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en foodie cravings, a Perth food blog http://feedpress.me/foodie-cravings Perth restaurant, cafe and bar reviews Wed, 27 May 2015 15:29:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2 Meal planning sorted for the week thanks to You Plate it! http://foodiecravings.com.au/2015/05/meal-planning-sorted-for-the-week-thanks-to-you-plate-it/ http://foodiecravings.com.au/2015/05/meal-planning-sorted-for-the-week-thanks-to-you-plate-it/#comments Mon, 25 May 2015 09:55:20 +0000 http://foodiecravings.com.au/?p=11664 I’ve been buying locally and cooking A LOT more since junior burger. I went from eating out 4 of 7 days pre junior burger days to now making sure there’s lunch & dinner prepared almost every day of the week!

So I’m not spending hours in the kitchen every day, meal planning and food prep has become a part of my weekly routine. So I was pretty excited when You Plate It offered to do my meal plans & shopping earlier this month. A week’s break from not needing to think about what to cook or grocery shop is the best! I think I can get very use to You Plate It :)

A few Sundays ago I came home to this You Plate It box…

Inside this couples box was four dinner recipe cards with each of the ingredients in exact quantities bundled in eco friendly biodegradable bags labeled with the recipe.

This is what my meal plan looked like the other week…

MONDAY – I gave burger boy the four recipe cards and told him to pick one. He is into his Mexican food so first up were these cheesy beef enchiladas. I loved the cheesy goodness and the addition of spinach which gave it a healthy twist :)

You-Plate-It-Mexican-Ingredients You-Plate-It-Beef-Enchiladas-Ingredients You-Plate-It-Beef-Enchiladas-Recipe

TUESDAY – I cooked Pork dan dan noodles. I was skeptical at first as my mum cooks amazing noodles but absolutely loved this one bowl dish. It’s simple but tasty.

You-Plate-It-Pork-Dan-Dan-Ingredients You-Plate-It-Pork-Dan-Dan-Noodles

WEDNESDAY – I took the night off cooking & ordered home delivery from EatNow.

THURSDAY – I wasn’t in the mood to cook either and took out pulled beef from the freezer to make tacos.

FRIDAY – I made up for my hiatus on Wednesday & Thursday and did a double cook up! I cooked You Plate It’s Crispy Fish and Cracked Freekah with Orange, Thai Basil and Chilli Glaze for dinner that night and Chicken with white pan sauce for lunch the following day. These two recipes were a bit plain for my liking but I did enjoy my first taste of Freekah and will be cooking with it again.

You-Plate-It-Fish You-Plate-It-Chicken

Some days I just don’t feel like thinking about what to plate up or get bored of what I normally cook so I love the You Plate It concept. Besides supporting a local Perth business who pays it forward by sourcing their produce locally, I find it’s a great way of getting new recipe inspiration and learning new cooking techniques.

You Plate It would have been amazing if they were around when I was working full time by day and working on our business by night (read more about burger boy & I’s foodie journey here) as we were eating out almost every night. I would have had a healthier diet and saved time as each of the You Plate It recipes took under 40 minutes to cook.

If you’d like to leave it to You Plate It to meal plan for you, here’s what’s available:

Couples / Vegetarian Box
2 recipes weekly subscription – $65
4 recipes weekly subscription – $99
Trial box (2 recipes) – $70

Family Box
2 recipes weekly subscription – $99
4 recipes weekly subscription – $175
Trial box (2 recipes) – $109

To check out You Plate It’s recipes or find out more visit their website www.youplateit.com.au

Disclaimer: foodie cravings was provided a You Plate It couples box to review, all opinions are my own. See disclosure policy for more details.

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Lunch date with a good book & Di Bella Coffee at JACS Applecross http://foodiecravings.com.au/2015/05/lunch-date-with-a-good-book-di-bella-coffee-at-jacs-applecross/ http://foodiecravings.com.au/2015/05/lunch-date-with-a-good-book-di-bella-coffee-at-jacs-applecross/#comments Thu, 21 May 2015 09:55:02 +0000 http://foodiecravings.com.au/?p=11765 Thanks to Di Bella Coffee, my writer Karina enjoyed coffee and lunch at JACS Applecross earlier this week. Read on for what she thought.

I believe my day hasn’t really begun until I have had a coffee. So today I decided to start my day a little later than normal and enjoy a Di Bella Coffee and lunch at JACS Applecross. Nestled in a quaint little street of Applecross lays a lovely modern restaurant which serves a variety of contemporary dishes. JACS provides an informal bar and dining experience for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Di Bella Coffee is an Australian Roaster and coffee supplier located in Brisbane, and is currently being served up at JACS in Applecross as well around the world. After learning that Di Bella’s coffee is organically produced and is the only company in Australia to source 100% of their beans from the farmers I was curious to find out how well their coffee actually tasted. As usual I ordered my standard flat white ($4) and waited anxiously to begin my day. The coffee was smooth and light with quite a delicate flavour. The perfect coffee for a lovely lunch date with a good book (my favourites are anything written by Jane Austen).

$4 Flat white brewed with Di Bella Coffee

Of course there was no way I was leaving JACS without having a proper meal but choosing what to eat soon became quite difficult. The lunch menu features a range of delicious sounding food such as the saffron linguini with crab, chilli, garlic, roasted cherry tomatoes and white wine for $34. I slowly narrowed it down to two options; the potato gnocchi with pumpkin puree, spinach, burnt butter sauce, sage and parmesan ($34) and the vegetarian croquettes with roasted pepper coulis ($14). Even though I find croquettes irresistible, my taste buds had already decided on the potato gnocchi.

The gnocchi was fluffy and light and the sweetness of the pumpkin contrasted beautifully with the burnt butter and sage. Overall I loved this meal, the only problem I had was that there just wasn’t enough of it there, although I don’t think I could have physically fitted any more into myself.

$34 Potato gnocchi with pumpkin puree, spinach, burnt butter sauce, sage and parmesan

After having such a delicious lunch I absolutely had to stay for dessert! The desserts range from $14 – 15 and feature not just desserts but also dessert wines and a cheese board. Once again making a decision was becoming quite arduous, if I had it my way I probably would have ordered all of them. Unfortunately my stomach would not have been able to endure it so I inevitably had to make a decision. I love the idea of chocolate soil, so I just had to choose the malted mousse with plum jelly and chocolate soil.

A decision I was very pleased with as it looked spectacular! I was ready to eat it the minute it was placed on the table, even the few minutes it took me to take a couple of photos was treacherously keeping me from what looked like absolute heaven.

$14 Malted mousse with plum jelly and chocolate soil

JACS Applecross offers excellent dishes and well-made coffee, served by friendly and experienced staff. A perfect place to finally catch up with the girls, your book or even a romantic date. I enjoyed my dining experience at JACS and can’t wait to go back to try some more food and have another of the beautifully made Di Bella Coffees.

A bit about Karina

If someone were to record all my thoughts for a day, they would be astonished by the perpetual insatiable hunger I have for food. I constantly desire food, but not just any food, the most fabulous food I can find. From healthy low-carb high-protein power balls to decadent chocolate filled desserts, I will readily devour anything that looks and tastes fabulous!

JACS Applecross on Urbanspoon

Di Bella Coffee is available at Lamont’s Bishop House in the city, Metrio & Co in North Perth and other cafes across Perth. Other Perth cafes stocking Di Bella Coffee are listed on their website and coffee blends are also available for purchase online.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for Di Bella Coffees. Please refer to foodie cravings disclosure policy for more details.

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140 Perth food round up! http://foodiecravings.com.au/2015/05/140-perth-food-round-up/ http://foodiecravings.com.au/2015/05/140-perth-food-round-up/#comments Tue, 19 May 2015 03:27:21 +0000 http://foodiecravings.com.au/?p=11678 I love the buzz 140 brings to the city and their focus on bringing quality and different food options to Perth.

Here’s my 140 Perth round up featuring what I’ve tried and the exciting new additions open next month.

Finding decent coffee whilst shopping in the city used to be tough so having new cafes like Max + Sons pop up closer to the malls really excites me.

Owned by the same family behind Mo Espresso, Max + Sons which is named after their grandpa Max, is an extension of Mo Espresso with food and drinks available for take-away and dine-in. Like Mo Espresso, this new café holds true to the family’s vision of sharing good coffee with friends.

I headed along to a tasting at Max & Son last month and despite not wanting to have coffee after 5pm, how I could I say no to a latte made with five senses?

Max+Sons-Five-Senses-Coffee Max+Sons-Latte Max+Sons-4

My latte was creamy smooth just the way I like it. Good thing I had worn myself out that day so I was still able to sleep that night.

Coffee of course isn’t the same without a sweet of some sort…donuts filled with strawberries and cream were the perfect match. I’m told Max + Sons donuts are delivered by Top Dup and are often snapped up by 10am – you’re lucky to get one at midday so if you’re keen for a donut be sure to get there early.

I also had a taste of the pulled pork sliders with chimichurri and a couple of sandwiches. All good lunch options if you’re after something quick and tasty. The coffee prices are decent too. You’ll part with $3.50 for a regular and $4.50 for a large.

Max+Sons-Donuts Max+Sons-Sliders Max+Sons-1

Max + Sons on Urbanspoon

burger boy and I love a good German feed so we headed here last month with junior burger. We both ordered the pisner beer as recommended by the waiter and it was just we felt like, light and easy to drink.

For those of you with babies, there’s high chairs and it’s a pretty open space so it was reassuring for us to know that if junior burger planned on letting the Perth CBD know she has a loud voice, there’s a good chance it’d be drowned out by the surrounding tables :)

The pork ribs had plenty of flavour and a good kick of spice. They were tender enough for me but burger boy said he would have liked the meat falling off the bone and to melt in his mouth.

Dining at a German restaurant, we had to have sausages and they were my highlight. Let me tell you they didn’t taste like your $2 sausage sizzle sausages at Bunnings 😉

Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant on Urbanspoon

I was super keen to check out Bam Bam Boo after lunching at Brotzeit the Sunday arvo we headed into town so I just ordered BBQ pork buns for dessert. It was a bit dry and the filling was a bit small for my liking but from what I’ve heard the BBQ Pork Buns aren’t the top picks on the menu. I will be back to try the dumplings and noodles next time! On the plus side, I LOVE their iPad ordering system which was quick and easy.

BamBamBoo-2 BamBamBoo-Ordering Bambamboo-BBQ-Pork-Buns

Bambamboo on Urbanspoon

If you’re after a decent ice chocolate or a fancy dessert, Koko Black is worth a visit, the prices are really decent too. Koko Black Perth was featured in my New Restaurants & Bars round up post here.

Koko-Black-Perth-1 Koko-Black-Perth-2 Koko-Black-3

Married into an Italian family, I have to say the food is just ok but it’s the value for money that I love about Jamie’s. It’s awesome that you can have a restaurant experience with a good feed and great service for under $40 for two, which pretty much puts Jamie’s price in the same bracket as Nandos. I blogged about Jamie’s Italian here.

New-York-Good-Morning-America-Jamie-Oliver Jamie-Oliver-Perth-Restaurant Jamies-Italian-cannelloni

burger boy and I are huge carnivores so we can’t wait to try Rib & Burgers open flame chargrilling technique when they open on Friday 26 June. I’m told this South African way of barbecuing – braaing, ensures there’s a signature char on the meat.

A new diner serving classic American food is set to open towards the end of next month with hot dogs, pizza, waffles and sundaes on the menu. It’s described by the venue owners as a diner meets warehouse experience. Check out the concept drawing provided by East Village below, looks like a really cool space!

East Village concept

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Brave the rain & have a Taste of Perth http://foodiecravings.com.au/2015/05/making-my-dollars-stretch-at-taste-of-perth-2015/ http://foodiecravings.com.au/2015/05/making-my-dollars-stretch-at-taste-of-perth-2015/#comments Sat, 16 May 2015 08:26:21 +0000 http://foodiecravings.com.au/?p=11689 Most of you will know I have a pretty good appetite and I like to eat a bit of everything. So my food plan for Taste of Perth 2015 was to make my dollars stretch by finding dishes which were less than 10 crowns (1 crown = 1 dollar).

If you love your food, put on your rain coat or use Taste of Perth’s free poncho (frees the hands up for more food) and brave it out in the rain at Taste of Perth this weekend. There’s a dinner session tonight and lunch session tomorrow left, get your Taste of Perth tickets here before it wraps up for another year.

These are my Taste of Perth 2015 top cheap eats, hover over the images for details…

Mary Street Bakery - Doughnut ($6) El Publico - Pork Belly Taco ($8) Lalla Rookh - Ricotta Gnocchi ($8) Sweetly Baked Cupcakes - Salted Caramel Popcorn & Maple French Toast (2 for $9) Modo Gelato - Salted Caramel & Honeycomb ($4) Asado BBQ - Lomito ($8) Bib & Tucker - suckling pig slider ($8) Propellers Grilled - Occy ($10) El Publico - Street Corn ($6)

Thanks to Electrolux, I also got to try some of Taste of Perth 2015 icon dishes from Perth’s hottest restaurants and drink to my heart content with car transfers provided yesterday.

If you’re planning to splurge a little, Nobu’s icon dish is well worth a try. This 9+ Wagyu Carpaccio with quail egg, aji amarillo aioli & soy-salt dish ($32) is absolutely amazing, everything just melts in your mouth…

I also enjoyed a glass of Charles-Heidsieck Brut NV at The Heritage Champagne Bar using 24 of the 30 crowns I was gifted…

Every time I go to a food festival, I have this irresistable urge to create myself a “show bag” so I can continue to enjoy the festival at home :) So after eating and drinking my way through Taste of Perth over three hours, I purchased a meal kit from Turban Chopsticks ($35 for five products), two cupcakes from sweetly baked ($9) which we had for breakfast today and a ciabatta loaf ($3) & croissant ($3) from New Norcia Bakery.

Turban Chopsticks meal kit ($35 for five products) Sweetly Baked Cupcakes - Salted Caramel Popcorn & Maple French Toast (2 for $9) New Norcia Bakery - Ciabatta Loaf ($3) New Norcia Bakery - Croissant ($3)

Just like last year I love that Taste of Perth gives you a really good taste of Perth in the one space. My to eat list has never been longer, first up will be Asado and Mary Street Larder!!

Check out my bro’s Taste of Perth preview post for more must eats.

Disclaimer: foodie cravings was invited to Taste of Perth as a guest of Electrolux. Admission, car transfers, 30 crowns and tastings from Nobu, El Publico & Lalla Rookhr were provided. All other purchases were my own. See foodie cravings disclosure policy for further details.

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Taste of Perth 2015 preview http://foodiecravings.com.au/2015/05/taste-of-perth-2015-preview/ http://foodiecravings.com.au/2015/05/taste-of-perth-2015-preview/#comments Fri, 15 May 2015 03:00:42 +0000 http://foodiecravings.com.au/?p=11617 My little bro (aka foodie cravings editor) got a preview of Taste of Perth last week, read on for his tips on what to eat at this foodie festival this weekend!

Scroll down to the bottom of this post for more on Taste of Perth’s 2015 menu which is set to be even better and more affordable than last year’s.

Taste on Tour – a preview of Taste of Perth 2015 Festival

Last Thursday night, I attended the Taste on Tour event, a preview and showcase of some of the restaurants in this year’s Taste of Perth festival that will be running from 15th to 17th May at Langley Park.

Taste of Perth is a food festival which started from humble beginnings in London ten years ago. Today… it’s grown into an annual event held across 22 different cities around the world with a philosophy of creating a ‘foodie heaven’ and after attending the Taste on Tour night…. I think they have really hit the mark.

We were taken on a foodie journey that started at el Publico and then transported by a Perth Tram to Lalla Rookh (two of my fave restaurants) and ending at No 4 on Blake. At each restaurant, a selection of dishes were brought out for tasting and prior to serving, the Chef would talk us through what we will be eating. It was really fantastic hearing about the passion and effort that goes into each dish.

Here are my highlights…

el Publico

Pork Belly Taco – pork belly, charred pinapple salsa picante, chicharon

El Publico - Street Tacos

The pork belly was extra crispy and went really well with the soft tortilla taco shell.

Fried Crickets

El Publico - Fried Crickets

I’ve ordered the fried crickets before, so I wasn’t fazed to try them again. The seasoning had a cayenne pepper like flavour. Texture wise… biting into these bad boys kind of reminds me of biting into the softer parts of a prawn shell.

Two Village Mezcals

El Publico - Two Village Mezcals

We were also served Two Village Mezcals shots. They were like Tequila shots with a twist, chilli salt instead of normal salt and a spicy Sangrita chaser.

If you’re an alcohol aficionado, be sure to check out El Publico’s seminars about agave spirits at Taste of Perth.

Lalla Rookh

Braised Lamb Shank – medieval style with sweet spices and prunes

Lalla Rookh - Braised Lamb Shank

Organic polenta and parmigiana, Nonna’s style

Lalla Rookh - Organic Polenta

I think the two dishes really complimented each other. The Braised Lamb Shank had a nice subtle flavour to it and was cooked to perfection with the meat falling off the bone.

The Chef described the polenta as a traditional style polenta set into the shape of bread. I found it had a nice and salty flavour and combined with the subtleness of the Lamb Shank, was a winning combination.

Meatballs, ricotta gnocchi and fried custard are some of the dishes Lalla Rookh will be serving at Taste of Perth.

Next Door at No. 4

No4 Risotto – cauliflower, cocoa, burnt rice crisp

No 4 on Blake - Rissotto

The Chef described this as ‘bitterness’ inspired dish through the use of burnt rice crisps. The cauliflower through the risotto reminded me of a cauliflower mash that my fiancé Little Miss Bacon (she loves bacon) and I used to make as a potato mash substitute during our low-carb eating phase.

Valhrona Chocolate Garden – salted caramel, peanut dacquoise, sandalwood rock

No 4 on Blake - Choc Garden

I tried this dessert when I visited No 4 on Blake as my sister Michelle’s + 1 and tricked her into eating sweet bread gnocchi :)

My first and last impression of this dessert is the same… it is to die for and a must try for all chocolate lovers. My mouth is actually watering just thinking about it. With every bite, you get the chocolate or Milo powder that resembles soil, soft rich chocolate mousse and chunks of peanut dacquoise and salted caramel bursts.

I’m actually more of a savoury then a sweet lover, but this the type of dessert I’d be willing to skip my main for.

I’ll be heading straight to Next Door at No.4 when Taste of Perth is in town!

Crickets ain’t my thing and I must say I did freak a little when uploading my little bro’s pic. I am glad my bro’s post ended with No.4 Blake’s Valhrona Chocolate Garden as I still remember how amazing it was when I visited there last.

Anyway moving right along! The main feedback Taste of Perth received last year was that the food options were too expensive. So they’ve worked on some more affordable menu items, here are some of the dishes you can try for under $10…

  • Nobu’s Seared Salmon Sashimi – chocolate, yuzu karashiso miso, cocoa nibs & fried katafi ($10)
  • Modo Mio’s Vitello Tonnato – veal, tuna & caper mayo, quail egg, truffle oil ($6)
  • el Publico’s Pork Belly Taco (as featured above) – braised and fried served with roasted pineapple, salsa picante and chicharon ($8)
  • Mary Street Bakery Doughnut – peanut butter, jam & crunch ($6).
  • Asado’s Lomito – BBQ’d rump cap, loose leaf chimmichurri, chipotle mayo, salsa criolla ($8)
  • Next Door at No.4’s Croquettes (as featured above) – taleggio, broccolini, lardo & hazelnut marmalade ($10)
  • Propeller’s Grilled Occy – peas, smoked almonds and feta salad ($10)
  • Bib & Tucker’s Flinders Island Wallaby Shank – puffed wild rice, pickled grape agrodolce ($16)
  • Lalla Rookh’s Fried Custard – candied citrus, toasted almonds ($6)

Last year I managed to eat my way through Taste of Perth in 90 minutes before heading to Sushia for dinner. This year I’ve cleared my diary so I can pace my eating :)

Taste of Perth tickets start from $36 and are available via Ticketek. General admission tickets will also be available at the door, see foodie cravings Taste of Perth 2015 latest news listing for more details.

Disclaimer: foodie cravings was invited to Taste on Tour as a guest, please see disclosure policy for more details.

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Some nights I just want to EatNow and not talk to anyone http://foodiecravings.com.au/2015/05/some-nights-i-just-want-to-eatnow-and-not-talk-to-anyone/ http://foodiecravings.com.au/2015/05/some-nights-i-just-want-to-eatnow-and-not-talk-to-anyone/#comments Thu, 07 May 2015 12:00:11 +0000 http://foodiecravings.com.au/?p=11645 Whoever came up with the idea of online takeaway and home delivery – you rock!

Last night was one of those nights where I just wanted dinner to effortlessly appear in my kitchen! junior burger had decided to let us sleep in which was pretty awesome considering it was a cold morning and pretty snuggly in bed. But like everything, there’s always a trade off for cool wins like this. Yep it took me a good hour and a half to get her to bed last night. After singing “Wheels on the bus” like a broken record for the millionth time, the last thing I wanted to do was cook dinner!

So it was pretty good timing that I was approached by EatNow website earlier in the week to have dinner on them – yep hassle free online ordering with no human interaction except for the delivery driver.

EatNow website

I’m a regular EatNow customer and often order through their website. I’ve had almost every cuisine that delivers to my area now :) Last night I tried Vietnamese from Lemongrass Vietnamese & Thai Restaurant, the time before I had Nepalese from Mo:Mo’s Nepalese Restaurant and almost every other time I’ve order two servings of butter chicken, chicken tikka and heaps of naan from my favourite Saffron Indian Restaurant in Inglewood.

Love love the Indian food at Saffron - best local discovery!

I received my Lemongrass order in under 45 minutes as per the SMS I received from EatNow and the delivery driver was respectful of my note to not wake junior burger on arrival. I am however pretty fussy with my Vietnamese food as my mum cooks amazing Vietnamese. I ordered rice paper rolls ($7 for two), satay chicken skewers ($8 for three), a Vietnamese caramel clay pot ($18) and honey lemon chicken (11.50) for burger boy. The rice paper rolls was the only dish I enjoyed, the others lacked flavour and the clay pot was a bit oily.

Lemongrass-Vietnamese-Thai-Restaurant-Entrees Lemongrass-Vietnamese-Thai-Restaurant-Lemon-Honey-Chicken

What I love about ordering through EatNow is that I get to try local restaurants that I wouldn’t have otherwise. Some are hits like MoMo and Saffron, others like last night’s dinner from Lemongrass Vietnamese & Thai Restaurant were misses but for the convenience of home delivery & not talking to anyone I’m always happy to give the newbies a go.

Disclaimer: this is a sponsored post, see foodie cravings disclosure policy for further details.

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