Bites: Cinnamon Club @ Leederville

Indian food.  The food almost everyone adores.  There is no such thing as ‘anything’ when it comes to good Indian food.  As a Malaysian, I love good Indian food, and this is where the fuss is.  We do not compare like with like.  So to explain, in Malaysia a good Indian food must not only satisfy the ‘Indian’ requirement, but the Malaysian requirement too.  This applied to Chinese food as well.  It must be Chinese yet Malaysian.  That’s the many elements of brilliance that you will find in Malaysia (from Gordon Ramsay). Most Indian restaurants here look the same but I’m not going to be fooled by any Indian restaurant which claims its food is good, and neither am I going to be intimidated by its Indian authenticity just because it consumes Indian labour.  Have a chat with any Indian taxi driver and you will know that finding good Indian food is like looking for a needle in a haystack. 

Today is a girl’s birthday and Yvonne’s choice for the night was the $38 dollar Regal Banquet at the Cinnamon Club located at Leederville.  While she chose the venue, my tongue was still its own judge tonight.

 

The Banquet started with little snacks which were decent but not substantial enough to satisfy our growling tummies!  You had unlimited refills though!

Papadams with 4 types of dip.  I know one was a fresh tasting tomato raita, a mango chutney, a minty yoghurt and some really really horrible red mixture which tended to be a little kimchee-ish.

 

The dips!

While the tomato raita and the mango chutney were delicious, the red coloured dip was a nightmare.  At first, YiHeng thought it would be extremely delectable and so he ambitiously spooned a large serve on his pappadams.  His reaction at the first bite was priceless and he decided against trying that red dip ever again ahahhahah!  The green dip did not taste  good as well and among the 8 of us who had it, few thought it was nice!!

 

Then comes my highlight of the night! The shared platter appetizers!

While the samosas were mediocre at best, the sheesh kebab was absolutely delicious!  My sister thought it could be more tender but for me, it ticked all the right boxes!  I loved the spices in the meat, the texture was just right and it was yummy with a pinch of spiciness!  The chicken Tikka was OK in my opinion.  I would have liked it to taste a little drier with a Tandoori style texture.  The seasoning was a lot milder than I would have liked it to be too! However, the tenderness in each bite was something worth mentioning!  Unlike its Tandoori counterpart, the chicken Tikka was really tender!

 

Truth be said, at this point all I wanted was another serve of the entrees! But unfortunately, the appetizers were not refillable! DAMN!!! But that was ok, the mains did not take long to be served.  The first main out was the Rogan Josh which till the end of the dinner was still mistaken for Lamb Korma!

WHY? Because the meat felt totally blend and mild which was definitely not the traits of a typical Rogan Josh! To me, Rogan Josh enjoys the privilege of having the acidity from the tomatoes along with the sweetness that it carries.  The meat in this Rogan Josh was overcooked and not at all soft!  Something quite unexpected from an Indian restaurant which boasts to have served several famous people such as politicians, business people and people from the entertainment industry.  So what happens when a dish is not yummy at all?  Well, it is the only curry that did not require a refill that night!

 

At that point where I had the Rogan Josh, my hopes to find a jewel in Leederville was at the brink of no hope!!!

that was until I had the Butter Chicken!! Its verdict? WIN!  Tender chicken fillets in a yummy Indian curry butter sauce.  It was good with a controlled level of sweetness.  Not as sweet as the one served in Maya Masala!  Also, the dish with finished with a lash of milk/cream which gave the sauce a creamier consistency!  A really enjoyable dish that night!  It was good with both the rice and the naan.

 

But that is not all! The Aloo Gobi was an absolute stunner too!  This simple curry vegetable dish was so yummy!  Cauliflower has never tasted to so awesome before! I have to admit that all my life, Indian food has always been good in making me eat vegetables I dislike! Cucumbers in Indian salads are usually yummy; so is the cauliflower in this dish!  It was well received by everyone! It was not too soft and yet, not undercooked. GOOD!  Oh and not to forget, I really liked the Saffron rice too! It carries with it a nice fragrant!  I found it very enjoyable with the curry!  Good chemistry!

 

We also had a beef Vindaloo which I thought was OK only.  Not bad, but for that price, I do not think it is worth it!  I think the meat was tough!   Wonder what did Kelvin think about it’/?  Now that I think of it again, I feel that the one that Kelvin used to  bring back from his workplace was just as good as this one!

 

Besides the Vindaloo, little darling also ordered a chicken Biryani which was super pricey but extremely yummy too!  Unfortunately, we do not have a picture of that for some reason ahah!  To wrap things up, I would rate my experience as follows!

It was good with unacceptable flaws.  An Indian restaurant with only 1 out of 3 curry making the mark just does not sounds right!  But with the Aloo Gobi coming into the equation, then we have a 2 out of 4 being good!  Putting in the 2 out of 3 appetizer that we liked, we then have 4 out of 7 being yummy! Finishing things up with the yummy garlic Naan and Saffron rice, the score then becomes 6 out of 9!  Now this does not sounds too bad at all does it not?  And do not forget the Chicken Biryani which give this restaurant a grand total of 7 out of 10!  Hence the thumbs up with that bandage!  And so that all of you know, the little darling accidentally injured her thumb while cutting fruits for herself *emo*!

 

Some other picture from the night!

Yvonne and my sister!

 

Happy Couple!

 

The mates! YiHeng, Jim, and JiaHui

 

WenY

Bites: Atrium’s Buffet @ Intercontinental Burswood.

Last week, Yi Heng and Jim celebrated their birthday! To celebrate this double joy, we decided to spoil them with a good buffet dinner, or at least people in town think its good hehe! So was it good enough for us?  Well, read on below :P!

The Atrium over the past year has undergone significant changes to improve its appeal to the public.  To improve its ageing decor, the Atrium has adopted an oriental styling which is pretty wow compared to the few times I have eaten here over the past years.  But of course, the price has also increased from $50 or 55 to $65. 

 

The buffet at Atrium showcased an array of mouth watering dishes. There was a selection of Asian, Western and European dishes.  While the Oriental stiry-fry dishes were pretty plain, the Chinese roast meat was quite good.  Only the Peking Duck I must insist! Unlimited Peking duck ;)!

Mmmm delicious and crispy duck skin with vegetables and sauce all wrapped up in fresh pancakes!  The skin was good, but I have to say, the duck marinade was nothing to shout about!!

 

For my sister and most of my friends, the unlimited sashimi was all the rage that night!

Layers of fresh salmon slices!  Atrium also had tuna on their line up!  While my sister was totally in love with the salmon, Jia Sheng thought that the tuna at Atrium was one of the best in Perth!  His comparison?  The super yummy Kanta @ Langford!

 

Nevertheless, I am never keen on fish! So my choice at the seafood counter was the crabs! Cooked crabs with cocktail sauce has always been a favourite of mine with prawns coming in second!  However, YiHeng aka fishman was not happy with the crabs as they were not sweet.  At first I did not understand why!  But after eating 3 crabs, I soon saw the truth in his comment! The crabs were a mix of good and bad.  Some of it tasted blend while others tasted sweet!

Cold food! Crabs!

 

Anyone keen on steaks, roasts and stew?

ahaha this was purposely plated for picture purposes, because after this plate, I took no more pictures of all the dessert which I had!

 

The beef medallions were cooked really well cooked with a pink middle.  Nevertheless, it was still lacking in juiciness!  Maybe it just was not the correct part to use!  However, Kelvin says that the roast lamb from the carver was yummy!  And do not forget the corn which everyone though was juicy and sweet! I had none though.  I was terribly misguided by the corn’s pale colour!!

 

Then comes the sweet ending of the night! The desserts!  There were cakes, heaps of them! Profiteroles which darling called cream puffs!  Apple crumble! Belgian Waffles! Fruits! Fondues! OMG!  Everything sweet!  Did we like it?  I think it was a yes!  Even Darling says yes!

 

After eating, it was time for some pictures :)!

Jimmy, Darling and Jia Sheng!

 

William, YiHeng and Jia Hui!  Edwin was here too but went incognito when I asked for a second shot!

 

The Bruneians!! Vanessa and Kelvin!

 

Hope the birthday boys enjoyed our treat!  And to my readers, sorry that I missed out on the dessert pictures.  But here is another blog which has really good dessert pictures :)!!

Libertine Eats

 

Regards,

WenY

Bites: Koko Black @ Claremont

Over my two trips to Melbourne, I have miraculously missed the much hyped Koko Black which is part of the chocolate circle which cocoa lovers so very often mention.  But Í have no reason to fret over this as Koko Black has arrived in Perth.  Over the last few months, I have been visiting this chocolate boutique regularly, each time for a different beverage and bite. 

Putting impressions first, Koko Black located at Claremont Quarters looks impressive even from the outside.  It has a nice wooden floor! And a small little enclosure which diners can watch the chocolatier make the chocolates.  Also, the service shows the emphasis Koko Black has put into their boutique outlet.  A waitress occasionally comes to fill our glasses, which is a good thing for me because chocolates makes me thirsty!! @@!

Firstly and the most important thing for any chocolate lounge/cafe/boutique or whatever extensions you can think of, would be.. the hot chocolate!

The hot chocolate here is fabulously presented! A crafty design graces the delicious layer of froth.  Underneath this tempting layer lies the heart and soul of this winter warmer which is perfect for all seasons too!  Instead of emphasising on sweetness, Koko Black has an added cocoa strength to its hot chocolate which creates its very own unique taste.  While fishman loved every bit of it, it got a thumbs down from us (sis, darling, Nee and I).  While the first mouth sends you to heaven, the second, third, fourth and so on becomes a burden!  With a good accompaniment of quality desserts and pastries available upon ordering, the hot chocolate easily becomes abandoned when the tummy is filled.   Proven true for my sister at the very least.  She ordered a trio of taste which has became a very popular menu item for our visit each time!

 

Seen above, the trio of taste cost about $9.50.  It lets you choose three fine desserts or pastries.  In the picture above, we have the Opera Cake, the Brulee tart, and the Tomato savoury tart.  The Opera cake has become an addiction for fishman and Nee with its very delicious and creamy, not to forget smooth texture in each layer.  It is so damn delicious I have to admit! Luckily Koko Black exercise damage control by limiting the size of the desserts!!!  However, my love affair with the Brulee seems endless.  Little darling and I fell head over heels with this yummy tartlet! A must try for everyone! It turned out that my sister enjoyed the tart a great deal too! At least more than the rest of the cakes!  (Note:  the Brulee tartlet seems to suffer from a severe quality inconsistency.  Varying layer of sugar – mostly too thick or a solidified custard layer =(   )

 

Other things I’ve tried here includes the White chocolate Pannacotta which is really yummy!! Darling puts it on the same level as the Brulee tart! I also tried the Belgian Spoil which is not something I would order again.  It was mehhhh! Mediocre at the very best!  I also tried the Hazelnut hot chocolate which smelt good but did not meet expectations!  I also remember Nee Nee trying the Lite Hot Chocolate which our friends describe as a high class version of ‘Milo’! 

 

Overall, I have to say that all the hot drinks here failed to meet my expectations(or at least those I have tried).  Nevertheless, personal preference is a key reason for the dismissal of the hot chocolate.  I felt that the chocolate tasted slightly off.  It was not something that I am used to!  Not that I do no appreciate the uniqueness of it, but errhhh??  The chocolate turned our rather sickening.  That also applies to the iced chocolate.  Finishing a cup of hot chocolate here could easily leave you in a state of coma!! Rather than further explaining myself, I would recommend readers to give Koko Black a try ;)!  Really, it is a must.  As for the trio of taste, my pick would be the Pennacotta, the Brulee tartlet and the Opera Cake.  Lastly, if you are really determined to not have the hot chocolate, opt for a pot of tea with a side serve of honey for sweetening instead of sugar!!)

 

Owww yeahhhhhhhhhhhh!  And lastly, thanks to my sis for the photos! She now uses a similar camera to mine =.=!!

 

WenY

Bites: Dim Sum @ Dragon Palace, Northbridge

Dim sum has always been a favourite of mine.  Whether it is an early morning brekkie at 6am or brunch at 11am, its a meal that I look forward too!  Since coming to Perth, I have eaten at pretty much every dim sum restaurant in Northbridge. Most of them had their fair hit and misses which is well, quite understandable.  While most serve the common fare of siew mai and prawn dumplings, as well as squid tentacles, I find that Dragon Palace has a larger assortment of food to offer!  One of my favourites would be the spicy cold chicken!

Spicy and tasty! The chilli oil has that typical ‘numbing effect’ of the Szechuan peppers!

Another favourite which I first had when Nana ordered it for our lunch last year!

Pan-fried XO radish cake! Super yums!!

While the next one is quite a common dumpling, I believe Dragon Palace does it BEST!  Had it at Xin Tian Di (previously Jade), and EWWWWWW the lard was not melted properly.  So instead of a liquid-y/soupy consistency, you had something that felt rather oily and rough, imagine an oily soup that has started to cool.

Steamed Ribs with Cheong Fan!!

Similar to the normal ribs, but this one has rice rolls to soak up all the tasty rib sauce!

Of course Dragon Palace had a lot more dumplings to offer! But with the usual dumplings like Siew Mai and other Prawn dumplings crowding the table, it was not worth taking!  Overall, a meal at Dragon Palace is 5 bucks more than usual, leading the bill to about $22-25 per person.  But it’s good quality food in a fairly upmarket ambience.. although the noisy crowd is something else.. @@!  The service is pretty decent but tend to be rather slow and inattentive during lunch periods.  Filling up teapots can be rather tricky then!  Putting minor flaws aside, Dragon Palace is my pick for nice dim sum!  Although I have to insist that the best squid tentacles come from the Dim Sim Cafe!!

WenY

Bites: Heather’s Hutch Cafe @ Nedlands

Taxation is a done deal, so is Investment Analysis and Financial Accounting Theory & Practice.  Exam season has not been kind to me.  It has been raining every single freaking morning!!  Cold.. hungry.. *emo*!  But that is ok, I found a nice place to seek shelter from the cruel winter!  After taxation on Tuesday, darling and I were literally starving!  Not to mention it a typical cold winter afternoon with chilly winds with puddle of water everywhere!!  Hungry as we were, we wanted to eat something proper!  After much thought we decided to eat nearby and it immediately came to my mind that there is a nearby cafe neatly tucked amongst the apartments on Broadway!  Decided to try my luck because I remember them being closed on some days!  Lucky as we were, Heather’s was actually open!!

 

Heather’s  Hutch and its interior!  Felt slightly vintage! 

 

We order the mushroom soup ($9) and a lasagne ($16) to share!!  I have to say, both of it turned out nicely.  But god the serving is just too big!  Both of us did not manage to finish even half of the lasagne I think.  No doubt it was yummy, but the serving was crazy huge.  I think something like twice the thickness and twice the size of the one sold in uni!!!  For the size, and quality (of course!), the price is justified!  But then again, it is really too filling for one person!  Next time if I came alone, I would like to have the soup again!  So yummy!!

 

Ok mates, over and out! Today I woke up at 6am, reached uni about 7am and started nerding! So goddamn sleepy now! Off to bed!! Oink oink!

 

WenY

Bites: The Imp @Victoria Park

I promised myself awhile ago that I shall abstain from any food blogging but ZzzzzZzz. I got bored of studying :P!  I have been to new brekkie place over the weekends so I’m here to share my latest brekkie tryout in Perth!  The place is just a couple of minutes away from home and it is really convenient!  The Imp is conveniently located along Albany highway near to Toto and is pretty much a nearby neighbour of Utopia BBT.

 

We started our morning pretty late at about 10 but that is pretty early considering that I sleep about 3-5am everyday.  I guess this is the Asian thing huh?  Wonder how I will cope with my lifestyle once I graduate! The Imp was pretty crowded possibly a mix of old customers and new ones driven by hype and curiosity!  On the menu, the Imp has all the usual suspects but my exploit this morning would be the big brekkie.  At least I know it is something that will last through dinner :D!

I decided to give a miss on the drinks but sister had to have her daily dose of caffeine which I have to insist came out very very tempting!

With a froth of layer to die for, I would have loved this to be a hot chocolate!   But alas, it is still coffee, my arch nemesis.  My sister says that the barista is from one of the cafes she frequents in city!   On the taste, well I did not take a sip so I’m pretty much clueless!

 

Pretty much all of us had the big breakfast except YH and Kelvin!

Poached eggs on sourdough toast for the first course? :)!  While we had 6 poached eggs on the table, darling was a little let down by the fact that hers was cook through.  No more liquidy yolk!!!  EMOOOOOO!!  Fortunately mine was every bit as runny as it should be! 

 

Bacons! What would you do without these??  It is even a complete breakfast meal without these?  Most would say no but I would beg to differ!  Nevertheless, crunchy bits of salty goodness are outmost welcomed in my tummy!! I mean, who would every say no?

 

And for the final course on the plate, we see the Imp’s hash browns, roasted tomatoes, chipolatas and homemade beans.  While the sausages were mediocre at best, the hash browns and full flavoured tomato was something to die for!@!@#!  I liked the hash browns as they very unique and pretty different in every way!  The tomatoes were good, very juicy and everything a good tomato should be.  Had plenty which still felt raw inside, while this was juicy throughout!  The homemade beans, felt undercooked but the sauce which tended to be a little spicy was really good.  Or at least I thought so :)! 

Nevertheless, seeing the uninspiring chipolatas was a let down.  I mean seriously?  =X!  I feel that the big breakfast all over Perth, especially top rated ones fail to amuse in this department!@#!@#  I hate all, I MEAN pretty much all the sausages I have eaten so far. 2 words to describe them - “uninspiringly boring”.

 

Next comes what I dare say, the winner!  This was YH’s open BLT!  So what makes this the winner? Well, first you do not see any bread.  And then the plating is on a plank of wood. Mmmm awesome aye?  Hehe ok, I’ll stop cocking for a moment.  But really, generous lashings of balsamic with crispy-wafer thin bacon streaks and a runny poached egg was just too hard to ignore.  It was so, so, so good!  Shaved cheese did add some complexity but wow, the choice of balsamic, it was really good.  So good I must insist.

YH’s open BLT!

 

Putting the sausages aside, I thoroughly enjoyed the big breakfast although if you were to compare it to the savoury Asian breakfast I had at Gopi the day before, … .  The simplicity or rather complexity taken for granted in Malaysian breakfast food was so satisfying even though the Nasi Lemak rice was not “lemak” enough.  Overall, the morning was all good at the Imp, the pricing was decent, food above average (putting sausages aside)  and wow, the open blt? Desirable!!

 

WenY

Date Night: XO-Lounge, Perth

After a week of harsh self-abuse, it was finally time to dress up and stop that stupid university rubbish.  Exams, assignments, projects.  What in the world is UWA up to this year?  Broken data, crappy lecturer.. oh my the list miseries goes on!  Putting that aside, I had a gorgeous dinner night with the little darling!  We went to XO-Lounge located along the Exchange Plaza on Wednesday night which marked the start of my Easter break!

 

 

We ordered the XO-Antipasto ($40) to share.  The antipasto had four assortments in it:

-Char grilled veal and parma ham kebabs, spiced romas and sage crisps.

-Sherry cured ocean trout bruschetta toped with salmon caviar.

-Spiced king prawns, fresh coriander, chilli and lemon preserve.

-Smoked buffalo cheese tart, caramelised onions and tossed walnuts.

The prawns were bursty with yummy flavours.  The lemon wedge is a must squeeze on the prawns as it made it taste so good!  The kebabs were special with combination of meat that somewhat reminded me of a Vietnamese meat skewer!  It was good too!  The buffalo cheese tart was “OK” and it reminded me of the Pizza Bianca served at Olivers! 

And the ocean trout bruschetta ahah, I didn’t have any but darling said it was not bad.  Looks nice though, but that slice of raw fish didn’t seem tempting to me at all @@!

 

For our mains, little darling ordered the Tasmanian salmon ($38).  The fish looked delicious on that mountain of vegetables!  But that scoop of paste which I thought was made of sundried tomato tasted of “sambal” instead and that was absolutely weird.  Otherwise, I think the fish was super yummy!  I couldn’t resist asking some from her too.  The fish was well cooked with the outside leaving it light pink in colour while the inside tended to be darkish pink!  Yums!  The vegetables were cold and so I think its some sort of cold salad. 

 

And for me, I ordered the Black Angus Steak ($52) served with homemade crunchy wedges and with salsa roast tomato.

This one I must insist was very very very enjoyable.  The steak was cooked to medium with perfection.  Darling couldn’t resist and had a few mouths of that juicy tender steak.  BUT DAMN it is SMALL!  Two Angus fillet steak was no bigger than half the scotch fillet I had the day before!  But damn it was good.  Wedges were another highlight.  One of the best homemade wedges I have ever tasted.  Not some dodgy  home made French fries which I’ve had many times in burger bars.  But at $52 dollars this is quite heavily priced even though not as dear as the dry aged steaks. And one think which left me puzzled was the sauce on the steak.  I have absolutely no idea how that green patch turnout to be the roast tomato salsa.  But putting colours aside, the sauce which I got was pretty good too!

 

The night wouldn’t be complete without our sweet accompaniment wouldn’t it?  We ended our night with some yummy desserts!

Chocolate and  Cointreau  Mousse ($18) wrapped in chocolate fudge, orange caramel and a pistachio biscotti.  A good level of sweetness with a line of smeared jam and rwarrr!  But biscotti was on the hard side!  Not that it matters as the main focus was the chocolate mousse! :)!

 

Glazed lemon and cinnamon crepe ($16) filled with lemon mousse and a blueberry and ginger compote!  Darling like the way it was presented with the super tempting crispy crust of burned sugar on the crepe.  Blueberry and ginger compote was fresh but hmm didn’t taste like any ginger was in there =/.  More importantly, it satisfied darling’s sweet tooth.

 

At the end of the night we were smiling.  Would this pass the serendipity test? An accidental experiment than turn out beautifully!  What was happier is that while our entire bill totalled to $164 dollars!  And that was excluding the bottle of white wine which we brought home too which would place the bill somewhere around the 200 dollars mark!  But with the coupon I got, it was 90 dollars for this very yummy dinner.  It is really quite funny how much we enjoyed it considering how lowly people rated this restaurant!  I was surprised how much darling and I enjoyed the food.  The service was decent but tended to be slow at the start.  Took awhile for them to confirm our meal and awhile for water to be served.  Otherwise, the service was attentive and good!

 

WenY

Bites: Cream @ East Perth

Placed in the suburb of East Perth, Cream is a little establishment which have steadily attracted diners from all over.  All the positive reviews for this restaurant left little room for mistakes if any at all.  Upon entering the restaurant we were guided through the dark and intimate ambience to our cosy corner, and oh, how can I not mention the furry carpet used on the walls! Once we were seated, the waitresses promptly gave us each a menu and offered us a choice of bottled or tap water. Tap water of course! ahha.   Can’t be too spendthrift on drinks when the price of the food is rich, isn’t it?

 

The interior @ Cream, East Perth.  It was a lot darker than this so I adjusted the brightness of the this picture a little!

 

 

With temptations all over the menu, we took awhile but finally decided on our food!  Most of us had the crumbled stuffed scallop with wasabi served with Thai noodle salad and teriyaki lemon sauce @ $23!

 

The dish was beautifully presented on the plate with the crumbled scallops surrounded by swirls of teriyaki sauce.  Unfortunately, the first bite took all that excitement away! :(!  The crumbled scallops were just too hard.  Of course it wasn’t rock hard but the batter needed effort to be bitten through and it was all for naught (my palate was left sore, still is).  The scallop hidden in that batter was too little!  I personally taught that the dish would taste a whole lot better seared on half shell with the Thai noodles placed carefully on the top of the giant scallop flesh! Then the chef can swirl the sauce wherever he wants to eheh!  I do not think the dish is worth of praises surrounding it.

Another entree that we had was the salt and pepper squid with a Thai Salad.  Not sure it tasted but Kevin definitely preferred the one served in Chinese restaurants!

 

Once we were done, the attentive staff  swooped in for our empty plates and cleared them in a flash before setting the table up for our main.  I must insist at this point that the service here is kick-ass! Lovely crew of waitresses!  For our mains:

Kevin, Sis and Fishman ordered the Red wine infused slow cooked baby beef served on bed of mash @ $35 each!

This dish wasn’t much of a “looker” but fishman enjoyed the tender beef much; occasionally praising it to be well done for slow cooked meal.  I had a bite and it was delicious on the first bite, but I was not convinced for seconds.  But I didn’t have a choice, as birthday boy Kevin was totally saddened by the beef and gave him half of his meal while I traded some of mine.  He didn’t like it at all ahahaha.  My sis too wasn’t able to justify the price. 

 

The darling and Xin Nee shared a slow roasted chicken breast served with Risotto and mushrooms @ $35:

How would Malaysians describe this?  Well, it looks like something we call Lo Mai Kai or Chinese glutinous rice with braised chicken and mushroom sauce.  The girls felt that the Risotto was overly blend and there wasn’t any effort to make this meal appetizing. They also felt that it was a little too sickening for them.  I thought so too as the chemistry of this dish felt a little like hospital food.  Take a look at the Risotto I had at Blue Waters Cottesloe here and compare.  The one at BlueWaters cost $22 dollars while the one above cost $35!!

But the night wasn’t all doom and gloom because I was WINNING!  My meal for the nite was the Crispy Roasted Lean Pork Belly with Strudel of pan caramelised apple, leek and goats feta @ $35!

Perfectly roasted, REALLY LEAN. And OMG the skin was orgasmic!  Kevin hated his so I reluctantly gave him some of mine as I mentioned earlier.  Every bite was accompanied by the lovely cracking sound as I bit through the crispy skin.  The sauce was OKAY, not sure what it was really.  The Apple Strudel was a good change from the typical accompaniment, the apple sauce.  All in all, this dish was perfect.  I’ve seen the face of YH when he ordered the one at Byrneleigh (that sucked) and this was way better.  A class act for sure.

 

It was a happy night for me, but for them, not so. lol?  Overall this restaurant is pretty decent.  Not mind blowing, but alright.  The entrees could have been more well done and perhaps the mains needed a bit more appeal.  Nevertheless, the same couldn’t be said for my main of crispy roasted pork belly as it was definitely a winner. But considering the price we paid for our meal tonight, this restaurant is definitely an average.  You could easily find better food for such price unless ambience is top priority.  But credit must be given to the attentive crew of waitresses who served us throughout the night!

 

WenY