I am terribly slack with trying new places. I love Lido but sometimes it's a little expensive for a midweek too lazy to cook trek. We walked past Viet Hoa which was packed so ventured on to Phong Vinh. So cheap! So tasty! We ordered chicken pad thai, rice rolls served with spicy dipping sauce and crispy chicken. Will definitely go back.
Ciao Italia
Hundreds of people line up every single weekend to get a table. It's the place you drive past and think I really must go there one day. YES YOU MUST. Ciao Italia is possibly the best Italian casual restaurant that Perth has to offer and far too many people know about it. It is full of life, laughter and loads of satisfied smiling customers. And with the lovely waitstaff and the checked tablecloths you cannot help but fall in love. We just grabbed takeaway to sit on the couch. Do yourself a favour and don't wait as long as I did.
Calabrese pizza ~ whole peeled tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, mild Italian sausage, onion, roast capsicum, fresh chopped tomato and chilli Rigatoni buongustaia ~ fresh mushrooms, onions, Italian sausage, peas tossed in a tomato cream based sauce
Luxe / Luxurious
el PÚBLICO
We were invited by Matt and Marcela to join them at an el PÚBLICO test dinner. Friends with foodie leverage, humour and appetite. My kind of people. Alex, Paul and the whole el PÚBLICO crew were very welcoming. You already get that comforting feeling that the right people are in place to have it running like clockwork. So pleasing to see James Connolly back behind the bar on Beaufort Street. It is always great to get the whole story from venue owners upon you first visit. It makes the venue personable and makes you want to just spread kind words. This investment within all your potential clientele is so important and the guys do it well. Not that they will ever be short on clientele with Cantina 663 and Greenhouse prime examples of being the finest operators.
We are all very good eaters and when I say that I mean when they told us to order EVERYTHING from the menu and report back. Well we did. BEST dinner ever. We had so much fun and we laughed more than we ate.
Spanish "gordita" ~ little chubby girl, me
slow cooked pork belly piloncilo chili oaxacan chocolate - JOY
I cannot recall what the two middle dishes ... can anyone help? 
pan fried fish chileatole home brewed soda ginger and pink grapefruit YUM Sam's hot sauce DANGER tomatoes smoked avocado tortilla radish arroz local prawn mussel organic epazote achiote
tequila flights with sangrita "tequilla slammer" lolly nicuatole mouse wedding cookies cafe de oila nieves cajeta flan banana peanut butter icecream paleta avocado paleta avocado and chocolate - served in steal-able glasses (don't worry I didnt)
Tako Balls
Tako yaki are Japanese ball shaped dumplings. Almost like a little pancake ball full of yummy chopped up eight legged sea creatures, pickled ginger, green onion and tempura scraps. I loved the gorgeous sign and almost militant approach to feeding the masses at the William Street Festival. The takoyaki pan sure got a work out.
Maggie Beer Verjuice Dinner
My gorgeous friend Karina treated me to a night with Maggie Beer. Well not quite, but a lovely dinner to celebrate the launch of her new Verjuice Cookbook. After a few wines and a belly full of lamb we were quite content and didn't need dessert but alas we finished every last bite. Oh so very full, we didn't exactly dance up a storm at Bonobo post feast.
Cantina 663
formaggio
occelli testun di barolo (cow/goat's milk, Italy) petit camembert (cow's milk, France) blue des basques (sheep's milk, Basque) served with fresh apple, fresh fig loaf, heavenly dense biscuits and fruit paste
happy --> dreams
Five Bar
Five Bar is working wonders on the humble sandwich. Medium rare sliced roast beef atop slaw doused in horseradish and pickles. Corned beef amidst corned beef, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, and sauerkraut aka Reuben sandwich. Venison chorizo with chutney. And lastly the dish I simply can never look past ... steak tartare.
Kustom Cupcakes
I still remember my first cupcake by the good folk at Kustom Cupcakes. Every cupcake prior to this paled in significance. They have mastered this sweet sweet art. Perfect present.
Marcelita's
I remember first meeting Matt and Marcela at Twilight Hawkers Market in early 2011. I had been following the food tweets and travels of Abstract Gourmet so it was great to put his gorgeous mug to an avatar. Matt and Marcela are always busy educating the good people of Perth with their divine empanadas. Perfect little pillows of labour and love. From Mondo's on a Saturday to Subiaco Farmers Market to feeding the frenzy that was Beaufort Street Festival, there is always a line at Marcelita's and you are never disappointed ... unless they run out. So lovely to know call them both my friends, sharing so many laughs and so much good food. I instantly fell in love with them both (or maybe it was the empanadas).
My first food date with my bf was a trip to Twilight Hawkers Market. It was before he realised how awesome I was. We wolfed down all sorts of dishes but my favorite was sharing empanadas followed by marmite chicken at Hawkers Hut. He had me at double dinner.
Shucking brilliant: Jerry Fraser at Five Bar
JERRY! JERRY!
Picco's Kitchen
Picco's Kitchen is one of those diamonds in the rough. All the way down Peninsular Road in Maylands this little slice of heaven will hopefully remain hidden from the masses. Oh so refreshing to rock up for breky and not be greeted with a line and a 40 minute wait for coffees. The food is fresh, honest and just feel like you are in friend's family kitchen. The black pudding was rich and perfect and it absolutely defeated me.
Bivouac
After waiting for a table at Toast and then at the Sentinel and then being told it would be 30 minutes to actually receive a caffeine injection ... it occurred to me ... BIVOUAC! Saturday morning around 10.30 and were sitting out the front sipping lattes on William Street by 10.35 ahhhhh. Perfect! There is nothing worse than someone eyeing off your table as you get your breakfast willing you to scoff and run .. actually there is something worse ... being the eyeballing asshole.
I am possibly Bivouac's biggest fan of late. A mixture of staff whom I just LOVE, food that never fails and good honestly priced booze. I love that the menu changes often enough to keep things interesting but I can say "omg you have to try this" and not frown. We opted for the eggs and bouzy combos.
The Bloody Marys were so pretty with a punchy kick of horseradish. I ordered a Salute the Sun with a poached egg and Baron Gutter had the Gypsy Baked Eggs which were perfectly cooked with googy egg.
Please visit Bivouac for a tasty, no fuss, NO FKING LINE, kinda breakfast. The best kind.
Viet Hoa
chicken + rice BOOM
Xiantiandi
YUM cha.
Figs
Such a quick and easy dessert. Get yourself a bundle of fresh figs. Cut off the stems and slit a cross in the top. Gently push sides to open. Slit a vanilla bean in half and scrape out all that goodness. Mix with mascarpone cheese. Put dollop of vanilla mascarpone on top of each fig and drizzle with a good fortified wine. I used Lancaster Wines Sticky Shiraz. Mmmmm ... enjoy.
Grilld Mt Lawley
My favourite Grilld burgers are Mustard Pickle and Kung Fu Fighter. Sharing is caring.
BEERtasters Wunderbeer #3 at Five Bar
Five Bar kicked off February with a beer and food matching session showcasing great Australian craft beers. I have been lucky enough to flutter about promoting these events and always pop down to devour or just to say hello. Wunderbeer #3 was hosted by the wonderful Anthony Williams of BEERtasters and the girl that knows her beer very well, Pia Poynton of Five Bar.
The amazing photography is by Jessica Shaver.
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La Cholita
Making the most of the hustle of Fringe World we ducked into La Cholita for a liquid refreshment (hello tequila heaven) and some mexican fare before tackling the Twilight Laneway Markets (which were gorgeous). It was nice to go before the evening rush were battling for a table is like waiting for the changeroom at a Sass and Bide sale. You ca'nt exactly say fk it I will sit and eat on the floor thanks. But thats the beauty of somewhere fresh and new Perth ... if it's a winner, it's obvious.
guacamole ~ chorizo queso corelo quesadilla ~ chicken corn salsa tostadas ~ slow cooked pork pineapple onion ~ beef tartare tostadas
John St Cafe
Breakfast was once the cheaper catch up option. It now almost exceeds the cost of dinner. I do love the shady walk up John Street from the beach, the relaxed diners and welcomed puppy dogs. I just always feel a little jipped when paying over $25 for breky with coffee. The food is consistent but the price always irks me.
