Bites: Crispy Bacon @ Floyd's, Subiaco.

Having an interesting Sunday brunch is a surefire method to killing off the oncoming Monday blues.  But when you are ordering stacks of deep fried guilt at 10am for brunch, it is likely that even the Sunday is going to be a long day.  I hit Floyd’s, a gourmet family-run cafe in Subiaco for brunch a couple weeks back and the menu is pretty damn intense.

That morning I ordered the Panko Crumbed Eggs served with charred asparagus, fried potato hash and crispy bacon (as the prosciutto was not available)

The dish itself was technical marvel considering how there are still cafes in town that struggling to even poach eggs right. Floyd’s move to deep-fry poached eggs was a dangerous one. But when executed right and the yolk flows, it was a sight to behold.  I was impressed by that aspect but the combination of fried bacon, hollandaise and crumbed eggs felt too heavy.  Very heavy.  Almost like a 3 piece KFC dinner box in the morning ha ha.  But hey, I knew it before I ordered it.  Guess I got a bit ambitious there!

My dining companion on the other hand decided to go for something a little healthier and settled for the Seared Avocado and Bacon stack.

Think smashed avocado but something more worth the buck and less worthy of an insult.  The bacon at Floyd’s is crispy by default but her preference was for a softer more meaty bacon. Other than that, she thought her choice for brunch was fine.

Over all the morning at Floyd’s was decent.  Not great but decent.  Food wise, they have a few daredevils on there but other than that the creativity on the plate did not really excite me as much as I thought it would.  After brunch that day I felt really heavy from my fried foods overkill!  Definitely something to be vary off the next time I pick my brunch dish!

Bites: Glorious Italian! @ Lulu la Delizia, Subiaco.

Life is too short to be wasted. When you’re working 10 hour days, 21 days at a time I tend to have a natural need to consume, as you guess it food.  This time around, Italian food.  While I am no Italian food expert, I know that it spans beyond pizza, pasta and salad!  I am finally at Lulu la Delizia and I was super pumped.  This cafe is super small making it cosy, and very Melbourne-esque (sorry Perth!).  The service from the door to the table was warm and welcoming making it an enjoyable entrance.

The menu at Lulu la Delizia has a group of “staples” paired with seasonal and daily specials.  The appetisers here are out of this world starting with a strong statement from the salty, crispy Parmesan paired with the earthy grounded shrooms.

Complementary Parmesan crisp with ground mushroom

Then comes the fruit King Fish Crudo which surprised me with the ripeness of the dish yet refreshing with the acidity of the lemon juice.

King Fish Crudo with Stone Fruit

Speaking of ripeness, what pairs better than caramelised slowly grilled figs with a Parmesan that is nutty in fragrance but absolutely robust with flavour in each bite. Super good!

Grilled Fig & Parmesan

Sister’s favourite the marrow was luscious and rich with an nice meaty flavour.  What was even better is that is spreader like butter on the toast that was soaked with the herby beef ragu.  Droolworthy!

Bone Marrow with Ragu

Pork sausage pasta, saffron, peas (Left), Ricotta gnocchi, blue swimmer, tomatoes (Mid), Lagoon clam pasta (Right).

Three pastas from Lulu la Delizia were superb.  Whether its the warmth of the saffron or the briny seafood explosion in the clam pasta, the pastas were top notch.  Was it faultless?  Perhaps not 100%. What went wrong you might ask?  Don’t get me wrong I loved the Gnocchi’s sauce but I felt like the pasta itself should be softer, fluffier and more delicate. Might just be me though!

The meal at Lulu la Delizia was really enjoyable.  The cafe got a little noisy as Lulu la Delizia got busier and prices are not cheapest.  But Lulu la Delizia pairs good service, with quality handmade pasta and tasty appetisers for an amazing Italian night.  Will I come back here again? Definitely so.

WenY

Bites: The Best Gelato ever @ Whisk Creamery, Subiaco

Before my meal at Subidoo in Subiaco, I stopped by one of the town latest dessert favourite, Whisk Creamery.  No IG feed is complete without a friend posting one of Whisk Creamery’s tantalising desserts in the last few weeks. so just before dinner I decided to stop by Whisk Creamery for a bite with a couple of friends.

Whisk Creamery pitches a philosophy of using nothing but the freshest ingredients and a traditional family recipe.  But those words to me are no different from the cliche of putting big words like “dynamic”, and “self-motivated” only to under deliver.  Did Whisk Creamery deliver?  

Rocky Road ($13) - Anglaise, flamed marshmallow, PEANUT BUTTER gelato topped with milk chocolate pieces and another flamed marshmallow.

I would describe the individual elements of this dessert a mixed batch.  I did not like the day old waffle and neither did I get the skimping of the creme Anglaise that barely made its presence.  Chocolate bits and flamed marshmallow was an essential part of a Rock Road and they were good. But then came the most important product of a Gelato Shop.  The Gelato itself.  The quality of the Gelato was absolutely top notch. Creamy, smooth, and that unmistakable taste of peanut butter was there. The sugar level was well-toned and the balance between the sweetness and saltiness was all just right.  The topic of balance is something subjective that defers from one individual to another.  But this for me was simply perfect.

Caramel Sandwich ($13) - Cronut, BLACK SESAME gelato, salted caramel sauce topped with whipped cream and more salted caramel sauce.

This was another flamboyant dessert that put together some of the biggest dessert craze in town which includes the Cronut,  an Asian Flavoured Ice Cream and Salted Caramel.  Of the main elements, they aced 2 out of 3.  Which failed me?  The Cronut.  Again, this felt day old and the consistency of the Cronut served to me was no Cronut.  It was no more than an ordinary doughnut!  Perhaps the waitress failed to inform me. But other than that I loved everything else on the plate.  The complex flavours of the black sesame was simply superb and it was very fragrant too. Pair it with the delicious salted caramel and this was something drool worthy!   I personally enjoyed this more than the Peanut Butter Gelato!

Whisk Creamery is the quintessential Gelato shop to me.  Out of the two flavours which I have tried which were the Black Sesame and Peanut Butter ones, I felt like the former came out best of the lot.  Yes they were both equally creamy and well-made but the flavours of the Black Sesame felt more apparent in each bite.  While their creations did not blow me of my sock, I would not mind visiting Whisk Creamery just for their Gelato again!  Two flavours does not constitute a population big enough to judge an entire shop yet I can still confidently claim Whisk Creamery's Gelato represented the perfect example of what a Gelato should be exactly.  It was simply superb.   Other Gelato attempts at Gusto Gelato or Il Gelato did not leave me as satisfied.  However, if there is one shop though could beat Whisk Creamery it would be Freddo’s in Melbourne.

WenY

Bites: South American Ribs @ Subidoo, Subiaco.

A week of sudden rib cravings led me to dine at two American diners last week.  First was a meal at Ribs & Burgers in Perth city and the other at Subidoo in Subiaco.  The latter was my pick to meet up with a few colleagues over dinner.

To start we ordered a main size buttermilk fried chicken with spicy mayonnaise.

These crispy boneless chicken came out promising.  It looked crispy on the outside but it was missing the outer crust with a deep crunch. What also felt lacking was the memorable buttermilk fragrance.  Subidoo’s buttermilk chicken had a thin layer of crust rather than a crunchy batter. In saying that it came out really tender and still yummy.  Apparently buttermilk works as a tenderiser too!

Fish Tacos; battered fish, slaw, and chilli aioli.

This unsuspecting taco is one of my surprise favourites at Subidoo.  Its flavours were spot on! You have the acidity of the slaw, the creamy mayonnaise and the crispy fish.  Sounds like a sure win does it not?  However, it could be super-sized though to make it real American if you get what I mean.  The tacos were a little small.

That night we had three serve of ribs which allowed us to sample all their specialties.  The first of the three was the beef back ribs.

The full rack for $30 was a steal.  Imagine thick and juicy fall of the bone meat that is tender, slightly fatty with its edges mildly caramelised. Basting was rich, and its flavours all worked so very well together.  Delicious.  

The other two rib dishes were based on pork.  The Five Spice Ribs and the Cuban Style BBQ Pork Ribs.

The Asian inspiration in the Five Spice Ribs were pretty obvious.  It had notes of tamarind and was topped with some chilli.  The Five Spice flavour was present and to bring all the flavours together you have that fruity sweetness from the palm sugar which carries a natural caramel flavour.  It was decent but I did not feel quite as impressed as I was with the beef ribs!

The Cuban style BBQ Spare Ribs was also something which I felt tasted OK but did not really live up to my expectations.  With all due respect, I did not get the smokey BBQ flavours one would normally expect.  Perhaps it has something to do with the Cuban style barbecue? Never had that before haha.  

As a side, we also had the chargrilled corn.  Boy, these were so good.  Sweet corn perfectly cooked and simply oozing with the chipotle sauce.  The added sprinkling of cheese made dreams come true and it was all a very common flavour that everyone on the table enjoyed.  Except AC of course as he does not like cheese at all!

Subidoo is a nice place to catch up with friends over a meal in Subiaco as its casual and airy diner means you have a lot more space without the feeling of suffocating.  But if you are here for the ribs which is the specialty of Subidoo, you will feel disappointed (with the exception of the beef ribs).  The plate of porky ribs did not feel as though there was enough love present in the process of preparing the dish. Clearly enough from the picture, it felt as though the sauce and the ribs were two separate components from start to end.  Sauce poured on top of dry ribs?  I wanted ribs tenderised by slow cooking.  Then set it on a grill and baste it with the sauce repeatedly to initiate the fusion between meat and sauce.   Subidoo’s execution of the pork ribs was mildly flawed but its lack of attention to detail made it deplorable.   In hind sight, I would return anytime for those gorgeous beef ribs!

WenY.

Bites: The 7am breakfast, Architect & Heroes @ Subiaco

Waking up between 5 and 6 in the morning during my holidays sounds like an absolute waste after a long period of grinding.  Nevertheless, the term breakfast soon becomes something very relevant and interestingly rewarding.  My first morning at home was a breakfast date with my sister at Architects and Heroes.  This geek themed hipster-ish place in Subiaco has a cosy fit out which walls are graced by the many characters in comics.

My morning staple switches between a choice of tea or chocolate.  In this instance, it was the latter and I was glad to have ordered the hot chocolate here.  It is easily one of the best cocoa drink in town if not the best.  It tasted mildly sweet with a good cocoa intensity and more importantly, a smooth creamy consistency.  Give me a cup any day and I will gladly drink it up. 

Almond Croissant, what is there to dislike?

My initial choice for breakfast was the steak but the kitchen ran out of cooking oil or something. Taking a second look at the menu, I decided to go with a serve of green eggs.

Taste wise, the green eggs were really nice and the eggs were cooked well.  It was a shame that the yolks were not runnier.  My biggest dislike though was probably how the layout & presentation did not complement the eating.  I would have liked the slabs of ham placed on the toast before letting the eggs lay sexily on the toast and have the lot oozing with the green sauce.  Why the whinge?  The sauce was distributed quite poorly across the board leaving the dish quite dry at the end. =/!

Architect & Heroes is a promising cafe with heaps of potential left to tap.  Just not that morning whilst I was there.  As is, a little boring.  But with more attention to detail, and some TLC amongst the elements on the plate, this suburban eatery can propel itself to heroic proportions.  But its ok, most heroes never looked cool in their first costume anyway!  Better luck next time :P!

WenY

Bites: Bistro Felix @ Subiaco

Dear parents were here last month so I thought of bringing them out and found Bistro Felix quite highly rated on Urbanspoon.  Came in at 6.30 and was promptly seated by the waitresses who were very friendly.  Menu’s were brought to us and bread laid on our plates.  It was a good start.   The restaurant looked like a proper bistro.  I cannot quite describe how a bistro is meant to look like but it is just a feeling you get.

 

For starters:                                                                                                                                                              Half dozen of freshly shucked oysters which my dad and sister say were absolutely delicious!

 

Chicken liver pate and crusty bread as dips!  Really delicious and flavorful but definitely does not have the beauty of the melt in your mouth foie gras!

 

Mom and I had some scallops which were OK but not the greatest.  While we wanted the one with butter and coriander, they only had the normal one.  Fortunately though, scallops are such beautiful seafood that does not need much to shine!

 

For mains:

We ordered one each but not all turned out well. Probably the steak which was mine and dad’s fish were the highlight although misses on the chicken and duck confit was disappointing.                                                              My steak was perfectly cooked in the middle and was tender all the way through.  Lone onion ring hardly made an impression while slightly charred outer bit of the steak carried a bitter crust.  Not exactly what I would called divine but was still a tangible steak.  Same thing happened with mom’s chicken!

 

Dad’s fish looked perfectly cooked.  Sister’s confit was so salty she decided to query the waitress but the chef insist that the duck was spot on.  Even for me it was too salty.  However, at the end of the night we were still charged for a meal we returned because it was inedible.  It was a big bummer and a big no-no in terms of customer service.  And believe it or not, they put two chocolate truffles on the table expecting they expect us to settle for. 

 

For dessert I ordered the lemon brulee tart with mandarin sorbet.                                                                                   

It was delicious and I wish I could have more.  The crust was really short, the curd with the right intensity and the sorbet provided a refreshing end.  It was very fragrant too!  Amazing how that thin tart had enough acidity to stir the taste buds!  Well recommended :)!

 

Vanilla Pannacotta with strawberries were OK but definitely not the best.  It could have been smother and the strawberries did not have much impact.  Fresh but not enough acidity to cut through the sweet Pannacotta.                                   Over all, the night at Bistro Felix was decent.  But was it superb? I think that I quite hard for my swallow that.  I really find that the service at the table was spot on but when it came to billing, it felt rather ruthless.  Would I recommend it?  Maybe for a try yes.  And for that discount from the buy 1-free-1.  But $40 for a rather normal meal?  Not really quite there.

I have always perceived the concept of bistros to be fairly casual, easy and affordable.  But when it comes to Perth, it translates to something most Perth people would regard as expensive, and opportunistic.

 

WenY

Bites: Village Bar @ Subiaco

Last weekend, the engineers and I decided to have a meet up.  Keen for a new space, I decided to look around town while avoiding all dim sum places which have become to frequent at our meet ups.  Searching around for something casual and relaxing, I stumbled upon a the Village Bar on the Queen of Bad Timing’s blog.  You can see her share of the review here.  Village bar distinct itself from other bars as this was more of a gastropub than your regular one.  The food here is pretty good and the bar prides itself with the title Best Steak Sandwich in WA.  But I was not sold to get one.  I know how overrated titles can get. 

 

For me,  I decided to get the Honey Vodka battered fish and chips.  It was every bit delectable.  While it was not cheap @ $22, it had my respect.  The fish was fresh, crisp and so moorish.  Beer battered chips were in a league of its own.  But typically being fish and chips with a serve of garlic aioli and tartare sauce, this basket of goodness soon becomes a little greasy. 

While I enjoyed my fish and chips, others decided to try to steak sandwich which unfortunately was just over lukewarm.  I find this things always happen when one tries to serve 10 dishes at the same time.  As a foodie, I reckon the kitchen should do what it does best at its own pace.  So long as the food comes out delectable and hot, everyone will be extremely pleased.  Over all, Village Bar is a pretty impressive bar.  It’s décor was nice, waitresses keen to help and food delicious.  Will I come here again?  Definitely yes, compared to the Brisbane, this place is a downright winner. The only value that is hard to beat is the $15 ribs @ The Shed!

 

WenY

Bites: Mad Mex @ Subiaco

Two days ago, my sister and I decided to go for some simple dinner not Japanese, or Chinese.  Having Italian on Monday did not help either, so Mexican it is.  For those who live near the city, Mad Mex might look like a Zambrero copy cat. But to those who know, Mad Mex is already a household name for fast, fresh and tasty Mexican food when it established its first outlet in Hillarys.  A workmate of mine has mentioned this a few times now, but with Hillarys being the only option before, I am glad we now have one in Subiaco.

To share my sister and I called a Quesadillas and a Grande Melt to share.

The quesadillas was a monster and it is definitely good to for sharing.  Four large triangles filled with melted cheese and meat was good but so rich.  For this one, I called the beef which was tasty but perhaps slightly overcooked but not to extent where it is dry and stringy.  Cheese was good but the overload made it salty! But fear not, guacamole, sour cream and the salsa made this all very easy to eat. 

 

As for the Grande melt, I had it with the chicken.  And to be honest, the chicken was more succulent and the marinade just tasted really good.  Sister did not quite like the black beans in the Grande wrap but I found it ok.  A little dusty sort of textural component which is OK.   No dislike or significant like!  As its name suggest, there was heaps of cheese again here.  But luckily enough, not as much as the Quesadillas!

 

Overall, Mad Mex is a really good bite that feels wholesome and is prepared well under 10 minutes of waiting time.  The concept was simple and more importantly, clear.  Taste wise, this definitely beats Subway hands down.   I like the cheese, and chicken,.  In fact, the guacamole was pretty nice despite lacking in acidity and missing the pungent taste of diced onions.  So next time if you’re catching the footy or simply wondering about Subiaco, do not forget that there is a little something there that does not make a hole in your pocket :)!

 

WenY

Birthday Bites: Satsuki @ Subiaco.

Tuesday was darling’s birthday.  After a surprise present on midnight, she had more smiles on her than ever.  Glad to see that she’s happy :P  ON the noon of her birthday, her lunch wish could not be simpler because all she wanted was a plate of Indo Mee.  Judging by her sleepy face at noon, I was pretty certain that we were not going anywhere for lunch.  But dinner was different, I had to be an uncle  to make sure she was ready to leave by 7 as reservations were made for half past seven.  Our night was to be celebrated in a restaurant located in Subiaco.  When we reached, we were greeted by the friendly staff that never fails to smile or provide assistance throughout the evening. 

A macro of the eating plates :D!   Tinkered with the sharpen function of WLW.

The menu looked super good and I really mean it.  I could have ordered pretty much everything except sashimi which I sort of had in the end anyways.  But before the menu became my highlight, the birthday girl caught my attention, so.. *snap* *snap*

19th birthday.  Happy birthday darling!

Satsuki serves their food Izakaya style which is essentially a type of dining which encourages social interaction.  Considering how both of us interact so much  at home, this was not really the best setup ahaha.  But nonetheless, it was every bit enjoyable.  The place had a crowd but it was not taxing on our romantic evening.  Ok maybe not so romantic ahahah.  Romantic dinner expensive ok? And also the place I wanted to bring her to has CLOSED DOWN :(! Sobs!! 

A few more things to note about Satsuki is the uniqueness of Satsuki’s sushi prepared in the traditional Edomae style.  Whats Edomae?   It’s essentially food art.

First up is a raw fish sushi I usually never enjoy.  Ordered by mistake, savoured with joy.

The lightly fried battered sushi roll was delicious in every bite.  Finished with chives and stringy red decorations, the raw tuna belly filling was orgasmic.  Fried crisp seaweed on the outside did not tamper with the freshness of the tuna belly.  Class act 1.

Next up is another shocker which took me by storm.  Darling mischievously ordered another fish dish omg!

Foil baked salmon.  This dish is epic.  The salmon meat was odourless.  A no.1 criteria for the fussy pot me.  The salmon fillet was baked with leek, onions and mushroom before it was served with a citrus ponzu sauce.  Totally gorgeous.  No joke!!

The final dish we ordered for the first round was Agedashi Tofu.  This wasn’t the best Agedashi ever but it was satisfactory.  If only more sauce came with it.  I like the yummy soy broth mixed with the radish bits and ginger a lot.  Without it, its just bean curd.  Plain bean curd is just saddening!

Om nom nom nom!  Can you believe it?  the first round of order had absolutely no chicken or pork whatsoever.  I’m stunned when I realised this myself.  The Japanese really do wonders in the kitchen.  No doubt!!

After chatting for a bit, we were starting to get hungry again.  But truth be said it was more of her talking and me seeing her talk.  Not sure why was I so quiet that night =X!  Its really a once in a blue moon kind of thing ahah.  I’m rarely quiet.  What more when I’m with her.  Back on to the food, round 2 was more  of a meal suited to the carnivore me.

Kaarage! Deep fried marinated chicken finished with a citron dressing.  The ang moh sitting at the table next to us went like “Ohh! Ohh! That looks delicious.  I feel like I might steal one of you”  So lamee man that uncle ahah.  Damn random.  But he was right about one thing, that it was delicious.  How can good can deep fried chicken be? VERY GOOD.  I’m always sceptical about paying 10 bucks for 6 pieces of chicken but this was the BOMB.  Other than Toraya, this one was so yummy that I ate more than half of it.  I liked the way the chicken sat on some colourless sauce that gave so much added flavour to the chicken.  The meat was every bit tender and juicy on the inside too!

The last thing that we ordered was the Dorper lamb “Tatsuta”.  Deep friend Dorper lamb with White su-Miso sauce and a hint of garlic.  Love the garlic but I have absolutely no idea what those red stringy things on top of the dishes I’ve ordered so far, but its starting to feel overused.  Nonetheless, this was as good as the Kaarage but XL liked the Kaarage better though.    The lamb did not even feel chewy or anything.  Not to mention, the hint of garlic flavour made this a pleasant food to savour. 

Darling kept telling me that she is very full but the moment I mentioned dessert, I saw the grin ;-)!  We left Satsuki and headed over to Bonsai to finish the evening meal with desserts.

Sitting together by the window.

She ordered:

A crepe dessert which I thought should have been more moist between the layers :P  She liked the light texture of the whole thing which I though was a fair call.

To those who read my blog often, they would probably know the dessert of my choice, the Créme Brulee.  OH yeah babehhh!  Topped by a crusty layer of charred sugar, this has always been my favourite dessert.  Of course there is also Tiramisu and all, but this really is the bomb in my opinion.  Simple yet it requires skills to make… in which Bonsai did not fare too well.

While the crust sugar layer was awesome, the custard was lumpy.  Not the smooth textured one that it should have.  Bleakkksss :P

After finishing up our desserts, we were pretty much up to the brim already.  Good stuff from Satsuki and OK desserts from Bonsai.  Believe they could have done better considering they were practically empty on her birthday night.  But its ok, tomorrow its my cousins birthday, I’ll make sure I get some good shots for the night :P!

Ciao outside!

WenY

Bites: San Churros @ Subiaco

The fat boy Yobi is back in town!!  Having been out of Malaysia for quite awhile, we decided to head out to Subiaco to stack up on his lost calories.  His Euro tour was one comparable to a Buddhist monk journey.  Except that he travels from country to country promoting his Chinese face in which he every off and on complains that his eyes are too small ahaha.  Not wanting to have chop suey or anything Asian for dinner, I was brain squeezed to find a place that he has not been to before.  No little Caesar, Jus B or any 20 dollar pastas that I have brought him to.  I then recalled one of my little surf ups on the internet, and I thought why not visit the burger place I saw before and we surely did.  We headed straight to FAB burger to get a slice of the rights to go head on with the critics.

When we reached, we were made paranoid by a crowd was barely present, and that was until we sank our teeth into the burgers that turned out to be a good combination of toppings and sauce.  Yobi had the Royale with bacon and aged cheddar while I had the Hot American which spicy Pepperoni.  It is however, unfortunate that the beef patty does not stand out (no burger joint does).   Filled by the small burger that did not take long to chomp down, Yobi and I decided to bring our bitching to San Churros located not to far away.  And jeng jeng jeng jeng!!!  There was something new that is suited to the title the king of calories.

The Classic Spanish with a spoonful of peanut butter goodness.

Described as the spoonful of remedy to help forget your worries, I am now worried that my 69kg fort won’t hold any longer thanks to the sinful pleasures of my night. 

Ok too tired to type already!! Off to bed!

Nites peeps!

WenY

Bites: Delizioso Cafe @ Subiaco

Has little Caesar lost its place as the best Pizza in town?  Hmm maybe, but more than likely according to the newspaper.  The article in the Morning Herald mentioned about the new “IT” place in town that has been pretty low on profile despite its good records in recent competition and so.  The place called Delizioso was featured in the article here. I was happy and more than keen to try out this new finding.  Sure enough, it turned out to be full on creativity made on small square of pastry.

 

How about pumpkin sauce for a change instead of tomato for the base?  Or maybe the award winning mushroom trio topped with loads of crumbled ricotta?  These were pretty delicious, and it is ridiculously heavy on the tummy =X!  No wonder they charge almost 7 bucks a slice.  This place is no food science and neither does it kill Picasso in art but its bring a feel as if it is in a class of its own.   Not bad for a hideous cafe.

 

WenY