Bites: Bonsai @ Roe St., Northbridge.

I have been a bit too caught up with work recently, thanks to the symposium which went pretty well for all of us.  3 days I did not log on to msn, and 200 emails left undeleted or unread.  After that there was finally a spring feast  event which did not result in a fiasco this time around.  Darling and I made 330 bucks from selling fishballs.  A pretty impressive amount for 6 hours of work I’d suppose?

 

But that is enough of ranting, this is an extension review as a foodie to my recent visit to Bonsai @ Roe st. in Northbridge.  This time it was my cousin’s birthday and he was treating us to a 9 course meal.  Sounds awesome huh?  It actually is ahah but the 9 course is not as grand as it sounds.  However it gave us a rare chance to try the best that Bonsai had to offer.  True enough, out of the 8 appetizer that came out, 8 were brilliant.  But I particularly thought the vegetarian roll was a bit of a scam ahaha.  I did not get to take many pictures because I did not bring my camera and yeah, duh!  Iphone quality is shitty as usual.  So these are the rare few ones that were worthy I guess? aaha

My main was the pork chop cutlet which for me did not taste Japanese, but more like mom’s cooking.  Nice piece of meat despite the small serving.   But that was ok, the appetizers had me filled the brim!  Next was something my cousin said he has every SINGLE time he goes to Bonsai.  This was one slab of monster really.

 

This was the chocolate indulgence dessert which added to my weight -loss fail toll.  This slab of dreamy chocolate slice brought my meal count to 10 course.  The super indulgent chocolate mousse layer was deliciously smooth.  The macaroons were sweet as hell.  But it was a good start which made the chocolate cake a whole lot more rich in chocolate flavour.  Brilliant piece of dessert.  BUT it is impossible to finish this slice of monstrosity alone.  My cousin saw me struggling and told me that water would help.   At least he acknowledged that I was dying on the dessert ahaha.   And is it just me or when I eat a super smooth and creamy desert, I feel really dreamy and slow =X?  OMG.

 

My Bonsai experience is very good.  The salads there are the most dope shit ever since  Thai meat salads.  Full of  fresh and crisp greens mixed with a Japanese chemistry of sauces before it is finished by chunky pieces of Karaage.  The grilled asparagus rolled meat stick were unique delights.  Good stuff for a price I would not mind paying.

 

Last but not the least, this restaurant casts curiosity to patrons looking to see Bonsai plants but see none.  It is however on your plate.  Judging by the appearance of the dishes.  It took a fair bit of time to garnish, and be manicured to serve visual pleasure along with unique taste.  Visual pleasure as a consequence of time and effort are just my thoughts that it is relative to the art of Bonsai ahah.  But then again I believe its true. So yeah :P!

 

Time to finish the last parts of the thesis.  Its a countdown to massive freedom.

 

WenY

Birthday Bites: Satsuki @ Subiaco.

Tuesday was darling’s birthday.  After a surprise present on midnight, she had more smiles on her than ever.  Glad to see that she’s happy :P  ON the noon of her birthday, her lunch wish could not be simpler because all she wanted was a plate of Indo Mee.  Judging by her sleepy face at noon, I was pretty certain that we were not going anywhere for lunch.  But dinner was different, I had to be an uncle  to make sure she was ready to leave by 7 as reservations were made for half past seven.  Our night was to be celebrated in a restaurant located in Subiaco.  When we reached, we were greeted by the friendly staff that never fails to smile or provide assistance throughout the evening. 

A macro of the eating plates :D!   Tinkered with the sharpen function of WLW.

The menu looked super good and I really mean it.  I could have ordered pretty much everything except sashimi which I sort of had in the end anyways.  But before the menu became my highlight, the birthday girl caught my attention, so.. *snap* *snap*

19th birthday.  Happy birthday darling!

Satsuki serves their food Izakaya style which is essentially a type of dining which encourages social interaction.  Considering how both of us interact so much  at home, this was not really the best setup ahaha.  But nonetheless, it was every bit enjoyable.  The place had a crowd but it was not taxing on our romantic evening.  Ok maybe not so romantic ahahah.  Romantic dinner expensive ok? And also the place I wanted to bring her to has CLOSED DOWN :(! Sobs!! 

A few more things to note about Satsuki is the uniqueness of Satsuki’s sushi prepared in the traditional Edomae style.  Whats Edomae?   It’s essentially food art.

First up is a raw fish sushi I usually never enjoy.  Ordered by mistake, savoured with joy.

The lightly fried battered sushi roll was delicious in every bite.  Finished with chives and stringy red decorations, the raw tuna belly filling was orgasmic.  Fried crisp seaweed on the outside did not tamper with the freshness of the tuna belly.  Class act 1.

Next up is another shocker which took me by storm.  Darling mischievously ordered another fish dish omg!

Foil baked salmon.  This dish is epic.  The salmon meat was odourless.  A no.1 criteria for the fussy pot me.  The salmon fillet was baked with leek, onions and mushroom before it was served with a citrus ponzu sauce.  Totally gorgeous.  No joke!!

The final dish we ordered for the first round was Agedashi Tofu.  This wasn’t the best Agedashi ever but it was satisfactory.  If only more sauce came with it.  I like the yummy soy broth mixed with the radish bits and ginger a lot.  Without it, its just bean curd.  Plain bean curd is just saddening!

Om nom nom nom!  Can you believe it?  the first round of order had absolutely no chicken or pork whatsoever.  I’m stunned when I realised this myself.  The Japanese really do wonders in the kitchen.  No doubt!!

After chatting for a bit, we were starting to get hungry again.  But truth be said it was more of her talking and me seeing her talk.  Not sure why was I so quiet that night =X!  Its really a once in a blue moon kind of thing ahah.  I’m rarely quiet.  What more when I’m with her.  Back on to the food, round 2 was more  of a meal suited to the carnivore me.

Kaarage! Deep fried marinated chicken finished with a citron dressing.  The ang moh sitting at the table next to us went like “Ohh! Ohh! That looks delicious.  I feel like I might steal one of you”  So lamee man that uncle ahah.  Damn random.  But he was right about one thing, that it was delicious.  How can good can deep fried chicken be? VERY GOOD.  I’m always sceptical about paying 10 bucks for 6 pieces of chicken but this was the BOMB.  Other than Toraya, this one was so yummy that I ate more than half of it.  I liked the way the chicken sat on some colourless sauce that gave so much added flavour to the chicken.  The meat was every bit tender and juicy on the inside too!

The last thing that we ordered was the Dorper lamb “Tatsuta”.  Deep friend Dorper lamb with White su-Miso sauce and a hint of garlic.  Love the garlic but I have absolutely no idea what those red stringy things on top of the dishes I’ve ordered so far, but its starting to feel overused.  Nonetheless, this was as good as the Kaarage but XL liked the Kaarage better though.    The lamb did not even feel chewy or anything.  Not to mention, the hint of garlic flavour made this a pleasant food to savour. 

Darling kept telling me that she is very full but the moment I mentioned dessert, I saw the grin ;-)!  We left Satsuki and headed over to Bonsai to finish the evening meal with desserts.

Sitting together by the window.

She ordered:

A crepe dessert which I thought should have been more moist between the layers :P  She liked the light texture of the whole thing which I though was a fair call.

To those who read my blog often, they would probably know the dessert of my choice, the Créme Brulee.  OH yeah babehhh!  Topped by a crusty layer of charred sugar, this has always been my favourite dessert.  Of course there is also Tiramisu and all, but this really is the bomb in my opinion.  Simple yet it requires skills to make… in which Bonsai did not fare too well.

While the crust sugar layer was awesome, the custard was lumpy.  Not the smooth textured one that it should have.  Bleakkksss :P

After finishing up our desserts, we were pretty much up to the brim already.  Good stuff from Satsuki and OK desserts from Bonsai.  Believe they could have done better considering they were practically empty on her birthday night.  But its ok, tomorrow its my cousins birthday, I’ll make sure I get some good shots for the night :P!

Ciao outside!

WenY

Bites: Alfred’s Kitchen @ Guildford

The night is cold and the day has been busy.  Not to mention, one of your best mates are leaving on an airplane soon.  With no destination in mind and lots of frustration.  Time to leave the routine business and find that special mug of “night warmer”.  I picked Yobi from his concert yesterday before heading over to the Swan Valley to enjoy the best burger in Western Australia.  Even though the night was late, we were not alone when we arrived.  Loads of other hungry people were there to get a bite of Alfred’s. 

 

The night is never cold at Alfred’s.  In fact the heat from the fireplace kept me happy at the counter.  It was like a barbecue made for humans.

 

Since 1946?  My country did not achieve independence till 1957 mate. No wonder the burgers here are epic.

 

After waiting for quite awhile, it paid off.  A juicy patty between two classic sesame buns finished with crisp lettuce and spicy caramelised onions. Yumms!  I had the chilli burger while Yobi had the hamburger with bacon and cheese.  Yobi finished his burger in a flash. When he was done he had hesitation scribbled all over his face.  I gave him the WTF.  He was like “Wah! Does not enough!”.  He had a sudden dilemma but in the end chose a bag of fries with salt overload.  Just the way he likes it!! ahaha 

 

It took me 30 minutes of driving to get here but no regrets for all that driving.  The night didn’t feel so bad anymore after that burger in my tummy.  The quiet drive home felt peaceful with no worries.  I like it!

 

WenY