Bites: Thailicious @ Northbridge

Thailicious is one of the newer restaurants in town which really benefits the coupon selling industry.   Without new experimental places like these, people like me tend to get caught up in our comfort zone by going to restaurant we always go to.   Placed along the bustling strip of James Street, Thailicious sits next to Oliver’s, a place which I had high regards for.  Arriving on time, I was promptly seated by the waitress and was politely informed of the limitations for the coupon I had which she did again when my dining companions arrived.  Admittedly, I have always had a soft spot for the service provided at Thai restaurants as they are  often more polite than most. 

 

For appetizers, we started with tiny morsels of decadent Thai chicken balls.Before you readers get at me for calling simple chicken balls moreish, how many times have chicken balls served to you come out tasting like pre-made ones of out the bags?  For me, one too many times.  These here were the subject of some TLC before being crumbled and fried.  Though dressing and salad felt all too cliché, I was sold as the balls packed good flavor.  But 6 balls for $19.50 is a hard buy.  Top Nepalese restaurants sell 10 momos for $15 and that was simply sublime when I had it here @ the Himalayan Restaurant Victoria Park.

 

The next appetizer were the fish cakes tasted TYPICAL.  It had all the qualities of a Thai fish cake in terms of flavors but what it lacked for me perhaps is that just cooked till right consistency which was a little bounce and an easy to bite apart feel.  These felt a little overcooked making them tough.

 

After our appetizers, it did not take long for our mains to be served.  This I guess were one of the benefits of eating out on a weekday!The chicken fried rice was served very artistically shaped like hmmmmmm a flan? Ok bad description but lets move on.  It tasted alright but felt a little sweet.  Each bit of rice was perfectly cooked mainly whole although crush at some places.  And here comes my biggest complain.  I hate those god damn frozen vegetables which I term “3 color poison”!.  These are just a pain to see and eat.  My travels in Bangkok never once was I served such pesky vegetables but they are all over in Australia.  Is it really that hard for some leafy greens to make their way onto the table?  SAD! :(!

 

The Panang Pork curry was one of the highlights that night.  It was simply sublime when served hot.  When my friend’s mom made this for us earlier this year,  I was blown away.  I am used to the runny curry just oozing with flavor but when served dry, it actually alleviates the taste of the curry.  At Thailicious it falls somewhere in between and was to me, still delicious.

 

The duck curry to me is still my very first experience at Thai curry when I first flew to Bangkok nearly 13 years ago.  And even today, it still is a dish I hope to relive its glory.  For me, the only curry which has a good balance of fruitiness, spice and textures are the ones served at Ying Thai 2 in Melbourne.  My past experiences in Perth has never left me satisfied.  Unfortunately, Thailicious falls into that category as well.  For me, it was tasty but overly sweet and the amount of duck meat was miniscule.  And to a certain extent, a little too oily!

 

The deep fried fish fillets topped with aromatic Thai herbs was another dish that is on my good books other than the Panang Pork curry.  The fillets were crisp, the herbs were tantalizing and more importantly, well executed.  But be vary, do not bite into the herbs at the top.  I did and I almost died there.

 

The last dish was the basil stir-fried beef with chilis! It was again another dish that was rather typical but it was typically good.  For me, this dish is a comfort food used to top a rice bowl and finished with a fried egg.  This was no lesser of standard compared to S & T Thai Café on William Street which to me serves the best Pad Ka Prow.

 

At the end of the night, we were all filled.  It was a long dinner of 6 mains (some with no pictures) a few appetizers and drinks for the table.  For the quality of food that we were served, I felt satisfied.  The coupon for 6 of us costed something like 70 bucks which was extremely cheap.  Comparing that price to the menu, the meal should have cost more than $150.  I recently read comments on Urbanspoon mentioning that the city has a gap of somewhat the cheaper places like S & T Café which is more suited for a quick meal and the more expensive places like Dusit Thai.  True enough, places like Thailicious with a more upmarket setting fits nicely in the middle.  But how does this compare with the need?  After all, it is being really good or really bad that keeps you in people’s memories.  Being average is really nothing to shout about.   Fortunately though, its just the pricing that falls in between, not the quality.  Most of the dishes served to me was pretty good.  Even my picky sister would agree with the exception of the tom yam which she felt tasted like out of the bottle.

 

WenY

Bites: Dragon Seafood @ Northbridge.

While its younger brother Dragon Palace on Francis Street is known for the posh and glitzy interior, its the older Dragon Seafood that still packs the punch many might have overlooked in search of ambience.  My lunch there earlier this week clearly proved that because if anything at all, Dragon Palace merely recreates the quality of dim sum seen at Dragon Seafood.

The usual suspects included the Siew Mai which pack a burst of juicy pork and delicious prawns under the same skin.  As I have mentioned before, the Siew Mai at Dragon Palace is the best in my opinion and this clearly was not any lesser.

These were deep fried crab cakes which were ok.  Typically, I find most Chinese Restaurant using crab flavored meat than the real deal itself.  This was no different.

Bean curd rolls were one of the more moreish food that lunch.  I enjoyed it delicious filling of meat, vegetables and prawn.  The braising sauce used was flavorsome as expected.

Sister’s favorite were the pot stickers which did not appeal on the outside but on the inside, it was all game on.  Super juicy pork meat with the perfect amount of green onions.  Perfect for dunking in the vinegar or enjoyed just by itself!

These are one of my dim sum favorite but as I have always complained, the chicken feet in Perth are plagued with inconsistency revolving about the tenderness of the dish.  More often than not, the dish has not been given sufficient time in the steamer making it touch to chew.  Unfortunately, this is one of those times :(!

Last but not the least were the egg tarts.  Not only is this a favorite of mine, but dad’s as well.  These were delicious except for the fact that they were serve cold which possibly indicates the lack of demand.

At the end, the food was no 10 out of 10 but neither was it a flop.  For me it is good as the benchmark of dim sum has been met.  But the usual complain is what really stands out to make a dim sum place outstanding.  For me, there isn’t a factor that makes this place perform better than other.  But if you hate the queue and can do with a less dainty setup, Dragon Seafood definitely meets that criteria.  Also, chili sauce and oil is a self service thing here with no extra charge, so if you are sick and tired of flagging one waiter after the other just for sauces, this might just be your cue!  Despite a rush lunch, I was satisfied with the food I had.

WenY

Bites: Crust @ Victoria Park

Crust Pizza has been from my memory about a 2 year old franchise in Victoria Park.  Its that sort of thing which the little darling says she want to try and we kept mentioning it but never actually did go and try it.  Fortunately, one can make amends and recently, I received an invitation from Crust Mount Lawley’s Michelle to go and give their latest offering a shot.  To celebrate the summer season, Crust Pizza has decided to reinvent the classic Margherita and to finish the meal on a healthy note, a caramelized fennel salad.

 

Crust @ Victoria Park!

 

The Heirloom Tomato Upper Crust Pizza @ $19 is one of Crust Pizza’s new offering.

For this price you get delicious flavors which for me highlighted the intensity of the tomatoes.  The tomatoes under the pizza oven has developed to the extent where it start caramelizing creating that plump juiciness which just oozes when bitten into.  I could barely fault with the tomatoes being the main element except for its content!  It was perfectly ripe, juicy and just perfect in so many ways.  While that for me was an extreme highlight for such a pizza, I on other hand do question the existence of the buffalo mozzarella which as my photo shows look no more than dollops of mayonnaise.  It barely had any effect.  For $19 it soon becomes a question of value as such old school Margherita was executed so close to perfection but its content did not suffice.  For me, I could have passed on the buffalo Mozzarella but definitely double up those tomatoes.

 

The next pizza which the Peking Duck Pizza @ $24 came recommended by close friends and the store owner Michelle herself.

This pizza unlike the vegetarian Heirloom Tomato one was covered by a generous amount of shredded duck meal and bok choy.  Its flavors felt close to a typical Peking Duck but could have been better with if those fresh pungent spring onions.  The flavors were really good all in all.  For me the only thing that my fussy side faulted with is the crust of this.  Not quite used to such rough and crispy edges for my Peking Duck dish.  But hey, this is a pizza is it not? Overall, this was a pretty solid performer.  It had quality and consistency albeit my dining companion found the sweetness a little too intense for her liking.

 

And the refreshener to lift the mood off the gueey cheese was the Caramelised Fennel Salad

If this dish is all about the caramelized fennel, then this is already a winning recipe.  But because the fennel is part of the dish and not a dish of its own, it has to gel with the rest of the lot which includes crumbled ricotta, proscuitto, fresh greens and roasted hazelnut.  For me, it was pretty good if not for the lack dressing which made this too dry.  Just felt as if there is not enough moisture as all we were given was a small packet to pour on top. Over as a salad it was not bad but definitely could have been better.

 

Now that I have eaten as much as I could, I was stuffed and jaw was partly aching from my attempt of trying to down both pizzas which failed miserably.   I cannot thank Michelle enough for this special invitation as I am now able to tick Crust of my list of to places try for 2012.  What Crust has offered me today is a very unique combination of pizzas which buck the trend of what is considered typical.  But with  a price that is not in any way cheap, Crust face a whole lot of contention including Italian staples like Ciao Italia or Il Padrino and even Australian Champs Little Caesars and  Olympic pizza champion Delizioso.   Nevertheless, I believe the Pizzas such as the Peking Duck are there to stay as fans will always look forward to the outstanding flavors the Crust has an offer and while a well composed Pizza Margherita is likely to sell, the few tomatoes are a hard buy for its price.  It either has to be a fair bit cheaper or a whole lot more tomatoes :)!

 

WenY