BItes: Catalanos @ Victoria Park

The Entertainment Book has been a wonderful host of discount with various restaurants that are awesome.  Unfortunately not all are awesome.  My recent dinner at this the supposedly “favorite finalists” turned out a disaster and without much ado, the review.

The chili mussels were something the table looked forward to.  The mussels were perfectly cooked before being mixed into a sauce that was in my opinion too plain.  The flavor was very subtle which was good if you just wanted the taste of the mussels.  Clearly enough too, the mussels were cook separately from the sauce before being tossed in it for a bit.  Absolutely tasteless this dish.  Maybe that’s why it did not come with bread to damp the sauce.

 

Next, we order a fettuccini to share.  Our first impressions on this was one good despite the disappointing appetizer.  The creamy red sauce look fabulous with cheese sprinkled on top.  Chicken slices too, looked rather generous.  And that is where it all ends.  The fettuccini was severely undercooked.  I have watched Jamie Oliver and Master Chef in Italy.  It seems like they like their pasta slightly undercooked just below al Dante, and I am pretty sure this was not how it was meant to be.  We were dumbfounded that a basic cooking can be so carelessly prepared.

 

Next was the Carbonara which was probably the best dish that night.  Its pasta was cooked perfectly, the sauce was mild and it was over all a pretty good dish.  For me, all it needed was a little more salt.  Despite trying to avoid having too much creamy pasta, this was the only reliable dish that night.

 

Our last dish was the pan-fried veal schnitzel with thick cut chips, fresh salad and a red sauce.   Another massive disappointment on a plate.  Sauce was definitely lackluster.  It was literally flat.  Veal steaks felt as if it was just chucked onto a non-heated pan and left to “boil”.  It was overall horrible.  But hey, the cheep's were pretty nice.

 

Overall, my meal at Catalano’s turned out to be one massive disaster.   This is a place that if you stop outside and wonder whether to try or not, just WALK ON.  Not worth the time and money.  Can definitely get better elsewhere.  Diners clearly deserved better and this is one of the very rare times where my review has turned out so negatively.  The only other time was at Sake Bar and another Thai restaurant.

 

WenY

Bites: Imp @ Victoria Park

Recently, the little darling bought me a birthday present which was about 2 months too early.  Nonetheless, it has come at the right time considering the amount of food reviews I would be involved with in the coming weeks.  My new camera deviates from my usual DSLR as the new Olympus OMD EM5 which I now use feels significantly lighter and smaller.  However, adapting to a new system takes time and this is no different.  What better way is there to learn than bringing it out for a spin?!

What a beauty!

 

The Imp had been a brekkie place I would have gone to until Crumpets came by, died and then we had Sayers, Mrs S. and a whole lot of other capable brunch spots.

The Imp still keeps its minimalistic fittings with no rendered walls, all of which gives it an old warehouse look except for its low ceilings.

 

Imp is a popular hangout spot both in the day or at night.  At night, the Imp serves out delicious hot drinks with scrumptious cakes to match.  I have been there for many times now but the cakes I liked best were the spiced pear cake as well as the sticky date pudding.  Others gone on to complement the Imp for their chocolate fudge cake commenting that they never knew cakes could ever taste so good.

 

Last night, the little darling, Yvonne and I called two cakes to share.One was the apple and berry crumble while the other was the chocolate cheesecake.  The little darling loves her berries and for me, the crumble was spot on with all sugar levels kept moderate.  This gives the dessert a well-toned sweetness which complements its acidity.  However though, large pieces of apples tend to absorb the acidity of the berries making them a tad too sour for my liking.  While the berry crumble was pretty good, we were let down by the chocolate cheesecake.  This was especially so by Yvonne as she was expecting a deep chocolate well in the center which was not the case because it was on topped by a chocolate no more than a spoonful.  Cheese taste was milder than what I like and it felt as if they had used sour cream too!  Not too sure but that is alright.

 

While I am not the biggest fan of coffee, sipping tea is probably what I am keen off.  A chamomile tea wrapped in a fury little tea warmer?  I’m sold!  

 

Overall, the Imp is a pretty good night place to spend with friend nibbling cakes and drinking hot drinks.  But do note that Fridays are easily made nightmarish as the small sitting area does not accommodate large groups nicely.  Not to mention diners having dinner does not make things anything easier as they often spend the whole evening sipping wine and ordering tapas.   But for me, a group of 4 would probably be just nice.

 

As for the OMD test run, all I can say is OMG.  If I could fault it, it would be the lack of sharpness which is more likely a lens problem than a camera one.  So perhaps in a bit I will be able to full kit my camera up!

 

WenY

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Bites: Himalayan Restaurant @ Victoria Park.

Tasting new food has always been a special occasion.  Whether it was the different textures or unusual flavours, nothing better explains a country than its food.  From a total fiascos to rare gems, there is no way of telling the outcome without tasting.    After hopping from one place to another, I am finally taking a break from the usual Japanese/Italian/Chinese/Modern Australian dining.  This time around, Himalayan food.  After so many failed attempts to land a indoor booking due to indecisiveness and hesitation, we finally braved the cold and took a sit outside. 

 

After nibbling on spiced nuts our starters arrived.  The first appetizer for the night was the lollipop chicken!

This chicken is the Chinese version of boxing chicken.  With the meat of the drummet pushed to the top to give a wholesome feel in one bite.  The marinade were good but to me, it did not feel as tasty as it can be.  But the pungent onion ring did have a good taste to it and when  you dip it in the mint yoghurt, wow! The flavours were pretty good!  Not intense but OK!

 

Next up was Momo! The Himalayan answer to the Chinese Shanghai Pork Dumplings.  These were decadent despite its skin being too thick.  However though, this would really be a matter of personal preference.  For example. I did not quite like it at first because the spices in the jus just seems to have overpowered the flavour of the meat which one would get in a typical dumpling.  But then again, this is not your typical dumpling! This is Momo! The Himalayan Dumpling.  The accompanying sauce was a welcoming addition.  It was slightly sweet with a good hint of tomato.  Not bad!  Overall, this was an interesting eat!

 

Looking at the menu, it was clear that the mains have a strong Indian influence.  The curries and such were really quite close but not really the same.  Personally, I did not find the spices as strong as the one in a typical Indian curry except for one particular dish.  But it is this subtleness which carried a special feeling about this.  To go with curries we had a variety of the carbs from naans to saffron rice.  All very typically Indian.

The cheese naan! Pretty yums!

 

Chara ko Sekuwa  a Napalese’s reinterpretation of the tandoori.  Tender pieces of chicken thigh marinated in special Nepalese spices with yoghurt, cooked in a Tandoori oven.  I really cannot complain at all. I really enjoyed it.  In fact I enjoyed this more than I would normally enjoy Chicken Tikka or Tandoori!  The spices were spot on, the dip was refreshing, and most importantly, the chicken was cooked to perfection.  This one, I like!  Even this got fishman’s seal of approval!

Tender chicken :)!

Himalayan Hot Chicken  had boneless pieces of chicken cooked in authentic Nepalese style very hot curry, finished with fresh coriander. 

This was my sister’s favourite that night.  The spicy sauce went really well with the rice. Like I have mentioned before, the subtleness in spices made the chicken feel really light on the palate yet tasty. 

 

Last pic for the night was the goat curry.  This dish was the superb delish albeit being on the salty side.  Goat meat of the bone is one of the best curries for me.  Indian, Mamak or whatever really.  This has always tasted divine in the hands of the right chef!  For me this was another thing I liked.

Goat Curry

 

Other than the curries above, we also ordered a fish curry which to me was OMG so smelly.  Then again I am fussy with my fish @@!  At the end of the meal, I was filled to the bream.  More importantly, satisfied.  I guess there really is a good reason why  the restaurant has always been fully booked on the weekends if one is late.    As for my Himalayan experience, I guess it went pretty well with a below 10 degree weather although when compared, it would pale in comparison with the Everest.  With tasty curries and delicious dumplings, it was hard to complain! Good eat! And oh, their service is pretty slow and they did stuff up our order, but what matter is their apologies and they made it up to us with a free basket of naan :)! haha good service in my opinion!

 

WenY

Bites:Taro Taro @ Victoria Park.

The Asian food scene in Perth has never been boring.  Whether it is Thai, Malaysian, Japanese, Korean or Vietnamese, there was always something to cater for everyone.  With the addition of a Taiwanese cafe in Vic Park, my argument has a solid backing.  Promoting itself through Facebook, Taro Taro gained for itself great momentum which saw its first three days of soft opening flooding with keen taste buds.. and I was one of them.

For dinner last Friday we ordered heaps of braised pork rice and a oyster noodles to share.

Dinner!

Oyster noodles!

For me, I have never liked this sort of noodles even in Malaysia.  In Taiwan itself, I could not appreciate the fondness of the locals towards a popular franchise called the Ah Chung Mien Sin which specialises in such noodles. Not sure if the spelling is correct lols but nonetheless, Yvonne who ordered this thought it was ok with the exception of the oysters which seemed to be covered in flour. She was also hoping to get some of the chilli to go with this but it was not available during their trial runs.  Overall, an OK eat!

 

My pick for the night was the braised pork rice

When I collected the rice from the counter, I was really pleased with what I saw.  There was a whole lot more of mince which one would not get in Taiwan.  First impressions were great with me.  The addition of Coriander was smart, the egg was well done, and the pork was lean.  However, after a few spoon full, I stopped getting the sensation which I had before back in Taiwan.  I think we needed a little more kick in the sauce.  Perhaps make the sauce thicker and a little more of that preserved vegetable which I think is Mui Choy or pickled mustard which would have been great.  Another thing which I missed was the slightly greasy feel of a typical braised pork rice bowl back in Taiwan.  Having lean meat is a luxury and at the same time really healthy, but at the expense of taste hmmm.  I would prefer unhealthy.

Edit: Had it again today! Tasted better with the preserved vege provided on the side :)!

 

For dessert we had the bean curd dessert with sago, yam and sweet potato balls as well as Ai Yu Jelly with White Pearls and lemon tea.

While I enjoyed the Ai Yu jelly and found the addition of the white pearls really nice, I could not help but feel that the entire drink which is a modern reinterpretation of the classic one in Taiwan has not succeeded.  A few sips had me not wanting the drink anymore as it was unbearable.  Don’t get me wrong, it did not suck all that bad but I believe that the lime essence has been squeezed or obtained inappropriately making it really bitter.  Felt as if someone actually just boiled down the whole lime just to get the lime flavour.  With a cup that big, it was really difficult to finish considering how bitter it was.

 

As for the special bean curd dessert, it was pretty decent.  If I had any complains it would be that the yam and sweet potato balls were a little hard to bite through.  It would have been a lot better if it was slightly softer yet it pack the chewy consistency that I’m used to!

Bean curd Dessert!

Earlier this year, my trip to Taiwan was packed with great scenery, polite locals and fun peeps. What felt lacking was the food. Nonetheless, I still brought fond memories of delicious beef noodles, crunchy XXL Chicken Chop, braised pork rice and the refreshing Ai Yu jelly drink home with me. So with Taro Taro, I had high expectations.  Over all, I felt that it was average but could be improved. The braised pork rice was OK but could definitely be improved in terms of meat and sauce. I heard the XXL Chicken Chop was pretty good according the both the little darling, my sis as well as from fishman and Yvonne who had dined there twice on Friday.  I look forward to the grand opening where I hope the Ai Yu jelly drink and the yam/sweet potato ball would have been improved!  At the same time though, I cannot help but feel grateful for an additional variety in Perth!

Edit: Also had the fried chicken today! Smashing!!

 

WenY

Bites: Rasa Nyonya @ Victoria Park

My typical Saturday bite is a good fix of Nasi Lemak and a whole lot of other goodies.  Unfortunately, that only happens in Malaysia.  Nonetheless, if you are craving for a little goodie with a twist of exciting yet authentic flavours, perhaps Rasa Nyonya might be your pick.  The term “Nyonya” to my knowledge originates from the term “Baba & Nyonya” which is a Malaccan term for a certain mixed race of Peranakan Chinese.  Typically, Nyonya food often revolves about a concoction of sweetness, spiciness, saltiness with a hint of sourness. For me, that was what we had tonight.

Random decor!

 

For this table of four, we ordered dishes which were highly recommended by our Asian peers. 

Ikan Assam Gulai Pedas, was one of the dishes we ordered that night.  The slices of fish cooked in a broth rich in spices and flavour went with rice.  While the fish was not overcooked, the fillet slices were not the best fish to use for this considering how much the texture has deviated from what I am typical accustomed to back home.  The sauce which sweet, and sour with a hint of spiciness! Definitely yums for me!  However though,an unpleasant sensation was inevitable as the sauce was gritty due to the herbs and spices that was blended for this dish. 

 

Special Egg Tofu was another dish we had today.  This was one was pretty special albeit a little on the sweet side.  The dish to me consisted of two main components, an egg component which acts as a binder and the other, diced fried bean curd.  The omelette held the tofu together before being topped with fresh garnish with a mix of sweet chilli sauce and sweet dark soy.  This is pretty unique and I’m pretty sure the sweet tooths Nee and Fishman enjoyed it a whole lot!

 

The last dish was my favourite for the night.  This is a classic butter prawn with egg floss rather than an oatmeal coating.  Generous servings of egg floss made the ordinary prawns absolutely lip smacking!  Present also is the fragrance of the curry leaves which added another taste to the prawns.  Back home this is an absolute favourite in my family.  The thought of having steamed rice with the prawns covered in fragrant and crisp egg floss is almost impossible to resist!

 

Overall our meal was pretty decent.  Coming here tonight, it is clear that Rasa Nyonya has more to offer other than the Nasi Lemak that I have been having here for the past years.  While this might seem a little premature considering the 3 dishes were the few out of the many more served, their chef recommendations seem rather good too!  When I come back next time, it’ll definitely be to try the salted egg dishes as well as the kankung belacan!  Other than the food, Rasa Nyonya also serves up some of the Malaysian classic drinks such teh tarik, milo dinasaur and what not.  So would this restaurant be a yay or nay? Definitely a yay this trip!

 

WenY

Bites: Old Cathay @ Victoria Park

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

 

The Menu

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

WenY

Bites: Crumpets @ Victoria Park

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

 

WenY

Bites: The Imp @Victoria Park

I promised myself awhile ago that I shall abstain from any food blogging but ZzzzzZzz. I got bored of studying :P!  I have been to new brekkie place over the weekends so I’m here to share my latest brekkie tryout in Perth!  The place is just a couple of minutes away from home and it is really convenient!  The Imp is conveniently located along Albany highway near to Toto and is pretty much a nearby neighbour of Utopia BBT.

 

We started our morning pretty late at about 10 but that is pretty early considering that I sleep about 3-5am everyday.  I guess this is the Asian thing huh?  Wonder how I will cope with my lifestyle once I graduate! The Imp was pretty crowded possibly a mix of old customers and new ones driven by hype and curiosity!  On the menu, the Imp has all the usual suspects but my exploit this morning would be the big brekkie.  At least I know it is something that will last through dinner :D!

I decided to give a miss on the drinks but sister had to have her daily dose of caffeine which I have to insist came out very very tempting!

With a froth of layer to die for, I would have loved this to be a hot chocolate!   But alas, it is still coffee, my arch nemesis.  My sister says that the barista is from one of the cafes she frequents in city!   On the taste, well I did not take a sip so I’m pretty much clueless!

 

Pretty much all of us had the big breakfast except YH and Kelvin!

Poached eggs on sourdough toast for the first course? :)!  While we had 6 poached eggs on the table, darling was a little let down by the fact that hers was cook through.  No more liquidy yolk!!!  EMOOOOOO!!  Fortunately mine was every bit as runny as it should be! 

 

Bacons! What would you do without these??  It is even a complete breakfast meal without these?  Most would say no but I would beg to differ!  Nevertheless, crunchy bits of salty goodness are outmost welcomed in my tummy!! I mean, who would every say no?

 

And for the final course on the plate, we see the Imp’s hash browns, roasted tomatoes, chipolatas and homemade beans.  While the sausages were mediocre at best, the hash browns and full flavoured tomato was something to die for!@!@#!  I liked the hash browns as they very unique and pretty different in every way!  The tomatoes were good, very juicy and everything a good tomato should be.  Had plenty which still felt raw inside, while this was juicy throughout!  The homemade beans, felt undercooked but the sauce which tended to be a little spicy was really good.  Or at least I thought so :)! 

Nevertheless, seeing the uninspiring chipolatas was a let down.  I mean seriously?  =X!  I feel that the big breakfast all over Perth, especially top rated ones fail to amuse in this department!@#!@#  I hate all, I MEAN pretty much all the sausages I have eaten so far. 2 words to describe them - “uninspiringly boring”.

 

Next comes what I dare say, the winner!  This was YH’s open BLT!  So what makes this the winner? Well, first you do not see any bread.  And then the plating is on a plank of wood. Mmmm awesome aye?  Hehe ok, I’ll stop cocking for a moment.  But really, generous lashings of balsamic with crispy-wafer thin bacon streaks and a runny poached egg was just too hard to ignore.  It was so, so, so good!  Shaved cheese did add some complexity but wow, the choice of balsamic, it was really good.  So good I must insist.

YH’s open BLT!

 

Putting the sausages aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the big breakfast although if you were to compare it to the savoury Asian breakfast I had at Gopi the day before, … .  The simplicity or rather complexity taken for granted in Malaysian breakfast food was so satisfying even though the Nasi Lemak rice was not “lemak” enough.  Overall, the morning was all good at the Imp, the pricing was decent, food above average (putting sausages aside)  and wow, the open blt? Desirable!!

 

WenY

Bites: Little Ying Thai @ Victoria Park.

This little Thai cafe along Albany highway near Dome has a name that reminds me of one of the best Thai restaurants in Melbourne, Ying Thai 2 (check it out here).  Then comes the food unfortunately, which my sister tried once and said it was mediocre only.  I was not satisfied with her comment and could not resist trying it which I ended up doing yesterday!  Vil tagged along as it has been quite a while since I last met him!  When we went into the restaurant, we were greeted by some fine smelling Thai fragrant which covered the entire eating place.  Funnily enough, we were the only ones there at 1.30p.m.  Hmmm, who were they cooking for?

 

We promptly attended to by  the waiter who kindly asked us to call him when we were ready to order.  We soon ordered and I asked for something that was not on their lunch menu.  Well, they keen to kindly prepare my roast duck red curry which I love so much.  Darling ordered chicken tom yam, Fishman ordered spicy chicken fried rice and Vil ordered the Pad Thai!

When my dish came out it looked pretty good. Pineapples, aubergine, capsicums, and tomatoes all of that in a rich and fragrant sauce with pieces of boneless roasted duck in it.  When I first taste it, I though to myself, “Wow, this is actually pretty good,”.  But when I had my first bite into the duck, I was disappointed.  The meat was actually tough, as if the duck has been undercooked.  I would normally expected it to be tender and soft, but it turn out otherwise :(!  The taste was good but a bit sweet.  Perhaps this was because this dish was only meant to be available at night but they prepared it for me during lunch!!  What surprised me more was the difference between the red curry chicken and beef @ $8.80 while the duck curry cost $16.90.  Shocker really.  But the worst was yet to come.

 

Darling’s beaming face went to an all time low when she was served little Ying Thai’s tom yam soup because it tasted as if tom yam paste was used instead of fresh ingredients!  Real bummer without a doubt!  Vil found his pad Thai “ok” BUT he liked the one at S & T a lot more.  And then comes YH fried rice which he says its way too oily.  Overall, you can see that my sister is right here.  Goddamit I should have trusted her.  This restaurant definitely get a PASS but not even a CREDIT if it was an examinable unit! 

WenY