Bites: Artsy Brunch @ Arthouse Dine, Perth

Art Dinehouse is for me one of those eateries where looks matched with a cool hip venue should mathematically equal to an amazing dining experience.  Did it deliver?  Last week I walked in to Art Dinehouse with a cool 50% off lunch deal thanks to Dimmi.  Needless to say we ordered pretty much the whole menu.

The food at Art Dinehouse is a mix of all cultures.  Whether its a Sambo or Pasta or even Salad, its got a chance on the menu.  Plating here is pretty sensational with the prosciutto slices ever so beautiful.  Amazingly tender and pink, it benefited from the many other elements on the plate.  From the acidic pearl lemons to the salty capers, a lot of effort went into making the dish picture perfect.  Around the table we also ordered the chicken sandwich which featured a deep fried chicken sandwiched between two very buttered up bun for a kick.  Art Dinehouse’s Prawn Pasta is another worthy mentioned due to its generosity with the prawns.

My experience at Art Dinehouse was overall worthy of an OK.  Food was a bit of a hit and a miss with a 50-50 hit rate.  The saving grace for us was that several hiccups like a piece of plastic in the leek waffle and bones in the croquettes were dealt with in an apologetic and sincere manner.  Waitperson was every bit courteous, so what else could I ask for?  Definitely no hate on the plate with future opportunities for a re-visit :)!

WenY

Bites: Brunch by the Sea @ the Shorehouse, Cottesloe

Another weekend, another brunch.  Amongst the many things W.A has to offer, its pristine beaches easily comes close to topping the list.  So why not do brunch by the beach right?  That’s exactly what Shorehouse had in mind.  This popular restaurant takes in the sweeping views of the Scarborough coastline with both indoor and outdoor sitting benefitting from the million dollar view.  Its brunch menu was nice and tasteful with accents of seafood written between the lines.  After enjoying a hot Chocolate, I ordered an omelette to get my daily protein. This was not just any Omelette though! This was Shorehouse’s Crab Omelette.

But can they top the famous Chilli Crab Omelette by Frisch and Barc? For starters the omelette at Shorehouse sticks true to the creamy butter finish of a traditional Omelette. Silky smooth with a strong hit of butter, this was joy.  Topping the protein was some crab meat cooked in miso butter. Umami bomb at its finest with the nutty and slightly sweet Miso flavour serenading the dish.  Moving to the inside of the Shorehouse Omelette, there was a slow cooked leek.  Unfortunately, this was where the joys of the buttery egg and tender crab flesh ended.  The leek was still fibrous and undercooked.  To a certain extent it was hilarious seeing how everyone was busy picking the fibres from their mouth haha.  There was a mound of dental floss on some plates :P  Then again we only had two choices.  One was to take it out, or two we could have swallow it whole lol.

Shorehouse is a promising venue with my sister previously giving them credit for their amazing desserts.  An omelette for $23.50 is pretty pricey even when comparing it to Frisch and Barc who had more crab meat in its omelette.  But look beyond the food, factor in the sweeping shoreline and price soon becomes irrelevant.  The combination of food and views make for a winning meal.  Would I come back?  It will be a definite yes but I would not be in a hurry.

WenY

Bites: Amazing Chinese Fry-Up @ Canton Lane, Belmont

Every now and then my family dines at Belmont Forum for a quality brunch.  Then are the times we go out for a Chinese Meal.  But in my 11 years of staying in Australia, my family have never had a Chinese meal in Belmont Forum, until this week.  So what has changed you might ask?  Well, a lot.  Starting from the rejuvenation of Belmont Forum to the addition of quality bites, the whole Forum is changing.  Rapidly.  From GYG Mexican and Schnitz to San Churros, a new Chinese restaurant called Canton Lane has opened and it was epic.  

Familiar faces at Canton Lane tells me that the restaurant is a quality chain that includes Canton Bay and Hong Kong BBQ.  With that being said, I expect the Roast Meat at Canton Lane to be top notch so I decided to give the Peking Duck a try.

This was the Peking Duck (without the deep fried Mantou).  Describing it in one sentence, Canton Lane has used crispy duck skin paired with juicy duck flesh wrapped with refreshing pickled vegetables finished with a dollop of sweet sauce!  Its been awhile since I had Peking Duck so this was really enjoyable!

We also had another appetiser of XO Radish Cake.  This one ticks all the boxes with their perfectly browned radish cake which is fluffy and soft on the inside.   The XO sauce packed a decent punch with hints of scallops present through-out the fry-up.  If anything, I would have liked it a little stickier (i.e. more sauce)! Nonetheless, it was every bit satisfying.  

Prawns with Salted Egg

Japanese Beancurd on Hot Plate with Diced Chicken and Salted Fish.

The Canton Lane’s main menu has all the usual Canton suspects.  Pictured are the Prawns with Salted Egg, Pan Fried Tooth Fish, and Japanese Beancurd on Hot Plate.  Other favourites like Peking Ribs and Roast Meat are also on the menu.  The cooking at Canton Lane hit all the sweet spots I would want when I dine at a Cantonese Restaurant.  Execution of the Deep Fried food such as the prawn and fish was kept really clean.  No sense of overpowering greasiness in the fragrance or to the taste.   Salted egg dressing was really traditional (and generous)! What more could you ask for?  Even the Garlic Kailan was delicious!

Dad is very critical about his Chinese food and felt that Canton Lane exceeded his expectations for a restaurant soft launch.  For me, I was super keen to know we no longer needed to go through the struggle of finding parking in Northbridge!!  A much welcomed addition to Belmont Forum.  Canton Lane opened on the 10th of April serving Dim Sum during the day and Chinese meals.  From delicious Dim Sum to perfectly Roasted Meats to traditional Cantonese fare, you can get it all at Canton Lane at Belmont Forum.

WenY