Bites: Crispy Bacon @ Floyd's, Subiaco.

Having an interesting Sunday brunch is a surefire method to killing off the oncoming Monday blues.  But when you are ordering stacks of deep fried guilt at 10am for brunch, it is likely that even the Sunday is going to be a long day.  I hit Floyd’s, a gourmet family-run cafe in Subiaco for brunch a couple weeks back and the menu is pretty damn intense.

That morning I ordered the Panko Crumbed Eggs served with charred asparagus, fried potato hash and crispy bacon (as the prosciutto was not available)

The dish itself was technical marvel considering how there are still cafes in town that struggling to even poach eggs right. Floyd’s move to deep-fry poached eggs was a dangerous one. But when executed right and the yolk flows, it was a sight to behold.  I was impressed by that aspect but the combination of fried bacon, hollandaise and crumbed eggs felt too heavy.  Very heavy.  Almost like a 3 piece KFC dinner box in the morning ha ha.  But hey, I knew it before I ordered it.  Guess I got a bit ambitious there!

My dining companion on the other hand decided to go for something a little healthier and settled for the Seared Avocado and Bacon stack.

Think smashed avocado but something more worth the buck and less worthy of an insult.  The bacon at Floyd’s is crispy by default but her preference was for a softer more meaty bacon. Other than that, she thought her choice for brunch was fine.

Over all the morning at Floyd’s was decent.  Not great but decent.  Food wise, they have a few daredevils on there but other than that the creativity on the plate did not really excite me as much as I thought it would.  After brunch that day I felt really heavy from my fried foods overkill!  Definitely something to be vary off the next time I pick my brunch dish!

Bites: Glorious Italian! @ Lulu la Delizia, Subiaco.

Life is too short to be wasted. When you’re working 10 hour days, 21 days at a time I tend to have a natural need to consume, as you guess it food.  This time around, Italian food.  While I am no Italian food expert, I know that it spans beyond pizza, pasta and salad!  I am finally at Lulu la Delizia and I was super pumped.  This cafe is super small making it cosy, and very Melbourne-esque (sorry Perth!).  The service from the door to the table was warm and welcoming making it an enjoyable entrance.

The menu at Lulu la Delizia has a group of “staples” paired with seasonal and daily specials.  The appetisers here are out of this world starting with a strong statement from the salty, crispy Parmesan paired with the earthy grounded shrooms.

Complementary Parmesan crisp with ground mushroom

Then comes the fruit King Fish Crudo which surprised me with the ripeness of the dish yet refreshing with the acidity of the lemon juice.

King Fish Crudo with Stone Fruit

Speaking of ripeness, what pairs better than caramelised slowly grilled figs with a Parmesan that is nutty in fragrance but absolutely robust with flavour in each bite. Super good!

Grilled Fig & Parmesan

Sister’s favourite the marrow was luscious and rich with an nice meaty flavour.  What was even better is that is spreader like butter on the toast that was soaked with the herby beef ragu.  Droolworthy!

Bone Marrow with Ragu

Pork sausage pasta, saffron, peas (Left), Ricotta gnocchi, blue swimmer, tomatoes (Mid), Lagoon clam pasta (Right).

Three pastas from Lulu la Delizia were superb.  Whether its the warmth of the saffron or the briny seafood explosion in the clam pasta, the pastas were top notch.  Was it faultless?  Perhaps not 100%. What went wrong you might ask?  Don’t get me wrong I loved the Gnocchi’s sauce but I felt like the pasta itself should be softer, fluffier and more delicate. Might just be me though!

The meal at Lulu la Delizia was really enjoyable.  The cafe got a little noisy as Lulu la Delizia got busier and prices are not cheapest.  But Lulu la Delizia pairs good service, with quality handmade pasta and tasty appetisers for an amazing Italian night.  Will I come back here again? Definitely so.

WenY

Bites: Casual Thai Dining @ Piyawat The Sweetery, Victoria Park.

Piyawat the Sweetery first came under my radar a couple months back while I drove through the Vic Park strip. With its bright orange sign board saying “the Sweetery” I initially thought off it as a dessert only place.  I soon found out that they did proper meals too and decided to come in for lunch on a Thursday.

Piyawat the Sweetery has the usual one dish suspects with a few interesting additions.  For lunch, I enjoyed Crispy Prawn Tom Yam.  A dish that truely has its own bragging rights with its super creamy tom yum sauce being the highlight.  It was simply awesome when paired with fluffy steamed rice.  What more can you ask for?  Crispy prawns, and fragrant tom yam! Flavour bomb, Definitely not your traditional Thai dish but super potent and delicious!

We also ordered the Pad Thai Gai which is Pad Thai with Chicken.   While it did not blow me of my socks or anything, it was definitely cooked well. Which means it is one of the more decent ones out there.  I will go back and try their stir fry flat noodles the next time! My sis said it was pretty good when she went there.

Alas, Piyawat the Sweetery is known for their famous desserts.  Whether its the Mango Sticky Rice or their Dessert Toasts, the ending is always sweet here.  

Piyawat’s Thai Milk Tea Toast was the highlight of my meal. Probably the best I have had since my first encounter with the amazing buttery bread in Taiwan. Fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside with generous amount of butter. Then you have the silky Thai milk tea which was silky smooth and fragrant without an overpowering sweetness courtesy of the tea. Lastly, the coconut ice cream was generous bits of coconuts making it absolutely brilliant! So much to like on that dessert plate.  Very well executed and not just your boring toast with “vanilla” ice cream though sometimes that might be all you are craving for.

If you are looking for something new, fun and different to eat in town the definitely to the Victoria Park to try Piyawat the Sweetery.  Also note that Piyawat the Sweetery closes at 6pm every day folks, so definitely do not plan a dinner here unless they change their timing which you can always check on Zomato!

WenY