Bites: Choux Café @ Swanbourne

While I have lived in Nedlands for 4 years, I have never quite strayed from Hampden Road and Broadway.   Missing out on so many hidden gems in the Western Suburbs really did leave me with a little regret.  Especially when my colleagues and friends tell me of all the yummy food in the area.  Better late then never, I managed to try out the offerings of a popular patisseries in the area.  If you are looking for a brunch places with great cakes and pastries, look no further!  At Choux Café in Swanbourne, they only use pure butter and not those sub-par margarines.  Without a doubt, the use of quality ingredient is reflected in their products.

We had a few things including chocolate cakes, sandwich and drinks! Absolutely fabulous!  Delicious ganache with a layer of caramel at the top.  Super decadent especially if you are a chocolate fan.  In between its layers is a crisp one which gave it a Ferrero Rocher bite.  Great praline flavors! With the chocolate coated cake, there was more balance with a mild bitterness keeping the sweetness at bay.  All in all,  everything at the Choux Café was pretty good.  Not to mention if you opt for a mug of hot choc at $5.20, you get a super large one! Probably the largest cup I have seen in a long while.

 

If you live in the area, it would almost be impossible that you would not know Choux Café.  Apparently its something like La Galette de France.  A household name.  So if you are ever in the suburb and looking around for a hangout spot, definitely try out Choux Café. 

 

WenY

Bali Trip 2013: Nasi Campur at Warung Sulawesi, Seminyak

My final eating place just before we headed off to the airport was Warung Sulawesi. This was another Balinese dining place found through Hendra’s resourcefulness.  Hidden behind other restaurants on the main road, one cannot really tell that an eatery resides behind the walls.  But through keen tongues and by word of mouth, this café is no newcomer.  On a closer study, it seems like Westerners residing permanently in Bali love this place.  I can see why.  With plants everywhere and a retro fit to the place, it looked simple yet substantial.   The food etiquette here is simple.  Stroll along the bain-marie, pick the things you want and by the end of it, you receive a tag with the price on it.  Should you need more, rock up the counter and just add on before grabbing another price tag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grilled chicken, soy bean curd and a fried chicken

It was the final meal of the trip and no one was holding back.  I for starters picked 5 dishes at a cost of $R32,000.  All of which reminded me of classic Indonesian favorites from Perth, just that they were prepared one notch higher in their home ground.  The Ayam Panggang or grilled chicken was full of flavor from the marinade and spices.  More importantly, it was tender unlike its deep fried counter part that came rock hard with a whiff of turmeric.    The Tofu Kecap Manis was another stunning dish which almost everyone had.  Full of rich flavor from the deep caramelization of the sauce giving it it a sticky-sweet consistency that was extremely addictive.  Simple but yummy.I also ordered a vegetable stir fry and the Telur Belado.  Telur Belado is an Indonesian egg dish that is pretty much hard-boiled that is deep fried and tossed in a sweet chili sauce.  At first I was shocked when I bit into something extremely spicy and started to blame the egg.  But it was not long before I realized that it was my cabbage stir-fry with what I initially thought was chopped up beans and spring onions but were actually green chilies.  Almost died there!

  The concept of Nasi Campur is very much like the Chinese’s Economy Mixed Rice.  There is something for everyone.  Regardless of whether you are a vegetarian, or a bodybuilder trying to bulk up, the Nasi Campur is simply fantastic.  On my plate today there was literally every single flavor except bitterness.  It was sweet, sour and salty with a good hint of chili.  Together, they are form amazing alchemy.  Mixed all together, just a few or simply enjoy each by themself.  Whatever you chose, it was ensured satisfaction.  So in the end, what really mattered was the Warung’s ability to deliver delicious dishes for selection.  At Warung Sulawesi, that was exactly what they did and the Nasi Campur selection was every bit flavorful.  Was this a posh, squeaky clean place that will fit into everyone’s good book? I doubt so!  Despite its lush garden, the random mix and match furniture was old and the whole place was rather run down.  But in the eating world of Bali, it was clear that if you are not fine dining, you will be in Warungs like this.   For me,  a curious eater, I could not bother much and found it to be rather substantial as mentioned earlier.

 

WenY

Bali Trip: Babi Guling at Warung Pak Dobiel, Nusa Dua

Bali is perhaps the little city of hangovers.  The first was a post-wedding celebration and the other, a food coma.  It was going to be my last day in Bali and it was not going to end without a bang!  Jumping out of the bed and into our driver’s car, it was time for breakfast.  On the menu today was Babi Guling.  What more symbolic of Bali than the Babi Guling? Lovely spit roasted pork cooked for hours over charcoal before being chopped up and serve on a bed of rice with spicy sambal, the tastiest fried long beans and seasoned condiments.  While the most popular one on the island is Ibu Oka who claims to spit roast their hog for over 5 hours, it is ultimately the 3 hour version at Pak Dobiel that has won Mei’s hearty.   Very much like her husband Hendra.  Maybe he was spit roasted for 3 hours too lol jkjkjk.   Many people have arrived at a love it or hate it conclusion about this dish.  And believe it or not, it all broils down to the crackling.  Some have it perfectly done while others lament at a chewy, almost rubber like crackling. In fact, my friend who has been to Ibu Oka despised the fact that not only were they served a horrible crackling each, but a super hard and over-cooked meat as well.  This in many ways had me kept my fingers crossed hoping to get the better of the lot at Warung Pak Dobiel.

Warung Pak Dobiel is no looker or a fancy restaurant.  It is just a roadside Warung where locals come and enjoy a quick bite to kick start their day!

The usual suspect on standby to fight the high humidity!  Teh Botol for the win!  Just a little advice when eating here.  The soup served is not complementary but rather a surcharge on top of whatever price you pay.  Its taste was decent like a “soto”  but nothing worth raving about.  If I were you, I would definitely keep my stomach for the lovely rice that was about to hit the table.

When the rice arrive on our table, it looked simply delicious.   All the lovely condiments on top of the rice graced by a few shards of lovely crackling and a pinch of salt.  Just by looking, it was a no brainer why this dish gets so many mentions around the island!  After taking a photo, I proceeded to mixing everything up.  The beans, the sambal, the pork and all the other condiments.  It was just so tasty.  Spicy, salty, sour with little bits of crunchiness from the crackling!  Yums!  The pork here was really nice. It was tender and well-seasoned.  More importantly, I did not suffer from the same fate other have.  My crackling was crunchy, lardy and all the good things you want from the skin.  Each shard was joy to chew and the meat was substantially tender.   When Hendra ordered this for me, it was a $R30,000 serve with no innards.  But believe it or not, this was nowhere near enough for my round belly.  Funnily, even Hendra who was thin as stick needed a second helping.

The satay was only OK in my opinion.  Carefully arranged meat and lards looked great but did not deliver an orgasmic blow.  Coming from Malaysia, I expected more fragrant spices to serenade that beautiful stick of meat. But enough said, this meal of Babi Guling was still every bit satisfying.  A continuation of great food from Jimbaran and oh did I mention we had Nasi Pedas from Ibu  Andika for supper the night before?  No pictures as we were in the pool and had the Nasi Pedas delivered to the deck!  But many thanks to the beautiful wedding organizer!  Just a little warning if any of you ever order the Nasi Pedas, the Satan’s chili paste is extremely spicy.  Surely to send you to the toilet many days after eating it!

While I might have never have tasted the famous Babi Guling from Ibu Oka in this trip, I feel little or in fact no envy at all.  My meal here today at Pak Dobiel was more satisfying than I could have asked for.  Just yesterday I asked Andrew over Korean Barbecue whether he would have liked a serve of Babi Guling, he simply nodded and said that he could do with a Nasi Pedas too.  Damn these holiday hangovers!!!!!!  Anyway folks, there you have it.  Pak Dobiel is definitely a place worth going to if you plan a trip to Bali!  More importantly, I have to bless my fortunate visit to this Warung which was a success!

WenY