Bites: Brunch at Piccolo’s Corner, West Leederville

This weekend is set to be a long one.  And with the mercury dropping over the weekends, I am definitely going for a run.  Then comes the big question!  What is for breakfast?!   Finishing my run with some friends last week, we settled for a highly rated café in West Leederville.  Do not be mistaken, it is not along the main café strip but rather, near to Lake Monger amongst the homes.  Piccolo’s Corner is a quaint little place, old décor, and with a random matching old antiques.  The sitting on the inside is quite limited with an extra 10 on the outside, so definitely come in early rather than late.

 

Drinks were aplenty but we decided to settle on some cooler fruit juices.  Piccolo’s Corner is definitely acing it in the juice department.  You can mix and match fruits from the board all for the same price!  My friends were all being lame.  With a base of watermelon, Mei added pears and apples while Andrew only had apple while Hendra had watermelon. =.=! I settled for a more refreshing Iced Green Tea to keep me hydrated.

 

Piccolo’s Corner has a decent offering when it comes to brunch.  Mei’s choice was the melted cheese bagel with jam and poached eggs.   She loved the melted cheese on the bagel half.  But to finish her meal, she was stealing bacon from her hubby Hendra to sort out the remainder eggs and bread. Andrew had a similar dish without the cheese.  He hates cheese!

 

Mine was the smashed pumpkin, basil pesto, poach egg and ricotta.  Mei felt that it was an overload of carbs and it seemed like that to be honest.  It was after all, pumpkin and bread!   But the combination was lovely.  I am not the biggest fan of pumpkins but the mix of pesto, ricotta and pumpkin was flawless.   It was sweet, salty, and fragrant in each bite along with the mild tartness of the Ricotta.  Superb!

 

Picollo’s Breakfast avocado, bacon, chutney, and egg with an extra serve of bacon.  Bacon overload here.  But who can fault with the king of processed meats.  With all the little bits of salt and crispiness, its lure is hard to resist for sure.Hendra had no complains here.  A mix of avocado, eggs and chutney was pleasing.  As expected with a good mix of flavors!

 

Thinking of breakfast this weekend?  Sick of cooking?  Definitely try Piccolo’s Corner if you have not.  There must be a reason why locals love this place.  But then again, do not get killed by the hype.  Just kick back and enjoy brunch ;)!  Also, with the ridiculous queues plaguing brunch spots like Sayers and Tuck Shop, it is a blessing to have other places like this!

 

WenY

Bites: French Dining at Chez Pierre, Nedlands

One week goes and another week comes! With this being the last week of my absolute freedom, it is only sensible that I do what I enjoy best! Eat and Blog my heart out :)!  In this post, I have a place that is slightly romantic and well-suited to special occasions.  Last week, I was lucky enough to celebrate my sister’s birthday with her at Chez Pierre in Nedlands, an established French Fine Dining.  While its ala carte menu tips the scale similar to Rockpool, and Balthazar, Chez Pierre has created a weekly menu called the Taste of France, a 3 course set menu for $58.50.  Complete with bread, amuse bouche and palate cleanser, the menu visits a province in France each week and put some of Perth’s freshest ingredients to the test.  This week was Lorient.

Chez Pierre’s crusty bread was one of the best in town with my sister commenting that it was better than the one she had in Print Hall the night before. The constant chomping of the bread around the table was a constant reminder that my sister was probably right.  Soft on the inside, along with its crusty outside made it a joy to eat.  Now, if only the butter was up to scratch! Hmmm!  As for the amuse bouche, we had a roasted tomato gazpacho, a refreshing start to the meal that she liked too!

First to hit the table was a dish inspired by the Lorient region.  Seared Tiger Prawns, quinoa, summer vegetables and a beurre blanc sauce.The dish got mixed reviews around the table with my sister and fishman feeling that the prawns were a tad overcooked leading it to being tough .  But I was less judgmental and suspected that the toughness in the prawn’s flesh were more of a size factor but the cooking was undeniably mildly-flawed too. After all, the prawns were huge ass!  I like the textures of the quinoa which reminded me of how flexible this ancient grain was!  Beurre blanc sauce very light and creamy but I wished for a bit more flavor in there.  Speaking of quinoa, I totally am missing the awesome one served at Sepia last May!

After finishing the appetizers, our palate cleanser came.  It was your typical sorbet drizzled with sweet wine.  The end product felt somewhat like a Limoncello sorbet topped with Ribena haha.  It was nice to eat but as a palate cleanser I am not sure whether the strong overbearing sweetness helped.

Then comes my personal favorite for the night, the Amelia Park Rump of Lamb.   Its cooking style was minimalistic and brought the best out of the lamb.  It was cooked spot on with some parts just melting in your mouth.  XL who does not normally eat the gamey meat was amazed by the quality of the rump and eventually polished her plate clean.  The fricassee which the rump rested on was sautéed to perfection with all of its elements cooked just nice with the lamb jus.  Yummy!

Last but not least was the dessert, a slice of Pistachio & Strawberry Frangipani Tart with Crème Anglaise & Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream.While I am not the biggest dessert fan, I have a few criteria for a good one which includes having a dessert that is no ridiculously sweet.   In this instance the tart did not taste sweet and the accompanying Crème Anglaise was silky smooth.  However, I was not the biggest fan of the tart mainly because there was a lingering almond meal taste.  Something I really dislike.  Saying that, this is a matter of personal preference.  Jim had absolutely no problems and polished it clean along with XL and YH.   It had to be pretty decadent for them to like it!

I have a few places where one can dine and impress without blowing a hole in the wallet and this definitely gets onto that list.  Kanta, Bonsai, Nine Fine Food, Cantina 663 and Old Crow are a few names on that list too.  Without drinks they all cost below $60 (or $30) for a very yummy meal that portrays sufficient technique and flavor to make one’s evening memorable.  Chez Pierre in Nedlands along with its Flavors of France promotion is definitely a great way to taste a slice of France without being left to feel poor after.  Over all it was pretty good.  Memorable?  Maybe in between?  Oh and I almost forgot, the service was good too!

WenY

Bites: Five Bar @ Mount Lawley

Mount Lawley has always been a treasure throve for foodies.  From my epic fine dining at Jackson’s to the best tapas at Cantina’s 663, there was very little to hate on this happening street.  In fact, if budget is a concern do not be put off by the likes of Must Wine Bar, Beaufort Street Merchant or Jackson’s as there are plenty of others in town that could feed for $20 or less.  I spent student days eating at a little Japanese shop called Tan PoPo while I discovered Mr Munchies Sushi’s a year or two ago.  And now, Five Bar on 560 Beaufort Street was my latest haunt.  Believe it or not, it was definitely a place that can feed for a moderate amount of money.  Here is my lunch experience.

 

First up were the Ham Hock & Cheddar Croquettes with Chutney  for $12.  Golden brown croquettes are best enjoyed right away.  It was crispy with a subtle hint of smokiness from the ham hock bits.  More decadent were the occasional bites of gooey melted cheddar :)!   My only dislike was the chutney.  When eaten it had a bitter taste instead of a fruity bite @@!

 

Next up was the Beef Tartare with Horseradish, shallots and brioche for $17.  While my beef intake has been quite occasional, coming across such a promising dish felt too hard to give a miss.  Fortunately the beef tartare was absolutely moreish with all the bits of pickle giving it a very intense flavor which was a mix of salty, sweet and sour.  Having the tartare with some horseradish and a sprinkling of shallot was a perfect pairing.

Beef Tartare with Horseradish, shallots and brioche.

 

 

FIVE’S Philly Steak Sandwich was around $15.  It was a nice bread with decent chunks of steak and caramelized onions all held together by a slab of melted cheese.  Now, if only we could get a little more sauce in there?! The first bite was good, but by the second one it turned bland.  More flavor and more sauce please!   This could have been a bad ass sandwich that could turn the biggest bread haters to lovers.

 

FIVE’S Bahn Mi Roll ($13) was another bread dish shared amongst the three of us that day. Hoisin pulled pork, coriander, mayo and chili in a ciabatta. Could this Five Bar’s rendition on the classic Bahn Mi best its predecessors?  It really depends on how you feel a Bahn Mi should be.  For me the combination used at Five Bar lacked the necessary flavors which I dubbed the South East Asian kick.  A kick where each mouthful should bowl you over with a salty, sweet, and sour flavor with hint of heat.  Not to mention a refreshing bite that keeps you wanting more and more! I liked the coriander and chili bits but found the pork a little unenthusiastic and the use of the hoisin sauce unnecessary for such a bread classic as it feels a little cloying.  Or perhaps unnatural.  

 

 

Last but not least on the table were Noona’s Meatballs ($14)

At Five Bar, a serve of Noona’s will get you 6 tasty meatballs topped with a rich tomato sauce, cheese and a sprinkling of herbs.  Honestly, was would there be to complain about?  Simple pleasures for sure!  Worth ordering! But I wished they would have given a few toasted ciabatta on the side with a little more sauce to go with as it was not very filling for $14.  Saying that, I remember the yummy meal I had at Ace Pizza awhile ago! 

 

 

Our bill totaled to $96 dollars including a few rounds of drinks for my companions, but the meal itself would have been slightly over $60.  If you are an OK sized eater like myself, it is definitely enough to fill you up.  While there were a few ups and downs throughout the meal, I would thoroughly recommend the croquettes, beef tartare and meatballs which were delicious!  In terms of bread, I could have tried Five Bar’s highly rated Reuben Sandwich instead of the Bahn Mi or the Philly Steak.  But as I am a trigger happy person when it comes to ordering, I have no regret whatsoever.  Despite disliking the Bahn Mi or the Philly Steak, they were hardly a bad eat and would fall in the upper end of my “OK” scale.  Service was prompt and the environment at Five Bar is so laid back on a Sunday afternoon it feels right to come in and chill out.  There is also a pool/snooker table if you are keen.

 

 

WenY