Bites: Kitchen Inn @ Thornlie

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

 

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

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

 

Glutinous Rice Dumpling (Zhong)

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

 

Kampua Noodles @ $6.90

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

 

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

 

WenY

Bites: Kanta @ Langford (Visit 2!)

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

WenY

Bites: Zambrero Fresh Mex Grill @ Leederville

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

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

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

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

WenY