Bites: Imperial Court @ Como

Sometimes, after seeing a few reviews, I thought I know what my favourite dish would be when I visited a restaurant.  But just when you thought so, be prepared to expect the unexpected.  Walking in here I noticed that the man managing the whole place actually owns the HK Tea Cafe along James St. unless I saw wrongly. At 11.30 in the morning, we were quickly greeted by the lady who manages the place.  I’d reckon this is the perfect time for a yam cha session minus the crowd :)!

First up!  Har Gou/Prawn Dumpling!

While most places do not fail in taste and fresh prawns, most of them never succeed in cooking the dumplings properly.  Unlike most places, these were fresh and the skin did not tear while being picked with my chopsticks.  Definitely no overcooking for this one!

Darling’s favourite Pork and Century Egg porridge was also nice.  A lot better than the one’s we have had at Golden Century and Dragon Palace, but nowhere near the ones we had in Hong Kong!  While this was not blend, I think the eggy taste from the salted and century egg really help the porridge in Hong Kong shine!

The Siew Mai were also delicious here.  I like the additional touch of dried scallops.  Not much taste but a sign of generosity!  It was nice and perfectly cooked once again! But was this mind blowing? Hmm not really that but it was nice!

The rave all over has been with the pork dumplings in a delicious fish broth.  With much admiration, the fish broth was a genius idea.  These juicy Shanghai dumplings had an almost perfect mince which packed a juicy bite with a hot warm soup in there.  The very subtle flavour of the broth toned the flavours nicely!   There was a near perfect balance here.  Comparing my previous experience in Perth, the one in Xin Tian Di, Golden Century and most places have never really satisfied my cravings for Shanghai dumpling!  It is now good that the little darling’s favourite in Dragon Palace now have a nearer alternative!   However though, the skin was slightly, very slightly undercooked.  At most 30 more seconds in the steamer!

The next dish was a new and interesting addition to add to my culinary list!

Imperial Court’s Teochew style dumplings with black sesame.  This was a good one as well.  Even the lady manager said this was yums! The texture was a slightly chewy skin an a tasty filling of meat, vegetables and black sesame.  I felt like perhaps a little more filling would be good but this is a nice eat!  While I have eaten a typical Teochew style dumpling, never have I had one with black sesame.

The chilli pepper squid was tasty but  fishman found it a little salty.  Also, despite hitting all the right notes in terms of taste a little bit more fiery would have been much appreciated! And of course, it needs to be more crunchy too! It was a little chewy when it reached my table!

These little radish cake here again felt like a hit and miss.  It had the right recipe for the perfect radish cake.  The little bit of meat, a mixture of both well blended radish as well as bite size pieces, but it all came crashing down when it felt a little too mushy! But then again, perhaps because this was steamed.  Next time around, pan fried!

In recent years, chicken feet has became a staple at my yum cha sessions!  I often look forward to a rich slightly sticky sauce and when it comes out my mouth, it comes out clean.  At Imperial Palace, I felt that the sauce was slightly runny but what it lacked in taste, it made up for it in terms of cooking.  Very well cooked. For the flavours, I would have like something richer, more savoury a little more salt and sweetness from the a reduced sauce is definitely the way to go.

The rice roll with barbecue pork and coriander was another deceptive dish.  The top roll was the best cooked one out of the lot.  It was perfectly rolled out, thin and delicate.  When it came to the bottom two, it did not live up to the expectations of the first.  We were back to square one with the rice roll slightly thicker than what I like.  But then again, this seems to be an issue which have plagued dim sum places all over the city!  If it wasn’t this time, it would be the next and it happens over and over again.

The last dish is my typical way of finishing my meal at a yam cha place.  And for me, Imperial Court made this ending as sweet as it could have been! I was gobsmacked.

Your typical egg tarts! Just moments ago, we were complaining of the deteriorating service over the course of an hour heading into their peak at 12.20pm.  Almost then we thought we might do without the egg tarts! Luckily we did not do so.  These golden beauties came out looking too thick on the pastry but gosh I was wrong. One bite and it was heavenly.  To some, the runny hot custard in the middle might be a little undercooked but god that transition of consistency from the crunchy outside to a jelly-like inside with a nirvana runny centre was too good to resist.  Seriously wow for me.  Perhaps that is too much a praise for an egg tart.  But for a person who loves his egg tarts, this was kickass.

Overall, my experience at Imperial Court was pleasant.  Starting with some of the best har gao and siew mai in town and not to mention a really delicious Shanghai dumpling, what can I say?  Even the deteriorating service was forgotten with that sweet ending of a really top quality egg tart.  Was this a once off that the selected few dishes were shining ever so brightly? I can never say the answer but when you pay them a visit, you will know.  So when will you be heading there for a try? Because I know I will be! Soon! At the very least, for a confirmation :P!

WenY

Bites: Restaurant Amuse @ Perth

A special occasion demands a special venue.  While it is nothing new for little darling, I did want us to have a good night.  With countless of praise from bloggers and food critics alike, there seemed no better place than Amuse.   Often renowned as one of the best if not the best in Western Australia, I booked well ahead of time to ensure we both had a place for our anniversary.  The decor of Amuse is minimalistic with art pieces showcasing symmetry and it all seems very textural from where I sat.  Was this a sign of things to come that night?  Multi-dimensional food with significant textural elements fit for heaven? I wonder.

Simple sitting!

As this was our anniversary I told myself not to be that geek with the camera but realise that I have the little darling with me. A few dishes I have missed out due to poor lighting and I did not take more than 1 shot of each course. But that was alright, the night was one to remember!

Drinks for two!  We decided to leave the menu a secret until we finally gave up waiting in anticipation after 6-8 courses.

Ocean Trout with Honey Mustard.  Good first impressions creates lasting ones and this was here to say.  This was an enjoyable yet fairly straightforward snack which can be applauded for so many reasons.  One in particular was the honey mustard where subtleness of the mustard gave a really good taste to the fish while the sweetness of the honey was just spot on!  Well toned flavours for this one.  The crisp gave it a nice crunchy too!

Potato Crisps were really good but I did not quite get the dollop or something.  I think the waitress mentioned brine or something something?  I remember that it was salty and sweet. Not bad!

Two other snack that were served was the Oat crisps and Prosciutto piped with Bone Marrow.  The oat crisp was nice but the snack with Bone Marrow was even better.  Darling and I were pretty sceptical at first but oh boy we were wrong.  The meat used to encase that lovely bone marrow was so nice!  So was the bone marrow itself.  Felt creamy and really tasty!

After the snacks came the bread with a really nice spread which I think was butter and solidified olive oil!  Basically really good in-house crusty bread where you have both wholemeal and white.  Free flow for the whole night.  Neither of the condiments were salted as the bread was already salty.  I have to say, I love my bread fresh.  That smell and the satisfaction of pulling it apart is gorgeous.  Saying this, I rarely eat bread, but when I do, I love it!

King Fish, Nashi Pear and Tea Tree.  This was the first proper course.  I hate sashimi.  But this was wow! No seriously, wow!  The fish was so fresh it was hard to hate.  Nashi pear slices really paired well with that fish.  Good thinking in the kitchen.  Tea tree hmm how does it even taste?  Not quite sure whether the crowd was necessary but as it is, the pear and the king fish was kickass! Nonetheless, I cannot say that having the tea tree did any harm.  Thumbs up!

Manjimup Truffle and Risotto was an additional course which I added on. No regrets.  Truffles really went well with that delicious risotto.  Definitely could have more risotto to bring everything together.  The flavours here were really  good. But was I liked most was the fact that it had that smokiness in it as if it was smoked or cooked in some bacon or something. So good!  It was also cooked to the extent of creaminess and silkiness that Masterchef judges always want. So this for me a thumbs up! 

After that came the all time catchy half-cooked egg in a jar course with enoki and hickory smoke. DAMN it was good.  I really enjoyed it.  Did not feel like it was something difficult to make but WoW! I do have a theory of how the hickory smoke is captured in the jar but some things are better left unknown.  The eggs and mushroom really felt like a modern reinterpretation of a Chawan Mushi crossed with an Onsen egg. Flavours were significantly Asian but had that Western flair.  Do I even know what I am talking about @@? Probably not.  Still suffering from after effects.

Also, there was the marron course served with guacamole on a thin layer of crisp with lemon dip.  I have had many marrons over the past few months. This one did not disappoint but neither was I wow-ed.   Good stuff but not “blow me away”.

Duck with red and gold beetroot on chestnut puree.  Perfectly cooked with a pinkish middle, these little morsel was of perfectly executed.  However though, it felt a little too small to feel the perfection of a duck breast. But the pairing with beetroot and chestnut was good. From the earthy feeling of the beetroot to the sweetness of the chestnut.  The combination was spot on.  There was also a textural component which brought a nice crunch to the whole dish!

Lamb three ways – diced, fillet, and pulled with chickpea was another dish that felt special.  Textural spectacular was here.  Two almost melt in your mouth lamb and a slightly chewy yet tender tongue finished with a creamy  chickpea names the reasons for the “wows”. The taste albeit slightly blend was really celebrated the flavour of the meat which I did enjoy.

Parpadelle with Sear Scallops and shaved Octopus.  This was one of the dishes that I was really looking forward to that night.   I started the dish with the parpadelle and some of the vegetables with a slice of the cuttlefish with some sauce.  And I really felt disappointed. The taste was blend. Really blend.  Another dive into the dish did not taste until different.  All until I popped that juicy scallop into my mouth and BAM it was a score.  While one could not fault with the scallop, I did not enjoy any of the other elements which followed.

Finishing the mains, we moved onto the the dessert dish where we started with a dehydrated mandarin slice and long pepper.  Just in time to prep us for our dessert course :)!

The first one up that night was a Hazelnut Sorbet with Lemon Curd and Pear with crushed nuts.

Upon my first glance, I was left wondering where was the lemon curd.  Apparently unsuspectingly shaped into long string.  Hazelnut sorbet was silky smooth like how ice creams should be.  Controlled sweetness with good flavours made this dessert every bit delectable.  The foamy pear element was another applauded creation that night.  It was foamy slightly sticky .. are there even words to describe it?  Crunchy hazelnut with all these other texture and once again, textural brilliance by the amazing crew at Amuse!

The final dessert that night was a game of balance and creation.

Passionfruit Meringue two ways with bitter chocolate mousse, sticky toffee, white chocolate and to finish, a sprinkle of salty caramel.  Passionfruit flavour was strong and so was the sweetness from the white chocolate, but the intensity of the bitter chocolate was spot on.  And like how many have mentioned before, a little sweetness can really bring the chocolate to another level.  The fragrant salty caramel was just so good!   Could have had seconds!

To finish the night was petite fours and hot drinks.  Darling and I were too full for drinks but we gladly picked on the little desserts.

I found the chocolate mediocre but the rest pretty good! Unfortunately the jubes did not leave me on a high note.  Previous dining at Le’Atelier de Joel Robuchon had me drooling for their berry jubes.  They had aced the consistency, and the fruitiness.  Amuse version of the fruit jubes was fruity but it was just soft through.  A little bit more of chewiness would have really made it perfect!  Then comes my favourite of the petite fours, the jam doughnuts which felt like a reminiscence of my holidays to Melbourne in my university days.  Was its that fluffiness of the pastry or that well proportioned jam and pastry, or perhaps both?  Having it warm fresh out of the kitchen was that added bonus. Delectable!!

I could summarise all that I have said once again.  But with the word good, yummy and all those words representing delicious so overused, I believe the contents have summed itself up.  High and lows were eminent but did I enjoy Amuse? Yes, I did.  The hosts were perfectly. Attentive in every sense and always prepared to help, what more can be asked of the crew?  Judging the food it was cleverly put together and despite the simplicity of some, sometimes less is more.  Amuse @ Amused. 

WenY

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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