tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79025451644941176772023-11-15T22:39:57.549-08:00A neko's engrossment in foodage...The ad hoc diaries of a neko on foodage hunt. Posts are powered by a simple iPhone cam and the limited (imaginary) budget of one neko. En grosse, it's all about food - eating out and the sharing of food with friends and loved ones. nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-58698091052536373222015-03-19T00:21:00.001-07:002015-03-19T00:21:25.227-07:00Refresh: Let's start blogging again. Maybe 2015 would be different?I know it's already nearly end of March and it's not like I haven't dined out much in the past year or so. I just don't seem to have the same sort of dedication or perseverance as other food bloggers. <br />
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I had this conversation with a chef (off the books) and he was both supportive of the growth in foodie culture and at the same time critical of the internet food blogging phenomenon. It's one thing to direct and positive get critiques and reviews from various customers, there's also the negative side. The phenomenon of a popular blogger post make or break a place is more of a risk for restaurants as well. <br />
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I always claim to be a foodie, but I don't necessarily think of myself as a food blogger. I'm critical and have distinct preferences for my food/dining experience. This doesn't often match up to general public opinion. Of course, I wouldn't just continue to post positive stuff about great places and I'd like to think I'm able to clearly describe my dining experiences. I do sometimes worry if the whole online food blogging is changing the food culture for the better? Are we truly qualified to review? I know I'm not trained in the industry, I can only go by my observations and discussions with others in the industry. <br />
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So with that in mind, I am going to commit to blogging about things more. I still love food. It's going to be a life long affair that will even exceed my love of my furbabies. Will add in some of the places I've eaten recently and since I am travelling soon, I'll include some random food reviews of the places I go. nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-47660289544579959872013-06-24T08:08:00.000-07:002013-06-25T07:34:05.772-07:00Worst Italian Restaurant EverFirstly, let's bring a bit of context into this blog review about a restaurant which had once been one of the 'oldest' and most respectable Italian restaurants in the West Perth neighbourhood, Villa D'Este. I do recall dinning here more than a decade ago and loving the food and service. Sadly, this time around ... nothing lived up to expectations - except maybe the Chianti Classico. But then, since I had very little to eat, this would be all relative.<br>
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Additional context, I am a self-claimed foodie and I am particular about my food. I eat out quite a lot and have tried restaurants from street side stalls to high end Michelin starred restaurants here and overseas.<br>
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Short summary:<br>
Food: 1 out of 5 stars<br>
Service: 0 out of 5 stars<br>
Ambience: 3 out of 5 stars (this is if you exclude food and service, I'm only counting the decor & lighting).<br>
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Full neko paws DOWN on this restaurant. Don't go there!<br>
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***<br>
Let me set the scene. This is to for a family dinner to celebrate my mother's birthday. The booking was via Dimmi using their 'point redemption' for the booking and a voucher of $50 which is applied without having to present a voucher. Clearly stated on the booking that it's her birthday. I received a booking confirmation call at 9:43am WST to confirm. I was in a meeting and called them back to confirm details for 3 at 7pm.<br>
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Arrive 10 minutes before booking and was led to the table by, we shall call him Waiter A. Waiter A asked if we would like sparkling water, I translated for my parents and we agreed on sparkling. This was brought to the table and poured. Waiter B brought 'appetiser, compliments of the chef'. Ritz biscuit sized pizza with 1 slice of parma/pepperoni like meat and cheese with what could have been tomato puree or a small bit of sun-dried (benefit of the doubt) x 3. Another waiter came by to tell us the specials, he had a strong 'Italian' accent and in most cases I find accents quite reassuringly authentic in the relevant restaurant environment. He gave us the specials, my mom was delighted with the option of being able to have twice cooked duck and my dad opted for the Carpretto (baby goat) - a dish which we have had before at <a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1520231/restaurant/Perth/Stirling/Siderno-Caffe-Ristorante-Osborne-Park" target="_blank">Siderno</a> and he had loved it. He went away to give us a few more minutes to decided.<br>
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After a while of waiting, while we saw waiters come and go. I next got hold of Waiter A to order, but he said I would have to wait for the maitre d' to order as he only dealt with drinks. I asked for his recommendation for a rounded Italian wine, he suggested the Chianti Classico 2009. We agreed to order this and our mains. We waited for a while - wine was served before MD came over to our table to take our order.<br>
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Here's what we ordered:<br>
Peppoli Chianti Classico - upon recommendation by Waiter A $66.00<br>
<b><br></b>
<b>Entrees</b><br>
1/2 dozen Oysters (Baked with mushroom and Italian sausage) $28.00<br>
Italian sausage stuffed mushrooms with balsamic reduction (3 on plate) $31.80<br>
A soup of the day - Cream of Asparagus $16.00<br>
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<b>Mains</b><br>
Twice Cooked duck with Port Wine sauce $48.90<br>
Carpretto with polenta 'slice/cake' $48.80<br>
Beef cheeks with polenta 'slice/cake' $44.80<br>
and<br>
<b>Side</b><br>
Crusty Italian Bread $4.50, we asked for 1 serve *($1.50 per serve, it was not stated on menu it was "per person")<br>
Spinach salad with tomatoes, olives and olive oil and balsamic dressing and parmesan $11.80<br>
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The bread came and was surprising to us a basket of several (8+) pieces of large chunky Italian bread. Since dad loves this type of bread we were fine with it, not realizing they had given us 3 serves. The oysters arrived 'au natural', I pointed out the mistake and the waiter gave me a look. He later came back to say it would take a few minutes to cook. I was fine with this. The mushrooms were fine, the stuffing was actually 'stuffing' there's sausage flavour, but I could not actually bite into any. The soup was very green and watery with dried parsley sprinkled on. We all tasted it and agreed it was not edible and was extremely salty. You could not taste the natural freshness of asparagus which I love. The Waiter B took away the soup and asked if we wished for the other soup of the day as replacement, I agreed - it was a Italian Vegetable soup (not minestrone) just a soup less green and with pieces vegetables.<br>
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We waited for quite a while - so much so that Waiter A came and with Waiter C cleared our entree plates and cutlery. I had to stop them and state we have not been served our other entrees - they cleared the plates any way and was going to bring new ones.<br>
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I had a small sip of the 2nd soup and found it still salty, and was informed by my parents it was still too salty but they were not willing to embarass themselves or the restaurant to sent it back. From this point on, no one came by to check how we were doing or to even re-fill our water or wine glasses.<br>
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Plates cleared we eagerly awaited mains thinking this would rescue the meal. The mains came quite quickly and was plonked down "across" the table by Waiter B to my mother. Reaching across me diagonally across. All this time serving was done by each wait staff from the side, he just didn't bother to walk over to my mother. I had two bites of the beef cheek and realized I couldn't taste the meat and only the salt. The texture was fine but the whole thing tasted like salt cured. The sauce was just as strong. I tried dad's carpretto and it was the same - the nice goat flavour was gone. The fine texture of the meat was there ... but if you finished the dish you would end up drinking litres of water after to re-hydrate. Mom's duck was saved by the sweetness of the port. You could taste the heavy salt, but the sugary port sauce covered it and helped balance it. We put aside the two main dishes. Mom and dad shared the duck with bread and the salad.<br>
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Finally got hold of Waiter B and I told him to take the mains away as they were too salty for us to eat and stated I didn't want them any more when he looked at me with an annoyed expression. (This may have been his expression for not understanding why). He stated that they served the same here all the time and no-one has found a problem with it.<br>
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After a long wait and my parents finishing their shared dish. Waiter A eventually came with two container boxes labled with our main meals. I was very angry and stated that we had returned the dishes to the kitchen as they were inedible and was too salty. He said I should be upset with him as he only did drinks and clear tables. I asked to speak to the manager or the maitre d'.<br>
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15-20 minutes later, no one had come by our table again. I asked for the bill. Waited another 15 minutes and was provided a FULL bill for everything that was presented to us, inclusive of the mains. I went to the front counter to speak with the manager as he had deemed it not necessary to come see his customers. No apologies and no questions about how was your meal before he launched into a rant about how I had upset his chef and insulted him and none of his food was salty. He claimed to have tasted all the dishes I returned and said they were fine and all other customers were fine with their food, so my taste must be bad and that I could not take salt at all. He also walked away from me whenever I was stating my case about the food being not palatable at all and defending my taste buds.<br>
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I was extremely polite in pointing out that my table considered the food too salty and if he did not think there was a problem why did he replace our soup? And if he had taste tested the returned food, why did he allow them to be packed into take away containers and returned to our table? He claimed this was a misunderstanding and that Waiter B did not understand I meant to 'return' the food. If that was the case, why did Waiter B tell me that no-one else had thought the food too salty to eat?<br>
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When I asked about the Dimmi discount, he said I had to present a voucher - which is not the case. When I stated that it was with the booking and he damn well knew it. Finally I was at my wits end, I asked he again if he was going to put the discount through or not. When he did, he asked the Waiter C to double check all the details and proceeded to take my credit card for payment without showing me the bill.<br>
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I've tried Galileo, Siderno and a number of the best rated Italian restaurants in the business. None of their dishes have ever been salty enough for me to send back to the kitchen.<br>
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If I pay $50 for mains, I want my waiter to at least "smile" at me. I don't care if it's false, it's your damn job to smile at customers.<br>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1370811/restaurant/Perth/Villa-DEste-Restaurant-West-Perth"><img alt="Villa D'Este Restaurant on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1370811/minilink.gif" style="border:none;padding:0px;width:130px;height:36px"></a>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-68078133135773540312013-04-08T19:30:00.000-07:002013-04-22T02:21:04.391-07:00Living it up, but loosing an icon... I heard along the <a href="http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/16213563/loose-box-owners-call-it-quits/" target="_blank">grapevine</a> (small as that may be within little old Perth) that the Loose Box is closing. It's always been a place I wanted to visit but never had that special somone or been able to co-ordinate a group of friends willing to make the 45 minutes drive up to have a degustation meal (without the matching wine set - if you were the skipper). From previous experiences with degustation we can definitely say that it lasts between 3 to 5 hours, depending on the company and wine consumption!<br />
<br />
Alain Fabregues is deservedly retiring after over 34 years of delighting diners with his multi-award winning culinary skills since 1979. A lot of people I've spoken to know of and a great number of friends have decided to do the trip throughout the past few weeks. <br />
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The weekend is a close friend's birthday and I really wanted to spend a nice but quiet evening out with him to celebrate. It was definitely lucky to have called up and be told that there is a table available on a Thursday evening and if we'd like we can have it at 7:30 pm. Essentially meaning we wouldn't finish until 11 pm at the earliest. This was perfect, as we both worked in the CBD and getting out there would take potentially longer than the Google Map drive time. <br />
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We arrived nicely just 10 minutes before 7:30 pm and was greated and led to our table by a new waiter. I say new, he was young and possibly quite new at the restaurant role due to the hesitant way he greeted us. <br />
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He presented the menus to us, and left us to bring water. Explained the specialties of the evening and we were pleasantly surprised with the flexibility in the degustation menu. Normally you'd receive a list of items with very little choices. But I felt like we were encouraged to swap and change how we wanted. You can choose from the standard degustation or a vegetarian degustation. In addition, thatevening we had 2 entree courses where there were a special optional dish. As well as having 2 additional choices for mains. <br />
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We ordered the following: <br />
<ul>
<li>2 mini-bottles of Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial N.V. Epernay, France.</li>
<li>the Degustation menu (with variations) - keep reading for descriptions and photographs. </li>
<li>Darjeeling and Earl Grey Teas with our petits fours</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><strong>First Course: </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><em>Coconut and Prawn Broth (His)</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Coconut broth served with freshly shelled Prawns, kaffir lime leaf and Balmain and Rozelle spice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">It was, sadly lack luster for a first course. It felt like a lighter spiced green Thai curry soup - missing the glass noodles and the bite! The prawns were sitting at the bottom of the lovely bowl. This may have been intentionally done to provide a surprising discovery, but sadly created a disappointing first taste and then made you feel as if it was only improved to the level of ordinary.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><em>Cappuccino de "mange tout" (Mine - from the vegetarian menu) </em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><o:p>Snow Pea cappuccino soup, garnished with lightly braised lettuce and a whisper of peppermint.</o:p></span></div>
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I have sadly developed a prawn allergy and also am not a great fan of cooked coconut milk. This soup offering was intriguing but I had no expectation of it ... I like snow peas but could not envision it being a creme soup with lettusce and mint. </div>
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<em><strong>Matching Wine: </strong>Louis Bouillot Cremant de Bourgogne Grand Réserve N.V.</em></div>
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60% Pinot, 35% Chardonnay, 5% Gamay and Aligote</div>
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A lively effervescent sparkling rose wine with a fresh, citrus palate.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><strong>Second Course: </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><em>Tian de Fruits de Mer (His)</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Salmon Gravlax, prawn and smoked trout tian folded in a dill mayonaise, served with a lemon fennel salad and saffron aspic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">This was brilliant, the fennel was not over powering and the saffron aspic added a piquant taste to theGravlax. Delightfully presented and I could have had more and more of this. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><em>Pork Trotter (Mine</em>)</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<em><strong>Matching Wine: </strong><em>Domaine du Rimauresq Provence 2010</em></em></div>
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<em>Tibouron Cinsault Granache Shiraz</em></div>
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<em>Close your eyes and imagine the warm Provencale sun on your skin and transport yourself to the south of France with this superb dry Rose. Made from indigenous red grapes grown on this Cru Classe vineyard in the shadow of the Massif du Maure mountain range of Provence. Typicall dry and savoury Rose, but with a refreshingly fruity mid-palate.</em></div>
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This was delightfully presented, soft and melty but in a tube that had a gelatinous texture and a little hint of mushrooms and cheese. Seems like no time and the mouthful was finished. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><strong>Third Course:</strong> </span><o:p></o:p></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><em>Le Saumon & Jacques Aux Aromates "Jean Delaveyne"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></em><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Fresh Atlantic salmon and local scallops poached in champagne served with a light butter sauce infused with fresh herbs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">We both went for this one, the vegetarian option was just not as enticing as this on the menu.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <em><strong>Matching Wine: </strong>J.J. Vincent Bourgogne Blanc 2009 Burgundy</em></span></span></div>
100% southern Burgundy Chardonnay with fresh mineral characteristics, stone fruit and a touch of oak. <br />
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<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><strong>Fourth Course:</strong></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><em>Escargots à La Bordelaise en Pâte de Brick sur Ratatouille Provençale </em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Snail fritter served golden on a warm ratatouille stack with a tomato and chilli sauce.</span><br />
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This dish felt a little underwhelming. The ratatouille was lovely and balanced in taste. However, the escargot was missing something quintessential and was overwhelmed by the wealth of other flavours. </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><em><strong>Matching Wine: </strong>Plan de Pegau Rouge 2007 Southern Rhone</em></span></span></span></span></div>
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50% Granache, 50% Mourvedre and a splash of Cabernet</div>
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<em>The Plan de Pegau comes from one of the great Chateauneuf houses, Comaine de Pegau. Their southern Rhone vineyards are planted to Grenache and Mourvedre, both staples of the region.</em></div>
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The wine felt a little bit over powering on this match as well. </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><strong>Main Course:</strong> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><em>Duck Confit (His)</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Special option of the evening, was either a Duck Confit - which is a twice cooked duck leg or the option of beef cheeks with baby roast vegetables. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">I always feel that (over)cooking duck is a crime. However, Alain is a Mastermind! This was extremely well done. The duck leg presented well, it didn't look stewed (as some I have seen posing as <em>Duck Confit</em>). Melt in your mouth texture and retaining the full flavour of duck. Delightful with the <em>Plan de Pegau Rouge 2007 Southern Rhone</em>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><em>Daube de Boeuf Aux Chataignes (Mine)</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Scotch fillet slow cooked in red wine with carrot, onion, herbs and mushrooms. Served with a lid of puff pastry and garnished with chestnuts and red wine shallots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">I sadly chose the scotch fillet as I have a complete devotion to chestnuts and rarely get to eat it in meat meals. Doubly sad, because, yes I rarely get it and unfortunately this dish fell far short of expectations. The scotch fillet was so dry and tough to chew that I was hard pressed upon recollection to believe it was slow cooked in red wine with all the actual vegetables. The puff pastry presentation was fanastique, however the chestnuts was sadly missing (well I did find 1 sliver...). I should have ordered the off the menu - beef cheek pie with root vegetables. *sigh* It sounds not as impressive but beef cheeks will rarely let you down. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">The addition of red wine shallots make it very much an tanin filled dish and I felt it did not match the wine as well </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">as it could've. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <em><strong>Matching Wine: </strong>Château Val de Roc 2008 Bordeaux Supérier</em></span></span></span></span></div>
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70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc</div>
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Made by Michel Rolland from the great Château Ausone. This wine is opaque dark crimson in colour. The nose has toasted cedar and subtle blackcurrant. Medium weight with flavours of cherry and spice and fine grained tannins.</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><strong>Plate Cleanser: </strong><em>Fruit Sorbet </em>Melon & Midori Sorbet </span><br />
This was seasonal choice of fruit. I was hoping for something a bit zesty but the clean taste of this sorbet cut through well and removed the tanin taste of the main/wine. </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><strong>Dessert:</strong> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><em>Le Cygne Majestueux en Voyage sur son Lac de Framboises (Mine)</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">How can you go past this? The majestic swan, made from home made vanilla bean ice cream and fine tuille biscuit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Served on a "love heart lake" of raspberry sauce. Very lovely looking dessert, the double cream forming part of the body gave it a light texture mixed with the fresh vanilla bean ice cream and raspbrry sauce. I can imagine this as a 'romantic dinner/event' point to be talked about for a while</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><o:p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><em><strong>Matching Wine: </strong></em></span></span> </o:p></span><em>Grand Maison Monbazillac Curvee des Anges 2007 Dordogne</em></div>
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Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Muscadelle</div>
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This fresh, light botrytis dessert wine comes from the hills of Monbazillac in Bergerac, east of Bordeaux. This wine has just the right amount of sweetness and zingy acid to balance with the dessert.</div>
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The wine match was much sweeter and the counter point with the raspberry sauce was zingy but not an unwelcome one after the richness of the meal. </div>
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<em>Cheesecake with berry coulis ? (His)</em></div>
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I forgot to take down the Frenchy name of this off the menu dessert option. Funnily, my dining partner doesn't eat fruit! Interestingly enough he still chose this for the Cheese cakey-ness, however this was not what he was expecting. When you think Cheese cake these days, you think of the dense heavy cheese taste and texture we've come to know. This cheese cake was "moussey". Almost a fluffy version. Great texture counter point to expectations but sadly for him it didn't hit the spot. </div>
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He also recieved a little 'birthday' ice-cream with the fine tuille biscuit and chocolate happy birthday written on it! I did get to eat 'Happy' so guess that's fair. </div>
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<strong>Petit Fours & Tea</strong></div>
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I always love this part. Feel as if you're being given a special little treat at the end of the meal. However, I've begun to slowly realize through Main that my stomach capacity has shrunk with age. And my sugar capacity was filled by eating 'Odile'.</div>
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<strong>Rating: </strong>3.5 out of 5</div>
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They were wonderfully attentive and courteous. As I said one seemed to be new/in-training and we all through the puppy-phase and someone has to be nice enough to accept and train us :) but this coumade me feel that this wasn't the whole overall French cuisine experience I was after. The freshness of the produce and the delicacy of the dish/sauces was lovely and the overall ambience was geared toward la romantique. </div>
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<strong>Neko paws: </strong>2.5 out of 5. The 0.5 was given out of respect, however, even if it wasn't for Alain's retirement... I would sadly say the overall experience didn't leave enough of a positive impression to entice me back. </div>
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The fine dining echelons have lovely places like <a href="http://www.jacksonsrestaurant.com.au/" target="_blank">Jackson's</a>, <a href="http://www.chezpierre.com.au/" target="_blank">Chez Pierre</a>, <a href="http://w.bouchonbistro.com.au/" target="_blank">Bistro Bouchon</a> and the new <a href="http://www.crownperth.com.au/restaurants/all" target="_blank">Crown Casino chain offerings</a> of Nobu, Bistro Guillaume and Rockpool. </div>
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Oh reminds me next post will be on Bistro Guillaume and I shall plan in time to go visit <a href="http://www.ptiteardoisebistro.com.au/" target="_blank">P'tite Ardoise</a>. </div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1370477/restaurant/Perth/The-Loose-Box-Mundaring"><img alt="The Loose Box on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1370477/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 130px;" /></a>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-35776572722868344012013-04-05T01:32:00.001-07:002013-04-05T01:32:15.528-07:00The i-Gen... It's a false confession, I'm not of the i-generation. The generation that's iPhone, iPad, and iWant, iNeed, completely i-oriented. <br />
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On that note, I haven't blogged about dining out for a while. Not because I haven't been eating out, but rather my Facebook addiction meant I could instantaneously check in via Facebook, Instagram or even Urbanspoon without posting to my blog, format the photographs and make a few quick comments. Originaly the idea is that these little notes will serve the basis of my full review online but sadly... that falls to the weyside as life goes on... and new foodage entices... <br />
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I'll make up for it I promise for whatever number of readers out there who pays attention. I will dedicate more clear and witty remarks on here as well!nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-52007986934300173382012-12-13T19:44:00.000-08:002012-12-13T19:44:54.192-08:00Aisuru Sushi - Beautifully danty and leaves you wanting more<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Pqdi5Gt4evFpeCw9Z_2oOrXDPcrQuglYYqDmmRFGFH7cFNk7kkrPdR2yrwwktOgS7mniY5dpX-U4reUzuuG8wpnCQ9z_wGmocSpqLX-lk2KvFA2MhghEfJzMFqNxgzR1TUw0EpEFK1UB/s640/blogger-image--2086894902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Pqdi5Gt4evFpeCw9Z_2oOrXDPcrQuglYYqDmmRFGFH7cFNk7kkrPdR2yrwwktOgS7mniY5dpX-U4reUzuuG8wpnCQ9z_wGmocSpqLX-lk2KvFA2MhghEfJzMFqNxgzR1TUw0EpEFK1UB/s200/blogger-image--2086894902.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
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To quote Oliver Stone and draw an 'metaphor': </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"<em>A woman can be very beautiful and an ideal model and she will photograph incredibly well, but she'll appear in film and it won't work. What works is some fusion of physical beauty with some mental field or whatever you call it. I don't know.</em>"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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That's how I feel about Aisuru. <br />
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I don't like fusion food in general. That's a stereotype which I don't subscribe to. I understand the need for chefs to find a blend or try out new combinations of flavourings and techniques which are used in various cuisines with the expectation of "OMG this works a treat and I have now re-invented the wheel".</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37UYvqWRxkVMU8LyBBZMdovettLQ8RkI3Rr4qPblzPWU9j7pD28DrUYUKtk1eV9EaXaxNohUDovEMoQlM-IBakQNs0lJ3iMYxlks1fnZh4e_Z6oTpoS7mmH8MiFDc29h91M6CFsYfmx69/s640/blogger-image-912965261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37UYvqWRxkVMU8LyBBZMdovettLQ8RkI3Rr4qPblzPWU9j7pD28DrUYUKtk1eV9EaXaxNohUDovEMoQlM-IBakQNs0lJ3iMYxlks1fnZh4e_Z6oTpoS7mmH8MiFDc29h91M6CFsYfmx69/s200/blogger-image-912965261.jpg" width="149" /></a>The two of us had a bill that was nearly $90 for lunch, we ordered: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjr5DM5m07Ngm7SKWMCzEqJ3Sv0Tf1O0ErivJjotTkbHwNMaOouj1G2dyHEuw1vNUvUOn8v1sRA_meNlJNk2uMajxGyO45u-n8cbpnxp6T_HMU_6_RKypg3shNjPI3FFkYzMBsE0K0TsC/s640/blogger-image-1119042741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjr5DM5m07Ngm7SKWMCzEqJ3Sv0Tf1O0ErivJjotTkbHwNMaOouj1G2dyHEuw1vNUvUOn8v1sRA_meNlJNk2uMajxGyO45u-n8cbpnxp6T_HMU_6_RKypg3shNjPI3FFkYzMBsE0K0TsC/s200/blogger-image-1119042741.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLSqyV-5jkV2kop8YyOJhyphenhyphenWv0dpN3o-1A6_MXZL4r_ZBP-TQXzj7YVCdJSSwcerYdFsJq1JoXQPDcUBURocuSknK3N0m117DkctMA7DSxZwDDJp89e0fTuqUHnVob3GQ82_aMuuZl_xmQ/s640/blogger-image--815603024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLSqyV-5jkV2kop8YyOJhyphenhyphenWv0dpN3o-1A6_MXZL4r_ZBP-TQXzj7YVCdJSSwcerYdFsJq1JoXQPDcUBURocuSknK3N0m117DkctMA7DSxZwDDJp89e0fTuqUHnVob3GQ82_aMuuZl_xmQ/s200/blogger-image--815603024.jpg" width="200" /></a>Gyu tataki</div>
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Dragon roll</div>
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Spider roll</div>
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Unagi roll</div>
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Agedashi Tofu </div>
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Wagyu beef rool</div>
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Green Tea </div>
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Previously I've tried the tempura corn kernels and sakura / summer roll as well. </div>
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The sushi is delicious enough, use of sauces (fusion or the slathering of sweet teriyaki flavours, mayo etc) is sumptious. The seared scallop sushi roll is quite decadent. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKt31qZdFdUKGgGaAHUmW6vci-Ks8w6gYdbZNPCWwTcznVeGgQk90jWfr0ME9ZJBh54M2ESWRgNI3JKHXN15c388V-tcn92ESTDXRprbBY_JqgPEqX0Trz9XXX8NsHXfn9F_4l7_RDANV/s640/blogger-image-1973171478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKt31qZdFdUKGgGaAHUmW6vci-Ks8w6gYdbZNPCWwTcznVeGgQk90jWfr0ME9ZJBh54M2ESWRgNI3JKHXN15c388V-tcn92ESTDXRprbBY_JqgPEqX0Trz9XXX8NsHXfn9F_4l7_RDANV/s200/blogger-image-1973171478.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
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Prices for a large plate (8 pcs) averages around $17-$25</div>
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We ordered smalls (4 pcs) average is $8-14.</div>
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As you may see it's not really that affordable for a general work lunch. Especailly considering this neko is a gutton and have to have at least 8 pcs. </div>
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It's not overall an affordable experience of customary Japanese food. But if you haven't tried this place and is of the inclination to test out fusion sushi - I recommend it! It is a noch above Poppo's fusion sushi rolls in terms of presentation and the use of specific ingredients like soft shell crab and fresh Japanese scallops (they're more buttery than the Freo local ones).</div>
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<strong>Rating: </strong>3 out of 5</div>
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Wait time for lunch was ok, dinner wait times are a bit longer.</div>
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The feel of the overall restaurant is clean and very modern Japanese, owner is and chefs are not Japanese. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEm5S3nrcvbUey1en3V_ypf5rQISMIHnQwuYPevEPZ2K8djFiwbmjJmDlCT3gHpRw-GHWnWLJUAFeWOt2UbMsPvXwJY6vKPBVXn8QoUviAB9WTqr2SbQ8qCOSt3mIRxy8Enc9aqNkl3JSC/s640/blogger-image--963457459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEm5S3nrcvbUey1en3V_ypf5rQISMIHnQwuYPevEPZ2K8djFiwbmjJmDlCT3gHpRw-GHWnWLJUAFeWOt2UbMsPvXwJY6vKPBVXn8QoUviAB9WTqr2SbQ8qCOSt3mIRxy8Enc9aqNkl3JSC/s200/blogger-image--963457459.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZsFGwhBto_rKGfs978ED7tZrcYCL-SDLfRbc8vlHvDIZr5dYqZ5Wdg8QckeMNBx0rcB_zGLIC0lD7ZuABxtcD7yYL1vL8N_W84mSnecIMfDaOx5dDpZ3PWNym8_1THOhiiEdUb_hhGTh/s640/blogger-image--323390836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ZsFGwhBto_rKGfs978ED7tZrcYCL-SDLfRbc8vlHvDIZr5dYqZ5Wdg8QckeMNBx0rcB_zGLIC0lD7ZuABxtcD7yYL1vL8N_W84mSnecIMfDaOx5dDpZ3PWNym8_1THOhiiEdUb_hhGTh/s200/blogger-image--323390836.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>
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<strong>Neko paws: </strong>3 out of 5, my yuppy-ness will bring me back here when I have money to burn for prettiness and the fun of having iPad carrying waitresses place my order & show me the pretty pictures on said iPads. </div>
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<a href="<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1651399/restaurant/Perth/Aisuru-Sushi-Northbridge%22%3E%3Cimg">http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1651399/restaurant/Perth/Aisuru-Sushi-Northbridge"><img</a> alt="Aisuru Sushi on Urbanspoon" src="<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1651399/minilink.gif">http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1651399/minilink.gif</a>" style="border:none;padding:0px;width:130px;height:36px" /></a></div>
nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-31099995592215195642012-12-13T18:47:00.002-08:002012-12-19T03:41:45.132-08:00Is Donburi - to be or not to be?I'm beginning to love starting every entry with some sort of literary reference that either ties in to the name or the feel I get of a place. I'm also playing catch up with my food reviews / blogging. <br />
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Is Donburi is getting a lot of great reviews from the local food blogging community. Urbanspoon rating is almost perfect! Considering the location is so close to Aisuru, which I've tried twice before casting a final review. I thought I had to try it for lunch and see for myself what the fuss is about.<br />
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I had to post the food photos first but the full review will be coming shortly! <br />
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Rating: 4.5 / 5 it's small (which is great for ambience and at the same time means you can't really have big groups) <br />
the corridor seating is not ideal during dinner but lunch time rush is fine! <br />
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Neko paws: considering I've been here twice in one day it's 5 paws!!! Out of 4 that I have.<br />
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<strong>Rating: </strong>Ambience<br />
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<strong>Neko Paws: </strong>4 out of 5, definitely worth a return trip<br />
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<a href="<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1706247/restaurant/Perth/Is-Donburi-William-Street-Northbridge%22%3E%3Cimg">http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1706247/restaurant/Perth/Is-Donburi-William-Street-Northbridge"><img</a> alt="Is Donburi William Street on Urbanspoon" src="<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1706247/minilink.gif">http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1706247/minilink.gif</a>" style="border:none;padding:0px;width:130px;height:36px" /></a><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgW3pwmszhi4ISa8zSDq87Nb9U7p7aTHOCcw2zs-pkTUiubPoszDori6ussdIkJbI2JP3oC0g14noNhqN9Bb2VoSXS-601eqEM2MCnUxEYPE2xFcUvWAEl2dtNw7Vt3y7EA-APvlJmTt9/s640/blogger-image--1417930809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOgW3pwmszhi4ISa8zSDq87Nb9U7p7aTHOCcw2zs-pkTUiubPoszDori6ussdIkJbI2JP3oC0g14noNhqN9Bb2VoSXS-601eqEM2MCnUxEYPE2xFcUvWAEl2dtNw7Vt3y7EA-APvlJmTt9/s640/blogger-image--1417930809.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVk5JOuwhCfTkdgf9ZgJhGG62Po_udNJiu-eg5UtMaYl3tz0Kubx8-Qpf-kzRMv_i9P5mpoa5K5YK9GtjvN_AajizMBtRicPQRJyfBoPqEzhOmZw6xesEdpeqnj1R_M6zCShEUy_LdytG6/s640/blogger-image-672757716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVk5JOuwhCfTkdgf9ZgJhGG62Po_udNJiu-eg5UtMaYl3tz0Kubx8-Qpf-kzRMv_i9P5mpoa5K5YK9GtjvN_AajizMBtRicPQRJyfBoPqEzhOmZw6xesEdpeqnj1R_M6zCShEUy_LdytG6/s640/blogger-image-672757716.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoVD0Gyw1b_XEBmI_Z6nQ5svT3jqNIb8yZqh7bdD4ddZEAEY755XB1kijBXJvt0OVdJClC-wdoCMEV7rlvhwe6bUCzq3AJDrvv5GZctbzk0NKebUcGW8ceP3VNc_n_WfJ293DQoewXoFW/s640/blogger-image-12312449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoVD0Gyw1b_XEBmI_Z6nQ5svT3jqNIb8yZqh7bdD4ddZEAEY755XB1kijBXJvt0OVdJClC-wdoCMEV7rlvhwe6bUCzq3AJDrvv5GZctbzk0NKebUcGW8ceP3VNc_n_WfJ293DQoewXoFW/s640/blogger-image-12312449.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPWsX2GPAaeFCrwR4emqFff8aXCbLhga2aD8V_8QOr8urrRPKVLgz0CkuRyo-TF3X2qt3Pp6d5i5_OAFmasU0tz7e7jxtK9Bh-a7tndKKZPn9AM9M4mqXsEQCNxg1E2hHTr92vRaSuRuR/s640/blogger-image--176537153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPWsX2GPAaeFCrwR4emqFff8aXCbLhga2aD8V_8QOr8urrRPKVLgz0CkuRyo-TF3X2qt3Pp6d5i5_OAFmasU0tz7e7jxtK9Bh-a7tndKKZPn9AM9M4mqXsEQCNxg1E2hHTr92vRaSuRuR/s640/blogger-image--176537153.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNHQ0ePNZkeDQHtIM5fdqnsFSB_wEQMWgzmHiVlFJI0a1IdzCFxXaNDwwjSOn4wW3Cn7tzkVhqzDqFvHsl59uPTkaGxhgv28EDCv6oAgEfaQEVMQghQs2LqsH7tGtGshruT63TYHkBZhJ/s640/blogger-image--714900896.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRNHQ0ePNZkeDQHtIM5fdqnsFSB_wEQMWgzmHiVlFJI0a1IdzCFxXaNDwwjSOn4wW3Cn7tzkVhqzDqFvHsl59uPTkaGxhgv28EDCv6oAgEfaQEVMQghQs2LqsH7tGtGshruT63TYHkBZhJ/s640/blogger-image--714900896.jpg" /></a></div>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-37950930797072998892012-12-10T08:58:00.001-08:002012-12-13T18:40:49.606-08:00The Brook - worth your baubles? "<em>The pebble in the brook secretly thinks itself a precious stone.</em>" ~ Japanese Proverb.<br />
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We randomly walked in without a booking on a Friday night. Surprisingly (to me) who doesn't ever travel so north that in the middle of what I perceived to be a land far far away... The restaurant was 1/2 empty at 6:45pm. We were asked to wait for the maitre d' or rather floor manager (lovely lady) who apparently is the only one who can sort out non-booked tables while all of the other staff are nice but clueless as to how the floor was planned that evening and what tables would be free. We were offered a table but only til 8pm. Note my previous comments relating to the 'full status'. Alright we can eat as fast as you can serve.<br />
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Another 15 mins later she has readied a table, for 2 instead of the 3 I requested (to two separate people, twice each). She was accommodating enough to pull another chair along and we could squish. Luckily our 3rd turned up and declined to dine, else there'd be no where to fit his plate. <br />
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By this point all the staff seems to be running off their feet! And one girl pops by and immediately asks if we're ready to order. Ok we just sat down, no water - we had ordered drinks at the bar while we waited but ... Water?!<br />
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Oh and when we were finally ready to order, it was a pain to get hold of someone. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde1VTFzsUBP9JOV_obZzMl6Qy9eEqlHrlZ3-c0fVg48m9C4FwXKJHwWz1HT7Bs653KMULbiJEFl2x2xOwLshA3HpF3qNFOxLJ7Eo4ELGJdHYXpdyKXjvTPqqixSoFcml73bT5AwuHNecK/s640/blogger-image-1838432057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgde1VTFzsUBP9JOV_obZzMl6Qy9eEqlHrlZ3-c0fVg48m9C4FwXKJHwWz1HT7Bs653KMULbiJEFl2x2xOwLshA3HpF3qNFOxLJ7Eo4ELGJdHYXpdyKXjvTPqqixSoFcml73bT5AwuHNecK/s400/blogger-image-1838432057.jpg" width="400" /></a>I ordered a lamb with parsnip, sweet potato mash & maple syrup. My firmed had the parmigiana. I wish I ordered the parmigiana. Presentation was ok, pleasant. (Upon reviewing the photo, it does look a lot rarer than I remember). Parsnip was slightly under roasted. The lamb cutlets were cooked well but the original pieces of meat were too gristley. My friend did offer to share a bite of his lovely parmigiana, which looked crispy and the sauce looked well textured. I declined, keeping to the principle that if my dining partner declines to share mine... I really shouldn't pinch his. In reality, I am always afraid that the parmigiana I try will not meet my expectations. I don't ever recall a specific one I've loved, but I tend to search for elusive perfection none the less.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmJ18P_KItmj4eESQB32KOj5O5qIjgfVyX60YPuX51Iuaq8xNc8a8VOHBE0KcRBwGzo8er3BmS7yQMEzCl18rMpqLzNrO4-5hIeDtuU15f3fIdSRmrpTzasRxSpGMrdsmwZ-1ngnyqWyd/s640/blogger-image-1863434469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRmJ18P_KItmj4eESQB32KOj5O5qIjgfVyX60YPuX51Iuaq8xNc8a8VOHBE0KcRBwGzo8er3BmS7yQMEzCl18rMpqLzNrO4-5hIeDtuU15f3fIdSRmrpTzasRxSpGMrdsmwZ-1ngnyqWyd/s400/blogger-image-1863434469.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The atmosphere was quite - boisterous. The crowd is what would be norm up around far north. Lovely hearty people - a few young families as well. Lot of Christmas celebrating parties (work?/family). </div>
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Outdoor area allowed dining too, which explained why some of the staff tend to disappear without a trace for ages. Ordering a second drink and extra water took over 15 mins, but the bar staff that delivered was quite apologetic about the wait.</div>
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<strong>Overall rating:</strong> 2.5 out of 5, passable food, alcohol prices & general pub ambience - very clean new looking place.</div>
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<strong>Neko paws:</strong> 1.5 out of 5, sorry this is below par on my food scale and far to far out for a second try at food. But for a local pub and people who live around the area it is pretty decent & presentable bar/restaurant for an evening out & not driving too far. </div>
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ok I've started the neko paws thing now I've got to remember to continue with this rating scale. It's basically if I'd go back... 3-4 is a chance I will go back. 5 is a definite return neko customer!</div>
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<a href="<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1564917/restaurant/Perth/The-Brook-Bar-and-Bistro-Ellenbrook%22%3E%3Cimg">http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1564917/restaurant/Perth/The-Brook-Bar-and-Bistro-Ellenbrook"><img</a> alt="The Brook Bar and Bistro on Urbanspoon" src="<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1564917/minilink.gif">http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1564917/minilink.gif</a>" style="border:none;padding:0px;width:130px;height:36px" /></a></div>
nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-27595723548066405942012-12-10T08:39:00.001-08:002012-12-13T18:43:09.700-08:00The Red Fez - don't go taking your hat off yet...<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jlWt2kX_FdRfUJjJBNWVFBxmP2kW_-sYeugLBhO_D9d1YU1fZn-POc6JXHCyuZwT_WwqHpohk1ZRQs0dLH42QBkwpgGUEi3tq9KVI0l4qHuCAiYASB0gCSkn1LdXDaR5BmOkAeI5Jrgt/s640/blogger-image--652928695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jlWt2kX_FdRfUJjJBNWVFBxmP2kW_-sYeugLBhO_D9d1YU1fZn-POc6JXHCyuZwT_WwqHpohk1ZRQs0dLH42QBkwpgGUEi3tq9KVI0l4qHuCAiYASB0gCSkn1LdXDaR5BmOkAeI5Jrgt/s200/blogger-image--652928695.jpg" width="149" /></a>A group of us tested this place in Mt Lawley for brunch. </div>
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Atmosphere was a little cramped, it's a tight fit. The service was enthusiastic and the wait staff were nice but a few of them are quite inexperienced. </div>
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Food style is meant to be mediterranean with Spanish/Moroccan influences? <br />
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The spiced feta/mushroom dish was not as spicy as anticipated but was very tomatoey. Same can be said about the solid meat balls. The Spanish omelette with chorizo - I was expecting ... More peppers? Thinner chorizo?</div>
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Serving sizes were quite good. <br />
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Coffee was average for Mt Lawley. Neither here nor there, but we didn't try the single blend. Juice offering was Charlie's which I love. </div>
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Overall presentation was lovely. The scrambled egg was great. The pancakes were sufficiently fluffy and smooth with marscapone & berry coulis/jam. </div>
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<strong>Rating:</strong> 2.5 stars out of 5.</div>
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<strong>Neko paw rating: 2</strong> out of 5 - would not return for a meal. </div>
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nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-71169014858133577932012-08-08T19:54:00.000-07:002012-08-08T19:54:27.861-07:00Korean Chapter 1. Verse 3. Sinabro (Francis Street)Some of you might remember this restaurant premise used to be El Toro - a Balkan steak house with one of the most intriguingly cheesy escargots I've had in Perth. Sadly, it closed down - it seemed like an odd location and didn't seem to do too well over the years. Rarely saw anyone there... <br />
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Happily after it closed down, Sinabro grew to replace it as an icon! The actual charcoal a la carte Korean BBQ in the backyard is very authentic - comes with your Korean speaking waiters and minimal English! Which is always fun!<br />
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The buffet, reasonalby priced, has a lot of variety from pre-cooked hot foods (japchae etc) to raw ingredients. The table grill pan allows you to do a steamboat / stew style (there's a little bowl/pot in the middle of the grill) as well as hotplate BBQ grill style. They also have uncooked manduk, so you can boil yourself at your table. <br />
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The meat comes marinated or au naturel. The ox tongue is sometimes a hit and miss depending how thickly they're sliced, I prefer the thinner the better. Instant two second grill action - juice and tender. Not huge on pre-marinaded meats but this <br />
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Great place to have a group thing. Date-wise, guys not a wise idea unlessy you want to come out smelling like BBQ meats or unless the girls like that sort of eaux de boeuf!<br />
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Food wise, if I go for all-you-can-eat, I always do a spciy stew soup, using the kimchee, sauces and other raw ingredients to create a seafood based soup and then cook tofu and vegies in.<br />
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Personally I like turning the mussels over faced down using it's shell to steam/grill in its own juices!<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1567769/restaurant/Perth/Sinabro-Northbridge"><img alt="Sinabro on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1567769/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a><br />
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<em>Photos comming soon. </em>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-87071512813311284372012-08-08T18:45:00.000-07:002012-08-08T18:45:56.590-07:00Weight gain was inevitable...I tell myself this because I've gotten lazy... I still eat out quite a bit. Yet I haven't posted up anything for a long time - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> is detrimental to my food blog. I post it on FB and then I forget about updating Blogger, let alone keep up with my Urbanspoon account. My silly little iPhone is filled with photos of food, even the once I've cooked/tried out. (e.g. Cumulus Inc. does Brussel Sprouts soooo delicious... so I tried it for myself - my variation is obviously not up to that sort of standard but friends have given positive reviews). Speaking of which I have Brussel sprouts at home, that might be tonight's re-hash dish and I'll post it. <br />
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I've had 2 more short holidays since going away to Melbourne in the last two months - Dunsborough & Margaret River so there's food reviews coming for those areas too. Gods, that's quite a backlog. Not to mention Matsumo Japanese Omakaze!<br />
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Ok enough tantalising prospects of food, more "healthy eating". I have gained at least 4 kg - no I did not weight myself, I can tell when my favourite skirts get a bit tighter around the waist line. *sigh* So instead of "eating", I'm going to focus on "making". See my <a href="http://nekotmadventures.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">Thermomix blog</a> for cooking stuff - which I will keep posting. <br />
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Oh and my friend introduced me to iPad app games... I have such an addictive personality - was soooo late for work this morning. Ok I overslept too but that was because I was working on a baking project (which will be posted here after the weekend). It's a surprise... *GRINS*nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-88117832276610394822012-08-02T18:50:00.000-07:002012-08-08T18:50:23.048-07:00Korean Chapter 1. Verse 2. Took Bae Kee 2 (Barrack Street, Perth)I have had half the menu here, there's not much I haven't tried. Which makes it hard to summarize in one review. I'm pretty much a regular. <br />
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TBK2 is a branch off the Pier Street's Took Begi Korean Restaurant. The soupy stuff all moved over to Barrack Street once TBK2 was up and running (this would have been a couple of years back now). <br />
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I'm a loyal fan. Honestly speaking it's value for money! <br />
What you get: <br />
@ Lunch: 4 starters/nibble trays of kimchee, pickled bean sprouts & variety of other two side dishes (love the marinated lotus roots and the cripsy seaweed and the soy beans...) oh it's endless varieties! <br />
@ Dinner: this becomes 6 side dishes!<br />
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I recommend trying the set meals during lunch - as they're usualy discounted to $11 or $12<br />
Pork Ribs - mild spice<br />
Kimchee tofu & slice pork soup <br />
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Shared dinner - hotpot/steamboat Korean style: the Kimchee & Sliced pork is hearty and very fufilling!<br />
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<strong>Ambience: </strong>I like the rowdy, slight smokey-ness so I'm giving it 5! It's not as smokey as Tong86, Seoul Korean BBQ or Sinabro can get so that's a plus on a work day! It's a casual dinner place, don't expect the Ritz! <br />
<strong>Service: </strong>3-4 out of 5 (this depends on when, sometimes they're so busy they forget your drink order. Other days the leading waitress remembers your usual order and gets it right without you saying much at all!). <br />
<strong>Food: </strong>5 stars! I don't give full marks often.or at all. The kimchee is a bit more tart and not as spicy as some may like it. It's up to personal preference. </div>
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1542685/restaurant/Perth-CBD/Took-Bae-Kee-II-Perth"><img alt="Took Bae Kee II on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1542685/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a><br />
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<em>Photos later</em>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-17622328053869722862012-07-19T22:50:00.001-07:002012-07-19T22:50:50.942-07:00Been really slack ...This is an apology but also a promise to upload all the reviews and eating I've done in the past few months... shortly - shall take a few weeks to finish but definitely will. <br />
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Oh another side track: I'm doing a fundraiser thing and t<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">he cause is a really good one. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm baking up a storm for Australian Red Cross, a cause that is close to my heart and I would welcome any contribution, great or small, that you could make!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Please visit my Fundraising Page: </span><a href="http://bigcakebake.gofundraise.com.au/page/nekoTMbakeoff" title="http://bigcakebake.gofundraise.com.au/page/nekoTMbakeoff"><span style="color: purple; font-family: inherit;">http://bigcakebake.gofundraise.com.au/page/nekoTMbakeoff</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All donations to this site are electronically wired to Australian Red Cross and an automatic receipt is emailed to you immediately.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Help me bake the world a better place by making a donation - every little bit helps to reach my modest target of $200. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My promise to sponsors: Donations above $50, will receive a cake order or cupcake order at a date of your choice! Contact me to arrange!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you for your support!</span></span></div>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-8365199356590008322012-05-22T19:00:00.000-07:002012-05-22T19:00:38.932-07:00Sometimes life gets in the way of living.<div class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name">
Sometimes, life throws us curve balls to test if we still have the tenacity and elasticity of mind to bounce instead of *k-splat* on the pavement. Two interest curve balls these past two weeks to 1. excuse my lack of posts and garner sympathy, 2. to just share what's been on my mind: <br /><br /><u>Curve ball 1: </u><br />There's been a restructure at my day job. My position / role is fine, but... it's a different environment now to work in. This is the second one I've been through in approx. 6-8 months. Well honestly, was in an environment previously that had the "restructure" thing hanging over my head for over 10-12 months, it's nearly 1.5 years of pending "redundancy" feeling. I'm a bit over it and just over-exhausted to even pep myself up. <br /><br /><u>Curve ball 2:</u> <br />Recently, I woke up one morning and couldn't turn my neck and move my left arm. This is not to do with any sports injury - I'm not a sportswoman by any stretch of that word. It freaked me out - still in quite a bit of pain and can't lift anything with my left hand. Tingly sessions sporadicly go through my arm. Overall an uncomfortable experience. Yes I've seen a doctor, there was a pinched nerve, some vetebrae adjustments and inflammation of the muscle/tendon groups around the area. <br /><br />I'll bounce but... it just means I will be spending more time else where for the time being. With that being said, it's likely I'll use cooking as a way to de-stress. </div>
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I've eaten out quite a bit, and am spending more time doing that recently to spend more time out and about doing things (the Perth International Comedy Festival was a great way to be distracted). <br /><br />I'll maybe add a little somethings to the blog (backdated - forgive me if you read the blog and then suddenly see a post from "May" which you thought was never there - don't worry you're not mad, I just can't keep time). Don't give up on me, I'll still keep posting. So keep an eye out and I'll surprise you later!</div>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-29294991934521843502012-04-27T23:39:00.000-07:002012-05-22T23:44:33.780-07:00Fibber McGee's Irish FeastHad a quick bite to eat here a couple of weeks ago and forgot to post straight away. <br />
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Loved it. The portions are huge - not that I can eat that much but the value for money just really tickles my Asian thrifty/kiasu side. *GRINS*<br />
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I'm not going to go on about it because I think you should go try it. Especially if you like a good steak. <br />
I've had on occasions when I've dined there: <br />
The special burbon glazed braised/stewed beef. <br />
The lambshank. <br />
The aged steak but the medallion not the biggest size. <br />
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I'll update post with photos later. <br />
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<u>Ambience</u>: 3.5 Stars<br />
<u>Reason</u>: Rowdy pub style, walking through is somewhat intimidating if you're just walking in during Happy Hour. But the restaurant dining area is a good place to sit and chat and down a pint of two with friends. <br />
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<u>Food</u>: 4.5 stars<br />
<u>Reason</u>: Value. Large servings and hearty food at that. Warms the cockles ;)<br />
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<u>Price</u>: Normal Perth restaurant pricing $28-45 for mains. <br />
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<span style="color: #009933;"><a href="http://www.fibbermcgees.com.au/menu">www.fibbermcgees.com.au/menu</a> </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1370276/restaurant/Perth/Fibber-McGees-Leederville"><img alt="Fibber McGee's on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1370276/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-5070602822656372732012-03-18T19:21:00.000-07:002012-05-22T19:24:01.561-07:00This ain't a garden of roses...Actually, I don't think there was a garden to be exact. We sat inside anyway. <br />
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Girlfriends and I always end up craving Indian food at some point. We usually head to Mela (when we all lived "north"). <br />
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I'm always on the hunt for a bargain and when I saw an offer on one of those online deal websites it was a perfect for our "catch up over curry" sessions. Bargain deal voucher ($30ish per voucher) was an all-you-can-eat buffet meal for two with drinks *(beer or lassi). <br />
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We were quite early for dinner. The buffet sit down in split into two sessions per night. Don't worry it's not like they kick you out really - it's just after an 1.5 hr session of all-you-can-eat Indian, really depend on how much you can eat. Sad to say I think for an Asian group, we did mediocre. That's not to say the meal was mediocre. <br />
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The buffet stuff gets set up around 6ish, but when booking they said to come by at 5:30pm. The dishes weren't ready (in bain-maries) until really 6pm. We had starters = papadums and they gave us plenty of time to ponder over drinks. We chose mango lassi. <br />
Of course we had tried of EVERYTHING. Ok, not everything, we passed on the vegetable salad. Dishes included, the usual: <br />
<ul>
<li>Tandoori Chicken Pieces</li>
<li>Samosa</li>
<li>Shish kebab</li>
<li>Vegetable / Onion Bhaji </li>
<li>Beef Vindaloo</li>
<li>Lamb Rogan Josh</li>
<li>Butter Chicken</li>
<li>Chicken Tikka Masala? I wasn't sure</li>
<li>Dahl</li>
<li>Aloo Gobi (Potatoes & cauliflower, love it)</li>
<li>Palak Paneer (spinach & cheese, for those who haven't tried Indian or doesn't know what this is... it's devine. Don't think of it as Popeye-spinach, it's completely different.)</li>
<li>Rices/Naans etc.</li>
</ul>
There were sides and desserts too. So it was quite a meal. <br />
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<u>Ambience:</u> 3.5 Stars<br />
<u>Reason:</u> Great for a small group, it's more of a family restaurant. Saw a few families show up a bit later. It's not extremely romantic, slightly sparse but they've tried to deck the place a bit to be more than casual dining but it doesn't have Mela's feel of Indian diner. I've been to some small restaurants in Mumbai where they actually have the same sort of Bollywood decor but tiles and casual tables, so I guess to me it feels slightly more "authentic" and I prefer the casual feel. <br />
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<u>Food:</u> 4 Stars <br /><u>Reason:</u> I would've rated higher, but I spent the rest of the day drinking water non-stop. Might have been my over-confidence with the vindaloo or ... the negative side might be because there's some sort of MSG in the food. I will have to retry this place and let you know. <br />
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<u>Additional info</u>: <a href="http://www.indiangarden.com.au/" target="_blank">Website & menu</a>. You can order a la carte and take away. I ate there on the 17th of March. I've back dated this blog post. <br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1545530/restaurant/Perth/Indian-Garden-Restaurant-North-Perth"><img alt="Indian Garden Restaurant on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1545530/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-85189471114831781622012-03-12T18:55:00.001-07:002012-07-19T23:01:49.276-07:00Duck Duck Goose? or Roast Pork? - Good Fortune be with you!This use to be my favourite boneless duck place - yes they de-bone the duck for you so you don't have to worry about it. Kind of disappointing if you like duck bone soup when using left over bones you've de-boned yourself. <br />
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However, I found it delicious for duck rice! Don't have to do the messy hands with picking out a bone from your duck meat / rice. Fast services, only once you get a table. The lunch time wait for a table could be 15 mins or more (sometimes a lot more). You get your usual side of blanched vegetables, a little bit of pickled vegetables (carrots, cabbage) and the important thing: DUC K! Juicy succulent roast duck. <br />
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Ok the roast pork here is good too. But the day was about DUCK. All about duck. <br />
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Ratings: <br />
Food: 5 stars<br />
Ambience: busy small Asian restaurant, noisy and filled with bustle and chatter. 4 out of 5 stars, because this (all the peopel) means the food is good! <br />
Price: little higher than normal duck, since "boneless-ness" doesn't come naturally to our flying friends. But well worth it, if you have been coddled into being unable to pick out your own bones (in fish or fowls). $10-$30 (if you do proper Chinese restaurant dishes). 4 out of 5 stars. <br />
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Here's the <a href="http://www.goodfortuneduckhouse.com.au/index.html">website</a> and you can check out the menu. <br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1431289/restaurant/Perth/Good-Fortune-Roast-Duck-House-Northbridge"><img alt="Good Fortune Roast Duck House on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1431289/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a><br />
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Promise I'll add pictures later. I have photos, my food photo addiction is renowned. Yes, that just means I'm Asian.<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66aJebicKegndXvIoeNqQVYUMTAo8GNH4S6Psnrpm0DuReU7cu9SetxGP753Gb5anVdMaUeuYIYrWudn6Cqg2-3MTCER6z1yoRf5H0PXh-vemm2xGw6JMoQ6o87DK9iW3gmR1WNK_z8Uh/s640/blogger-image-297742778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66aJebicKegndXvIoeNqQVYUMTAo8GNH4S6Psnrpm0DuReU7cu9SetxGP753Gb5anVdMaUeuYIYrWudn6Cqg2-3MTCER6z1yoRf5H0PXh-vemm2xGw6JMoQ6o87DK9iW3gmR1WNK_z8Uh/s640/blogger-image-297742778.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXXqazSN3mWU9QfTjhK4SE2HH2rcWi7abTbKKMRsD7aio_Yn5UQMi-RKrChi7GsyLZqVCaskDxmsPLfCpfKoghyphenhyphenovyTrMS4EsEcUzOhrey-mfw_8Zi7DhC31MIbK4jCnmHhgNQBtklOry/s640/blogger-image--820409560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRXXqazSN3mWU9QfTjhK4SE2HH2rcWi7abTbKKMRsD7aio_Yn5UQMi-RKrChi7GsyLZqVCaskDxmsPLfCpfKoghyphenhyphenovyTrMS4EsEcUzOhrey-mfw_8Zi7DhC31MIbK4jCnmHhgNQBtklOry/s640/blogger-image--820409560.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwO7YRPqg8XHbgCQfD-VnQRjrEah9C6IqXnPC6EniR9ObN0d7eAsCgu6J6b7y4nxWKW0Pz6VKwv82mJCubfEi92kJtc3a0HpHg3SWvems_Nv8fcBTIfO79Jjuem-uaZvd55jx2s0iuIqs/s640/blogger-image--494741792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwO7YRPqg8XHbgCQfD-VnQRjrEah9C6IqXnPC6EniR9ObN0d7eAsCgu6J6b7y4nxWKW0Pz6VKwv82mJCubfEi92kJtc3a0HpHg3SWvems_Nv8fcBTIfO79Jjuem-uaZvd55jx2s0iuIqs/s640/blogger-image--494741792.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnzVrGjaqD4ZJykg1He-wUWmVTHQ2jLLBnyNLlVnPgD65cEa1hDRJsGAVMJIftkuyhFlGKzhpCGuBrJcrI5rcsWFF_IX9HJ_E8fk_KnnVTHGvFL3kjRLy8Z5RCAM0b52Xok1STNfExzDV/s640/blogger-image--1887103588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTnzVrGjaqD4ZJykg1He-wUWmVTHQ2jLLBnyNLlVnPgD65cEa1hDRJsGAVMJIftkuyhFlGKzhpCGuBrJcrI5rcsWFF_IX9HJ_E8fk_KnnVTHGvFL3kjRLy8Z5RCAM0b52Xok1STNfExzDV/s640/blogger-image--1887103588.jpg" /></a></div>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-10173907455892963112012-03-12T18:49:00.001-07:002012-03-12T18:49:18.067-07:00Working lunches or Non-working lunches: The Tuck ShopA couple of colleagues and I came here for lunch after hearing all about how delicious the gourmet pies were in the lunch room one day. <br />
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Ok we came on a Monday and it was closed, but then went to <a href="http://www.goodfortuneduckhouse.com.au/index.html">Good Fortune Roast Duck House</a> instead (see previous review post). <br />
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Working past our disappointment we came along again the day after and definitely checked out the pies. (ok, since that day we have been several times). Gourmet pies are just the in-thing! <br />
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So far we've tried: <br />
- lamb & rosemary<br />
- bacon & cheese<br />
- stilton & beef<br />
- kidney <br />
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Other than pies, the Dubrovnik Cheese kranski features here as a "banger & mash" dish. Which for the price, please if you actually visited Dubronik's and you'll see why I cried at the price. If you haven't I suggest you make that one of your stops on the next weekend. They're open early in the morning on Saturday and I honestly believe they're worth the early wake-up call. <br />
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Ok back to the Tuck Shop... <br />
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The pies are large, so bring your appetite. I always forget and then add mushy peas. I haven't has MPs for ages, used to work in a Fish & Chips shop and had the pleasure of being in a pretty pommie neighbourhood. Brewing/stewing mushy peas used to be one of my favourite tasks, other than eating it that is! Especially when it's just off the stove & piping hot. <br />
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The pastry is crispy and flakes really well, crunchy on top and not too stodgy when you get to teh bottom. Chunky pieces of beef or lamb if you ordered it. I found the kidney pie a little too strong in offal flavour, but that depends on what you're used to I guess. The rosemary flavour was very subtle. I've been told the Stilton is the best. Blue cheese in a pie, why not!? Yes it's delicious, sadly since I didn't order it I only got 1 small bite. <br />
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I can't go past a good bacon and cheese. This is going to sound a bit sad but it really reminds me of my school days. You know, how you go to the canteen and buy a Mrs Mac's? The sliced cheese / goo & bacon specks one? Oh yeah! You know what I mean. If you grew up in Australia, and I hate stereotypes, I'm sure you would've at one stage tried a <a href="http://www.mrsmacs.com.au/products/product-ranges/traditional-pastries/" target="_blank">Mrs Mac's Bacon & Cheese Pie</a>. <br />
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Ok, if you like pies - try this place at least once. The cost is $12.50 a pie, yup pretty steep. Mushy Peas, mash, fries or other sides = $2.50 to $4.00. Drinks are your normal cafe prices. Sweets sizes are petite and cost is quite boutique. Overall your meal can come up to $20 easy!<br />
Atmosphere/Ambience: nice little touches with the canvas sack pillows and black board walls. Especially nifty is the Loyalty program for your coffees. Don't you hate it when you hit your cafe of choice up for a shot of expresso or a long macc & realise you've forgotten your loyalty card. Your usual barista tells you next time s/he'll double stamp ya, but that doesn't always happen? If you're sort of <em>kiasu</em> like me, you'd get a new card and then "add them up" later. Here? You get to keep your card on the blackboard with blue tack! Add your name and leave it up there. Sure, it depends on the good will of fellow citizens not to steel your filled card, but hey I'm sure there are honest Aussies out there - just look at the nice bank advertising about how honest people are with handing back over paid change! LOL <br />
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Ratings:<br />
Food: 4 out of 5 stars<br />
Ambience: 4 out of 5 stars<br />
Cost: 3 out of 5 stars<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1625197/restaurant/Northbridge/The-Tuck-Shop-Cafe-Perth"><img alt="The Tuck Shop Cafe on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1625197/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-82662122103827675892012-03-12T18:29:00.000-07:002012-03-12T18:29:00.640-07:00Why haven't I updated?Not that many out there care. I do have drafted posts and reviews for restaurants etc. But I've recently got myself mixed up in a new adventure which you can read about <a href="http://nekotmadventure.blogspot.com.au/" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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That doesn't mean I won't eat out. I just won't at out as often as before - hopefully my poor little budget (imaging a flying pig) will be able to survive this whole new world!<br />
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In other news, to the joys, trials and tribulations (to my flying pig) - thank you Spreets / Cudos and Groupon etc. I shall be trying out the <a href="http://www.indiangarden.com.au/" target="_blank">Indian Gardent Restaurant</a> in North Perth shortly with friends. I have also committed to re-trying <a href="http://www.lavastonegrill.com.au/" target="_blank">Lava Stonegrill</a> in Mount Lawley, I haven't been back there for at least 4 years? <br />
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So watch this space for the reviews on those two venues. <br />nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-52464328501505972712012-02-21T19:45:00.002-08:002012-02-21T19:45:46.650-08:00The Dating Scene: Veggie take outOk after reading this <a href="http://www.perthnow.com.au/bargain-bites-veggie-mama/story-fn6cn2ok-1226247414103">PerthNow story on Veggie Mama</a>, I really wanted to do a quick review. <br />
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I've been here a few times with the Vegan boyfriend and it's always been relatively delightful. What can I say, I'm just not made to be a herbivore. <br />
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I've tried their vegetarian filo pastry - loads of cream cheese, could be deadly to those who have heart problems. I think I was just surprised by the amount of cream cheese. The variety of salads are lovely and they actually offer freshly squeezed juices and know not to put the rinds in when they "squeeze". <br />
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My favourite salad so far is the slightly pickled purple cabbage. It just reminds me of something and I can't put my finger on it yet. It's not so sour as to lose all the crispy texture but the inate sweetness of the cabbage comes through without the tart bite you'd get when you put this raw into any salad. <br />
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I also have tried the gluten free tart - with spinach and sundried tomato, which was lovely. It wasn't exorbantly rich like the filo and was very filling. I love egg. <br />
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I've been told the bean stew thingy is fantastic, so next time that would be on the list ... along with the stuffed spud I think. <br />
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No, I'm not converting... :p<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1627595/restaurant/Perth/Veggie-Mama-Mount-Lawley"><img alt="Veggie Mama on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1627595/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-84075716113575356182012-01-31T19:49:00.000-08:002012-01-31T21:21:32.794-08:00Daily Planet - Lois, Superman ain't here...Despite the fact it's opening have been eagerly anticipated by local Lawlites and regular Planet Book groupies... (am self-confessed one amongst many), I didn't actually go to try the food for at least a week. I was at the staff function just before opening and saw the interior, tried some of the finger foods, drinks & looked in on the nice new kitchen. Before you even ask, no I don't work there, I was just a guest. <br />
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You can actually read there, although the chairs really aren't that inviting. So let's start with the decor. Bright red insdes, not just as a feature wall. One side wall of posters a la Planet, Grill'd and Green & Co. style. I like this - it gives you something to read on the wall while you wait for service or food if your table conversation dies. Ok I get why you would want feature wall colouring, and why choose red? Market research have already determined there are a few colours which trigger hunger responses and we associate these colours generally with food and eating - e.g. Red and Yellow. But that much red in a cafe doesn't "warm" me up, it freaks me out. Especially early morning before coffee and afternoon during hot Perth summer, it really really makes the room feel even hotter. </div>
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What I don't like, other than the bright red... hangin skulls of things. And creepy little statuettes, some might find this 'artistic' / kitsch or just fun. But sadly this doesn't do it for me. Wall hanging carpets / tapestries / wooden window frames are kind cute - are we going for a Mexican / some native villa feel? <br />
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Menu critique, now... let's not be nasty. Yes the first few weeks (?) were restricted to breakfast only. The lunch menu looking spectacular did not really 'happen'. Haven't been back there to eat lunch yet so I can't comment on teh current food menu. I had breakfast there with mom - we try to have a cafe catchup every week or every other week. The menu had nifty names in addition to variations of the age old breakie menu. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgoBgM-8gVTJlBTg2iX0kiMCSpkIv3BAMFuw22dcMUitQMMwfKPGmUsMJZniuw2xVdmjNZ-PRpcz5N8Nt898-_FiWayuPClUMWtwGLMYEsgBN1WVb_DnqHoDrD7DaJ-vIFlJhUJhMByDZM/s640/blogger-image-727409287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgoBgM-8gVTJlBTg2iX0kiMCSpkIv3BAMFuw22dcMUitQMMwfKPGmUsMJZniuw2xVdmjNZ-PRpcz5N8Nt898-_FiWayuPClUMWtwGLMYEsgBN1WVb_DnqHoDrD7DaJ-vIFlJhUJhMByDZM/s320/blogger-image-727409287.jpg" width="320" /></a>I had the field mushroom, creamy feta, poached egg & asparagus & swiss cheese on toast (V) & freshly squeezed blood orange (not sure if this was from a box as I didn't see them squeeze or pour it out). But it was tasty and better than the carbonated stuff!</div>
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Mom ordered eggs hollaindaise with tomato & avocado (V). And lattes. The drinks came very delayed - the coffee came for over 15 mins and then I got my juice. We waited for the meals to arrive for another 15 or so. The poached egg for me was just a bit over done but mom's was perfectly gooey. The hollandaise sauce was solid! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzsshnWoZTolYrvJigqrLNYnGmqCrER6Ff34YjDRxjq1IXcDmbw63d6sN2qRX-X_hW7tBHlxWc5pAgrC_HsP8LouRnoXZ7fjTQg88h83OqLvXwOYOwDgXXccIu3-y2AmGZ7T0F5ToSNP5/s640/blogger-image--476139102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzsshnWoZTolYrvJigqrLNYnGmqCrER6Ff34YjDRxjq1IXcDmbw63d6sN2qRX-X_hW7tBHlxWc5pAgrC_HsP8LouRnoXZ7fjTQg88h83OqLvXwOYOwDgXXccIu3-y2AmGZ7T0F5ToSNP5/s320/blogger-image--476139102.jpg" width="320" /></a>I also recommend their take away ice-coffee which is delicious with just cream. Oh and it's real cream not the instant can stuff you find often at cafes these days. There is meant to be vegan and gluten free options in the menu, so far that's only snacks, rolls or cake counter.</div>
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Serving sizes are generous, not just with our meals but I saw a few other tables and they all looked pretty big sizes. </div>
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Pricing is average - normal really for breakie. </div>
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1633074/restaurant/Perth/Mount-Lawley/Daily-Planet-Mt-Lawley"><img alt="Daily Planet on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1633074/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a></div>
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Let me clarify or provide a disclaimer: the review here is based on only 1 breakfast meal & just coffees & juices - while reading at the venue. There has been times when the cafe looked too busy to sit in so I bought a take away and left or just went to another cafe along the strip. Luckily there's always room at Five down the road. </div>
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I've read some of the reviews on Urbanspoon, and most of the stuff they've mentioned as problems are real problems. Glitches, long waits, confused orders, delayed order delivery... It boils down to two things: front of house management & kitchen service co-ordination! Not sure if other visitors have noticed, but they did the "self-seating" thing and then "must-wait-to-be-seated", numbers on tables and then numbers when you order. This is very confusing for staff as one day it's table service & order at counter, how do you keep track of your payments & orders especially when there's multiple staff? Kitchen-wise, no one in the cafe/restaurant business will tell you the truth if something is wrong in the kitchen, unless it means they have to shut-down or are not able to serve at all. So all you get is - "unfortunately, this is not available" & "there's a glitch". Sometimes if the wait staff is savvy, they'd say "unfortunately, we've run out of this dish as it's been very popular". But that doesn't really work if you know how a cafe/restaurant kitchen should be managed - then supplies should be forecasted / enough. </div>
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I'm going to re-try this in a month or two, there's some staff change overs rumoured to happen which will mean a difference in menu and service levels. There's also some changes with Planet clothing and Planet Video side which might affect the cafe so - I'm going there in March for a re-trial (maybe lunch/dinner this time round). Don't forget to check back for an update!</div>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-21920199892028228042012-01-26T21:59:00.000-08:002012-01-26T21:59:33.050-08:00Re-reivew of Oliver's on JamesI have to say I have been to this restaurant in 2010, group of four and found the food to be ordinary and service adequate. I recently went back for a work Christmas lunch (3 course) and somehow ended up here for dinner a few days after. <br />
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Christmas Lunch: <br />
Prawn cocktail, surf and turf, barramundi, the gnocchi. <br />
Oh I hate to go on and on but the gnocchi is best. Yes it is vegetarian but the flavours infused in it - you could feel it melt in your mouth but still have the gnocchi chewy texture. I had this for dinner later on when we came back for dinner too!<br />
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My friends tried the lamb fry, that was an experience - if you like it already, it tastes quite traditional - so I've been told. The arabiata pizza is really huge. I think the portion sizes were all enough to feed two people. <br />
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All in all I've tried bites of most of the mains by this point. We also tried a few of the side salad, and cooked vegetables. <br />
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Dessert was the only disappointment, the shortbread was more like shortbrick. But the fudge brownie was to die for. Again serving size was huge. Definite value for money.<br />
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Serving staff are mostly backpackers/travellers so you get an interesting smattering of accents and familiarity - a couple of the staff were really chatty and relaxed. Services was prompt, the removal of dishes were a bit slow but by then the restaurant was filling up and they were quite busy. Oliver's revival is great to see! I like seeing a restaurant reclaim it's decent position. <br />
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The food tasted really quite good. But teh value for money is the reason I'm giving it 5. <br />
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The restaurant is also on the Entertainment Book. <br />
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<strong>Vote: </strong>5 out of 5 stars<br />
Photos forthcoming.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1370580/restaurant/Perth/Olivers-on-James-Street-Northbridge"><img alt="Oliver's on James Street on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1370580/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-767050614536044782012-01-26T21:43:00.000-08:002012-01-26T21:46:33.457-08:00Indian Chapter 1, Verse 1: Mela (Northbridge)I used to live really close to Mela and would often go there as a convenient Indian eatery, despite having others closer. This is because Mela is value for money and has a few things that other places don't. <br />
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Their Thursday special of eggplant curry and wholemeal roti is one of my favourites. I'm not a vegetarian by any stretch of the term but I love eggplant and eggplant curry done well is a fantastic experience. Latasha's in Leederville used to do a great one!<br />
The thalis are just the right portion size and prices are low average Indian foodwise. Their vindaloo can be very very hot so for those who like their Indian meals spiced up, this is the place. <br />
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My other favourite dish - saag paneer or saag gosht! The creamy spinach curry just offsets any fo the meat dishes really well. They also do a homestyle vegetable or chicken tomato curry. <br />
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It's not fancy but service is prompt and friendly. <br />
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Limitation for those who care - they serve Pepsi, not Coke. <br />
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<strong>Vote: </strong>4.5 out of 5 stars<br />
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Photos forthcoming.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1370515/restaurant/Northbridge/Mela-Indian-Sweets-Eats-Perth"><img alt="Mela Indian Sweets & Eats on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1370515/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-84782561933196290832012-01-26T21:37:00.000-08:002012-01-26T21:45:48.276-08:00Sakura season not in?I tried this when it first opened with a group of friends: 2 couples and me. Five is an odd number but the izakaya style Japanese eatery doesn't really mind. <br />
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The place was quite busy, a number of Asian and Western clientele, which was a good sign. I overheard a smattering of Japanese across the small restaurant, also a good sign.<br />
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Sit down, service was prompt. Spacing was minimal though. Nice and cute cutlery and placemats. And then the food... we ordered quite a few dishes and drinks. Each dish was served slowly on its on, spaced out nicely. Allowing us to finish at least one drink between our order sets. We did three order sets (a few dishes each set) and that just about exhausted their menu. Drink list was quite decent a few chu-hai flavours which I haven't had here in Perth.<br />
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Service was standard, prompt, polite and pleasant. <br />
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The dishes were quite ordinary and nothing really caught my absolute attention. Tried a new clam / cockle dish - very distinct and somewhat bitter flavour with the texture of raw shellfish. That was the most attention grabbing dish. <br />
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Price wise for an izakaya in Perth, there is a better priced and just as authentic place. This just happens to be more central in Northbridge. We paid nearly $90 each (with 2-3 drinks per person).<br />
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Passable but not a place I would go back to voluntarily unless there's more variety.<br />
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<strong>Vote: </strong>2.5 out of 5 stars<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1604083/restaurant/Perth/Izakaya-Sakura-Japanese-restaurant-Northbridge"><img alt="Izakaya Sakura Japanese restaurant on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1604083/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-61245980430078541152012-01-26T21:27:00.000-08:002012-01-26T21:44:33.884-08:00Fusion Chapter 1. Verse 1. The Bonsai RestaurantI know there's a lot of favourable reviews out there for this place. However I have to say I didn't enjoy the experience. I tried this restaurant a while back, a group of six of us went pretty early. One of the first tables there. <br />
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The interior decor is very urbane and gutted factory setting contrasted with what was suppose to be "fine dining" fusion food. The portion is similar to tapas selection, with mainly Japanese influences. It's a very novel concept in Perth as there's really nothing to fill what I perceived as a between cafe eatery and a fine dining fusion niche. I'm honestly not a fusion food fan. A lot of these re-inventions of flavour tend to just change the plating and decrease portion size in favour of earning an extra buck. This place? The seating wasn't very comfortable, the minimalist look is just that a 'look' the feel is not as comfortable or luxurious if you're looking for upscale dining. <br />
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We ordered a number of dishes, whose prices in actual Japanese restaurants would have been a bit less. Serving sizes generally does well for 4 - 6 people if you're only having bite sizes. Not very memorable meal menu over all, we had some sushi pieces with 'inventive' fillings and artistic saucing (mayo/spicy), a scallop dish (6 pcs of scallops), some gyoza dumpling combo and some other cooked noodles or something. However each dish is priced between $14-$22, so it makes it for an expensive night out especially without drinks. Spent about 2 hours at $35 each without drinks and not even 1/2 full by the end. Hate to say it but 3 of us seriously considered Maccer's after it. And that is a very bad sign.<br />
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Staff was nice, but slightly monosyllabic. Maybe they're going for a haute style. Service level was not as attentive considering it wasn't very packed out and it's marketing position as a 'fine dining' or higher dining. The food came out a bit slow, especially considering most of it was 'cold' dishes. This might mean that everything we ordered was freshly made, but that somehow just doesn't seem like the case considering how cold the sushi rice was. <br />
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Oh I nearly forgot, there's also a cafe counter fridge with Asian-Western style desserts, cakes & coffee. I mean A-W because, the presentation looked like Francois cakes, tastes a bit like the old Cakes Unlimited / Mozart / Utopia, faux-creme cakes. Combo price is average cafe price but I must say the coffee prepared was on the bad side. <br />
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Still majority rules in the votes and many people have tried and liked it. Personally I prefer honest hearty food and portion sized as opposed to cold glitz and pretense at classy fusion. I have been recommended to go try this again, I'm just not sure if I can stomach it. If you liked it, then that's cool. Don't diss my review, personal experience was bad. If you had a fantastic experience and would like to tout it - let me know and I might go back and review again. <br />
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<strong>Vote: </strong>1 out of 5 Stars<br />
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It wasn't photo worthy.<br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1480696/restaurant/Perth/The-Bonsai-Restaurant-Cafe-Lounge-Northbridge"><img alt="The Bonsai Restaurant Cafe & Lounge on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1480696/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7902545164494117677.post-51030304306927221662012-01-26T21:26:00.000-08:002012-01-26T21:47:30.475-08:00Korean Chapter 1. Verse 1. Tong 86 (Beaufort Street, Northbridge)What can I say this is one of my comfort eats. It's just comfortable to go there, any day and get a table and fast service. Although sometimes the staff doesn't really speak a very great deal of English, but I like accented waitstaff (as long as they bring me my order promptly). And everything is prompt, unless you want re-fills and this could take a while. You can do a lot of self-service, and just indicate to the boss you did it and what table number. I like the ring bell for service thing too (unless I'm sitting under the speaker). <br />
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The neko co. has tried nearly everything on the menu, from all of the portions of meats to the soups and stews. We also go there for the projected K-pop MTV, it's been on repeat for a while. So no new stuff. Just adds ethnic authenticity to the experience I guess. They don't wear gimicky Korean outfits but the food is just as authentic.<br />
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The factory feel here is convenient and evolving. Interesting comments and tiddie-bits are written and drawn all over the walls. There's a few rude artworks too, if you can find them. Add your mark, permanent markers are provided. The hanging bottle cap thing is very Korean casual eatery style. There's a lot of bottle cap drinking games a la Korean style. The shochu is cheap, you can mix your own chu-hai (order a fruity drink and self-mix). The makkoli (draft rice wine) takes getting used to if you've never tried something like it before. I like it, it's easier to drink - but it's slightly yoghurty. A bit like calpis / calpico but alcoholic. A friend of mine has called it toilet wash liquid before, but then I don't know when he had the opportunity to drink toilet wash. <br />
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<strong>Favourites: </strong><br />
the kimchee pancake - although not as great as Took Bae Kee 1 or 2. This is still fantastic in colour!<br />
the ox tongue - alwasy a fav, especially good when you can see a speckling of fat and the slices are thin<br />
the intercostals - not all people like the chewyness, but I find this is the easiest to cook with enough pink inside to taste juicey<br />
the mushrooms - grilled mushrooms<br />
the side dishes - the pickled spring onions is delicious with cooked slices of meat.<br />
steamed egg - yes I know it sounds simple but you have to try this. The soup that you can spoon up in this is delicious. Fluffy yet substantial in flavour!<br />
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Traditionally the pork belly would be the top of the list, but I find the ones here are now more often very fatty. And I don't personally recommend the neck chain... it's harder to cook right and tastes a bit tougher. <br />
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I've also tryed the fish cake soup - don't really think there's much to it, other than the unmarinaded fish cake slices which you have as a side dish. So not much taste. There's the kimchee soup which is spicy but not as flavourful as the ones I tried at TBK. Has something to do with their kimchee, which is a little bit sourer than others. <br />
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I am almost sure if you know Korean, there's extra menu items to unlock. So I need to go there with a Korean friend sometime. Anyone want the job? <br />
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<strong>Vote: </strong>5 out of 5 Stars<br />
I'll add photos later. <br />
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<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1519429/restaurant/Northbridge/Tong-86-Perth"><img alt="Tong 86 on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1519429/minilink.gif" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; height: 36px; width: 130px;" /></a>nekohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09076551087444920133noreply@blogger.com0