Congratulations... with love.. xo

In my high school group of friends, two of them ended up marrying each other. It was rather sweet and they were so happily in love. To top it off they were best friends. It couldn't get much better really.

I'm wearing:

Dress: Lover the Label

Clutch: Vangoh Shoes and Accessories

Headband: Alannah Hill

Earrings: Gift from Aunty

Shoes: Wayne Cooper

The bride is one of my best girlfriends and to see her all dressed up with make up and all looked breathtakingly beautiful. I have also never seen her in any make up so it was also rather strange (she doesn't need it - she has immaculate skin, gorgeous smile, big brown eyes and lovely curls). The groom, well I can say he cleaned up ever so nicely and was dashingly handsome in his suit. 

with the groom 

With my love

Selfie photo in the lift on the way to the reception ballroom at the Hilton Hotel

This photo of these two lovely friends was too cute not to put up!

Selfie photos at the reception is almost compulsory

The happy newlyweds cutting the cake

I wish them endless happiness and love.

I also hope they catch up more often with us too!

Double dates are called for!

 much love xx

Petra Vanessie Studio Open Day!

I'm so excited to announce that the lovely Petra of Petra Vanessie Designs, whom I had a pleasure of interviewing a few months back  is having an open day at her studio where she will launch her latest spring/summer wear and yummy cakes from Cafe Bellisa!

If you get a chance check it out!

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I can make it yet, as I have work in the morning and knowing my luck with work I won't finish in time to go!

Finally LIVE on FACEBOOK

After much resistance, I have decided to make a Facebook page.

So make sure you like me here..

click https://www.facebook.com/sprinklingofspice

and like the page!

I plan to keep you updated with the events around Perth with the facebook page and more reviews and write-ups on the blog, as I can't attend all the events in Perth! And anyway, if you guys go then you can comment about it!

xx

The Gaya - Modern Korean Restaurant

I got a lovely surprise in my Urbanspoon inbox last week. It was from Deokhoon Cho or "Leo", the owner and head chef, inviting me and bf to the opening launch of his new restaurant in Ardoss/Applecross area - The Gaya. The restaurant is on the cafe strip in Applecross/Ardoss area on Kearns Crescent on the opposite end of the arcade where Gelare's ice creamery is located.

The Gaya, just opened 2 months ago and  Leo explained to me that his vision is to create traditional Korean dishes with a modern flair and to fuse Korean with his Italian culinary experience. I must say I was a little hesitant with fusion restaurants, because it can either be amazing if done correctly or a mess, however, Gaya has got the right stuff! Leo's knowledge of traditional Korean dishes with his experience and training in Italian cuisines resulted in the perfect marriage of a fusion, modern Korean restaurant that will appeal to lovers of Korean food and those with a more modernized palate. 

Head Chef of The Gaya - Deokhoon Cho "Leo"

The restaurant is really quaint with a lovely zen garden at the back corner, wooden table and chairs that reflects its Asian heritage. The lighting were like little lanterns and on the counter there is even a "gold crown" with a explanation on a particular Korean history that the restaurant is named after, the Gaya (part of the Three Kingdoms of Korea). It was cosy, cute and homely.

We started off the night with an appetizer, which was a traditional Korean snack made of glutenous rice, oats, sesame seeds and honey. 

The little cube of appetizer was sticky, sweet, and the oats and sesame gave it a crunchy texture. It started off the night rather nicely.

The entrees were hard to chose. There was a variety, each sounding as delicious and yummy as the next. It took as a while to decide which ones bf and I wanted. 

We ended up with the beef cream roll - asparagus, inoki mushroom, capsicum, cucumber and cream cheese wrapped in thinly sliced beef and barbecued. The dish was drizzled with traditional Korean bbq sauce. The beef was sliced so thin that it acted like a wanton wrap/rice paper wrap highlighting the delicious vegetable produce, which was bbq-ed to perfection. It was such a nice twist to a what would be a traditional bulgogi beef dish.

Beef cream roll ($14)

We also opted for a more traditional Korean dish, the fish jijimi, which is a fish pancake. It was so light, fluffy and the fish fillet was beautifully silky. The batter wasn't thick either, it didn't overpower the fish fillet, the batter was thin highlighting the silky beautiful fish fillet. It was the preferred dish for both bf and I. Dip the fish jijimi into the soy mayo sauce and it's such perfect.

Fish Jijimi ($12)

The entree was followed complimentary, almost palate cleanser dish. There was the kimichi tomato, soy potato and pickled radish. Sweet, tangy, salty flavours prepared our palate for mains.

Like the entrees, bf and I had such difficulty choosing a main to eat, because there was a few that sounded absolutely delicious. After much indecisiveness we chose two dishes that were very much fusion, modern Korean. It is here that you can really taste Leo's expertise in Korean dishes with his understanding, respect and prior experience of Italian foods, because both the mains we chose were the perfect marriage of the two cuisines.

Bf ordered one of The Gaya's most popular dishes, the 36 hour Pork. The pork belly is cooked for at least 36 hours and was placed on top of creamy sweet potato puree paired with a side of tangy, slighly spicy Korean chives salad, glazed apple and soybean paste sauce. This really was modern Korean dish, with flavours of spicy, tangy of Korean, balanced perfect with the sweetness of the glazed apple. The pork belly itself was tender, beautifully cooked and in the words of my bf (who loves his pork belly and loves it with crackle and crispy - for him to say this is a big deal!) "This is second best pork belly dish... The first best being made by me!". I was lucky enough to get a taste test of this and it really was beautiful. I especially loved the chives salad eaten with the pork belly.

36 hour Pork Belly ($30)

I opted for the Beef Short Rib; traditional Korean-style beef short ribs simmered for 24 hours in a beautiful broth consisting of red dates with hearty vegetables of potato and carrot topped with parsnip chips. O.M.G this dish was absolutely heavenly. It was hearty, meaty, extremely tender, it melted in your mouth. The vegetables were also cooked really well. The only disappointment was that I had to leave all the yummy gravy behind because there wasn't anything I can soak it up with! It was also little salty for me, but then I have a low salt tolerance. But this dish is fabulous. It would be even more lovely in winter.

Beef Short Ribs ($30)

After mains, comes the best part of the night... DESSERTS! I really wanted the homemade Red Misu, but bf couldn't really eat any of the other dishes on the menu due to the contents of nuts and anyway he wanted it so I tried something else. 

Red Misu ($8)

The Red Misu was presented as a little pot plant topped with chocolate milo-like soil, chocolate egg-like rocks and mint. It's called a Red Misu because it is tiramisu (biscuits was well soaked in lovely espresso!) mixed through with red bean. It was lovely and I wouldn't mind having it more than just a couple of spoons next time.

My dessert was based on a traditional Korean street food/ho-tuck (snack food). Traditionally it is a warm pancake/brioche-like snack food in Korea. Leo's Gaya Ho-Tuck provides this traditional Korean dish with a modern twist by drizzling it with honey, chocolate with fruits and nuts on the side. The dessert is perfect in winter as it comes out warm. I really enjoyed it and I haven't had anything like this before. Definitely will be getting this again! Not too sweet and not too rich but still makes you feel warm and fuzzy, like you got a big cuddle! The only disappointing thing was the caramel pieces of shards which were burnt! 

Gaya Ho-Tuck ($8)

The Gaya - Modern Korean Restaurant is a little gem of a restaurant and such a good find! Chef Leo's experience in a wealth of restaurants around the world has created modern Korean dishes that are well executed with punches of flavours. There are so many dishes on the menu that I want to try. Bf and I are thinking of bringing back our friends to check out more of the menu. So if you are after a unique Korean experience then head to the Gaya. 

In the meantime I want to thank Leo and his lovely staff for the invitation to try your lovely restaurant. I was such a pleasure to meet you all and WOW to the menu! You will be seeing me again soon!

West End Deli

I love having brunch on weekends (when I haven't got work). It's just nice to sit at a cafe somewhere with good company, gossip, eat good food and drink coffee. It's extremely important with a brunch place that it has a nice ambiance and the coffee has to be good. I decided to go to West End Deli. It's an old favourite of mine and I haven't been there for a while, and can you believe it? my other half haven't been there at all.

The interior hasn't changed much and the little corner shop turned cafe was as packed as it always was. We were lucky and got a seat near the door before an influx of hungry patrons walked through the day. The rustic, bare walls, old type writers in the corner and floating chairs always takes my fancy. 

We decided to order from their lunch menu as it was closer to lunch than it was breakfast. Coffee was in order. Flat white to boost my mood. I don't think there was enough coffee in it (and yes I realise it is a flat white, but you should still be able to taste the coffee).. what a bummer.

 Bf wanted the pork belly that was on the menu, but he was disappointed when the waiter came back to say that it was unavailable, causing bf to grumble "why put it on the menu when you don't even have it.." So he settled for the open steak sandwich. The steak was cooked well and flavoursome. It was enough to fill the belly but not stop bf from grumbling about the lack of pork belly.

I craved for good pan-fried homemade gnocchi, so when West End Deli presented it on their menu I jumped at the chance. I was disappointed though. The gnocchi wasn't cooked through properly. It was still doughy on the inside. It also lacked any sort of flavours. I was not happy with my meal. The gnoochi was very photogenic though, and looked so good to eat, but, alas it was a big let down.

There is something nice about sitting at West End Deli. The hustling and bustling of the open kitchen and the chattering of nearby tables makes it seem very homely. In terms of food quality, I feel as though they have slipped a bit, either that or they were having a bad day. I like to think its the latter.

Sake Bar Restaurant

**UNFORTUNATELY THIS RESTAURANT IS NO LONGER IN OPERATION**

To celebrate the end of JJ and mine Photography short course we headed out for dinner at Sake Bar Restaurant on Francis street in Northbridge. The exterior and interior of Sake Bar Restaurant takes me back to Takayama, Nippon (Japan). Walk across the bridge and you enter an area that is like a ryouken, the "wooden" exterior and wooden furniture, Japanese style booths, "paper walls" is very much like what we saw in the town of Takayama and the ryouken that we stayed at. So lovely.

Sake Bar Restaurant offers sushi and makimono rolls that are made to order, fresh sashimi,  an array of teppanyaki dishes, but their signature menu is the omakase bridge, which is an assortment of sashimi, nigiri sushi oysters, sushi rolls on a wooden omakase bridge.

As it was just JJ and me we didn't get the omakase bridge, but from what we can see from our neighbours it looks amazing. We decided to have a small entree, mains, dessert and then JJ was craving gyoza (as we were having Japanese) so we ended up having a side of that as well. 

We started with something a little light by ordering the Maguro Tataki, which is seared tuna with finely diced tomato, cucumber, red onion drizzled with sweet miso sauce and lemon oil. The tuna was lovely and fresh. The salsa flavours were refreshing and zesty and complemented the delicious sweet miso sauce. The only downside to this dish was how thinly sliced the tuna was. If it was just another half a centimeter thicker (and decreased the amount of tuna pieces on the dish by making it thicker) it would be perfect, as you would be able to taste the tuna a bit more. Nonetheless, the flavours of the dish was fab.

Maguro Tataki

For the mains JJ ordered the Beef teriyaki. Charcoal grilled beef, the aroma was amazing, it makes your mouth water just inhaling it. It was covered in beautiful homemade teriyaki sauce. Cooked perfectly, it was tender, juicy and the hints of charcoal taste through the beef gave it that nice twist to a very Australian-Japanese dish. The serving was also very small and we didn't expect the meat to be cut up like it was.

Beef Teriyaki

I went for the Tooth Fish Chilli Misoyaki. The tooth fish was lightly pan fried and drizzled in Sake's homemade chilli-miso sauce. The fish melted in my mouth (literally), the texture was heavenly. The chilli miso sauce was sticky and sweet (more than chilli). It hit the right spot.

   

Tooth Fish Chilli Misoyaki

If we weren't full enough, we ordered a side of gyoza. Usually with these I find them a little too oily and not enough fillings with the skin being too thick. Sake's gyoza on the other hand, had plenty of filling of pork and vegetable. It was lightly pan fried and wasn't as oily as others I have tried. The Ponzu sauce it came with had the right balance of vinegar, lemon, and soy sauce and cut through the slight grease from the gyoza. 

Gyoza

Of course, celebrations cannot end without having some dessert. And we are both such suckers for homemade matcha and black sesame ice cream it was a no brainer. 

I was lucky to try a bit of JJ's matcha ice cream. I love it how the taste of matcha was plentiful and evident in the ice cream. It was sweet enough and the strong matcha flavour however didn't over power the ice cream. With a dab of red bean paste on top it was just lovely.

The black sesame ice cream was just delicious. I love the texture of this black sesame ice cream, it's creamy, indulgent and didn't have that sandy texture like some others do. BUT you can tell the black sesame has been in the freezer for too long as occasionally I would get pieces of ice through the ice cream, which was a bit of a let down.

Of course, the place also has an extensive drinks list, after all it is a bar too. It has a few Japanese beers - Asahi, Sapporo, Kirin Ichiban, some imported beers and of course Australian beers too. As the name suggests, Sake Bar Restaurant also has a nice selection of sakes along with a sweet list of shoyu. Pity I had to drive so didn't get a chance to try a couple of the sakes and shoyu. 

The staff at Sake Bar and Restaurant are lovely, friendly, accommodating, and attentive. The quality and flavours of the food at Sake Bar Restaurant is delicious. Compared to the other up and coming Japanese places, it is priced nicely, although the servings are small, it is no different to the serving sizes of other Japanese restaurants. Having the entertainment card will further decrease the cost of the meal, but it really isn't that bad to begin with. If you are in Northbridge and wants Japanese that's a little more than sushi head into Francis street and cross the bridge into Sake Bar Restaurant.

 

Red Opium

I love a good Thai restaurant and especially so when you can share it with family and friends. So I was so glad to discover this place through a fellow blogger, maybe you have heard of them? Perth Food Engineers. Since I went with M, I've been raving about it and recommending it to everyone who is up for a little twist in Thai food... So what and where is this place you ask? Well, it's called Red Opium and it's on Hill street opposite the Perth Mint. 

When we entered Red Opium it was like we stumbled upon some old Chinese opium lair with huge paintings of Chinese ladies lazing around in couches smoking, lots of red chiffon drapes, wooden chairs and tables, "antique" Chinese decorations and a traditional opium smoking "bed". It reflected the name of the restaurant brilliantly!

When we got to our seat, the booking name was under M and her name was placed in a wooden frame, which I thought was such a nice, personal touch. 

Lucky for me, M had looked at the menu and seeing as we have similar taste it was easy to agree. Before we get into what we ordered, I love how they can adjust the spiciness of the dishes and as M has almost no tolerance to spicy foods we ordered extra spice on the side, which meant fresh cut chilli (generous amount at that) in a bowl. I recommend for those who can't tolerant spicy foods to definitely ask for less spice for most of the dishes, as chilli seemed to be present in almost everything.

The menu at Red Opium is crafted by head chef Jak. It marries fresh Australian produce with Thai-inspired cooking and fare with the flavours of Thai and ole school favourite Thai dishes expressed in an exquisite style.

We started off with the small plates - Yin and Yang. It was presented in a cute wicker basket scale that held two different dips - a white dip that was a creamy prawn and minced coconut balanced on the other side is the red dip of minced pork and tomato. The dips were accompanied by papadum-styled crackers and lettuce.

Yin and Yang dips

Apart from the gorgeous presentation of the Yin and Yang, the dips were spectacular. The white dip was the perfect mix of coconut and cream with chopped pieces of prawn through it. The chilli helped cut through the richness of the cream. The minced pork and tomato had hints of spices and chilli through it and was oddly similar to my parent's version of "minced meat spaghetti Asian style". 

The next dish to come out was surprisingly yummy. Son in Law Eggs - The eggs are boiled then lightly fried to have a crispy exterior drizzled with tamarind and topped with dried chillies and fried sweet garlic. The sweet-tart flavour of the tamarind, the creamy texture of the egg with the hints of chilli flavour was just divine. Just make sure you DO NOT EAT THE DRIED chillies because they are HOT (unless of course you like it like that). 

Son-in-law eggs

To offset the creamy rich Thai-infused dishes that were coming out, we decided to cut through it by ordering the Crudo tuna. The Crudo tuna was served on Chinese spoons. The tuna was fresh and the flavours of lemongrass, lime and hint of chilli was refreshing on the palate and was almost like a palate cleanser.

Crudo Tuna

Crab Crawl

The last small plate we ordered was the crab crawls. Golden and crunchy on the outside with succulent crab meat on the inside.  

If the small plates left you wanting more there are larger plates that on offer and they are also perfect to share.

We ordered two very different larger dishes for sharing. The first is a twist on the traditional Thai Red Curry. It was called F-Duck. Roasted duck and veggies in red curry flavours with sweet lychees throughout the dish. We made the F-Duck mild in chilli, but if you think you can handle it go up the heat radar. It was so delicious, the curry needs to be soaked up, so make sure you grab yourself a side of steamed rice!

F-Duck

Then there was the Kiss of Death with lightly fried king prawns with fried lotus leaves on homemade corn chips tossed through chilli flakes and coriander leaves. The prawns were plump and juicy with the perfect amount of heat, it was a beautiful kiss of death. 

Kiss of Death

The dishes at the Red Opium are fabulous and I can't wait to try more of the menu. Price wise it's reasonable and it's currently on the Entertainment Card. The service? It's fabulous. Friendly, personal, cheerful and informative. The only downside is that they are a cash only venue. If you get a chance, check out Red Opium, it's a little twist on traditional Thai dishes, but the flavours are most definitely there.