Tag Archives: subiaco

May’12 in a nutshell

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Wow, 5 months have gone past just like that. There wasn’t anything remarkable for me at the start this month except for the fact that I have finished my 1st round of 5 exams.

But before the month ends I have managed to squeeze in some memorable experiences:

Yes, S Club 3. There’s just 3 of them now and it doesn’t have the same ring as S Club 7 so we’ll just leave it at S CLUB. Period. I can’t say that it was a terrific performance. The other act, Big Brovaz, was way better but S Club was a band that I grew up with. And mind you before Big Brovaz and S Club came out the club was playing hits from the 90s from the Backstreet Boys to Spice Girls to Aqua…took me right back to my tween years and I felt no shame belting out to Barbie Girl.

Two days later I went to catch the AFL (Australian Football League) live. It was my first time watching the game live and it sure was an awesome experience. I’m from the West Coast and both teams were West Coast teams playing against each other so that made the match extra special. Needless to say my team won! Hurrah!

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Bouchon Bistro @ Wembley

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I am a big fan of French cuisine. Duck, pastries, frog legs…everything. I will eat anything cooked the French way. So when I saw a voucher for Bouchon Bistro offering $40 for $100 worth of food I jumped at the chance of securing myself a voucher.

Last weekend, L and I finally made it to Wembley along the always busy Cambridge Street in search for this bistro. They open at 6:30pm so when we arrived at 6:28pm the “closed” sign was still displayed on the window. The door was unlocked so we went in anyway and the waitress gladly showed us to our table.

It wasn’t really hard to choose what to order. I confirmed with the waitress that we could have anything on the menu so long as they all come up to $100 worth and we would just pay for the extras.

To start, we were given bread and butter. I cannot even begin to sing my praises for a properly made baguette. The bread was crusty on the outside and soft on the inside and the combination of the crunchiness and the softness was perfect, it was tasty, it was warm, and altogether a great bread experience spread with the butter. If I had that kind of bread for breakfast everyday I think every day would be a great day.

Then we were given a free appetiser of oxtail with garlic parmesan and onion cheese. Don’t fret, it wasn’t the tail in a whole piece. It was chopped up, made into a patty and served nicely. The oxtail had a nice crunch to it from what I’m assuming are the cartilages from the tail. A bit strange to the bite but the taste was not too bad.

After the appetiser we had another round of bread and butter because the waitress asked if we wanted more. As it turns out there’s an extra $4.50 charge for another 4 slices of bread.
L and I shared an entree of braised beef ribs in spices and coconut, pine nut, pear and radishes. Very very tasty beef ribs. Like the oxtail the ribs were removed from the bone and shaped so it was easier and less messy to eat. The pear and radishes provided a contrasting palette to the spices used in the beef.
Mains came not too long after we chatted with the waitress. I was aware of some reviews saying that service here is terrible, that customers are not treated with priority and other things like that but I guess we were lucky to have made a reservation for 6:30pm because the restaurant was not full and so they weren’t stressing out just yet. We talked about France with the waitress and she gave us a few tips here and there while I practiced my French with her.
I had panfried duck breast, confit leg and chestnut, coffee crumble and amaranth. The duck breast could have been less rubbery. I asked for a well done breast but it was not as well done as I had hoped for. The confit leg was not the usual confit you’d find in other places; rather this was, again, without the bone and shaped into a cube and not quite as fatty as confits usually are since they are cooked in duck fat. Taste-wise it was so-so. I was a little hesitant with the coffee crumble and amaranth on the side. I tasted it by itself and thought it was weird to have coffee with duck. But spoon a little crumble on top of the duck breast and actually tastes quite nice. The crumble complements the sauce well.
L had the assiette of pork, which was basically pork cooked in different ways. There was the braised pork belly, pork knuckle and pork with quince (to the best of my memory). They were all very tasty with enough spices and sweetness that goes well with pork. I’ve got to say that the pork belly was the best out of plate. Well give L anything pork and she won’t complain.
We were surprisingly quite full even though the servings were small. It was probably from all the bread we ate. But we decided to have dessert anyway. We shared a chocolate mousse with crumble meringue and berries and yoghurt foam with strawberry jelly. It was interesting to say the least. I would rather have the mousse dark and a little less sweet. The yoghurt foam was surprisingly good with the mousse. Sweet plus sour. L ended up having to eat most of it because it was too sweet for my liking.
Overall a good dining experience. I agree with those who say that this place is overpriced. Average entree price is $20 and mains are $40. Desserts are around the $15-$20 mark. It is overpriced because, although food was not too bad, there was nothing really very spectacular about it. I’d probably come back again if they offer deals. An elderly couple beside our table seemed to be regulars here though. They rate the dishes 10 out of 10.
My rating: 6/10

Bouchon Bistro on Urbanspoon

www.bouchonbistro.com.au

Squire’s Loft @ Subiaco

It’s always a good idea to head out to a steakhouse when you’ve got 3 guys (who can really eat, btw) dining out with you. So that is exactly what we did; we went to Squire’s Loft in Subiaco to have some big juicy meat and a great night out.

The steakhouse was dimly lit; more casual than fancy with wooden tables, skimpy clad waitresses, and all that but by all means you can dress up if you want to. Menus were already on the table when we sat down and the hard task was merely choosing which steak cut to have.

I’m a fan of scotch fillets so that what I ordered; medium please. As it turned out, almost everyone ordered scotch fillets. They came with either a baked potato or fries and sauce for an extra charge.

The scotch fillet was 300 grams; a huge serving for us ladies. The guys all finished their steaks while L and her sister couldn’t even finish the last few bites. Well I ate all my 300 grams of protein…does that make me one of the boys?

Anyway, the steak was nothing special. I could easily cook it myself or (worse for the steakhouse) better than them. Sure it was tasty but it was too tasty. That good cut of steak does not need all that salt and seasoning in my opinion. No one asked for a well done steak but when they came out some bits here and there were too well done. I asked for a medium and it was close to well done. L asked for medium rare and again it was close to well done. For a steakhouse that serves mostly just steak you’d think that they’d get it right. Mind you, this place isn’t exactly well priced either. Not a good value for money.

Going back to the sauce I mentioned before…you can have like black pepper sauce, mushroom sauce, cheese sauce…etc but you don’t really need any. The steak was salty enough that having a side of sauce just makes it pointless. And it was more than 4 bucks for a sauce made of flour and stock. My mushroom sauce had, what, 2 slices of mushrooms.

Here my tip for you: head to your butchers, get your choice of steak, and cook it at home the way you like it. You’d probably get more satisfaction.

My rating: 5/10
Squires Loft Subiaco on Urbanspoon

www.squiresloftsubiaco.com.au

Chocolateria San Churro @ Fremantle

Posted in Coffee & Desserts, Spanish by

Chocolateria San Churro: truffles

Long before Koko Black opened its first chocolate salon in Perth there was Chocolateria San Churro, a chocolate shop selling everything chocolate. Well if you ask me, I guess the differences between the 2 chocolate shops are that Chocolateria San Churro has a Spanish influence while Koko Black specialises in Belgian chocolates and Chocolateria San Churro’s concoctions are definitely not as heavily sugar-loaded as Koko Black’s.

My first encounter with San Churro dates back to 2008 when I went over to Melbourne and my friend took K and me to a churros shop known as Chocolateria San Churro. Since their main attraction were the churros, the 3 of us ordered a plate to share but I was not really impressed at first because I found the churros to be too doughy. It was different from the kind of churros I have grown up with hence the difficulty in adapting to this doughy churros.

The next time I went to San Churro was when they opened in Perth. Even though I was hesitant to try their churros again I ordered a plate regardless because why else would you go to San Churro right? Again, I did not find anything worth raving about with the churros.

But all that changed one winter night. Upon impulsively deciding with Auntie C that we needed desserts after dinner, we headed over to Fremantle for some chocolate fix and Chocolateria San Churro was the only place open at that hour. They were already close to shutting the shop so everything was served take away. We had, yet again, an order of the churros dusted with icing sugar and served with dark chocolate dip. Let me tell you – it was sublime. The churros we had that night was definitely better than the ones I’ve had the previous times. Freshly fried dough that was perfectly crunchy and not doughy at all. The dark chocolate dip made it even better.

Chocolateria San Churro: churros for 1

I am glad that even days after this one fateful night the churros have been consistently good.

For something different, we also had the Black Forest Trifle to share. This one here is even better. Chocolate cake with cherries swimming in cream topped with more cream and chocolate shavings – that, to me, is heaven in a plastic cup (this is served in a glass if not for take-away). I was drawn to it by this poster below, as part of their new winter menu, thinking it’s a small serving. But do not be fooled by the photo. This is one huge dessert! The best part about it is that it’s not too sweet. If only I don’t care about my health whatsoever I would’ve eaten this whole thing by myself.

Chocolateria San Churro: black forest trifle*

Alas, tonight, my family went there again and, after having a few disappointing drinks in the past such as their chocolate frappe and the coffee with condensed milk, I decided to try the famous Classic Spanish hot chocolate with coffee, called Madrid Mocha. A rich and thick hot chocolate drink with a hint of coffee. Mmmm mmmm. Very rich and thick indeed and paired up with other chocolate desserts I think I’m all set for my chocolate fix for the whole year!

Chocolateria San Churro: Madrid Mocha

In addition to the usual churros, we tried something new again called Strawberry Bizcocho which consists of chocolate cake and strawberries with vanilla custard and topped with crushed peanuts. This was good too except for the fact that the cake was one big piece of lump that was too hard to break apart. It is similar to the Black Forest Trifle (the trifle had the chocolate cake already cut into cubes) but I personally prefer the Black Forest Trifle, only because I like cream better than custard. Auntie C loved this.

Chocolateria San Churro: strawberry bizcocho

If you do not like something as heavy as cream or custard, why not try the Mocha and Pear Pudin. This one here is similar to the above desserts although it has less than a shot of coffee waiting for you at the bottom, hence why it’s called mocha, which you wont see until you’ve cleared up most of the big chunks of chocolate cake and the surrounding cinnamon pear slices that are topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. This is definitely a lighter and more refreshing option.

Chocolateria San Churro: mocha and pear pudin

I’m beginning to enjoy this chocolate shop more and more. All their shops have the same decor giving you a homey European feel to it with yellow lighting and wooden furnitures. They are also spacious enough to accommodate big groups. Whilst waiting for your desserts to be served, you can browse through their chocolate (and non chocolate) merchandise ranging from hot chocolate cups to fondue sets to truffles to coffee beans.

Chocolateria San Churro: merchandise

Or you can just simply watch the staff fry those churros to perfection.

Chocolateria San Churro: churros area

Stores are also located in Subiaco (Rokeby Road), Leederville (Oxford Street) and Hillarys.

My rating: 8.5/10

Chocolateria San Churro on Urbanspoon

www.sanchurro.com

*photo from: https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150619868455713

Brownhaus @ Subiaco

Posted in Coffee & Desserts, Perth by

It’s our weekly fruit and veg run at Station Street Markets and it was unbelievably busy down that area because a footy match just ended. Roads closed, cars stuck in traffic and people here and there. It was a nightmare finding parking so my auntie and I parked at the first spot we found along Rokeby Road, not too far from the markets but seemed like a mile away when you’re carrying 2 heavy boxes of fruits and veg.

It just so happened that we parked outside Brownhaus and, Auntie C and I decided to have something little to eat on our way back. Brownhaus is a coffee and dessert bar serving freshly made waffles, cakes, macarons, Swiss chocolates, coffee, chocolate drinks, mocktails and cocktails (based on what I gathered from the menu). It shouldn’t be hard to miss when you walk along Rokeby Road, near the corner of Hay Street.

Brownhaus: view from the street

I had a little chat with the owner and based on what he told me Brownhaus has been in Subiaco for about 2.5 years now. He, the owner, studied in Switzerland hence the Swiss/European theme of the cafe adorned with bright yellow lights. All chocolates are Swiss and the cakes they have are made in Perth by their French suppliers. I was very hungry so everything looked really appetising. Auntie C and I originally thought of sharing something sweet so as not to spoil our appetites for dinner but she wanted to get the Belgian waffles to see if they are better than Gelare’s while I wanted something savoury. We couldn’t agree on which one to get so we got both!

We had a Doubtfire Belgian waffles that came with bananas, pineapple, desiccated coconut, cream, ice cream, chocolate syrup and maple syrup. We chose not to have the ice cream and this is how it looked like -

Brownhaus: doubtfire Belgian waffles

The waffle was definitely not as crunchy as Gelare’s and this one here actually has substance, i.e. dense and very filling. Even without any toppings the waffle itself was quite tasty – milky and eggy – and not overly dry. It wasn’t overloaded with syrup so the sweetness was just right. I was a little hesitant about the pineapple on top of the waffle but it was quite a nice surprise. All the waffles are $9.

For my savoury stuff, I had a spicy Cajun chicken wrap. The staff told me it was not overly spicy and that “it has a nice taste to it” so I went ahead and ordered that instead of a chicken and cheese wrap. I had it toasted so it was steaming hot when it was served. The wrap was simple – a little bit of lettuce, shreds of carrots and a generous amount of Cajun chicken with a tangy dressing, for $7.50. Maybe I was hungry but this is one good wrap, though it was a little spicier than I expected it to be. The chicken was very tasty and the dressing complemented it well.

Brownhaus: spicy Cajun chicken wrap

For drinks, Brownhaus’ specialty is their Belgian hot chocolate and Dutch coffee. Auntie C had the Belgian hot chocolate and you can choose to have a textured one or a layered one. The staff told us the layered one (called a wallbanger) had more cocoa and that it has layers – as the name suggests – 1 layer for cocoa, 1 layer for milk, 1 layer for froth. Dark chocolate is used for this drink but it was quite sweet for a dark chocolate. Nonetheless, it was very rich and it had a nutty taste to it. Auntie C said that the more you drink it the more you come to like it. The nutty taste might have something to do with it, she reckons. I had a sip and I wouldn’t mind ordering that again.

Brownhouse: Belgian hot chocolate wallbanger

I had the Dutch coffee latte and I did not taste anything special about it. Tasted like regular coffee to me. This cup here was moderately acidic. Good enough but not the best. The nutty French biscuit it came with was pretty good though.

Brownhaus: Dutch coffee

So before finally heading out the door, I bought some macarons to take away – coconut & passionfruit and fig & apricot flavoured ones. It is a little pricey for its size, $2.80 each but a little bit cheaper if you get more than one. These ones here were very delicately fragile. More fragile than the other macarons I’ve had elsewhere and they crumble really easily. The fig & apricot one tasted like dates. The coconut & passionfruit is, by far, the best flavoured macaron I have had. It is uniquely refreshing and the coconut was not overpowering. They could do with a firmer shell but other than that they were good.

Brownhaus: macarons

Service was relatively okay. Our coffees came out slow even though there weren’t many patrons at that time. The wrap took a good 15 minutes to come out too but I’m trying to convince myself that this was made from scratch that’s why it took that long to come out. Somewhere I’ve worked before, wraps were pre-wrapped so they shouldn’t take long at all to be toasted and served. The waffle was freshly made so that took quite some time to come out too. On a regular day I really wouldn’t mind waiting for my food but I was very hungry so I was really conscious of time, counting down the seconds til I can get something to sink my teeth into.

Brownhaus is a good place to go to when you are craving for something sweet. Certainly did give me a good first impression so I would come back and try the smoothies and other chocolate concoctions that they have on offer.

My rating: 6.5/10

Brownhaus on Urbanspoon

La Galette de France @ Subiaco

Posted in Coffee & Desserts, French, Perth by

Three things that render my weekend well spent – markets, sweets and strolling. What could be better than accomplishing all these in 1 place? Conveniently located inside Station Street Markets in Subiaco, La Galette de France Subiaco definitely makes my weekend routine complete. There are 3 La Galette shops – South Perth, Nedlands, and Subiaco – but Subiaco is the one I frequent. I get up, head down to Subi, buy loads of fruits and vegetables and then treat myself to some french pastries. Yes, some pastries because I can never settle for just 1 pastry. The pastries available depend on what time you get to the markets. Arrive too early and not everything will be out yet. Arrive too late and most would have already been sold. The best time to get there would be noon so that you can have a wide array of pastries and pies and bread to choose from.

La Galette’s stall is just before the fruits and veg stalls so be prepared to squeeze through a sea of onlookers and passers-by.

La Galette de France: shopfront

Here, I am always greeted with a smile and fast service and the waft of freshly baked croissants always draw me back for more. One of the things I like about La Galette de France is that they are not sugar crazy. Everything is just sweet enough which is how I like my sweets. My top picks are: any of the petits fours, particularly the lemon tart and chocolate tart, pain au chocolate, the mini bag of palmier and the quiche ratatouille. The lemon tart, whether small, medium or large, is super tangy. The lemon curd is not eggy at all making it a genuine tarte au citron. The chocolate tart is filled with a rich dark chocolate ganache. The sweetness does not overpower the richness of the dark chocolate which makes me appreciate it even more. Both tarts have a very nutty pastry shell. Yum yum!

La Galette: tarte au citron et tarte au chocolat

The pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant) is very flaky but not overly greasy like some of the croissants I’ve had elsewhere and is filled with rich dark chocolate. Size is a bit too small for my appetite though.

La Galette: pain au chocolat

The bag of palmier is one bag of crunchy goodness that even my granny LOVES. In fact, she was the one who bought it and tempted me to share it with her because she felt guilty finishing the whole pack by herself.

Macarons? Yes, they sell macarons too but they are not the best ones around. It’s better to spend your money on the tarts.

And for the first time last week I had something savoury. Not a lot of hot pies and quiches left late in the afternoon. There were only 2 kinds of quiche that I could choose from – quiche lorraine (ham and cheese) or quiche ratatouille (tomatoes, zucchini and other veggies). Of course I had the quiche ratatouille because ham and cheese were too plain. I made the right choice though because this was one very tasty quiche. It was packed with rich tomatoes with only a little layer of egg.

La Galette: quiche ratatouille

As with every other shop that hand makes their products and make them as close to authentic as possible, prices would be an issue if you are the stingy type. Petits fours cost $2.30 each for 1 bite; pain au chocolat is $3; quiche is $4. But the adage “you get what you pay for” is certainly very true in this case. This is certainly one of the best French patisserie and boulangerie that I have ever been to in Perth.

My rating: 9/10
La Galette de France on Urbanspoon

www.lagalettedefrance.com.au