Bites: Koko Black @ Claremont (revisited)

Chocolates to me are like KFC and all those other sinful foods.  No, they (chocolates) are not as unhealthy as KFC, but they are cravings which needs to be cured.  Not by some lame alternatives of course.   One of the favourite places my friends go to is Koko Black.  Unlike other chocolatiers in town, it is still exclusively located in Claremont Quarters.  And guess what?  Prices are up.  Most drinks by 50 cents if I recall correctly ($5.95 to $6.50).  Not sure when though.  Putting prices aside, I  had one of the best chocolate tarts there. It was simply sublime.

The tart came with a beautifully short crust and a warm jug of Crème anglaise.  Imagine this.  Pouring warm Crème anglaise on the tart, the chocolate melts.  The chocolate starts to run when scooped.   Best of all, Koko Black does what it do best.  Create good quality chocolate which is rich, creamy and out of this world. Then we have the silkiness of the Crème anglaise along with a whiff of vanilla.  My god.  It was just fantastic.  I have been a sucker for chocolate tarts recently.  Be it mousse, baked or ganache.  There is just so much to eat!!!

 

While I am only semi-partial to Koko Black’s hot drinks, their rendition of a chocolate tart with that touch of Crème anglaise showed finesse which to my tongue, was art.  Delicious.

 

WenY

Bites: Harvest Espresso @ Victoria Park (revisited)

Some habits never die they say.  I have long been a fan of Harvest and this season’s menu did not disappoint. Harvest Espresso has now set gone into its winter phase which captures the best produce in season and I am once again sold.  It looks good, taste good and eats right.  Their tarts are still top notch and its ever growing inventory shouts creativity.

 

In my last visit, I ordered the Cauliflower and Corn fritter, fresh zucchini & herb salad & sumac labneh.

The cauliflower is a winter gem.  Put it in the hands of Harvest Espresso’s chef and you have the perfect match.  These more-ish fritters were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside.  Just my sort of thing.  The acidity of the zucchini and herb salad was appetizingly good.  With the sumac labneh which is a yoghurt based concoction, it was just yum!  For me, I loved all the flavors on the plate.  If I had to retract an ingredient, it would definitely be the source of protein which were the eggs.  Gooey yolks is a beautiful thing but in this dish it toned down the strong bold flavors (acidity) of the labneh which is not quite my preference.   Also, with that extra drizzle of oil around the place the dish felt a little oily towards the end! Nonetheless, it was still very delectable!

 

The little darling ordered a dish that typically represented her.  The French toast, poached pear, mascarpone and almond flakes with maple syrup.   Best part of the dish was that it taste as good as it looked!

For starters, they used a brioche which was just perfect to soak all the syrup!  It came out warm and felt like a good hearty replacement for a winter soup.  The pear was poached just right although it could go 1 notch softer which still did not present a problem.  Also, do not look down on this dish as it is actually pretty big!  She could not finish and so I took over. With such delicious offerings, I could not bear to see it go to waste.

 

Another great seasonal menu by Harvest Espresso.  I cannot wait to see what magic they conjure the next season.  Nothing less than splendid I would expect :)!

 

WenY

Bites: A Spicy Affair @ Victoria Park

While I am probably one of the more introvert foodies around, my occasional foodie meets through tasting invitations or media launches has its perks.  And no, its not the free food.  Rather, the company such as my frequent stalks at ChompChomp or The Queen of Bad Timing which has always given me heads up of what to expect at some of the hottest eateries in town.  Other than that, Shaun who writes on Perth Food Review his adventures around town with his mate Sean, are not short on suggestion for eateries.  For example, these boys with a keen tongue for heat and spice recently introduced to me a great Indian restaurant in Victoria Park called A Spicy Affair.

 

Feeling like having good old spicy Indian food on a freaking cold winter, A Spicy Affair immediately came to mind having remembered Shaun’s recommendation.  It was a Wednesday night and it was beautifully quiet.  The interior is nothing flash but it was homely.  Add that personal touch from the service and I have to say, it was a very cozy affair.  Big belly Buddha with an accompanying smile!  That was how I felt!

 

To start we called a Chicken Tikka AppetizerOh my god.  The chicken was perfectly flavored with spices and more importantly, it was super juicy on the inside.  I loved every bit of this although I was hoping the spices were a little more potent.  The flavors here were subtle but still pleasant.  Accompanying minty dip was no less satisfying and this dish as a whole was a pleaser!  Thumbs up!

 

Our next dish was the Beef Vindaloo.  Ask for a spicy curry and this would be it.  Not as if it was a tongue burning bad ass, but it had a good enough kick to make you sweat.  The beef in this was tender and the acidity from the vinegar gave this dish that added flavor which kept us going back for its sauce.   Beef Vindaloo has got to be my favourite beef curry of all time!

 

Our next dish was the Palak Aloo.  This dish consisted of spinach cooked with potato and spices.  What spices exactly I do not know.  But this was so yummy!  It differed from my usual Aloo Gobi but in terms of satisfaction, this dish ticked all the boxes for flavor and yumminess!  

 

To go with all our curries, we ordered a few NaanUnfortunately, the Naan here was OK only.  It was not the best, but it was not bad either.  It was as I said OK.  The little fluffy bread was crisp but the garlic one came out a little oily but lacked the flavor of garlic which I wanted.  Butter Naan too came out oily which was expected due to the butter.  But it did not have that lingering aroma of melted butter.  For those reasons, I would have gone for the plain Naan and next time, I will definitely order some of their rice like the Briyani!

 

After finishing all our food, we had a dessert to share.  It was none other than the Gulab JamunIf you dislike the strong milky flavor sometimes present in milk or an intense amount of sweetness, this might not be for you.  I fall in a category which dislikes intense sweetness.  However, I have a biasness towards the Gulab Jamun attributed towards my childhood where I developed a fondness for good Indian food and have always loved ending my Indian affairs with the Gulab Jamun.  Its dense yet spongy texture absorbs the lovely syrup infused with cardamom  so very well.  It is just simply lovely.  Yet I find most people not accustomed to the Gulab Jamun to not like it.  I however, differ.  It was fantastic.  This definitely won me over the goat milk ice cream back when I was a kid.

 

A Spicy Affair was a really good eating place.  The owners were so friendly with customers coming into this humble eatery and starting the night with “where is your beautiful wife” and things which to me felt like service on a personal level.  Fishman, little darling and I felt very happy to have eaten here tonight.  We ordered very little today because I felt full!  But next time, I will order more! HEAPS MORE!!!!  Last but not least, thanks Shaun of Perth Food Review for introducing this place to us! See his review here.  Also, this place is GLUTEN friendly which caters for a common allergy!  Kudos to the owners!

 

WenY