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.

IKEA sells food?

So IKEA isn't just a furniture store, they also sell really nice food! who knew. The set up in IKEA is similar to an organized maze. Walk along the paths looking at cool furniture while building up an appetite and then BAM a FOOD HALL just when you are feeling it.

The food court itself looked like a really really nice school canteen (in a positive sense), with interesting Swedish pastries and hot food. Jamie bought the Swedish meatballs, I had the chicken schnitzel with chips and gravy. We also bough some deserts :) The meatballs were served with an unusual combination of gravy and jam, which actually turns out to be a very good combination!


The succulent Meatballs had a great pork flavour with a presence of breadcrumbs without the floury taste. The meatballs were well combined and did not crumble apart unlike other meatballs I have had. The chips and gravy were quite average. The chips were old and dried out the gravy watery and bland. The Schnitzel was delicious, very crisp golden coating and the chicken was not dried out like a lot of schnitzels I have had.

However the highlight, was this green cake



I can't remember what it was called but it was absolutely delightful. The icing on the outside tingled as it dissolved on my tongue whilst the airy and fluffy inside caressed my pallet oh so gently. I also enjoyed the energy of 3 coffees with the free drink refill they have there, Jamie got annoyed with my hyperness.

Overall an affordable interesting place to eat with a modern atmosphere.

Food: 7/10
Atmosphere: 6/10
Service: 5.5/10

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IKEA PERTH

6 Ellen Stirling Blvd, Innaloo

Wednesday Late night Food Run ( Concas, Moon Cafe)

So me and my friends went to the gym on Wednesday night and what better way to counteract our productivity by going on a food run? I had suggested to eat my beloved Honey Pepper Chicken from Singapore Kitchen (review coming soon), however on the way to Northbridge we passed the late night Italian food joint Concas, famous for their chilli muscles, on Albany Highway. The thought of steaming Chilli muscles was to good so we pulled into the carpark.




Concas looks alot bigger on the inside then the outside, as you walk you can see dishes of pasta lade out in the bain maries and the menu lade out in chalk that gives you that italian resteraunt feel. Our Chilli muscles were served attached to the shell and came with spaghetti bolognaise and garlic bread.

We had ordered mild and extra hot chilli muscles (not for the faint hearted especially the day after). The sauce of the chilli muscles had a hearty tomato base with strong herb and spice flavours. The extra hot variation had a firey knockout to it that made me and most of my friends break an awesome sweat that made us use about a tree worth of tissues. You could taste the flavoursome muscles in the sauce however it was not overpowering the tomato base. The sauce was definitely the highlight making you want more and more. The muscles themselves were well cooked and tasted natural although there were some that were not open which we still ate. The spaghetti was also good but nothing impressive. The Garlic bread was well baked being very crispy and had a generous amount of garlic butter. The combination of the chilli muscle sauce and garlic bread made a mouth watering combination as if there was a matrimony of them in my mouth and my taste buds were the celebrants (okay maybe slightly over the top).


I would rate Concas
Food: 8.75/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 6 out of 10

The chilli muscles are quite legendary and are a definite must try!

After I asked to da bao (cantonese for take away) the left over chilli sauce ( It was to good to go to waste) we headed for Northbridge for something to drink. We ended up at the popular Moon cafe on William street. This was my first trip to the moon so I wasn't sure what to expect.

The interior was dim lighted with cozy booths lined up the side, it gave me vibes of Melbourne cafes. One of the cool features of the restaurant is a large red clock that that emits a red glow that sets a loungey mood.



We ordered milkshakes and a chocolate desert pizza, our gym workout had been futile. My strawberry milkshake was very thick and had delectable flavour, however it wasn't very cold and tasted at room temperature. My friend had a cherry flavoured milkshake that was surprisingly different, I would recommended trying it.



The pizza had a thin base and was coated with chocolate sauce, nuts and whipped cream, ice cream and marshmallows cost extra. The pizza base was crisp at the edges and thin however i felt it had a strong doughy taste. The chocolate sauce wasn't very strong however the nuts added good texture. Overall the pizza tasted just above average.


This picture doesn't really give the pizza justice.

I would rate The Moon Cafe
Food: 6.5/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 8.5/10

Although the pizza wasn't that great I really enjoyed the very chillaxed feel of the cafe.

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Conca's Pizza Restaurant
27 Miller St
Victoria Park 6100

9470 2255

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The Moon Late Night Cafe
Shop 2/323 William St Cnr Newcastle Street
Northbridge 6003

9328 7474