Getting over that hump day

Nothing is better than getting over hump day then starting work before 8am finishing before 4pm, hitting the squash courts before 5:30pm (and finding out it's discounted because of that!) then still having time to soak in the hot showers before layering up to go for celebratory dinner and a glass of red with a close friend, while you are at it, throw in a midweek beef dish special at The George (beef dish with a glass of red or white for $25).

We started the night soothed by the velvety red of Tempranillo, followed by the crunchy goodness of soft shell crabs with capers and aioli - the crabs were delicious the aioli was creamy goodness, capers added a bit much salt to the dish though.

The beef special was suppose to be the wagyu beef with potato and pea puree and mashy peas but the wagyu beef was sold out so they had substituted the beef for a slow cooked lamb shank. I love it how it just fell off the bone as soon as you played with it.

A hearty winter's meal to get over that hump day. And nothing says "congratulations on getting that intern medical spot at an amazing hospital" than a good meal.

To top off the night, I got to wear my two obsessions out - monochromatic and prints that clash. I've been really into animal prints, in particular of the spotty nature, mainly leopard prints. I can't get enough of them, having them in flats, in jeans and wanting a fux fur leopard jacket from David Jones (which was on sale, but alas a little too big on the shoulders unfortunately and one where my mother wasn't too pleased about it). So my dear sweet mother happened to find a black and white leopard printed blazer by the brand Seed, which has a gorgeous cut and provides decent amount of warmth for a blazer. Continuing my spotty theme and clashing prints (and my other obsession - monochromatic dressing) I wore it with my over-sized knit by Natasha Gan paired with my latest buy and an introduction I have been resisting, Black Milk Clothing wet look black tights (which are unbelievable comfortable). I have been told these are tights and not pants and should not be worn as pants and that the top half should cover the butt completely (agreed by JJ and my bf). 

I can safely say, this is the start of the end of my bank account thanks to these tights. Warm, comfortable and hella sexy what more do you want? I think I might get the licks next. Of course a pair of legs should also be shown off with heels and these velvet black "mary-jane" styled pumps by Vangoh shoes seemed the perfect match to my black and white theme, understated and yet totally hot.

And with that..

ends a hump day.. 

not long until Friday and my ONE DAY weekend. 

The Old Crow

Oh Northbridge how you have grown! From a pesty teenager rampant on god knows what to one where you've started to clean up your act and have a sprinkle of sophistication, a dash of culture and sparkle of arts and quirkiness. I've loved seeing you come of age.

Amongst all that, there will still be patches of not so niceness, but the recently revamped Newcastle street have seen increased restaurants and cafes, along with increased traffic and congestion. One of the latest addition, which JJ and I have happened to stumble on a few weeks ago (before the release of Rob Broadfield's review might I add!) is The Old Crow. 

An old heritage house refurbished and renovated to add a very modern-esque glasshouse at the front (resembling very much a greenhouse) and a rather traditional of eras gone by decor inside. Having said that I love the touches of old oil lanterns hanging on the glasshouse area and the succulents in teapots decoration.

We were here for a late lunch, but from what is written on their doors, they should also be opened for dinner. The lunch menu list isn't too large but it's big enough to make it hard to chose what we wanted. 

In the end we both settled for the slow roasted brisket sandwich, thousand island, pickled cabbage and fries. I would have preferred that JJ and I had two different meals to make this review a little more interesting, alas it was not to be and either of us was going to forgo our choices. 

Let me tell you, the sandwich is huge. We had to cut it into thirds to eat it without it going everywhere. I can most definitely share it with someone, because I didn't even get to finish mine. The brisket was slowly roasted to be tender, it was slightly sweet and the toasted bread was buttered to perfection. It was more than a sandwich it was a satisfying meal. The fries wasn't even needed but it was there and it's hot crispy crunchy chips. The homemade thousand island was a delicious creamy dip for the fries.

This meal was paired with the most satisfying long macchiato. But for those more inclined to start the day with EtOH then there is an extensive list of cocktails, wines and beers available at the Old Crow as well.

The only thing I wasn't too sure about was the black high-waisted pants with black suspenders and white shirts. It really minded me of Twiddle-dee and Twiddle-dum of Alice in Wonderland. Apart from the fashion choices of the waitstaff, they were attentive, patient and friendly. 

The Old Crow is intriguing, the menu is different from other places around Perth and I wouldn't mind checking more of it out, perhaps for dinner. I predict their dinner menu would be filled with good surprises. 

Wine and Cheese are like Ageless Companions

I have such a soft spot for the Swan Valley, it is only 45 minutes away from the city and whenever you go there you feel like you've taken a mini holiday. It has some pretty cool things to do, such as super golf, mini golf, a wildlife park in the form of Caversham Wildlife Park, not to mention the beer breweries, wineries, chocolate factories (x 2! - Margaret River Chocolate Factory and Whittaker's Chocolate), honey farms, nougat factory, ice creamery and of course a place to indulge in cheese. 

So as you know, a couple of weekends ago I went there for some R & R, well, more so because I was procrastinating doing my much needed to do list and driving around the Valley and stocking up on wines and eating cheese seemed like a better option. We stopped by a couple of wineries and then spent the rest of our time eating cheese at the Cheese Barrel, located on Great Northern Hwy. 

The Cheese Barrel is a place I've been itching to go to for ages (since it opened last year!). But alas, everytime I'm in the Valley, the place is either closed or we've run out of time to go there. Anyway, it stocks many gourmet cheeses from around the world. The purpose build cafe is behind the tranquil vineyard of Olive Farm Wines and overlooks the Susannah Brook. They have a lovely deck/patio area, which was the perfect backdrop to a lovely winter's day or better yet in the warm sunshine of spring and summer. 

The cheese display filled with cheeses from all over the world.. I wanted to buy some but decided against it in the fears that my mum and I would just consume it within minutes of it being home.

The best bit though would have to be their cheese boards and depending on the theme you go for allows you to indulge in a variety of cheesy goodness. We decided to go for their regional boards, in particular the French Cheese Board, because, well, the French know their fromage well. You can however chose to have the UK, Italian, Spanish, or Australian regional boards or hey you may prefer to have a soft cheese or hard cheese or blue cheese board instead (check out the menu here). To top it off, each of their cheese board can be paired with matching wines. Wine and Cheese the perfect ageless companions. Why would you not love this place?

Although it was crisp we decided to sit outdoors and enjoy some of the winter's sun. I love how they have turned out wine barrels into tables, something simple and yet gives it such flare. I wouldn't mind having a few wine barrels as tables for my door are one day. 

I ordered myself a chai latte to warm me up a little. It was possibly one of the nicer chai lattes I've had in a while. Not too milky and the perfect amount of chai flavours through it (usually it's too milky and no chai taste at all). 

Then the best bit came out - the cheeses. Our French Board consisted of four cheeses from four different areas of France. There was the Labuche d’Affinois, a soft white mould, cow’s milk cheese, the Rouzaire Camembert, a hard cheese in the form of Marcel Petite Comté and the Papillion Black Label Roquefort blue cheese. This was accompanied by figs (so yum!), crackers, bread and quince with macadamia nuts through it. 

I actually thought all four were absolutely divine (but then I'm cheese biased.. I love most cheeses, exception of the really smelly ones and the ones with fruits and what not in them that they don't taste like cheese but seem more like dips), even the blue cheese, it wasn't too strong at all.I would have to say though my favourite was the Labuche d'Affionis soft cheese, which was just creamy goodness. If I had more time in the Valley I would love to try their matching wine and cheese set. 

If you ever get a chance, head to the Cheese Barrel, have a cheese and wine board and just take in the fresh air and the rolling green (or it may be yellow-ish in summer) horizon of the Valley. Just make sure you have a skipper.

Goodbye weekend

Another weekend over.. so fast.. just recouped enough (maybe..) to ready myself for the many working weekends that is to come in the next few months...

We went to visit bf's family and added a little excusion on Saturday to a cidery in Bridgetown, aptly name The Cidery. Originality all the way.. at least you wouldn't doubt what they do. They do a variety of ciders.. from the dry traditional ciders to ones that has been aged for 12 years and of course the sweet ciders (with no added sugars), with their sweet ciders being naturally sweet thanks to the apples.. (the lady said they only and used pink lady apples)..oh there is also non - alcoholic ciders (so would be apple juice essentially??) available as well and is the only thing you can have (apart from water) that isn't alcoholic, there is no soft drinks).

The Cidery in Bridgetown

Had a lovely lunch there.. consisting of a cider and beef burgers. They also have an outdoor area - which was such a beautiful place, would be perfect in the warmer months to run around, climb trees or just soak the sun. Pity the weekend had patchy rain (it didn't stop the kids from climbing the trees though).

We then strolled around Bridgetown - such a cute, quaint, main strip and had dessert and coffee at one of their little cafes called the Red Panda (loved their jarrah topped tables with stainless steel legs). Before catching up with bf's brother and had a wonderful roast pork and lamb family dinner.

Pity it had to end today after a lovely breakfast of bacon, eggs, mushroom and toast. At least the drive back was nice and we had our traditional pitstop in Donnybrook for pastries at our favourite bakery - The Apple bakery. This time though I discovered a little gem of a cafe called Tiffany's Cafe (a nod to Breakfast at Tiffany's and Audrey Hepburn) -where they make great 5 senses coffee.

The Apple Bakery in Donnybrook

Toasty fireplace - love the smell of burning wood and just fireplaces in winter - its just so perfect.

The obligatory selfie in the car on the way back to Perth

Recharged just enough to tackle yet another week.

Winter weekend

I had such a good weekend(probably the last in a while) of freedom before I work my little heart out (and give up most of my weekends) to save for the massive holiday planned later this year. Excitement is building to a degree, although little research or planning is done since booking our hotels. 

I had a wonderfully busy time with my family. The whole gang was there at grandparents place for combined birthday celebrations which included my grandpa's 85th birthday, cousin's sweet 16 and my uncle's 50th. There was a buffet of delicious food (each family made something.. secret family receipes), stuffing of faces and... feeling a bit like a beached whale after that.

Sunday saw me hit the gym to try to undo some damage. It didn't work so well as the sunny winter's day made it impossible to say no to a visit to the Swan Valley to stock up on pantries made bare from winter nights in. We went in the afternoon so only made it to two wineries - Sandalford and Lancaster before having afternoon tea consisting of a FRENCH Cheeseboard from the Cheese Barrel. 

Let me assure you I made it to the gym today. Although, I ended up making a quick pastry dessert (puff pastry and nutella!.. with a scoop of  conossieur ice cream) after dinner (chicken stirfry and a bowl vegetable soup).. the dessert may have ruined everything once again. 

This battle will never be won.. but at least I get good food out of it..

After all tomorrow is another day.. 

The following photo is at the Lancaster Winery

And some (about a third of the food) and birthday cake (for grandpa - because you know he's the youngest and all ^_^)

Perth Night Food Safari

I've been so sick for the last week or so, and it was just this week that I have recovered from my flu (second time this year - yes I had the flu shot - I have it every year - but the flu season this year has been so bad and I just happened to be so unlucky - so much for not being sick for ages!), so alas, do forgive me for the lack of updates.

Lucky for me my body recovered (and in time too!) to make it to a blogger event. I feel very
privileged to have been invited to a Perth food safari night by the Publican group's executive chef (and one of Perth's leading ladies that first injected life into Perth's food scene a few years ago), Telina Menzies. So which venues are part of the Publican group Perth? Well, the first was The George, then along came The Bryneleigh, the sleek Aviary and the baby to the group, the revamped and ever sexy Wolf Lane bar. On this particular night, we explored the 3 venues in Perth city, located within walking distance of each other, The George restaurant, the Aviary (The Bird Cage Restaurant) and Wolf Lane.

Course: Antipasto
Directions: Take a walk down... St. George's Terrace
Discover: THE GEORGE...

It was a clear skied chilly night and bf and I were lucky enough to see the light show being tested out on St. George's Tce across the beautiful heritage listed buildings as part of the Perth's Winter Festival before walking briskly to start our food safari at the George. We were introduced to Telina Menzies and mingled with other Perth bloggers.

With a glass of Moet champagne in my hand I was at ease at the lovely venue that is the George. With a flux fire place, the antler chandelier, leather seatings and open bar what is there not to love?

We were also given an antipasto dish consisting of Turkish bread with a homemade dip (which I'm not sure what it was, but has some nuts in it, as bf couldn't have it) and evoo and balsamic. The dip was rather nice and warm Turkish bread is always lovely.

Bf wasn't able to have the Turkish bread, but the staff were rather helpful and went out of their way to make a Guinness beef party pie. He felt rather bad about it. But I must say though the pie was mighty fine with a little bit of sweetness, which matched the citrus tang of the dipping sauce that came with it.

Before long, Telina introduced herself to the group and explained to us about what the food safari would be about "Walking off the food that is going to consumed.. exploring the food and the surroundings of Perth that some people may not be privvy to". And with that you can also journey long with me..

Course: Entree

Directions: Exit from the George head east towards King street where you will turn left before heading right into Wolf Lane exit through the Eight Hundred Arcade (between Wolf Lane Bar and Cheeky Sparrow) until you reach Murray street then head east to the corner of William street and look up..

Discover: THE AVIARY - The Birdcage Restaurant

There are big things happening at the 140 William building where the Aviary is located, so the front of the place is close off. So we took the steps located near the Transperth info desk to make our way up to the Birdcage restaurant. 

Known mainly for its rooftop bar, the Aviary, also hosts some pretty cool local musicians on certain nights of the week. The Birdcage restaurant on the other hand is cozy, relaxed and has an understated charm about the place. 

We grabbed our name badges and mingled while snacking on prawn crackers flavoured with szechuan salt (which made it have this nice salty, extremely slight chilli flavour to it) and having a glass of Cloudy Bay Sparkling Pelorus (slightly dry for my palate though). BTW, you can't really beat prawn crackers, they are like frites for the Chinese.

Telina then had a quick chat to us about her experiences in the culinary world. She started off in the UK working under various different restaurants before finding that the English food lacked a bit of creativity and wasn't really what she wanted, so she started doing catering, which allowed her to put a bit of herself into the food, before moving back to WA and opening up the George.

 Bf questioned her on what her favourite foods were, and she said she enjoyed Asian flavours and foods and loved fushion dishes, so a lot of her food and dishes with infused with Asian flavours, like chilli, lemongrass etc. (which may explain a lot about the Aviary's menu).

The head chef of the Aviary and Menzie's "Rock" also gave up a bit of his time to come out and speak to us a bit out his inspirations and the food at the Aviary. "The dishes at the Aviary is meant for sharing and it's a place to relax and unwind." He is also inspire by Asian flavours and this is very evident in his food at the Aviary Birdcage; with lots of spices and Asian dishes.

When our dishes came out we were treated to chilli salted cuttlefish (which I couldn't have), chicken and chive dumpling and 5-spiced lamb cutlet with chilli caramel. The chicken and chive dumpling was juicy and the wonton was perfectly cooked. It was probably one of the best dumplings I've had in a while. The 5-spiced lamb cutlet was cooked medium and was nice and pink on the inside. The spices gave it that nice nod to the east and made it a little something special. Bf said the cuttlefish was nice, wasn't chewy or rubbery but he wished it was more crunchy (?? - no idea didn't eat it so can't comment).

Chilli salted cuttlefish, chicken and chive dumpling and 5-spiced lamb cutlet

After our entree we headed down the steps of the Aviary and headed towards...

Course: Mains
Directions: Head south on William street before turning west at St. George's terrace.. take in the sites of the growing face of Perth city before reaching your destination that is..
Destination: THE GEORGE

The George, is one of my favourite places in Perth. It had amazing high teas on Sundays (trust me they are good - one of my birthdays was high tea at the George and I haven't forgotten how nice it was - it's different to the others but in a good way), great mains on the weeknights and for a limited time they have been doing beef and pork chops Tuesday nights (with beer and cider). It is one of the first places to open up on St. George's terrace to try and liven up the place, and although there are now a few places to chose from, the George remains a place to go to for quality food and drinks at reasonable prices. It is also Telina Menzie's baby. Probably because it is the first.

The George's interior is sleek, sophisticated, a nod to elegance of the 50s (but with a modern twist). With high ceilings, a standout antler chandelier, a courtyard out at the back for your private functions (did you know about that?) and of course the bar centre stage.

We settled into the long table setting and looked at the menu as Telina Menzies explained our courses for the night. Wines were then poured, our orders taken - we had a choice of either the braised beef short ribs, sous vide fillet with celeriac forest mushrooms and Manjimup truffles or the vegetarian friendly cauliflower custard, shaved Manjimup truffles with smoked baby onions. The bread was served - different types of bread with creamy butter, evoo with balsamic. 

There were also many salads (which I loved, and wish I ate more off!), winter greens pan-fried which had asparagus and broccolini, almonds and butter pecorino, and there was endive shaved fennel, citrus segments (grapefruit and orange) and shallots and salad leaves with radish. 

The endive shaved fennel with the citrus segments and shallots 

This was one salad that was the perfect palate cleanser to the mains. The bitterness of the fennel was offset by the tangy and sweet of the orange and the grapefruit. I was surprised I loved it so much. Something to think about when I make salads at home!

Asparagus and broccolini 

You really can't go wrong with a good in-season asparagus and broccolini - two of my favourite vegetables on a plate together.

Salad leaves with radish

Simple, cleansing and with lots of pepper it's the healthy and simplest way to make a salad

Before we had our mains, Telina Menzies, explained to us each of the components of the dish, where the produce was sourced from, a little bit about the technique used to make it and the inspiration behind it all. It's a pity I didn't take a recording of it, because it was really interesting to get a glimpse of the behind-the-scene work that goes into making the dishes that comes out.

Bf and I both had the beef fillet, which was just beautiful. The braised beef was so tender that as soon as it was placed in your mouth it practically melted. Slowed-cooked to perfection. The beef fillet was that of the Angus beef cooked to nice and pink-ness. The mushroom sauces, the celeriac cream was delicious and complimented the whole dish (and I think is the highlight of the whole plate!). Having slices of truffles added to the earthy, rich flavours.

Braised beef short ribs, sous vide fillet with celeriac forest mushrooms and Manjimup truffles

The vegetarian option - I didn't get to try it, but those that had it commented on how in cauliflower can taste so amazing. I can tell you it looks very pretty on the plate.

Cauliflower custard, shaved Manjimup truffles with smoked baby onions

After our mains and lots of chatter we made our way to our last destination.. before that we looked through the alley ways at the back of The George but really you should take this route.

Course: Dessert

Directions: Walk east towards King street, take a left onto King street until you reach Wolf Lane where you will turn until you reach..

Destination: WOLF LANE

Wolf Lane bar has changed so much since the Publican group has taken over. The artwork that surrounds the exterior of the place is amazing very Hans Anderson and Fairytale inspired,  think Alice, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White. The interior is no different. Amazing murals of art crafted by one of the Wolf Lane bartenders. I wished I had time to take all the photos of the amazing art, but alas it means you must go and check it out. From the once boring black walls, open ceiling to floor doors and pretty uninteresting empty space, the Wolf Lane has transformed to one with vintage comfy couches, art-filled walls, live music and a air of cozy, warm, chilled place with amazing drinks being served by Ricardo and his team. Why don't you go and say hi to him?

^This guy can sing! Music soothes my soul.. wasn't bad to look at either ^_^

It is here that we were treated to a dessert cocktail (all the more appropriate). A frozen chocolate martini (which unfortunately bf couldn't have due it some of the creamy cocktails having hazelnuts). So he got himself a rum based citrus drink, which was so delicious, I preferred it over my chocolate martini. Nonetheless, the chocolate maritni was like drinking a chocolate milkshake but deadly.

 Ricardo (the head bartender) making our drinks

- He's Scottish and also had a quick chat to us

Ricardo explained that the Wolf Lane is a place to time-out have a drink, have a chat with the bartenders about what you want in your drink or choice form the menu because at the end of it all, they are there to serve us and to ensure as to have a good time.

To top off such a good nice we were given boxes of cupcakes to take away. Chocolate mud cake. 

I had so much fun walking around and exploring the city and its venues. It's one of the reasons why I love the city, there are so many places for you to explore and you can do a safari food and drinks night if you really want to. 

It was such a pleasure to met executive chef Telina Menzies and her team at The George, The Aviary and Wolf Lane (along with her marketing team!). I thought it was really something special having her accompany us to each of the destination. It was such an honour to have been invited. My man and I had so much fun. Pity it was a school night, otherwise we would have stayed on at the Wolf Lane sitting on of their couches and listening to the guy sing. 

with Telina Menzie

I'm now so inspired to do something like this with my friends! I'm already thinking of ideas, after all there are so many new bars and restaurants that recently opened up and I can't wait to explore them! I hope you are inspired too to explore this wonderful little city of ours!

Photos taken by me with my Chiro (Nikon D90)

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