Bites: Contemporary Japanese at Bonsai Restaurant, Northbridge

Establishing itself as one of the pioneers of Contemporary Japanese food,  Bonsai has always gotten my fancy for a place that keeps your buds interested without punching a hole in the wallet.  True enough, the banquet which saw us have 10 appetizers and a main each only cost $49 bucks and with the Entertainment Book, you can get a further 25% discount.  Hospitality never strays too far their practice as the supervisor, a cool looking bald-headed guy ensured that our no-prawn and no-crab dietary requirements were met.  Water was always brought to the table and the waitresses despite serving a massive crowd of people never failed to put up a smile.

The night started with our favourite Chicken Salad topped with crisp wanton skins.  Delicious chicken and as mentioned before, can salad even be that tasty?  Mind boggling.  We also had a substantial Beef Tataki well drenched in the citrus ponzu that suited the palate before moving on to a refreshing Salmon Sashimi Bites.  A delicious salmon tartare dressed with aioli on a mildly bitter-ish witloaf.  Good balance of flavors and textures with a refreshing bite.  Then comes the lovely Salmon Aburi Nigiri.  Another table favourite.  I have always loved my oily fish on a charcoal grill or blowtorched a little bit.   The oils when heated gives out that delicious smoky smell and the protein becomes buttery.   Topped with a in-house miso, booms!Pic (clockwise): Boys be Boys, Crispy Chicken Salad with Wanton Skins,  Tempura Baby Squid, Salmon Aburi Nigiri, Salmon Sashimi Bites

For most parts, our crabs and prawn dishes were swapped into a squid dish.  Deep-fried in a spicy batter or a tempura one, they were exceptionally moorish.  Even XL who tends to stray from squid had a bite and found that they were actually really tasty! 

Pick (clockwise):  Teri-Steak, Pork Belly Kakuni, 2-Style Fried Chicken, Teriyaki Toothfish,  Yv and the Boys, Spicy Cuttlefish, and Jimmy with the girls (middle)The mains made no less of a good impression than the appetizers.  If anything felt lackluster at all, it was probably the chicken Katsu/Kaarage combo which felt a little underwhelming after having all the deep fried goodies during the appetizer!  However, for one down, we had three joys.  For instance, the beef teriyaki is a classic favourite still resisting the change of time.  Since my first visit to Bonsai a few years back, this yummy steak in a garlicky butter teriyaki sauce have impressed.  It still does really as Jim who repetitively mentioned throughout the night “This sauce is so good.  I wonder how they make it”.  Then we have the toothfish which was cooked to perfection.  Another stunner with the skin still mildly crisp when it first reach the table.   Lastly, the pork belly kakuni!  A delightful soy sauce pork that when accompanied by rice, felt like a match in heaven.  While it could do with more time in the cooker, nobody was complaining.

The meal at Bonsai was no less satisfying than the meal we had there last year or earlier this year.  Its flavors, presentation, and service did not fail us that night.  Seems like an exaggeration but when you realize how little $50 buys you in Perth, you tend to be more than satisfied.  If there was any regrets at all that night, it was probably the missing chocolate cake that Yv, Nee, XL and I love so much.  Perhaps better luck next time? :)

WenY

Noodles for Books by Perth Room to Read Chapter

I rarely do promotional posts as well as accept invites, not because I hate to go, but rather where the invitation end up.  Junk Mail.  Looking through my mail, I recently received an email from Tam Le of Perth Room to Read Chapter.    Room to Read helps children to pursue a quality education, reach their full potential and contribute to their community and world.  To do this, the organization focuses on literacy and gender equality. 

 

In December, Perth Room to Read Chapter will be raising funds through a dinner called Noodles for Books on Thursday the 5th of December at Mama Tran in the city of Perth, for children's education in the developing countries.  They will be raising funds to invest in creating local language children's books in Vietnam. One of the greatest challenges to early adoption of the habit of reading is a lack of high-quality, age-appropriate children's books in the local language. Room to Read responded by providing training to local authors and writers to write age-appropriate books that is visually appealing and culturally relevant and distribute thousands of copies to schools and libraries in Vietnam.   The organization is requesting support from the local Perth community to assist us in reaching our goal.I strongly encourage my dear readers and Perthians to take part in this good cause.  It will be a great night out and you will meet lots of people who have a passion for books, education and food.  Not to mention, there will be some great prizes as well as silent auction items including cooking classes with Lawless Cooking School and a signed (with a personal message) copy of Pauline Nguyen's book, Secrets of the Red Lantern. But you know what,  nothing else beats the last inclusion of your $50 bill, GOOD KARMA.   If you are keen to help, you can get your tickets from http://www.trybooking.com/DVSK.  .

 

WenY

 

Room to Read (http://www.roomtoread.org) is a registered charity in Australia which raises funds to help invest in local communities in Asia and Africa by focusing on literacy and gender equality in education.

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