Food Binge :)

So yeah just over a year since my last post.. so just to remind you all that I do have a food blog thought I would tell you about the food adventure I just had. But before the food adventure just a little story about why a gorged myself so hard today. Today was the weigh in for the biggest loser competition I had with my mates. Managed to lose 5% body fat over 6 months which somehow beat my friends. So it was time to indulge and what better place then Charcoal Chicken on Warton rd.

It deceivingly looks like I am being healthyish here, whats not in the photo are the fresh crispy golden chips or orgasmic rich creamy potato bake mmm. The Portuguese chicken at charcoal chicken rivals that of Nandoes with a caramelized charcoal crust of the outside and flavoursome meat on the inside. After this massive meal I did feel somewhat sick after having ate smaller portions for the past month. However I haven't had enough and for dinner went to the famous ToTo's Vietnamese restaurant in Vic park.

When I had arrived there was a line out the door and the place was jam packed full of Asians like one of those trains in China. However the aroma was amazing inside with all different asian flavours, it smelt a lot more complex then your average Asian restaurant. I had the crab flavoured pho whilst my friend had combination beef noodles. My soup had a lot of depth to it with crab flavours, soy sauce, and flavours from the meat, was really delectable. We were quite weary of the ribbed pieces of pork belly in the combination pho but it worked well with the broth. The broth had a slightly herbal taste to it but had strong beef flavours was really delicious.

Combination Pho

 

Crab flavoured noodle

For drinks we had a Toto special which had mainly Duran flavours but had slices of lychee and jackfruit. We also had the Vietnamese cendol which was one of the best cendols I have had.

So we were seriously full after that (however not as bad as after charcoal chicken) so we decided to go for a walk around vic park and perve on some of the new bars and restaurants down the road like The Precinct. I had to show my friend the epic deserts at the silver spoon! Here is what we had. 

White chocolate & burnt honey tart, saffron poached pears 

The honey jelly on the top of the cream layer is rich however slightly tart which cuts through the creaminess of the white chocolate tart. Every mouthful was heaven. 

Strawberry, hibiscus & rose geranium trifle, fairy floss

This desert made me feel like a little kid with the strawberry flavoured fairy floss. The rest of the desert was really creamy and each of the layers worked really well. The jelly at the bottom topped it off. And that is the end of my food binge :) going to hit the gym hard tomorrow.

A Yummy Burger Run

This is a post I have been meaning to publish for awhile now but haven't got around to it!

Starving for another burger joint, Jamie and I went on a burger adventure to Wembley Downs (Keng's area) Flipside burger joint. Their original shop is situated in North Fremantle and having receive top reviews before my taste buds were warming up.

My first impressions of the restaurant were that it kinda looked like a fish and shop, being relatively dull with a white paint decor. Although they did have drum media magazines (local music scene) which was quite cool.

My Chilli Burger

When the burger came out to be honest it didn't look very tantalizing. The bun was slightly over sized hiding any gooey cheese covered meat paddie. However looks can be deceiving because my first bite consisted of a crisp textured bun causing a crunch enamting from my mouth and chili jam that tasted slightly sweet along with tang and spice. The meat was also not dry but moist as i sank my teeth into the burger.

The chips were crisp on the outside and fluffy like clouds on the inside because I know what clouds taste like of course. They were very well cooked chips however they got cold quite quickly and became quite average. Their aioli chip dip had a tangy cheesy flavour however there was only enough aioli to dip about three chips lol, which was quite disappointing.

Yummy Chips with an ultra small portion of Aioli

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Food: 7.5
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 7

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Flipside Burgers

NORTH FREMANTLE
(08) 9433 2188

239 Queen Victoria St
North Fremantle 6159

WEMBLEY
(08) 9287 2288

(corner of Nanson Street)
294 Cambridge Street
Wembley, WA 6014

Kai Japanese Restaurant

You know how it sometimes seems as if the local restaurants- the ones around the corner or down the street- always seem to be just a little lower on quality? But then you cut them a break because they're just so convenient. I think there must be a theory for an inverse relationship between taste and meters from the home.

Kai Japanese Restaurant is located on Parry avenue, next to the Cellarbrations and cheesecake shop - yeah I could get an address, but it doesn't feel like it needs one because its my local japanese haunt. So does one have to sacrifice quality for convenience? The answer is: sort of.

The first time I ate at Kai, I didn't actually eat at Kai. I got take away! A combination bento that was quite superb (Only 14 dollars for katsu chicken, six sushi things, a bunch of tempura and some gyoza!) and have visited a few times since. I always had my eyes on their ramen (see Fremantle ramen post for more information on that obsession), but alas it was only for eat-in diners. Lets say that the space for eat-in diners is quite... modest. What's with ramen joints and having no space to eat?

Tonight my parents asked me to come join them there after work, and I instantly thought "RAMEN." I redlined my car there and ordered up a bowl of soy sauce pork ramen. My parents had already ordered some sashimi and soft-shelled crab for entree and they both got the "Tokutsu" Pork broth ramen.

The tea looked like midori. I just wanted to mix it with sprite (It was actually pretty good).

The sashimi was fresh, with a selection of salmon, tuna and squid. Although the serving was a little on the small side there was nothing to criticize on taste.

The soft shell crab was crisp yet soft. With soft-shell crab I look for something thats not over fried so that you're unable to taste the crab meet, yet you want it fried enough so the skin is crispy at first bite. This was a little on the soft side, but the taste of crab was definitely all packed in and the golden skin was delightful to crunch.

Finally, lets talk ramen. I'm going to keep this succinct; it was mediocre. The soup just did not have enough flavour to satisfy my cravings. My tongue was expecting the splash of tasty broth, but it just never came to the fore. The noodles were of a springy consistency which was good, and the pork was suitably average. I believe, however, that I might have picked the wrong ramen to try; my parents' soup tasted nicer and we did not notice the karrage chicken ramen on offer when we ordered.

This was my mum's, better than mine!

Looks pretty good though.

Coupled with the cramped conditions, this restaurant will receive an average mark - however the prices are good and the bento I had was delicious. The bottom line is I'm happy to have a Japanese restaurant of this quality so close to home.

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Food: 6
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4

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Kai Japanese - Dining and takeaway


Shop 4/110 Parry Avenue,


Bull Creek, WA, 6149


Parry Place Shopping Centre


phn: (08)9332 0388

V Burger Bar V stands for Velicous?

I heard about this place on Oday (university open day) receiving a pamphlet offering one dollar chips. A couple of months later ready to go to V burger I had lost the pamphlet unfortunately. However I was quite excited since it was a new burger joint.

The place itself is quite small but has a lot of windows so it feels quite open and also let's you take in the lovely atmosphere of Vic park ( Jamie and I saw a couple quarreling later on down the street).

Jamie's Crispy Crisp

The pricing of the burgers aren't to bad, the average burger there being ten dollars and you can grab chips and drinks for an extra five. I definitely suggest you invest in the chips because they are reaaaaallllly goood, undeniably some of the best chips I have had. The chips are almost as crunchy as a carrot also the chips didn't have that greasy feel you usually get. The onion rings are also delectable however not as good as the ones you can get at Jusbugers.

My V Teriyaki Chicken Burger
and Awesome chips

When my burger came out my dopamine levels went straight up (happy molecule in the brain). I had a chicken burger that had this really different wasabi mayo. Which I think could have been a little more subtle. The chicken was moist and the combination of the flavours in the burger worked really well. Jamie had the beef burger that had onion rings in it a definite winner just like my burger also having a good combination of flavours. The bread holding the burgers together is similar to that of a Turkish bread so it has that soft doughy spongey texture absorbs the flavours well.

Onion rings mmm

Probably the only complaint is that the structural integreity of my burger wasn't that great and my hand was covered in wasabi mayo or I might just be a very messy eater.

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Food: 8
Service: 6
Atmosphere: 5

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www.vburgerbar.com.au

12/910 Albany Hwy
East Victoria Park WA 6101
(08) 9355 3702

Clancy's Fish Pub

My dear friend Kenny Heng suggested that this restaurant, Clancy's Fish Pub, was the best fish and chips he has ever consumed. After a number of frustrating failing attempts at finding the pub we eventually got there. It's actually not that hard to find but due to circumstances it took us awhile (due to Kenny's bad directions of course).

Battered Whiting and Chips

The place basically looked like the typical pub from the outside with groups of blokes drinking beer under the veranda but once i got inside it looked quite quirky and old school with 70's style furniture. I kinda felt embarrassed/noobed when i told the waiter "table for two please" and he said "oh you just order your food here and drinks there and we'll get it to you mate" it was a pub after all.

Even though the price is much dearer than normal fish & chips, it only took seven minutes for the food to be served. The fish looked ultra crispy and the chips came out in a decorative newspaper cone. Some of the chips were slightly undercooked since they were abit hard and didn't have the usual fluffiness in the middle. The fish was definitely different to what i have tried before one reason being that it was undercooked! However after pointing this out to the waitress, she retrieved a new piece of fish that was ultra crispy, much more crispier then usual fish and chips. While being crispy on the outside the inside was quite moist and delicate.

Ready to honour my fish with my mouth

Overall the best fish and chips that has caressed my palate thus far.

Food: 7 (deductions for the raw fish)
Atmosphere: 5.5
Service: 8

(With the assistance from the ever so delightful Jamie)
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www.clancysfishpub.com.au
903 Canning Hwy, Mt Pleasant
Also located at 51 Cantonment St, Fremantle

THE LEGENDARY HONEY PEPPER CHICKEN

One of my favourite dishes of all time. Yes there is nothing better that could look like honey pepper chicken, seriously I don't think there is. Well at first glance it may look to the contrary of delicious but trust me it is literal joy for your taste buds and your eyes will be fulfilled each time you come back for more honey pepper chicken.

H.P.C
(I really need to take better food photos)

Hidden in Perth's China town in Northbridge is the Singapore Chinatown Point Chinese Restaurant which unleashes this massive taste attack every night except Wednesdays. Open until 3am, its perfect for the late night food run, or after a fun night clubbing when u get the usual post party munchies.

Honey pepper chicken has a very rich sweet taste, which is very original. The dark sauce is thick and strong in honey flavours with a subtle hint of pepper . The chicken has a generous batter giving it a solid crunchy texture and comes in bite sized proportions. The sauce is a winning combination with white rice, real addicts like me will finish off the left over sauce in this way :). Also if you aren't really feeling chicken you can get Honey Pepper Beef which is also damn good. Other really tasty and popular dishes at the restaurant are Ya POOWWWWW Chicken ( It's actually called that) , Sizzling Tofu, Sambal Kangkong and Peking Spare Ribs. Bookings aren't essential but if the bottom is full they will let you upstairs.

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Food: 10/10
Atmosphere: 6/10 ( This can vary depending on your state)
Service: 6.5/10

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Singapore Chinatown Point Restaurant
Chinatown
Shop 7
66 Roe St
Northbridge 6003 WA
Phone: (08) 9227 8889

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Blown Away

So not really a restaurant, but definitely worth a mention. Potato tornadoes are a craze that have been hitting Perth for some time (My research hasn't been that deep, so no exact time for you) and are a stall food- like something you buy at a market. Exactly something you'd buy at a market actually.

A market like Fremantle's (already mentioned previously in the Ramen post) is the most consistent place where you can get your hot little hands on these twisty delicious snacks.

You might be thinking "gimmick" at this point, and I don't blame you. The unique look of the potato tornado is most certainly half of its draw, but the other half has to come down to flavour. Nowhere have I tasted seasoning like that which has been sprinkled on these spirally wonders. The flavours range from Salt, BBQ, Cheese, Chilli to name a few and they would all go perfectly well with normal, non-dizzying, potato chips.

But that isn't to say the "tornadoey" potato isn't fried just right, with just the right texture, flavour and fun factor. Because it is, oooh yeah. These babies cost $7 for two sticks worth, but a little bargaining can surely reduce that price- just don't tell them I told you.

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ATMOSPHERE: N/A (Well, its a market)
SERVICE: 7/10 (Friendly and willing to deal)
FOOD: 8/10 (If you're looking for a snack)
OVERALL: 7.5/10

This place is perfect if you're looking for a snack that tastes good and is a little special.