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Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Bites: A Porky Breakfast @ Smuggled Seeds Espresso, Leederville

Smuggled Seeds Espresso in Leederville is my latest food haunt. Its interior was tiny yet extremely neat and clean.  Its presence in the other end of Leederville is certainly bringing excitement to the suburb beyond the boundaries of the norm like Kailis, Little Caesars, Jus, and Sayers. Though popular for their perfectly brewed coffee, I am unable to comment as I do not like coffee. Instead I sought refuge in the very hearty green tea latte. Creamy, and rich with a mild sweetness from the macha, this was lovely. Do note that it does not come with sugar. So add to your hearts content at the table ;)! 
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For my brunch, I ordered the Double roasted Char Siu with Onsen Eggs on toast ($13). The Char Siu was beautifully caramelised and each bite was still amazingly tender. In many ways it felt braised due to its tender meat. I really quite liked this one. The flavours were right, and the egg perfect. Really hard to complain about anything. 
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 However, if I had one dislike it would be how the Char Siu was put on one toast and the eggs on the other. I wanted something a little sexier and not so disjointed in approach. Maybe two toast leaning on each other with the Char Siu on it with the eggs sitting at the very top with a sprinkling of finely chopped scallions. (Hint: My picture would look nicer if the subject was centred :)! ) 
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 For two guys that rarely drink coffee, an 8 am brunch on Saturday at one of the best coffee places in town was a rather unlikely scenario. Nevertheless, that was where I had my brunch with Jordo. Smuggled Seed Espresso was an amazing host for an early Winter breakfast. Lovely warm drinks with good food to match, it was easily a hidden gem. This venue is also one that does not let you queue in the cold like an idiot. At least for now. Also, while I am not the biggest spender and neither am I a stingy pot, it does not take a genius to figure out that for $13, breakfast at Smuggled Seeds Espresso in Leederville was an absolute steal! So what are you waiting for?

  Smuggled Seeds Espresso on Urbanspoon

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Bites: A Foodie Affair @ Lamont's Bishop, Perth CBD

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Understanding my parents’ preference for good food without the fuss of modern gastronomy techniques, I brought them to Lamont’s Bishops for dinner.  Known as one of the most established restaurants in fine dining and wine scene, I have heard many good things about this place.  Such that the food is consistently good, the service courteous and setting impeccable.  Needless to say, a walk through the lush gardens to the building entrance all felt very grand.  Housed in a heritage building, its fittings were suited to a gentleman from the 70s.  But for foodies like my family and I, it was all about the food.

Walking in, the waitress was very accommodating.  XL was offered a spirit mix sample prior to ordering one for herself.  The waitress’s favourite the Hendriks Gin and Tonic suited XL well and she immediately ordered one of that.  My sister ordered an in-house sweet wine, the Rosé.  But for me who dislike the taste of alcohol, nature’s gift i.e. water was all I needed.

For tonight, our pick was the degustation.   The description of the dishes promised a fancy yet traditional fare.  First up was a typical bread course.  But unlike typical bread, this was a lobster roll.  Did I not say it was fancy? :)!  The flavours of the lobster were quite subtle and meat succulent, however I did not quite get the natural sweetness of a lobster.  Potato wafers were the thinnest in the business and crisp.  Kimchi though were not typical Korean.  The one at Lamont’s felt more like a toned down coleslaw. 
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Rock lobster and prawn roll with potato wafers, kimchi

The next dish looked a little clumsy but luckily it was big in flavour .  Generous sized meatballs covered in a mushroom cream topped with a crisp pancetta.  This dish was every bit tasty but small eaters like my mom and sis found it a little too rich.
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White rocks veal and leek polpetti with porcini cream, crisp pancetta

The next dish of game bird was rather special.  Whilst it looked spectacular, it did not meet my expectations.  The quail was decently cooked but still felt a little tough.  That though was not my complain.  The low point would be the black pudding.  Something with so much body felt very under seasoned.  I was expecting more flavour and spices to shine through the black pudding.  Instead it felt a little raw.  Mom did not even touch hers.  Luckily, the little roasted juniper pear was a nice touch.  
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Grilled quail with juniper roasted pears with fried black pudding, sherry vinegar

The next dish was one from the sea and it was probably one of my most preferred courses of the night.  My fish was well-cooked and I just love the combination of the crushed pea-broad bean that came with it.  The colours had good contrast and the presentation was no less spectacular.  It was very minimalistic this dish with nothing to disrupt its true flavours.  Simple fish, greens and a well toned sauce.  But dad found that his fish was not cooked well.  His skin for example was slimy as the fish was only browned flesh side.  Not a good impression I must say.
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Snapper, crushed pea and broad bean with squid ink beurre blanc


The last main course to come was a carbohydrate dish.  From the menu, I was expecting a spectacular end to the night. The pasta was called Caramelle pasta with duck confit ragu, orange and rocket salad. Whilst I could let you google up the word “Caramella pasta”, it simply is to me, a ravioli shaped as a candy.  
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For me, this was where the excitement ended.  This dish was for me, one of the worst pasta dishes I have ever eaten.  I found the approach very similar to the fish.  A purist dish.  In a dish like this, execution is key.  Looking back, I lamented the elements of the dish.  For example, the pasta was not rolled thin enough.  I had doughy bits in mine.  As for the duck confit ragu, hmmmm perhaps I did not see the word “confit”.  I was expecting tender duck mince but obviously this one was going to be shredded.  Its flavours were rather boring to end the night.  This dish itself could be a palate cleanser.  Because it was that boring.  The only thing that tasted right was the rocket salad.  So sorry for the harsh words but no one around the table was amused =/.

But that was ok.  It was not the end yet.  For the night, Lamont’s served us a dessert of chocolate and caramel tart.  I was happy with what this dish had to offer.  Texture, visually, flavour balance and technique.  So many things so different yet able to work harmoniously together.  Crust was short and the caramel had just the right amount of salt to trigger the happy feeling.  Raspberry sorbet was sour but because of the sweetness of the caramel, it worked well for me.  All in all, this was rather commendable.
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Textures of Valrhona chocolate, caramel tart, raspberry sorbet and bark


The dinner tonight was pretty decent tonight when it comes to flavours.  There were hits and misses but some definitely left more of an impression than the rest.  While I liked the veal, fish and dessert, the damage left by the pasta was pretty bad.  At this level and price of dining, it was ok to be average but not bad.  Service here was decently nice with the way the waitress was always there to ensure our cups were full and the plates cleared.  One big thing missing though was that professional touch when a dish arrives and every element on the dish is explained in a quick, logical manner.  Here, there was none.   It was plates on the table and off she goes. I only realised that when I got home.  Dad and mom are not really used to things such as black pudding.  Imagine their face when I had to explain what it was later on. LOL.  Oh well, all is a good and it was a good night out with the family.

WenY


Lamont's Bishop House on Urbanspoon

Friday, May 23, 2014

Bites: MillPoint Book Cafe @ South Perth

My Monday morning started off damp and wet with the clouds steadily threatening another pour. With time to spare, I had a few more lazy rolls in bed before getting up. After grabbing a quick bite, I brought my parents to MillPoint Caffe Bookshop for a drink and some food. The environment is beautiful with a choice of indoor sitting amongst the neatly arranged books or an outdoor seat in the yard. Although the expansive Jarrah floor boards and soaring ceilings were rather tempting, my preference for the outdoors ultimately decided where I sat.
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The cafe’s breakfast menu had all the usual suspects from the Benedicts to Full Breakfast. For us, we decided to share a Spanish Pot with Chorizo and another serve of French Toast. The Spanish Pot looked sensational.  Beautifully caramelised Chorizos set atop perfectly cooked eggs and a sprinkling of chives. But where it come to taste hmmm.  I was hoping for a tad more acidity in the tomato base. In many ways had I expect the merits of the Turkish Shak Shouka, but this definitely was not it. Over all an OK dish but nothing beyond mediocrity.  Also, do not be fulled by the size as the beans were very filling especially if only one person was going to have it. 
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Next was the French Toast. A lot more playful this one. Vanilla Mascaporne, Persian Floss and a Berry Compote, the description of this dish promised a great composition of flavours. But executing them is something else quite different.
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The vanilla flavour was nice in the Mascaporne and gave the French Toast a luscious bite when smeared over. But my main concern was the berry compote. It was way too sour to complement lot. It needed more sweetness for sure. Maybe a generous dash of maple syrup to bind it all together? Additionally, I was not exactly the happiest person with the French toast itself. I wanted a thicker slice of bread soaked to through and perfectly caramelised on the outside but moist on the inside. The one here was dry. Nonetheless, it was not a big problem. Every bite edible. I was more impressed with the French Toast at Perth City Farm. You can see the post here.
How would I rate a place like this? Definitely in the OK - Zone but not something life changing. On the other hand, I enjoyed the calm tempo from the start to the end. The drive was easy. parking was a bliss and, the quiet Monday morning was just filled with tranquility. But the food? MEH. If I had actually travelled far for this, I would not be the happiest person. But this is, definitely a fuss free simple suburban cafe for the locals.
WenY


MillPoint Caffé Bookshop on Urbanspoon