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)

Please remember this site is under copyright do not steal photos!

TGIF

We're happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time

It's miserable and magical

Tonight's the night 

when we forget about the deadlines 

It seems like one of those nights

We ditch the whole scene and

end up dreaming

instead of sleeping...

Winners of AntiOx Chocolate giveaway!

So the decision was tough so took forever to annouce this..

But the two winners of the AntiOx Chocolate bars are...

LOUIE

And...

SHERRIE HUANG

If they could kindly contact me at sprinklingofspice@gmail.com
within the next 48 hours with their address I can get these babies posted out to you.

Enjoy them as much as I have!

And congratulations!

xx Tina

Chefz Table

One of the most fabulous dining experiences that my bf and I've had in recent times have been something a little different and unique to Perth's fine dining scene. In fact, it was this concept that have intrigued both of us, and one we were willing to splash on (we are both trying to save for a massive USA/Canada holiday, that we have been rather conservative with our dining out recently) and hey it was our anniversary. It's a small restaurant on the east side of Perth city on Adelaide terrace (in a quieter part of the city), outside the Fairlanes Apartments corner of Bennett street, sits a very unconventional restaurant with grammatical errors of all sorts, Chefz Table.

So what is different about Chefz table... Well it allows you to "design" your own degustation menu (5 courses) with the chefs at the restaurant. I don't mean completely from scratch, otherwise what is the point of even going to a restaurant right? But more telling them what your likes and dislikes are, and what you would like to see on your personal degustation menu. The two of us had similar tastes in food so made it easier for them, but of course if you and your partner have totally different tastes it's not a big deal they will try their hardest to accommodate and have all the produce you want into one of your courses. There is a little point of note, if it is season it will be done, if it isn't, well they will try their best (but then why would you want the produce that is out of season anyway? it never tastes as good..) Of course, if you don't want degustation style Chefz Table there is always their a le carte menu options. For more information on the Chefz table check it out here.

So what did we tell them? we love our mushrooms and root vegetables such as potatoes, pumpkins and the likes, I love duck and wanted to have venison for a change, while the boy wanted his pork and red meats like steak and we both wanted seafood. The boy wanted chocolate decedent dessert while I wanted a good souffle (you don't see much souffle on the menus these days, apart from at Bistro Guillaume). After emailing our lists of request through to them (the list above is a summarised version of what we told them) we were left with a "we will be accommodating your request to the best of our abilities, some of your request are out of season.. and the menu is a surprise". How exciting - a menu that is sure to be uniquely ours and no one else's, 100% personalised experience.

On the night we were running half an hour late (a courtesy call was made to the restaurant to apologize for our disorganisation) due to the lack of car parking around the area, (bare this in mind, when you go, there is only street parking - which is free after 6pm, prepare to walk to the restaurant). When we arrived the restaurant was rather modern in style with lovely timber tables a little peek-a-boo view of the swan river front, jazz covers of rock and roll playing in the background (which I loved! - the waitress even gave me the name of the artist that did the covers) and modern artwork on the walls.

We started of the night with a glass of scotch for the boy and a glass of red for me from their rather extensive wine and cocktail list (they are also happy to make whatever cocktails you would like, that is not on the menu, as long as you tell them the ingredients). 

Fresh bread was then placed on our table. We later discovered the bread really is made fresh on the night as there is a pastry chef on hand to help with the bread making and the desserts for the evening. The bread was really lovely, warm, fluffy, yummy bread with great salted butter to go with. I also know it was made on the night as when we wanted extra bread, the waitstaff apologised for the delay as the bread was still in the oven! And when it came out and you cut the bread the steam from the bun and the aroma was just heavenly. Don't you just love the smell of fresh bread?? (OK LIKE I'm A BIG FAN OF AMAZING pastry and bread/carbs OK! - No judging..)

Our first course for the night was the amuse bouche, which was a duck terrine with cranberry sauce. The terrine was rather fatty and you can taste the fat through it which made me not a fan of this amuse bouche. But lucky for us the first course was NOT an indication of what was to come, because everything that came after was uphill in food and taste experience.

Course 1: Duck Terrine
(Request one accomplished: DUCK) 

Our second course for the evening was completely different from any dishes, or flavours we have ever experienced before. It was a chef's experimentation and knowledge of good produce and flavours that made a dish that was completely made of tomatoes and trout amazing. It was sweet, slightly sour, crunchy of the tomatoes, and the tomato foam - wow punch in flavour... and the trout was melt in your mouth creamy. If this was on a menu, it was something one would never dream of trying, but when you do it was mind boggling to say the least with regards to how well everything went together and the explosion of sweet, sour and almost creamy goodness. It was the perfect introduction to the rest of the menu.

Course 2: Requesting seafood with in season tomatoes

(REQUEST ACCOMPLISHED: Tomatoes and Seafood) 

Course 3: Pork croquette with seafood galore (manjimup marron, chargrilled scallops, prawns), silverbeet and turnip chips

(REQUEST ACCOMPLISHED: SEAFOOD AND PORK) 

The third course was seafood galore. Fresh marron, scallops, prawns. All perfectly cooked, succulent with smokey flavours through it. The pork croquette was crunchy, meaty and went will with the silverbeet. A change of flavours and a heavier palate to the last course, but the courses complimented each other well. 

By this stage we were very excited for our mains and were really glad to have a bit of a break as our bellies were starting to be full as each course was rather big in portions for degustation menu (and not complaining about it at all!). 

The mains that came out was slightly different for the two of us. But nonetheless they were both very hearty and winter appropriate mains. Warms the bellies warms the heart right? Not the most photogenic of dishes but one does not care about looks when the food is so delicious and hearty. 

Main course for me: Venison, mushroom, sour cabbage and green beans

(REQUEST ACCOMPLISHED: Venison, Mushroom)

I ended up with the venison, mushroom with sour cabbage and green beans. It was the perfect winter dish. The venison was cooked to perfection, the perfect pink, slight meaty texture was juicy and yet as tender as venison can be. The mushroom was rich, creamy, earthy in flavours which was offset by the fresh and lightness of the green beans and the sour cabbage. It was also a very big main course and one I was surprised I managed to finished. 

Bf's main course consisted of beef fillet with mushroom, tapioca thing and green beans. The beef fillet was perfectly pink, tender and juicy. Another warm hearty winter's meal. He loved it, all except for the tapioca, which he thought didn't go well with the other components in the dish. But it did give it a interesting texture and dimension to the meal. 

Main course: Beef, mushroom, green beans and tapioca

(REQUEST ACCOMPLISHED: Beef and mushroom)

We were full by the end of the main, and even the waitstaff was surprised that we managed to finish a very big main course. We were able to hold off the dessert and the palate cleanser for a while and discuss our dining experience so far. We were impressed with the service, the food has been impeccable in quality, flavours and textures. They have got all that we wanted in at least one of the courses and suffice to say we were impressed with the creativity and experimentation of the food (and the fact that they pulled it off as well!). It was going so good so far. 

The palate cleanser was the next thing to come. It was a decent size scoop of apple and rosemary sorbet. It was refreshing and did the job to cleanse the rich earthy flavours of the mushrooms both of us consumed in the last course. The rosemary was also rather prominent in the sorbet. 

Palate cleanser: Apple and rosemary sorbet

Chocolate haven

(Request Accomplished: Chocolate and Souffle)

The final course for the evening was an extravagant, decadent, rich dessert consisting of dark chocolate

souffle mousse, orange and dark chocolate mud cake with white chocolate and orange sauce and edible flowers. It was exactly what my bf loves. And something I wasn't so keen on, because it was just too rich for my tastebuds (I've always enjoyed something not so sweet and overindulgent, with a little bit of citrus/tangy in flavours). Nonetheless, I cannot fault the dessert. It was exquiste. I'm glad there was a hint of orange throughout it as it somewhat eased the richness of the whole thing. 

Oozing chocolate sauce in our souffle mousse

By this stage we were truly stuffed. I wasn't able to finish the dessert plate off. But it wasn't over yet because we were treated to our petite four, which had the lovely dark chocolate sauce happy anniversary on the top. With a cube of cranberry jubes and dark chocolate truffle. The jubes was exactly what I needed to cleanse the over indulgent rich dessert and the truffle was a creamy dark chocolate concoction.

It was a lovely meal and at $110 per person for a self-made degustation menu with top notch quality produce, dishes and service it was truly competitive to the likes of Amuse, Jacksons and Co-Op. To make it even sweeter for those who cringe at $110, it's in the entertainment book!

Our experience however, didn't end there, we were greeted by the one of the chefs who had a quick chat with us and the tables that did requested the Chefz table degustation menu. The one burning question I had to ask him was "how does the kitchen cope when every table is a chef's table menu?". The reply was "it's chaotic and very busy". I can only imagine.

I'm just really excited that a venue like this exists in Perth. It's not just the concept that is exciting and new, but the skills behind making an impressive menu that is personalised is incredible. The flavours, the ambience, the service is all top notch. I can't wait to come back. Perhaps next time I will try their a le carte menu that's on offer. I highly recommend that you give this place a try for a special event and give the Chefz table degustation menu a spin you won't regret it.

Brunch Date - No.4 Blake Street

The thing I love about weekends is the fact that I get to go on brunch dates! I love brunch. After an appointment with the travel agent (YAY for HOLIDAYS!) and booking our flights, bf and I decided that we need to eat, as neither of us have had a bite since the night before and we were getting a little hypoglycaemic and our stomachs were starting to eat itself!

After much thought, and as I'm not a fan of Mrs. S (which was two doors down) we decided to head to No.4 Blake street, as their dinner menu was delicious and something different so their breakfast/lunch would be just as creative (and from what was on their website it sounded amazing).

We arrived at No.4 without a booking and was lucky enough to get one of the last unreserved seats at the place. There was a buzz about the place with the waiters ensuring everyone was enjoying their meals, to the chatter of tables and the sleek interiors that adds charm and sophistication to the place (something so nice and grown-up, a nice and lovely change from that "artsy, hipster" overdone recycled look (that every Charles, Dick and Harry have been doing for ages!).

It was lovely to see that Romain recognised us from the media event night earlier in the year and treated us to a lovely glass of sparkling (bubbly, sweet and rather delicious drink!) and Majdouline rushed over in between her duties to give us quick kisses and hellos. How sweet! It's a pity bf and I couldn't visit earlier due to our never ending lists of places to eat. Although, I still maintain that I will do a high tea at No.4 (the menu look unbelievably appetizing and refreshingly left of centre!).

Anyway, the bubbles went straight to my head after drinking half the glass with no food in my stomach and I was rather happy sipping bubbles before I got my lovely glass of long macchiato and bf's chocolate milkshake in a rather cute milk bottle. 

A very happy kid indeed with his chocolate milkshake!

Me and my long mac topped up and with chocolate topping.. coffee happy ^_^

We had such a hard time deciding what to eat. The menu sounded wonderful and appetizing. I couldn't choose between a chicken sandwich, lamb burger, (the burger weren't really buns but amazing quality bread!), lamb tagine, the duck or the waffle with fresh blue berries, marsapone, maple syrup and bacon!! While the boy couldn't decide between the lamb burger, bangers and beans or the waffle.

In the end, I settled for the duck confit. Slow cooked duck with potato cake, house slaw and beetroot dressing. The potato cake was this crunchy outer exterior with this delicious soft mashy goodness. The duck was nicely cooked, although, perhaps a little too oily in some bits. But then it is a confit. The slaw, I thought, just didn't go with the whole thing. And I'm so not a coleslaw fan. The dish, I thought was cheapened by the slaw. But then biased here.

Duck Confit

Bf ended up having the lamb burger. It wasn't in your usual burger bun, but rather a very nice slices of bread (which I thought is a lot better, because then it's not too heavy). The pattie was a lamb and oats pattie and you can see the oats through the pattie and it gave it this nice crunchy dimension to it. It had goats curd, eggplant and hummus in the burger, all of which complimented each other nicely. The goats curd wasn't that strong or overpowering either. It came with a side of chips in a really cute little deep frying basket and homemade tomato sauce. I had a taste of the "burger" and I preferred it to my duck (and the bf loved my duck over his lunch.. we probably should have swapped). 

 Lamb burger

From our previous experience, we knew No.4 Blake street made amazing desserts, and if bf had his way (and if there wasn't any in the nuts) he would have gone for the flower pot dessert, alas it has nuts. The entrance of the restaurant had this lovely display of desserts and the lunch "sweet" things enticed us to ordering desserts to share. 

Homemade churros was in order with dark chocolate and creme analgise dipping sauces. The churros were plenty - about 6-7 churros and were slightly crispy on the outside and doughy goodness on the inside. It was warm too. So when soaked in the dark chocolate.... *drool* Nothing beats quality homemade churros. Simple dessert, and yet so effective in creating smiles. 

Churros

If you also get a chance, pop out to the back of No.4 and they have a lovely and very cute micro-herb garden happening. Just the sweetest of things. So you know the ingredients they use in their kitchen is the freshest it can be!

I enjoy No.4. Their service and food is just impeccable (not just to me, but to many of their restaurant visitors from observations). Well informed staff, welcoming, professional and with just a touch of class. Romain and Maj also always goes to great lengths to ensure that you have an experience. Romain was fiddling around with table settings and menus tied with bows for a set of tables behind us the whole time, ensuring everything was perfect for the guests that were to come in (I'm assuming, may have been high tea?). It's little things like that that makes it a dining experience.

If you haven't been to No.4, you really should try it. 

Silk jersey and Helmut Lang

The last couple of nights I've gone out for dinner with family and friends have been chilly. But not so much that I couldn't wear a silk and jersey dress or a top and jeans both paired with a biker black leather jacket.

I'm really loving the simple well put together styles. Pity the room light is yellow and the photos turned out all blah. Not to mention the dirty mirror. I really need to make the boy take my fashion photos next time. The only problem is he isn't much of a photographer!

Left photo
Dress: Silk and jersey dress by Mason by Michelle Mason
Clutch: Mimco
Right photo
Top: Helmut Lang
Jeans: Current elliot
Ring: YSL arty ring

Sunny, blue skies, perfection of Perth's Winter

The beauty about Perth's winters is that you get amazing sunny blue skies with just that touch of chill (enough for you to wear your cashmere cardigan).

Pity, I'm going to be indoors at work counting stock.

Just keep thinking about the monlah.

Still... Sunday outing at Hillarys Boat Harbour - blue skies and seas - sounds so much better.

Ps. Photo is not filtered and taken by my new phone - Samsung galaxy 4.