It's true, Mary Street Bakery is my favourite place for breakfast. Maybe its my soft spot for Beaufort Street, or perhaps its because you can order gnocchi and icy pops before noon. I always find myself torn between two dishes, so I do what any sensible person would do in my position … I order both and the waitstaff pretty much give me a 'hell yeah' high five. Maybe its this total acceptance and applauding of overordering that keeps me going back.
TALKING EAT DRINK PERTH (whilst wearing drop crotch pants)
We're back for 2015!
Last year Ai-Ling Truong (aka the Blue Apocalypse) and I started a little segment called The Food Alternative. It airs each Tuesday at 6pm on RTRFM 92.1 during Drivetime with Simon and Anth. Those guys basically drink beer and interview our guests whilst we do the hard yards ... researching potential stories, eating a lot (for research yeah?) and unearthing Perth's best kept secrets to share with you.
We focus on WA's awesome foodie scene where great eats, drinks and passion meet and we love it! So far we have 37 episodes under our belts all of which you can find right right here.
Every now and then Ai-Ling or myself will jump on air and this week I spoke with Simon and Anth about Eat Drink Perth. If you missed Episode #37 you're forgiven as I am sure you were just in the toilet or something. But never fear as you can jump online and listen to our restream.
Here is a link to all the great events I mentioned:
- Get your bao on at Night Noodle Markets
- Experience the magic of a long table dinner curated by the talented Stacey Clark Stylist at the The Creatives - Autumn long table dinner this Saturday, 28 March
- Support local at Small Batched this Sunday at Whipper Snapper Distillery this Sunday. A whiskey and food festival featuring new comers The Bao Bar, Beersine, Sue Lewis Chocolatier, Fervor, The Little Cheese Shop and more
- Learn how to cook the perfect steak at Meat Me In the City's meat masterclass
- Food Truck Rumble created by my co-producer Ai-Ling on Sunday, 12 April
ROTANA - Maylands welcomes Lebanese mezze
There is something about finding little gems in the 'burbs. Recently over dinner we were talking about those places you almost want to keep a secret for fear of the masses taking away the ease to grab a table at your favourite haunt. Rotana on Eighth Avenue in Maylands is going to be one of those places.
A mismatch of Western eats amongst deliciously authentic Middle Eastern plates, forget bacon, eggs and the tomato sauce and go straight for the mezze.
DO | NIGHT NOODLE MARKETS
let's call it bao town
The Perth Cultural Centre was again brought to life with music, chatter and the aroma of smoky bbq goodness. The Night Noodle Markets kicked off on Wednesday luring crowds of hawker food seekers. If noodles were the holy grail, the wonderful offering of soft, fluffy steamed bao certainly led me astray. There is something special about the humble bao, those steamed mantou buns lovingly stuffed with magical combinations.
There are also plenty of bar offerings including Yalumba's pop-up sea container where you can sit overlooking the bustle, Thatchers Cider and Coopers. Sit down and wash down your Asian delights to the sound of great tunes.
The Night Noodle Markets will be running 18-29 March 2015
Mon Tues 5-9pm
Wed 5-10pm
Thur Fri 5-11pm
Sat Sun 4-9pm
Here is a peek at the menu:
COLLAB | CHICHO GELATO X BARE BAKER
Meet the Chicho Panino
Chicho Gelato thrives on creative collaborations with local artisans and their latest mashup is the ‘Chicho Panino’. This time round Chicho has partnered up with Bare Baker aka Charlotte Haygarth, the baking minx behind the rockin’ treats at Uncle Joe’s. This marriage made in sweet heaven will be available tonight at Perth's Twilight Hawkers Market Dessert Garden.
So what is a Panino? Well, panino means sandwich in Italian and you’ll discover Chicho’s delicious gelato jammed between two of the Bare Baker’s joyous cookies. Chicho have been playing around with flavour concoctions that will sing and breakdance on your palate. Think a giant sandwich meets whoopie pie!
Definitely hurry down as there is only a limited supply. And if you miss on out these little sandwiches of goodness, you will find Chicho peddling their paninos every Friday during Eat Drink Perth.
EAT | SIXTEEN OUNCES (Victoria Park, WA)
sauerkraut and a lonely pickle
There has been a bit of a fermenting frenzy circling our office. Kombucha bubbles at our desks and words such as scoby and kefir often fill the air. Fermentation is an ancient 8000-year-old practice, responsible for delights like kimchi, sauerkraut, yoghurt, wine and cheese and stinky stuff like nato (eewww).
Since local fermentation goddess Lisa Thornton of Get Cultured pickled it up on air for our RTRfm 92.1 show The Food Alternative, my interest in pickling, fermenting and basically cramming anything into a jar quickly escalated into an obsession. So when I found both sauerkraut and a lonely pickle on my plate at Sixteen Ounces, I instantly called it love.
POP UP | COCINA BANDITO
an infamous Cuban sandwich
Ever since Jon Favreau's movie Chef graced the screens I have been preaching that Perth needs a good dose of Cuban food. That tempting sizzle of the Cuban sandwiches hitting the hot plancha press could be played on loop over and over.
A Cubano is an a-pork-alypse of flavoursome goodness, a white loaf licked with butter, wedged with layers of roast pork, glazed ham, Swiss cheese and thinly-sliced dill pickles. Then placed on a hot press until the loaf turns a crispy, golden brown and the tell-tale 'I'm ready' legs of melted cheese drip down the sides.
With Cocina Bandito popping up at 140 Barrack, you can find out what this Cubano business is all about. You know you are in good hands when its the energetic team behind The Classroom and soon to open Lucky Chan's Laundry & Noodlebar. Just have a little trust and try the Cubano, you'll thank me later.
BSF | CRAFT BEER CHEFS' TABLE
For the past five years Beaufort Street has been my spiritual home. My role as Food Director of the Beaufort Street Festival is a labour of love and allows me to collaborate with inspiring local businesses, creatives, foodies, chefs and likeminded souls.
In the lead up to the festival, our little food commitee curates events to showcase all the wonder that Beaufort Street has to offer. We celebrate good food and drinks amongst amazing company whilst raising funds for the Beaufort Street Network, the not-for-profit driving force behind the festival.
Last year we focused on hosting our food events in unused spaces. This vision aligned with the Beaufort Street Network’s efforts to create a public space on Mary Street. For two weeks, Mary Street was transformed into a pop up piazza which was just lapped up by locals. For years the local community has been yearning for a free, comfortable public space on the strip and now these dreams are being realised. We are chuffed that the City of Vincent is now working to develop a permanent public piazza.
With our vision in mind the team at Five Bar jumped at converting their garage for our Craft Beer Crafts’ Table event. The garage was transformed thanks to styling by Stacey Clark Stylist and we reveled in six courses of goodness by the talented chefs from Five Bar and Lot Twenty. The spotlight shone on local breweries, with the gang from Eagle Bay Brewing Company and Homestead Brewery both attending to share their story. A special shout out is definitely owed to Feral Brewing for a crazy end to the night with their lip puckering Watermelon Warhead sour.
Photography by Danica Zuks.
EAT | A FISH CALLED INGLEWOOD (Inglewood, WA)
A Fish Called Inglewood is fast becoming a favourite for local eats. Damn good fish and chips!
DO | HIGH TEA WITH ROCHELLE ADONIS
Rochelle Adonis Cakes + Confections has carved a reputation as Perth's go to for High Tea. The perfect spot to celebration with gal pals or host a hen's party.
TOP 10 | EAT DRINK PERTH
Eat Drink Perth is a celebration of Perth's evolving culinary scene running from 18 March to 25 April. The program well underway it’s time to get out your planner and enrich both your stomach and your soul. Put on your buffet pants Perth!
Here are some events that I will be clearing my calendar for:
- Later this month, the Cultural Centre will transform into Perth’s first Asian hawker hotspot, Night Noodle Market. Delve into exotic flavours whilst uncovering a melting pot of Eastern cultures including Filipino, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese.
- South African cuisine was a little hard to find until William Street’s Baby Mammoth swung open its doors. I thought a recent work trip to South Africa would satiate my street food yearnings with a swagger of traditional dishes. But in true work trip form, I was a slave to the hotel buffet and only dabbled in a few signature South African dishes, including a quirky bread loaf chicken curry strangely named ‘bunny chow’. I’m pretty excited to experience The Spice Route wine degustation at Baby Mammoth.
- The gents at Whipper Snapper Distillery are putting on Small Batched, a collaborative event with some of WA’s finest purveyors. How on earth will they pair chocolate with Whipper Snapper’s signature moonshine, Crazy Uncle? Curious whiskey matches will be on offer by local Artisan Chocolatier Sue Lewis, plus 5 Senses Coffee, The Little Cheese Shop and the foraging team at Fervor.
- An evening with Fervor is one to behold. With a focus on native Australian ingredients, Head Chef Paul Iskov, curates a stunning menu using foraged wonders such as salt bush, quandong and paper bark. Often travelling to the regional corners of Australia, Fervor will leave behind a cloud of red dirt as they trek to the big smoke to create a unique dining experience in a secret location.
- Take a nostalgic trip down memory lane at the Northbridge Piazza. Northbridge Food and Wine – Then and Now will celebrate the rich history of Northbridge showing how the precinct has evolved over the years.
- Since launching with a lights-off event in Sydney in 2007, the not-for-profit organisation Earth Hour has been on a mission to protect the planet. As a prelude to the annual Earth Hour event, the Northbridge Piazza will play host to Earth Hour Healthy Food Theatre. Hear stories from local farmers and the effects of global warming/. It’s the perfect evening for environmentally conscious foodies.
- Growing up in the Swan Valley developed my soft spot for farmer’s markets from an early age. There is nothing like buying your vegetables and produce from the family that grew them. You will have that chance when the Perth Home Grown returns to Forrest Chase each Sunday.
- You need to add an evening with the enigmatic force behind OzHarvest to your bucket list. After hearing Ronni Kahn speak at the launch of OzHarvest, I’ve been hanging to hear her once again. Ronni will join forces with local celebrity chef Ian Parmenter to talk sustainability at the Food for Thought Cooking Class.
- Who else finds a trip to the butcher just a little daunting? If you are keen to know your grain fed from your grass fed and how to cook the perfect steak, The Secrets of Beef Masterclass at Meat Me In the City is the event for you.
- Chef Joel Valvasori’s family recipe for meatballs is the talk of the town. For something a little daring and fun join fellow meatball madmen at Lalla Rookh for a crazy culinary challenge, Man v Meatball. It’s an eating competition not to be missed. You’ll find me cheering on the sidelines tucking into my own serve of meatball goodness.
NOURISH | BROTHL (Melbourne, VIC)
Imagine a world with no waste? This is something Joost Bakker, behind Brothl takes pretty seriously.
POP UP | KUNG FOOD (Perth, WA)
A pop up at Noodle Palace during Fringe World Festival
There is only one week left to revel in fried rice so dirty its almost sexual, completed by a wonderous river of the gooey-est egg porn you've ever dreamed.
The maestros behind El Publico and Mary Street Bakery have popped up KUNG FOOD at Noodle Palace, a Fringe venue curated by the awesome team at Jump Climb. Drink at the bar, enjoy a show and tuck into dirty rice and lamb ribs.
DO | MAYLANDS HAWKERS MARKETS
Right in the heart of Maylands you will find the Hawkers Markets popped up on Saturdays during our sunny months. With plenty of green grass for little ones to run around, the markets are popular with local families looking for a bite to eat.
Our last adventure had me swooning over this little feast:
Bangkok Jump Street - Pork satay skewers
Amaizing - Captain Hairy arepa (grilled corn flatbread stuffed with shredded beef and mozzarella)
The Hummus Club - Mezze of pita bread, fatuous, felafel and hummus
Balk to Balkan - Zucchini fritters
EAT | SINGAPORE CHICKEN RICE (Morley, WA)
noodles, noodles, chicken rice
There was a time when the Galleria in Morley was ma 'hood. We hung there every Thursday night throwing our pocket money at clothes from Hounddog and Live. I don't head to Morley much these days but every now and then a trip to Coventry Markets calls. Its great to stock up on sriracha and kim chee at the Asian supermarkets or spices and chillis at The Spice Wagon and end with a trip to Singapore Chicken Rice.
SEE | YALLINGUP GUGELHUPF (Yallingup, Western Australia)
The shape of the Gugelhupf Cake comes from special mould to give the 'King of Cake' its crown shape. Yallingup Gugelhupf sources the best ingredients and bakes in genuine ceramic moulds. You'll find gugelhupf loaves in a range of savoury and sweet flavours. One for the roadtrip list.
POP UP | THE SARAPAN (Victoria Park, WA)
Transporting you to the streets of Malaysia. The Sarapan means breakfast in Malay and pops up every weekend at the restaurant incubator on Leonard Street in Victoria Park.
EAT | VIET HOA (Northbridge, WA)
You're starting on Monday, so order all the things
I'm a firm believer in starting on a Monday. Monday not only marks the mourning of the weekend, but it brings that pretty sparkle of hope to start anew with a whoooooole juicy week do things right. I have uttered those words … I'll start [enter new obsession] on Monday … so many times even I roll my eyes.
The latest obsession is to tighten up on dining out. Work gets cray, the social calendar plumps up and the fridge grows bare, evenings at bikram turn into nights at Brika, Monday comes round and we've been out every night. It gets exhausting and there is only so much kombucha a girl can drink before she needs to slow down a little on the degustations. I'm not saying there will be a gastronomic drought or that you won't find new blog posts each week, just going to spend a little more time in. My aim for the new year to get back into the kitchen, find my inner yogi and spend more time enjoying the sunshine (and not in a beer garden somewhere enjoying pizza, okay well that's a lie).
So with this on my conscience, as anyone in my position would do, I crammed in as many eating adventures as my digestive system could handle before Monday rolled in. It had been a long time between stuffed chicken wings so we thought Viet Hoa in Northbridge would be perfect for lunch. We ordered all the things (well except the stuff chicken wings) cos I'm starting on Monday.
DO | MY FRINGE BINGE
This Fringe World Festival I'm spending my thirty one balmy nights of Perthfect to revel in the wonder of these shows...
La Soiree at Pleasure Garden
Mummy at Pleasure Garden
Before Us at Blue Room Theatre
I Can Breathe Underwater at Blue Room Theatre
Jon Bennett: How I Learned to Hug at Noodle Palace
Those Who Fall In Love Like Anchors Dropped to the Ocean Floor at PICA
Trygve Wakenshaw: KRAKEN at PICA
Calypso Nights at Noodle Palace
The Bookbinder at Blue Room Theatre
Everything Unknown at Cottesloe Beach
FAG/STAG at PICA
BRIEFS: The Second Coming at Spiegeltent - Pleasure Garden
John Safran: Murder in Mississippi at Noodle Palace
RIVER. at Blue Room Theatre
Yoshi's Castle at Stables Theatre
Elephents at Teatro 1, Pleasure Garden
The Epicene Butcher at Stables Theatre
EAT | BREAD IN COMMON (Fremantle, WA)
I am quietly in love with the idea of ordering plates to share for breakfast. Bread in Common with its breezy, communal feel is just perfect for conversations, sharing and breaking bread.