wondering what happened to the hollandaise, which is probably more likely to be the case ... not much. There is no fascinating story behind this wild, vivid paint explosion on my canvas.

It's merely what you'd usually see on my plate after I'm done with it: piles of fat, crumbs of golden batter, splatters and smears of creamy sauces all left behind, painstakingly peeled, stripped off and cleaned of the original item of food. Picky or a health freak you think?

Nope. More a case of what you have to avoid when you're missing a gall bladder. Yeah it may defeat the purpose of ordering a dish like that, but I'll rather indulge in at least ONE (or two or three) delicious mouthfuls rather than ordering fat free salads for the rest of my life.

I must have left one heck of a good impression with this aftermath. This, is what I call art. And waiters and chefs must hate me for it.

...

Bbar Cafe operates on a very do it yourself style, with minimal reliance on staff. You find your own table, order and pay concurrently at the counter and obtain a table number. There is minimal interaction with staff, at least on my visit, but genuine service is still provided. Ambiance is a bit dull with no striking efforts made to liven up a cafe and decor is basic, but fanciness is just a bonus.

Their menu covers a variety of items, specialising more towards lunch item choices. Prices are fair and serving sizes are good representations of prices. What's tempting my taste buds the most are the availability of gourmet wood fired pizzas all throughout the day, and all the way til 9pm most nights. It's rare to find a local cafe in the suburbs that stays open for business for 13 hours straight!

Bbar, affectionately known to us Bieber Cafe, doesn't attract me as a young, screaming, crazy, off-my-head starstruck fan girl, although I may be converted after being exposed to more of their works and sample more of their items. You never know what sort of successes something/someone seemingly normal can achieve after all.

Cafe at the Hyatt Regency

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 07:47:00 +0000

In a crazy moment of genius, (but after being rejected from fully booked Nobu at Burswood), the idea of buffet gripped our conscience. From experience, you really can't fight that off.

Mass never-ending supply of quality food sounded like a better idea than I'm not full yet but I can't afford to order anymore that happens with A la Carte.

I took a short guilt trip when I realised I just had buffet the night before. Knowing I'd go on this guilt trip, packing more greed than guilt into my suitcase definitely helped ;) Buffet again for 2 consecutive nights! :D

I'm livin' the dream.

Sauce & spice condiments

An impressive array of bottles lined up and a colourful mix of peppers and spices are readily available for use. But as if the food isn't cooked well enough! I say skip trying to alter the taste and really savour the natural flavours in the food, enhanced by talented cooking technique.

Breadsticks & Crisps

The most prominent feature that lures attention has got to be this massive...bread fan thing. It earns so much points for presentation, so so important at a buffet. You are attracted to things that look good (food wise), and not so much a big bread fan, I wouldn't have given this a second glance if it didn't make such a bold statement. I stood in front of this staring at it, a little longer than what would be considered normal. Like some food pervert or something.

I just had to break off a piece and ruin the fan. In doing so the snap suggested how crisp the thin piece of bread was. Sprinkled with an abundance of sesame seeds amongst other seeds, it was a bit salty for my liking. That was ok though, as I don't think there should be a place for boring carbs like bread in the stomach at a buffet!

Seafood

The Hyatt buffet seafood spread made me very happy! Everything was topped up, tasty and probably the most important characteristic of seafood: FRESH! Juicy prawns, crab, natural oysters, mussels, big fat juicy scallops, smaller plump and bouncy prawns and smoked salmon that very nearly tasted like sashimi even.

Nothing tasted fishy or had the faintest smell of the ocean, just purely well cooked and perfectly prepared sea food.

Cold Section

Although not extensive in choice, quality makes up for it. I would have like to seen more, but alas beggers cannot always be choosers ;)

Extras

Cheeseboard with assortment of accompaniments, complementing the antipasto style.

Hot food/grill section

This is something unique to a buffet that gives an edge to this buffet. Having a BBQ plate with succulent meats cooking away in an open kitchen brings out the delicious smells of the whole process. And if you're patient enough, you could wait for the next batch of freshly cooked, still sizzling round of goodness straight off the barbeque. I became a meat stalker that night. Just a one off thing.

What they ARE missing is more grilled vegetables - which would seriously, like seriously, make this perfect.

Carvery station

Yes, most buffets do have a roast and carvery section but the latter section is usually abandoned and the personalised carving service you could have got, you can't get. There seemed to be a person permanently docked at the carvery station that night, catering to all meat eating machines.

Cold food selection

A closer inspection into the cold food selection reveals a variety of salads and small goods. Circling around the plate we start with pâté on the far right. I love processed meat mash and all but this was a bit bland plus a bit dry. Salami, roast pumpkin salad, cous cous, chickpea & mushroom salad, potato salad plus a few other savoury cuts of meat completes the cold section.

Hot food selection

Although the creamy vegetarian lasagna, woodfired pizza slices, sweet honey parsnip, crisp roast potato and fresh crusty bread slices deserves your respect, the one stand-out dish worth mentioning has to be the unbelievably tender, soft, lustful roast pork. I could see its softness when the knife met with the meat, and sticking to the description which I mostly hear about awesomely cooked meat - it just fell apart after I prodded it with my fork.

To me, this really outshone the other meats available. You could probably eat this with no teeth. I went for second serves. And then thirds. And then wished you could ask for takeaway containers at buffets.

Hot food selection #2

The other yummy meats that I gave less attention to were still pretty good. Freshly done steak, roast chicken, turkey and chicken breast meat and GRILLED SALMON!!! I could eat salmon everyday for the rest of my life, but I would probably change that to pork instead, if Hyatt was feeding me for the rest of my life :)

Seafood section

Just showing you the seafood presentation I mentioned earlier. Note that these pictures are in chronological order, meaning yep, we started with this, jumped to something else, came back to this, went to something else, ended with this.
It was way good to not keep coming back.

Dessert selection

My dining companion seriously considered skipping out on dessert. I widened my eyes and practically barked at them. "NO, YOU MUST HAVE DESSERT. ARE YOU CRAZY? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?" In hindsight I was a crazy woman with control issues since it seriously isn't my business when it comes to what a person decides to do with their appetite. But really, dessert is compulsory and is a whole course on its own. Were they nuts? It's probably cause they hadn't seen the whole station dedicated to dessert.

Mango cheesecake, petite berry custard tarts, fruit cake, a passionfruity cream layered cake, thick and rich chocolate sponge with heavy chocolate icing and cream and a chocolate log with dainty iced Christmas trees. Dusted with icing sugar, it's a perfect snowy scene depicting the Christmas spirit.
Uh huh, this post is about 4 months overdue.

Plum Tart

A perfect circular baked plum tart encased in a shortbread-like crust pastry captures my attention. It's shiny, golden, wonderfully caramelised, and looking so...undamaged, a very rare occurence at buffets. Everything is demolished for the sake of it.

However, looks can be deceiving and although really citrusy and tangy, the tang of the plums are a bit too overboard for me. The sourness cut through the sweetness a bit too much and caused many "squishy" facial expressions like so >.<

Dessert decorations

And as if your dessert isn't sweet enough, or you just feel like playing with colourful things, these jars of chocolate specks, smarties, jellybeans and peanut M&M's come in handy!

Waffles corner

A very enticing waffle station awaits your request, if the other desserts aren't enough. Doesn't matter either way, cause freshly made waffles are a must have. A heavy duty waffle maker pops out hot, crisp waffles that you can overload with lashings of cream, stewed fruits, butter, syrups and sauces.

You can and should go crazy with the toppings, as you'll probably have more fun messing with waffle decorations than eating it. I know I did. Easily amused.

Dessert selection #2

And a big dish of creme brulee, complete with a crackly layer of hard caramel on top. I very nearly became one of those annoying people at buffets who take the top layers off stuff and leave behind the base. Like apple crumble...potato bakes...creme brulees.......................
but nahhh I didn't :)

Desserts!

I had a big grin on my face coming back from the dessert station with a plate full of this. The lady at the dessert station thoroughly explained what each dessert was while I was excitedly gawping at everything, not taking in much of what she said. I did appreciate the efforts though!

She suggested which ones to try and I did not object, however my excitement was probably too obvious and after a few suggestions she paused and said, "would you just like me to get you one of everything?" HA! I practically must have been salivating liberally all over myself or something.

Dessert shot glasses :)

Being ~~lazy~~ wise and conserving my energy, I attempted to bring my whole party of desserts back to my table all at once. The staff very kindly suggested that I should probably come back to fetch the rest of my precious little shot glasses. I did this, and ended up going back to the dessert station another 3 times :$ This sweet overload made me feel like such a fatty afterwards.

Strategically placing the dessert station right at the front entrance is a form of seduction, and serves as a BIG reminder to SAVE STOMACH FOR DESSERT! The cabinet display is impressive, featuring glasses of sweet temptations. Running from L to R is a rich coconut pudding, an Eton Mess spin-off with strawberries, meringue and cream, a traditional Tiramisu, jelly and custard layers, passionfruit pannacotta, mango pudding and various jelly shots. Serving them in cup form makes it simple to plunge a spoon right to the base, cutting through all the layers and ensuring that consuming the swirl of flavours together is possible.

This is like dessert tapas. So many shots - glasses AND amount of photos I snapped :D Lined them up and took them all within a few minutes. This is by far the most amount of shots I've taken :P Leaves you on a high instead of a headache and throwing up on the street (to which some cool people would actually prefer).
A big sugar hangover definitely beats a shitty alcoholic hangover by far.

Gingerbread House #1

Sadly, these were not edible. Well, maybe they were, but we couldn't touch.
Can't blame Hansel & Gretel, this was hard to resist.

Gingerbread House #2

But for purposes of display, these were awesomely made and very fitting with the festive eating season!

Gingerbread House #2 - side view

Festivity decorations

Yeah I know I'm 4 months late, but you could also take it as I'm 8 months ahead of schedule and wishing you Christmas greetings very early in advance :)
Because I'm organised like that!

...

With prestigious food awards proudly adorning the hotel's walls, you'd expect no less from a buffet that has been a consecutive Gold plate award winner for buffet dining for 09', 10' and 11'. To gain continuous attention like that is impressive, and Cafe at the Hyatt masters its food, service and atmosphere aspects to a top notch. A very warm, inviting and relaxed atmosphere is created by contemporary decor in the restaurant.

An aspect that gives this place all the credit it deserves is really the immaculate service. It's the finer details that make the experience so much more (or less) enjoyable. Plates are cleared away promptly, you get attention immediately when you want it. All the food counters are interactive, have helpful staff who actually seem like they enjoy their job and actually like people, unlike the distasteful connotations that are attached to Perth's hospitality scene where some staff have swallowed dynamite and can explode and kill customers at any second.

Each of the chefs behind the counters are proud of their work and what they do, and don't hesitate to offer explanations to food noobs (i.e. me. That's why this blog might suck). One even gave me a lengthy explanation on parsnip after seeing me studying and looking very confused at a weirdly shaped honey roasted one. Staff actually acknowledge which course you're at during your 10 course buffet meal. Passing a staff on the way to the dessert station then coming back to see my dirty cutlery replaced with dessert spoons was VERY impressive indeed :D
Along with a neatly folded napkin. Every. Time. You. Return. To. Your. Seat. Respect!

The damage that was done was $150 between 2 people, which can usually kill me in one hit. I very nearly vomited at the price and considered bailing at first but I'm glad I stayed and nearly vomited from eating so much good food instead. You really could sit and munch away for ages without realising how much you've eaten, or the time. An hour after we were meant to meet up with friends, we had just started on dessert. Oops!

Yes we unintentionally dogged the plans we had for after dinner. But when asked to "get our priorities right", I think we have. Because when it comes to buffets, nothing else compares.

Seoul Buffet Korean BBQ & Steamboat

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 08:56:00 +0000

So how much room do you leave in your stomach for buffet?
A bottomless pit would be desirable, but the next best alternative is a very empty stomach.
My brain and appetite switches to wild mode and my poor tummy deals with weight gain as a result. And by the end, I swear I'll treat buffets with caution and never overeat again...

UNTIL THE NEXT BUFFET!

Meat Corner

This is a vegetarian's nightmare and a carnivore's dream, desire and ecstasy all in one. I'm happy to say it is an ongoing dream for as long as you stay at the restaurant as these trays are constantly replenished with endless supplies of meat meat meat!

There is ox tongue, there is pork belly, there is liberally marinated cuts of beef, chicken and pork everywhere, ready at your disposal and all with heavy, liberal use of marinades.

Then there is a splash of random greenery among a sea of reds, pinks and ~~bloody~~ meaty tones. A single tray of lettuce, looking lost and oddly out of place.

Meat & seafood corner

Fish fillets and octopuses adorn the other corner, along with about 5 different sauces to choose from to smother your meat with. Korean BBQ is big on sauce, I am big on sauce. We are a perfect match. Naturally!

Chilli sauce, chilli paste, some sauce resembling satay, a sweet soy-type sauce, and the oh-so-delicious! sesame oil and salt concoction that is more of a perfect match with Korean BBQ than me. Meaning its pretty damn perfect!

Seafood and vegetable corner

I deem this the healthier corner, which showcases more steamboat-ey type ingredients, but it never stops how you decide to cook them cause now you are your own Masterchef.
And also your own judge.

UFOs

Despite how fancy or the effort these take to keep food hot, they don't even come close to keeping food remotely warm. They do shield food from the various fruit flies I spotted that were hovering around the uncovered buffet meat/vegetable section though. Because who isn't attracted to meat!

Cooked ready-to-eat food

Unveiling the large round shiny covers is an assortment of cooked foods including fried-but-now-soft gyoza, toppoki (excuse me if I'm wrong) - stir fry rice cake in a bitey sauce, spring rolls, beef bulgogi and some marinated chicken dish among other Korean staples.

The buffet section features a small salad section featuring your standard bean sprout salads, seaweed salads, marinated potato salad and the one of course it's there kimchi. All of them are simple but that's exactly why they're good, light accompaniments to an otherwise heavy carnivorous dinner of meat, meat and meat. I even think my beansprout to meat ratio consumed was close to 1:1! I ate my veggies :) There's my good deed for the day!

Hotplate

Then it's down to serious business when the gas burner is turned on and the hotplate is cranked. The hotplates are good cause they don't stick and the meat cooks fast but can burn fast if you're not fast. Everything on the hotplate (and the hotplate itself) first turns a delicious brown and then to a horrid black.

I learn that if you pick up the tongs and prod the meat first, you are pretty much assigned the role of designated cook for the night. I've learnt my lesson.

Happiness

There's something about cooking your own food at a restaurant that takes away the effort and replaces it with fun. Especially when you're in a not-very-well ventilated room, the aromas and sounds of sizzles and splatters fills your senses because they have nowhere to go. As such, they cling to your hair, your clothes, your nose...but really, isn't the scent of food just so attractive?! :P

I reckon a big plate of this would easily replace a big bowl of ice cream as this will make me feel better food. It's sweet and juicy and can melt in your mouth, everything that ice cream is capable of plus even more - IT SMELLS SO DARN GOOD. I couldn't ever get sick of this.

You are in control of everything here, cook everything just the way you like it. My kind of happiness is the kind that sizzles on a hotplate.

Steamboat

On the same table format is an inbuilt platform for a shallow steamboat dish, which you fill with your choice out of beef or chicken stock. My first time here involved some confusion, as you are given a metal jug of liquid when you are seated, and which I thought was stock - the very very very plain tasting type. Turns out it was indeed very very very plain tasting - water. Doh!

Fish cake, fish balls, noodles, veges, whatever you want to boil instead of throw on the barbeque but really, I reckon everything that goes in here tastes better barbequed anyway. Healthier this way, but really, you might as well give up even thinking of being healthy at Korean BBQ.

Meat reload

You'll find yourself getting a lottttttttttt of refills. I could probably drown in the amount of ox tongue I eat. The meats are sliced thinly (esp. ox tongue) and shrink a lot during their cooking process (definitely ox tongue) so you can tell yourself you're actually not eating THAT much (OX TONGUE!!!!!) :)
Some positive reinforcements does wonders for your guilt, but not so much on the waist.

Dessert

Not much of a dessert selection, but that's understandable at a Korean BBQ buffet where marinated meats are your entree, main AND dessert. If you have room for dessert, you have room for more meat and haven't eaten enough of it.

Having said that though, they have tubs of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream. These always run low but they have a very thoughtful sign saying new refills are certainly available. Even when I'm not a fan of conventional ice cream flavours, there's something about these that makes me eat about 5 scoops in one sitting.

There is also a big glass punch bowl of coconut milk with sago and watermelon dessert as well as a very convenient DIY coffee machine that spits out all your coffee and tea preferences. You can make everything yourself - really really handy for satisfying your Affogato cravings!

...

If you judge a restaurant by how busy it looks, Seoul ticks all the boxes. It is ALWAYS rowdy, always bustling towards full capacity, staff are always kept busy, always full of smoke and fumes (a good sign in this circumstance!) and even with efficient staff trying to keep this to a minimal by constantly changing burning hotplates with smoke coming out of them, the rate at which us diners burn (or cook) meats is definitely faster.

Staff should be commended though, on how they scoot around and are extremely vigilant about blackening hotplates. Upon sitting down you are asked if you know how this whole Korean BBQ thing works, and to which I lied and said no once, how they run you through and introduce you to all the details is very impressive. We're always the last table ~~standing~~ sitting whenever we dine out, to which they had no problems with and just proceeded to clean around us instead of hinting at us to leave.

The layout of the tables and chairs is quite compact, and maneuvering through the chair and people maze is quite dangerous if you're balancing plates of meat mountains on your hands. The tables themselves are also quite low on space, needing to accommodate plates, bowls, chopsticks, cutlery, water jugs, cups, tongs, scissors, sauces, excess plates, yada yada yada. Everything is a bit squishy and cramped, first needing to navigate through people and furniture then needing to navigate through your own table.

But of course, it's quite fun to have your own cooking station. Meat not done enough? Chuck it back on the hotplate! Hot food gone cold? Chuck it back on the hotplate! Feel like chucking something on the hotplate? Chuck it on the hotplate! This is (my) ultimate freedom to be an (incompetent) Masterchef.

It's a buffet, you will most likely over eat, but with all that rich and tasty marinade caramelising on the hotplate, it's silly to expect any sense of self discipline.

Soda Sun Lounge

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:33:00 +0000

When it's a sunshine adorned day nearing dusk, heading down to the coast to catch the magnificent ocean views and feel the sea breeze is one of those priceless, carefree, irreplaceable moments. It's one of the best sights Perth has to offer, even though ~~one~~ many can argue Perth doesn't offer many sights.
But to catch a glimpse of fading sunlight at its last moments before the world becomes one big black canvas, with a single special person - it doesn't get any better than that.

Unless of course, you do all that with a WHOLE BUNCH of friends instead! Why just settle for one?!

Especially if it happens to be a big group of retards you've unfortunately come across and are destined to become acquainted with. 8 years later down the track, I am now also a retard. The friends you choose can really change you as a person. So. DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES AS I DID

Fate is at play in one way or another. When we all crossed paths that day, to when we're all on separate paths now, but we make sure we all come to the same intersection, at least one day in each year. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it means a lot. I'm ecstatic we've kept up the tradition of our annual Christmas get-togethers during that magical time of year.

And for 2011, Soda Sun Lounge was our location for celebrations. Sun(set), sea and friends - a much better replacement for sand I reckon. Add food to that list, you can't ask for much else.
Except maybe for better food...

Many dishes ordered that night, and many dishes not tried as a result of a very long dining table and I happened to plonk my butt at the end of it. I made the effort to walk around the table taking photos but had the decency not to help myself to the dish after I did so!

Summer Berry Smoothie - $7

My cousin, soul mate and best friend came to dinner as a potato as a result of getting her wisdom teeth out. Yes to me, she is all those things and more :) That aside, her puffy cheeks were the biggest attention seekers and she was the target of botox jokes the whole ~~night~~ week. Poor girl. I'm getting botox soon too. Craaaaaaapp

So to make sure the stuff inside her mouth didn't melt or something along those lines, it was probably best for her to consume cold stuff and, well, stuff that don't require chewing. She opted for a chilled smoothie but I don't remember much of it. It was cold, it was tangy, it was all I can remember.

Apple Dew Spider Mocktail - $9.50

A few around the table wanted drinks but kept it PG rated and got mocktails instead. To be honest if I felt like staying sober, I'd prefer a mocktail over cocktails anyday. They taste better to me without that bitter undertone and aftertaste. Maybe I just suck.

I had a sip of this and was close to ordering one for myself. It was dainty and sweet, a very girly drink overall with its contents of sparkling apple juice, fresh mint and honeydew melon sorbet. The addition of mint always adds a refreshing feel to anything, and a refreshing colour burst for presentation purposes.

Caramelized Duck Tacos, Sichuan Pepper - $16

I took a photo of this and thought, where's the duck at?! It makes for a very appealing name but as for the dish itself, looks don't win me over. Elements like Sichuan Pepper, a spice commonly used in Chinese cuisine as well as duck give the dish certain touches of an Asian inspired dish but with a modern take with the addition of tacos.

It's a smart idea to present the dish as Make Your Own tacos though.

Sour Dough, EVOO & Balsamic - $5

Also making an appearance was the very conventional bread and dip starter. Here we have a few crunchy looking sour dough bread, with a dipping dish of balsamic vinegar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I guess EVOO adds a touch of class to the name somehow.

I wonder if the oil dips are ever finished. Bread drenched in oil isn't my type of thing. On a side note, I had the choice of drinking a litre of oil in a night, or, surgery as the 2 options for my gallstones. Never has surgery sounded like such a good option!

Chermoula Spiced Barramundi - $34

This wasn't my dish at all, but since it was conveniently located just across my seat, I'd have to say it was pretty much my dish by the end of dinner. It's what happens when you sit next to me!

A quick google search tells that chermoula is typically a marinade consisting of herbs, oil, lemon juice, pickled lemons, garlic, cumin and salt. I don't remember the taste of the marinade much but I do remember the fish was cooked nicely with moist flesh. The addition of yoghurt didn't complement the fish as much, but it was ok with the tabouli.

Having said that, the tabouli was quite bland, yoghurt was bland, 2 wrongs didn't make a right here! But I finished it anyway cause it was light and interesting, contrasting temperatures and textures with the cous cous and cool yoghurt. Contrasting things seem to go well together, much like opposites!

Angus Scotch Fillet - $34

Absolutely no idea how this tasted but taking a picture of it sure didn't tempt me into asking to try it. I love my beef but I don't love how this looked as much. The beef looks tender enough but having served it on top of the chips, you just end up with bloody chips - literally!

Soggy, limp, sad, heat cooked chips as a result of being on the bottom. Which is a waste if the chips are freshly cooked to a crisp, crunchy bite, only to be absolutely ruined. The slab of Angus Scotch Fillet is supposedly served with cafe de paris butter, which is said by Wikipedia to contain a whole party of ingredients of herbs, spices, mustard, dill, rosemary, paprika, capers, chives, curry powder, parsley, shallots, garlic, ANCHOVIES?!, smothered inside the butter.

And all I see is a slab of cow and chips...

Pizza - $22

Soda Sun Lounge offers a few pizzas to share, or just for yourself if you are that epic. The base looks pretty thin but ingredients looks pretty sparse for a $22 pizza. But yes yes, what other price could you expect at a place with a view right?

I believe here we have the Chorizo, Potato, Rocket, Red onion and Chipotle pizza tonight. You don't see too much except cheese do you? Cheese always dominates in terms of smell and place on a pizza.

Beetroot Gnocchi - $26

Gnocchi is something many are fond of, but it didn't win me over the first few times I tried it. Nothing more than a ball of cooked flour for me and I am aware I may have offended many people with what I just said...but really! Maybe I'd appreciate it more if I had booked that cooking class and learnt the technique of making it properly.

And because I wouldn't consider eating dirt, I wouldn't consider eating beetroot. It tastes like the ground! So I don't love gnocchi, hate beetroot. My reaction to beetroot gnocchi? NOT BAD! Maybe you can try mixing your hated foods together and they'll suddenly taste better. Spooky stuff. Or maybe cause the flavour of beetroot wasn't as intense as its red colour suggested. The rest of the dish made up of broccoli, peppers and goat's curd could have had more flavour to it too.

Sumatran Roast Duck - $34

Finally we come to the dish I'd ordered to share between 2. As I was sharing the plate with marshmallow cheeks :), we'd specifically asked if the duck was soft to eat. We went with the uncertainty in the waitress' "yeah? It's okay". This took a while to come out and sadly, the wait wasn't really worth it. The meat came out dry and tough and was difficult to separate from the bones. Disappointed for a price of $34.

The side of green mango salad didn't help this Sumatran Roast Duck much either. It was hard and crunchy with the vegetable choice and while you might like it, the firmness of the mango flesh is not something I enjoyed giving my jaw a work out to. We'd pretty much made the worst choice in terms of hard textured food. I'd noticed by the end of it how I pretty much took over eating the dish as poor Puffy Cheeks couldn't eat a thing.

Green Mango Salad

Here's a better picture of the green mango salad without the colour distortion created by silly flash. It is quite yellowy/orange in appearance but with a completely different and opposite texture to the heavenly tropical summer fruit when it is ripe.
I go crazy during mango season and could quite easily go through 2 a day, everyday for about 3 months.

Maybe not, but I wouldn't mind accepting that challenge.

Result of my hard work

I am quite aware food blogs post pictures of food BEFORE they are eaten but I can't help but admire my own effort. Now I just sound proud. But I am! :D And the small servings weren't exactly filling either, but the prices of them sure were.

In the middle are the leftovers of Real Chips as per what they are called in the menu, served with aioli dip and set us back $9. A very filling price right?! If real chips are like so, I'm fine with normal chips that cost less dear. As I'm sure we all still had a hankering for dessert or just more time together, we left Soda Sun Lounge for elsewhere, but not before numerous attempts of a group portrait with the camera balancing dangerously on balcony ledges and on randoms' car bonnets improvising as a tripod.

Even so, the camera was probably safer in those conditions than in the hands of C, who fumbles and trips on air every 5 minutes or so. Watching her, I'd have to stereotype and say that Blondes, heels and cameras are a fatal combination.

...

After experiencing Soda Sun Lounge for myself, I would have to agree with the reviews on the internet. They say it upfront and honest and summarise the place pretty well. It is definitely a place with a view, a freaking STUNNING view too, but it could really be something more if it made improvements to its food. It's not particularly bad, but for the sky high prices you're really paying to look at the ocean. And you can do that for free, just across the road.

It was unfortunate we couldn't get seated outside on the balcony, overlooking the water with the sun setting into the horizon, a perfect backdrop to dinner. Indoors has more of an intimate feel with dim lighting and atmosphere while seating outdoors takes on a more relaxed, wind-in-your-hair feeling. Quite a large restaurant provides for many different seating options - our wooden communal-hall-style bench tables and chairs, sofas, outdoor deck and sails, private dining areas and mezzanine bar seating options. Ours was probably the least attractive but catered best for large groups.

The area is very spread out and spacious, accommodating to the beachy, relaxed feel really well. It's probably a notch up from being absolutely casual, but not to the point where it's fine dining or anything remotely close to being so. The menu is not extensive, as we'd pretty much tried more than half of the selections available in the main course section. Value for money? I'd say you could do better, and so can Soda Sun Lounge.

To be honest I can't comment on service as I don't remember much of the staff, and that's because they didn't seem to exist, not because I ordered one too many cocktails. They took our order, and I didn't see them until our dishes were delivered, and then I never saw them again. It wasn't bad service or anything, but just felt a bit unwanted and unloved when our empty bottles of water sat alone and unfilled. Not much attention given but otherwise they do what they do.

The restaurant is located upstairs on top of a real estate business, and is a bit tricky to find if you're coming from side roads and use the parking at the back. Heaps of parking on the street, in the carparks above and below, which ended up being the lovely backdrop of our photo. Which was an awesome substitute from the natural sea horizon across the road, purely because we were too proud or too embarrassed to ask a stranger to take a photo for a flock of giggly loud school girls.

We seem to take on that embarrassing identity whenever we migrate together once a year.

Kitchen Inn Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (fatty) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:13:00 +0000

Would you go to the other side of the world just to try a new restaurant?

I would.

And I consider an hour's drive in peak hour traffic to be the other side of the world!

The lengths a glutton would go to for good food. Seriously.

Seriously ridiculous.

When we arrived at around...I dunno, dinner time, the place was chock a block. The restaurant is small, and even with a few tables scattered outside the building, it was absolutely full house. We were forced back out to the pavement outside, tired...cold...rotting from hunger, but only for a short while before we were invited back inside.

Soya Bean Milk

To start, we had dessert. I don't fancy starting meals with sweetness but being refreshed is always good. The only downside to beginning with drinks being served first is that you don't want to have too much of it before your meal, but then as you leave it sitting there receiving no attention from you, ice gets bored and it starts to melt melt melt. To the point where your soya bean milk becomes bland iced water.

Kampua Special - $8.50

I had this on my first visit, picking this dish because it seemed to have a little bit of all the meats. A bowl of handmade noodles visibly loaded with prawns, BBQ pork and minced pork on top with crunchy fragrant fried shallots and spring onions. Truthfully it was a very tasty dish of noodles but the downfall was the thick slick of oil that coated them. Usually you'd make the effort to avoid fatty 2 minute instant noodles right? Housemade noodles probably sound a lot better than Indomie packet noodles but they probably aren't, in terms of fat offerings. Needed a trusted old mate called Coca Cola to wash this down.

As this isn't a roast house and they don't specialise in roast meats, the BBQ pork aren't as nice or succulent as BBQ pork can be. Bit dry and a bit burnt but doesn't stop the whole dish from tasting nice. Just like how one bad dish shouldn't immediately put you off a whole restaurant!

Kampua Special

Just as a size comparison,
A: Shit how big is that prawn?!
Nah. That's just the small size of the bowl buddy.

I love claypots. I love the puff of steam that explodes in your face the moment you take off the lid. I love steam burn that impatience brings.

Bak Kut Teh (Large) - $9.90

With its walls adorned with banners promoting the tastiness and health benefits of Bak Kut Teh, this is one of the more popular dishes here. Which is sad, because it means you are very likely on missing out if you come any later than when mass diners come to dine. And then you have to travel to the other side of the world AGAINNN

This is traditionally Malaysian herbal soup cooked with pork spare ribs, with tofu, plump Chinese mushrooms and the like. Kitchen Inn's rendition includes iceberg lettuce as an ingredient with quite a good quantity of meat on the bones in the dish. It's not strongly marinated with the flavours of herbs and spices, as it is in the soup where the flavours really shine. I initially used the excess soup to wash the oil off my noodles as I ate them, but in the end I couldn't resist and ended up drinking the soup anyway cause it was so delicious. Disgusting, I know. But disgustingly delicious.

The dish is available in Small and Large but I have no idea what the Small looks like cause small doesn't exist in my food vocabulary. At $9.90, you'll probably be filled up well with all that liquid plus a bowl of steamed rice. It's tempting to tip the rice right into the claypot and eat it that way!

When asked what size I wanted, my no brainer answer seemed to make the waitress pause and look at me, her disbelief not obvious at all.

Me: "Oh large please"

Her: "Large?"

Me: "Is it too large?"

I felt a bit self conscious at this point :$

And this was the second time I ordered Bak Kut Teh on a different occasion. Very noticeably, all there is is 2 soup soaked tofu protruding from the soup, which BURNS like a m^%!@!%^^&**&, and not much else. What you don't know is that there was close to nothing else in that claypot.

That is what happens when you get there too late and you hear the dreaded sorry we've run out tonight! Still in the mood for some tea in our food, we agreed to their offer of giving us whatever they still had. So we were presented with this sad, little empty pot that still made us happy.

Accordingly, they apologised for serving us nothing and said they'll charge for a Small. When it got round to paying, guess they felt charging a small was still too large of a price, and rounded the bill's total down another $2 or so. Naw. Small, thoughtful gestures like so go a long way. Happy days.

Hainan Chicken Rice

After having this twice at Kitchen Inn, I would say it's probably not one of their specialties like their other favourites. Their steamed chicken served with chicken stock rice could do with some minor improvements. Still ok, but maybe the chicken could see a bit more moisture, be a bit more...slippery :/

...

Sometimes if you are persistent about something, it pays off. And what's more important is not to believe everything you hear before you see it for yourselves and well, taste it for yourselves. Hold an air of skepticism about life in general. I have heard a mixed bag of reviews about this place before I visited, directly from friends. Because I know them to be liars about every other thing, I trusted the numerous positive reviews I'd seen on the internet, my most trusted friend.
The internet never lies, friends can. And after I went? Friends do lie.

The menu does stand out from what you usually spot, and I have read lots about people even making the comparisons between here and the authentic dishes they eat in Malaysia, saying they are on par with the taste and make them reminisce about home. I have also heard complaints about bland tasting, watery, tasteless dishes being served, but to each their own and what (wise) choices you make! Unique and (to some), weird dishes like their Special soup comprising pig intestine, liver, kidney, pork and preserved vegetables make an appearance, but to me, those sound all too familiar. As horrid as it sounds.

Clean, polished and simple is the decor style here. A casual and relaxed dining atmosphere with casual staff in casually dressed clothes. And I mean seriously casual, staff wandering around in shorts and thongs level of casual. It appears it is very family owned and run with a variety of staff ranging from adolescents to (nearly) elderly. All are equally as friendly and smiley, which is a good contagious disease :D

One of the ladies was very friendly and observing of her customers - I was fanning myself and shortly after, the air conditioner came on. I glanced at her and exchanged a nod and a smile, which the words thank you and you're welcome were exchanged even though they were unsaid. It's really amazing how much can be said - and how much you don't need to say - with one simple gesture.