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The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” – G.K. Chesterton

Thursday 31 May 2012

Lunch @ ZAKS (Discovery Bay), Hong Kong

Last weekend we hopped on the ferry and headed out to Discovery Bay on Lantau Island, about a 25-minute ride from the pier in Central. It was almost exactly 2 years ago when we first went to DB to check it out as part of our considerations of where to live in Hong Kong. It's quite a lovely location, and not even the thunderstorm forecast nor the fact that we weren't there for pleasure could stop us from enjoying the spacious greenery, (relatively) fresh air and the laidback atmosphere that makes DB a very popular living choice for expats. As it turned out, it did not rain once when we were there on Sunday, and the sun even made a cheery appearance. We had an enjoyable lunch at ZAKS, one of the more popular restaurants in Discovery Bay Plaza. We'd eaten its famed banoffee pie on our first trip 2 years ago, and it was nice to finally try out ZAKS' main menu.

Our 3.5-year-old is now old enough to appreciate that he has something very important in common with the restaurant's name:

Double levels to the already spacious restaurant:

Space is definitely not an issue on this island, and this is reflected by ZAKS' expansive interior. There is a large beachfront dining terrace and dining alfresco is hugely popular here, but I'd booked for an indoor table because I wasn't keen on getting rained on, nor having to deal with the muggy heat and mosquitoes. The only thing we didn't like about the restaurant design was the fact that there is only one unisex toilet to service the whole restaurant, and it was up a flight of stairs! In fact, hubby and kid were directed to use the public toilets outside (also up another flight of stairs) because the upstairs dining area hadn't yet opened for service. It's a small inconvenience but doubly so with a young child. Service was basic but adequate and friendly enough. The menu was impressively extensive, ranging from pizza and pasta to Asian noodles and curries as well as some Mexican dishes and various meat and seafood plates. I'm always a little wary about restaurants that offer such a wide range of cuisines as it leaves little room for quality control, but we stuck to the basics and weren't disappointed.

Honey & Chilli Prawn Skewers for the boy who loves prawns. They were nicely cooked and tasty:

Hubby got the #9 ZAKS House-special Pizza on "super thin crispy crust", which was quite good. There were sausages, ham, pepperoni, green peppers, onion & pineapple, and hubby requested an additional topping of olives - these toppings turned out to be a good combination, and I loved the crispy crust:

Sweet Pumpkin & Asparagus Risotto. This was a delicious vegetarian option. The rice grains were perfectly cooked to a lovely creamy texture but with an al dente crunch, and the pumpkin, peas and asparagus were delicious:

We had an enjoyable experience at ZAKS. It's worth a visit if you find yourself in Discovery Bay.

ZAKS
Shop G04 (Ground Floor) & 103 (1st Floor),
Block A, D Deck,
Discovery Bay Plaza,
Lantau Island
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2987 6232

Friday 25 May 2012

Japanese @ Matsuri, Perth

One of the last things we ate in Perth was Japanese food. For some reason, it's easier to get good sushi and fresh sashimi in Australia than in Hong Kong. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the sheer number of Japanese restaurants in HK leaves so much room for poor quality ones. Or perhaps food quality standards in Australia is better. Whatever the reason, I knew that sushi would be on our food itinerary when we went back to Perth recently for a short trip. (Of course, it goes without saying that nothing can ever compare to the excellent fish and seafood in Japan itself, and that is one of the things I miss most about our 4 years living in Japan.) Matsuri is one of my sister's favourite 'nice Japanese' in Perth CBD, and we had a few meals here back in the days when hubby and I were still living in Perth. It's kinda nice to see that it's still going after so many years. It's a popular lunch spot with the white-collared professionals who work in the area, and Matsuri was full of them on the day we lunched with my friends from university. The entrance is prettily decorated with a water feature and riverstones, and the interior has a clean and contemporary design. Matsuri employs Japanese waitstaff (with good English), so the service was polite and efficient. One of our waitress was delighted when hubby responded in Japanese to her, and I found it easier to explain my son's allergies in Japanese. The menu contains the standard sushi and sashimi fare that is found in most standard Japanese restaurants outside of Japan, as well as the ubiquitous teriyaki, tempura and katsu options. On weekdays, you can also oder the daily special lunch box.

The 6-piece California Roll, for the 3.5-year-old. In the past you would never see me going for the California roll, but it's a great all-in-one combination of carbs, protein and vegs for the little ones (getting the little ones to eat the roll without mess is another matter):

Hubby's Una Don Set (grilled freshwater eel) which came with salad, rice and miso soup. It was pretty good unagi, but I thought there was too much teriyaki sauce (which is not the right sauce for it, but let's not get technical here):

I ordered the small Assorted Sushi Set, served with salad and soup. If I'd known the California roll was included in this set, I would probably have not ordered the separate 6-piece plate (pictured above). The seafood were fresh, and I enjoyed the salad doused in Japanese dressing:

We enjoyed lunch at Matsuri, but the menu offers only a very limited taste into the vast offerings of Japanese cuisine. Nonetheless, it's still a solid choice for Japanese in Perth.

Matsuri
Lower level, QVI Building
250 St Georges Terrace
Perth, WA 6000
Australia
Tel. +61 8 9322 7737

Matsuri Japanese on Urbanspoon

Thursday 24 May 2012

Tarts Cafe, Northbridge (WA, Australia)

Dining out with someone who has food allergies is quite troublesome, something we've had to deal with for the past 2+ years since our 3.5 year old son - who has multiple food allergies - started eating the same food as us. We rarely make spontaneous dining choices, and I usually invest some time into restaurant research prior to making plans to go out for the day. One of my older sisters recently discovered that she was gluten-intolerant, so eating gluten-free became a part of her life and also of those around her. During our final days in Perth, we had dinner with my siblings one last time before we flew back to Hong Kong. In the lead up to that day, I conducted an internet search for restaurants offering gluten-free menus in Perth, and was surprised to find that there were more than a few of them around. Tarts Cafe looked pretty good, and my siblings said aye to the suggestion.

Tarts Cafe from the outside on Lake Street:

The address states Northbridge, which is Perth's main nightlife district, but this cozy cafe is located away some distance away from the main action. This meant that parking was very easy to find, and we all could park together (no less than three cars!) directly opposite the restaurant.

Vintage is a word that comes to mind:

The restaurant had a cozy atmosphere, and there were various knick-knacks for sale such as bags, jewellery, scarfs, baby clothes and body care products. There was a little corner where one can sit back and flip through a newspaper or magazine, and the kiddies could also amuse themselves with the toys in the toy box. We were warmly greeted and shown to our seats by a friendly gentleman. The place was run by only two staff that evening - the manager and the chef - which added to the intimate and homely atmosphere. The service was the most efficient hubby and I have ever experienced! More on that later on.

Toy box and kids' books:

Tarts Cafe is popular for breakfast and lunch (especially for brunch on weekends), but it is also open for dinner on weekdays. The dinner menu had a nice range of starters, salads and mains, and gluten-free items are clearly indicated on the printed menu. For dessert, just choose from the delicious variety behind the glass on display next to the cashier counter.

Spoilt for dessert choice - slices, cupckes, muffins, tarts and other delectable sweets:

In addition to catering for my gluten-free sister, our allergy requests were also attended to. Ordering was a breeze, and amazingly none of the eight adults ordered the same dish. We were very impressed when the chef single-handedly prepared and plated eight different dishes, and all the dishes were served simultaneously, still warm and fresh. That was a feat we have not experienced before when dining in a big group at a restaurant. The food was of excellent quality and mouthwateringly tasty.

Chocolate milkshake, which was nice and chocolatey:

Tarts Bread - toasted herb and garlic ciabatta bread. Garlicky and buttery:

Hubby ordered the Chicken - breast stuffed with camembert cheese wrapped in pancetta, served with a tomato, asparagus and fennel fricassee and a creamy pesto sauce (which was served on the side due to our son's nut allergies):

Cross-section of the breast to show the cheesy filling. The breast was moist with plenty of flavour coming from the pancetta and cheese, and the vegetable fricassee was also quite yummy:

I ordered the Grilled Fish of the Day, which was Gold Band Snapper, served with creamy mashed potatoes and a garden salad. This one was a winner, with its crispy skin and juicy tender flesh:

Dessert was Cranberry Tart from the display case. I loved the shortcrust pastry and the filling was just right on the sweetness level. I probably could have finished off the whole thing, if not for the fact that we were heading to a friend's San Churros after, where more sweet stuff awaited us:

We had an enjoyable dinner at Tarts. Hubby is still amazed at the efficiency of the chef!

Tarts Cafe
212 Lake Street
Northbridge, WA 6003
Australia
Tel. +61 8 9328 6607

Tarts Cafe on Urbanspoon

Monday 21 May 2012

Pizza Bella Roma, Fremantle (WA, Australia)

Whenever we dine out with my in-laws, it's hard to go wrong with Italian food. Pizza and pasta is a crowd-pleaser with Caucasians in general, and it's usually a safe choice for my son who has multiple food allergies. We'd hung out with hubby's folks on a glorious Saturday down in Freo during our recent trip to Perth. When it was lunch time, no one hesitated at the suggestion of Italian at Pizza Bella Roma as we were walking past the restaurant. Hubby's family had eaten here before, and they fell in love with the chilli mussels. The restaurant has a prime location on South Terrace with good exposure to pedestrian traffic, and it didn't take long before the tables filled up. I was told that there is usually a queue for a table at peak meal periods, but we arrived a few minutes before Pizza Bella Roma opened for lunch and were told by staff to just grab an outside table while waiting. It really was a great day for al fresco dining.

Great spot for al fresco dining, something I really miss doing (Hong Kong weather is not very good for anything outdoors, except for maybe one month out of the whole year):

Pizza Bella Roma is a relatively casual pizzeria with prompt service. The menu had all sorts of pizzas you could think of, and just as many pasta options too. There were a few salad and meat options for those who are watching their carbs (as were my father-in-law and his wife). There is the choice of small, large or family-sized pizzas, and serving sizes were quite generous. The food was decent as far as Italian food is concerned outside of Italy, but certainly not the best we've had.

Not the minimalist when it comes to food, hubby ordered a large The Works Pizza with ham, bacon, hot salami, smoked mussels, anchovies, prawns, capsicum, onion, tomato, mushroom, olives and pineapple. There were many salty toppings like ham, bacon, salami, anchovies and olives, and whilst the first slice was enjoyable, it got a bit difficult eating subsequent slices due to the saltiness. The large pizza was too large for hubby, and we could eat all but one slice:

I got the Cannelloni - large tubes of pasta filled with ricotta cheese and spinach covered with a light tomato sauce. We are big fans of cannelloni, but this one failed to deliver in terms of flavour and texture. Alas, we have been spoilt by the real thing in Italy itself, and perhaps no other cannelloni can match up to it:

Even though the food at Pizza Bella Roma was less than stellar, we had a good time with our family. Perhaps we may have fared better with other items on the menu.

Pizza Bella Roma
14 South Tce
Fremantle, WA 6160
Australia
Tel. +61 8 9335 1554

Pizza Bella Roma on Urbanspoon

Friday 18 May 2012

Mother's Day treats

"Of all the rights of women, the greatest is to be a mother." - Lin Yutang

In the past, I have worked under high pressure of the kitchen for a major week-long event, served crowds during peak lunch periods in the food court of a shopping mall, helped hordes of students as an IT helpdesk support role at my university, rushed to meet project deadlines as an engineer, and taught large classes of unmotivated high school students as an English teacher in Japan, but the most exhausting job of all is being a mother. Motherhood is also the most rewarding, and I love it the most of all the jobs I've had. As most of you should have known, it was Mother's Day last Sunday. The 3.5-year-old understandably had no idea of the day's significance, but my husband - bless him for trying - did his best to make it a special day for me.

A handmade card was presented to me as soon as hubby got out of bed, joint effort of both father and son:

It's a known and accepted fact that while I am an early bird, hubby is a night owl who loves sleeping in on weekends. Breakfast-in-bed-for-mum is not only impractical in this family, it would also be undesired because breakfast is the only meal I can keep relatively healthy on weekends. Instead hubby cooked up some delicious scrambled eggs on toast for brunch, and we headed to Haagen-Dazs in the mall downstairs for ice-cream afterwards (I was glad for the healthy breakfast).

Haagen-Dazs' Lost in Manhattan - smooth Belgian Chocolate ice cream, Cookies & Chocolate ice cream (substituted by request in place of plain Chocolate) and Cookies & Cream ice cream on top of a warm brownie cake. It was pretty, and we liked Cookies & Chocolate flavour more than the Cookies & Cream ice cream:

Then hubby looked after the boy for the rest of the day while I got stuff done child-free - something he does most weekends anyway, but I assured him that it's the everyday acts and efforts that really matter to me, not the once-off deeds done only on odd occasions. "The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother" (Rev. Theodore Hesburgh), and my husband is doing a fine job.

Wednesday 16 May 2012

Vietnamese @ Phu Vinh Noodle House, Malaga (WA, Australia)

When we were in Perth last month, I met up with a dear friend whom I graduated primary school with - almost 20 years of friendship! It was just us girls and my boy, and we went for a casual lunch at my friend's favourite neighbourhood Vietnamese eatery, Phu Vinh. This is a no-frills simple place with quick service and generous serving sizes. It is popular with the local Vietnamese population, and the tables in this little place filled up very quickly during the lunch period. My friend said she and her hubby often goes to Phu Vinh for the broken rice and grilled pork.


For a small place, there were many dishes listed in the menu, and not just noodles. I'm sure that Phu Vinh does a good bowl of pho, but Vietnamese cuisine is so much more than the internationally ubiquitous beef noodles. The menu also wasn't limited to strictly Vietnamese cuisine, and I found that there were a few other popular South-East Asian and Chinese dishes listed in it. With such a wide variety of food, there is something for every tastebuds here. The noodle house also caters for the little ones, providing plastic utensils and serving the noodles with scissors for the adults to help cut the long slippery noodles into smaller more manageable pieces.

My friend and I shared an order of Rice Paper Rolls with Prawn and Pork. I love these fresh rolls as they are so refreshingly light and delicious, and the dipping sauces are pretty yummy too:

The 3.5 year old helped narrow down our selections by choosing "fried noodles". We shared this Singapore-style Fried Noodles, which was tasty and I had no problems getting the boy to eat his lunch:

The adults ended the meal with Ca Phe Sua Da, Vietnamese iced coffee with milk. It was my first time trying Viet coffee, and I can understand why it is well-liked! It was strong and bitter, yet very sweet and milky at the same time:

I enjoyed our lunch rendezvous at Phu Vinh and can easily see why it's one of my friend's favourite dinner options. The big menu would certainly validate many re-visits to this little noodle house.

Phu Vinh Noodle House
u1/11 Exchange Road
Malaga, WA 6090
Australia
Tel. +61 8 9249 8349

Phu Vinh Noodle House on Urbanspoon

Monday 14 May 2012

Malaysian @ Old Cathay, Victoria Park (WA, Australia)

During our Easter trip to Perth, two of my sisters also flew in from Sydney, and we had a mini-reunion dinner with my siblings (minus one). One of my sisters is gluten intolerant, so between her and my allergic son, we had quite a bit of a challenge in finding a suitable restaurant. There were a few phone calls and sms-es flying back and forth between the four siblings that Saturday, but we did find a suitable spot. Old Cathay was on my list of places to eat during our Perth trip (thanks to this blogger), but Chinese food can be tricky when it comes to gluten (as well as soy, nuts and sesame that my boy is allergic to). I decided to suggest Old Cathay to my siblings anyway, and it just so happened that my brother knows the chef. After a quick phone call, my brother verified that the kitchen is able to prepare gluten-free dishes, and a table was reserved for us. Hooray for flexible restaurants! My younger sister and brother had eaten at Old Cathay before and enjoyed the food, so we knew good food awaited us.

The front of Old Cathay:

Old Cathay was quite easy to locate as it is visible from Albany Highway, but getting to it (by car) was a bit more tricky. Entrance is via Oswald St, which means if you can see the restaurant from Albany Highway (as we found out), you've gone too far and will have to make many turns and navigate a few one-way streets to get where you want. Old Cathay is located away from the main Vic Park dining strip so parking was plentiful on that Saturday night. The restaurant itself was quite lovely, with pretty paintings, warm lighting and modern Asian decorations. Service was professional and helpful, and our many requests were gladly received.

Old Cathay also has comfortable sofa seating:

The Chinese Malaysian dinner menu was quite extensive with many choices for seafood and meat as well as an impressive list of vegetarian dishes. All sauces and dishes are prepared daily from scratch by the chefs, all of whom came from Malaysia. The dishes were all reasonably priced for the level of service and environment that Old Cathay offers.

The Yong Chow Fried Rice was tasty and enjoyed by all:

Old Cathay Gui Fei Tofu - home-made tofu with shredded chicken, mushroom and carrots. The tofu was soft and silky, and the sauce was delicious. I really enjoyed this dish:

Scallops with Asparagus & Macadamia Nuts. This was a great combination of flavours and textures, and the scallops were beautifully juicy:

Duck with Plum Sauce. Yummy crispy skin and moist tender flesh. This was pretty good for a roast duck:

The obligatory vegetable dish was Spinach with Century Eggs & Salted Eggs. I enjoyed the taste of the century eggs:

The Malaysian Beef Rendang Curry was another winner. The beef were incredibly tender and the curry was delicious (the photo doesn't show much because several dishes were arriving and I was in a hurry to snap the pictures):

Crispy Malat Chicken - half a chicken in dark vinegar sauce with crunchy fried shallots, garlic and sesame topping. I thought this was the most ordinary and unremarkable one out of all the dishes we ordered. It was tasty, with crispy skin and crunchy topping, but not much different to the standard roast chicken dish:

I quite enjoyed the food at Old Cathay. This would be the sort of place that I would bring non-Asians to if they have never tried Chinese Malaysian food before.

Old Cathay
G7/59 Albany Hwy
Victoria Park, WA 6100
Australia
Tel. +61 8 9361 1881

Old Cathay on Urbanspoon

Friday 11 May 2012

The Silver Spoon Food & Wine, East Victoria Park (WA, Australia)

After a few days in Melbourne during our recent trip to Australia last month, we spent a little over a week in Perth where we caught up with many family and friends we hadn't seen for years. Our first dinner in Perth was with hubby's friend B from university and his girlfriend S at The Silver Spoon Food & Wine in East Victoria Park. This couple have good taste in food, so we knew that we would be well-fed with good food that night. The Silver Spoon wasn't too difficult to locate, and parking wasn't too difficult to find since the restaurant's location is at the quieter end of the Vic Park dining strip. Being situated next to a busy roundabout on Albany Highway isn't a prime location for a seemingly fine dining restaurant, but location matter very little to me so long as the food is good. The place filled up quite well even though it was a weeknight. The service we received was professional and attentive yet unobtrusive.

Chic black and white theme with a large silver spoon hanging on the back wall:

The menu was quite limited, but I don't view that as a negative as it usually means that the kitchen is able to focus on excelling on a few dishes. There are gluten-free and vegetarian options, and I like how it's labelled clearly on the menu which items contained nuts. The food was on the pricey end, but there was a voucher provided on their website that we used, so be sure to check the website for any offers before visiting.

The amuse-bouche was a delicious spiced pumpkin soup:

Hubby's entrée - Seared Scallops with Black Pudding, Cauliflower Pomegranate and Mint. The plump, juicy and sweet scallops were cooked just right, and the black pudding was not too bad considering what it is. This was a good entrée choice:

For mains, hubby indulged in the Slow-cooked Pork Belly with Carrot & Honey, Broccolini, King Prawns and Masterstock. The pork belly was tasty, but on the whole it was a bit too rich for me. Hubby enjoyed it:

My main course was the Free-range Chicken Breast & Leg with Green Olives, Ham & Chanterelle Ristotto and Jus Gras. I liked the presentation, and it was delicious. I also ordered a side serving of greens which is visible in the background:

Hubby's dessert was Peach Soup, Coconut & Chilli Pannacotta with Roasted Apricot. This was interesting but the presentation and the combination of flavours failed to impress me:

We were pretty happy with the service and food at The Silver Spoon. I felt that dessert was a bit weak, and we were quite disappointed that there was no chocolate option in the dessert menu (except for a white chocolate dessert but we like dark). Overall, we had a pleasant experience and enjoyed great company. Hubby and I were quite pleased that the fine dining scene in Perth seems to have improved in the last few years.

The Silver Spoon Food & Wine
691 Albany Hwy,
East Victoria Park, WA 6101
Australia
Tel. +61 8 9361 4220

The Silver Spoon Food & Wine on Urbanspoon

Wednesday 9 May 2012

Penang Butterfly Farm

We were in Penang for a couple of days on the weekend for a wedding, and we had time to pay the Butterfly Farm a (re)visit. We first visited the Butterfly Farm more than four years ago when our little boy hadn't yet been born (but I had morning sickness!). This time we arrived at the right time to join the free guided tour, and we got to do a few things that we didn't do last time like:

1. Find out that butterflies can remain copulated for many hours, up to a day!

2. Hold a caterpillar (that was our 3.5 year old's hand, being brave for all of two seconds before he tried to shake the caterpillar off):

3. Learn about various other animal and plant species that exist in the same environment as the butterflies. Here hubby was handling a millipede:

4. Release butterflies that had newly emerged from their chrysalis, where the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly took place:

It is definitely worth a visit.

The Penang Butterfly Farm
830 Jalan Teluk Bahang
Teluk Bahang, 11050 Penang
Malaysia
Tel. +60 4 885 1253

(We took the No. 101 Rapid Penang Bus from central Penang to the Butterfly Farm which took about 45 minutes and cost about RM3 per person.)