Bites: West End Deli @ West Perth

Knowing where to eat can really come from simple chit chats and recommendations from the people around you.  Having heard heaps of praises from an ex-colleague and my junior, I finally decided to give West End Deli a try.  Positive reviews of this place are plenty and there seems no slowing down for this little eatery located on the of West Perth (though it felt more like Northbridge).                                                                                                                                       Inception?  No, just a light feature in the house that was intentionally left derelict.

Just another barista rocking up his favourite stuff on a Sunday morning!                                                        Coming in at 9.20 in the morning, I found the service a little below acceptable.  Various gestures to call for the waitress were regarded without a nod or eye contact making impossible to confirm whether anything has been established.  Head waitress which wore specs had probably the best discipline that day.  Fortunately, more capable hands came on board and it did not take long for the service to escalate back up.  Empty cups on the tables were filled with water and everything seemed to be moving again.  THANK GOD.

After about 20 minutes of wait time, our breakfast arrived on our tables.  I would have to say that the presentation was meticulous and rustic in a great way.                                                                                                  Salmon rillettes with cress salad, and slow cooked egg.  For me, if you look for simplicity but feel too lazy to construct anything, this is spot on.  The perfectly cooked onsen egg perched on top of a delicious salmon rillettes mound was simply tantalizing.  In terms of taste, the rillettes was light, with a subtle seasoning from the herbs and heaps of acidity from the lemon.  It was a refreshing breakfast but if you put it in a more layman term, some might liken it to salmon and mayo spread.  For me, this was one of the healthiest breakfast I have seen in awhile. 

Fishman decided to go for the poached eggs duo with a serve of cherry tomato and goat ricotta on the side.  As simple as it looks, several cafes have disappointed me in their ability to serve runny yolks.  This was perfect.  Huge eggs with large yolks were runny as hell.  Acidity in the marinade paired with the sweet tomatoes create a sensation worth dying for.  And for me, strong flavored cheese like this ricotta just bring everything together.  While I really loved the whole thing together, Fishman found the cheese a little too strong for his liking but praised the tomatoes.

For my breakfast I decided to have the mushroom and pork croquettes, smoked creamed corn and fried egg.Cutting through the first croquette, a delightful crunch was heard before steam poured out of the cavity.  It was superb.  I believe whenever the chefs say that the right amount of salt makes a big difference, it really does.  This was just spot on.  More interestingly, the smoked creamed corn carried a beautiful hickory flavor which mellowed beautifully with the earthiness of the corn.  In fact, the medley of herbs which I believe consisted of coriander, basil and mint was a surprise considering how well it went with the deep fried croquettes as it was really refreshing in each bite.  The only element which did not stood out so well for me were the fried eggs.  I would have liked a more runny yolk to coat the bits and pieces from the croquettes, herb salad and corn.  It would then, be a truly fulfilling moment.  Nevertheless, this was no less a perfect bite.

Having run a good 10km before breakfast, I decided to end my brunch with a delicious treat of chocolate tart, crème fraiche and mandarin puree.                                                                                                                                            For starters the chocolate ganache was pretty damn good. I am not a sweet tooth but the ganache which was rich in cocoa yet carried such a subtle sweetness was really what had me going in spoon after spoon.  It felt decadent and rich yet not too cloying.  However, it was the crust that was a let down.  As I shared it around the table, we found the crust to be a little more doughy than short.  For us, this was were improvements could be made.    Additionally, having the mandarin puree on the side really complemented the chocolate with it zesty flavors cutting through the decadent ganache.  Having said all of these, the $15 charged was hard to fork out.  Something similar at Harvest was only around $6 and while it lacked the mandarin puree, it was no less a good ganache.  Paired with a very short pastry, it was decadent.

Over all, I am superbly impressed by West End Deli.  The morning started a little bumpy with the patchy service showing flaws here and there.  But as soon as that picked up, I have to insist that the food we ordered spoke for themselves.  For me, its rustic appearance paired with impeccable taste composition makes this place hard to fault.  Conversely, the serving sizes were pretty small but for such quality, it was still on the money.  Its derelict building also looked hip and cool, a trend that is highly sought after nowadays.  But unlike most, West End Deli still puts substance before form when it comes to food on a plate.  I really hope Gorgon Street Garage could learn a thing or two.  This is what food is all about.  And if you notice the barista, he was no less good looking compared to the hipsters at Gordon!!

WenY

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Bites: Jayusigan @ Victoria Park

Walking into the restaurant we invited ourselves to our seat whilst our Korea hosts stood by the counter busy chatting.  If was only after awhile that we were brought our menu.  Not exactly the hospitality that I was looking for.  Soon, I started getting annoyed by the fact that there was also a foul smell was floating in the area making me quite uncomfortable.  Nevertheless, I quickly scanned the menu and found what I would have for dinner that night.  It did not take long before everyone made their minds up!

While waiting for the food, I saw the picture of the ddeokbokki served in the restaurant and seeing them put eggs, and fishcakes in reminded me of the good times I had in Seoul.  It was awesome!  Definitely had my expectations a little high.

First dish up was the kimchee pancake!                                                                                                                      This is customary dining at all my Korean restaurants in Perth.  Fortunately, this was pretty good with all the delicious bit of kimchee goodness except for the fact that it was pretty miserable in size for the price we paid.  In fact, it would only be half of Tookbekgi’s pancake’s size.  Conversely, the slightly crisp top bit still made this every bit delectable.

 

The darling called the bibimbap which was pretty much Korean mixed rice.                                                                       It look magnificent on arrival with all the simple yet tasty garnish on there.  However, as soon as it was all mixed together, it was clear that the restaurant was really stingy.  The important sauce used for mixing had to be double at the very least.  In fact, I think there was a little too much rice and not enough condiments!

 

Sister’s and Yvonne’s order were the kimchee stew and a tofu stew.  I had a little bit of both and found that they tasted the same except that the kimchee stew had a fair bit more sourness to it.                                                    Surprisingly at this stage, I was not too sure why has this place got such a negative review.  The food is actually quite OK.  Not it was not the standard of food which I got in South Korea but comparing it to “KOREAN” places like Poppo or Ninikujip in Perth, haha this was at least on par or better.  I still remember the horribly soggy kimchee fried rice from Ninikujip.  Something which we swore never to go back for again. Jeez!

 

Mine was the bulgolgi stew which is an all time favourite anywhere.  Beef pieces cooked with tofu, mushrooms, vermicelli and other vegetables in a soy base soup is often a pleasant bite.  It was pretty yums this one. Especially considering they got the taste right.  It had the sweetness of the beef in the broth along with that really pleasant flavors of the vegetable and that bit of glass noodle to slurp it with. 

But would I call this divine?  I believe not.  Nevertheless, I have never once complimented a Bulgolgi stew to be divine.  Never.  But would I order this again or in fact come to this restaurant again?  I would.  Yes I know the service sucks and the over all setting felt cheap and to a certain extent that stench was horrible.  But hey, I realized that my bill in this place was actually a tad cheaper compared to other places.  In Tookbekgi which is a favourite of mine, a beef stew is $20 compared to $16.50 here.

 

Yay or Nay?  I would say a YAY.  Not great but the food was hard to fault with.  Just that I did not walk away feeling pleasant.  Perhaps next time.  In fact when I was there a Korean guy was eating alone.  He had complained to the waitress a few times presumably because the food felt lacking in some manner plus their service was questionable!

 

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