Hanami For the Hundreth - Mt. Lawley

New Year's Eve is upon us! I'm sure I'm not the only still bewildered at how quickly 2015 has gone! I'm also sure that I'm not the only a little exhausted from all the festivities. Despite the exhaustion, I'm feeling very grateful and blessed for everything that has happened in 2015 and feeling pumped for 2016!

Before the year ended and mum left for Indonesia, we squeezed one more meal, just the two of us. This time we were actually heading to Morley and were suddenly feeling very hungry and we just happened to pass Hanami, a place I've yet to try.  We arrived at Hanami just before lunch time, once we were seated and was poring over the  menu, we were surprised at how quickly this placed filled up!

Pearls of Deliciousness - Applecross

Mrs. M came back to Perth to play! Yay! It's only been one and a half months since she left, but it felt like a lifetime! When we planned a catch up, I knew exactly where I wanted to go, Pearl Restaurant in Applecross. I've heard raving reviews and repeat visits so I just had to try for myself. Before we arrived at the restaurant I can tell you there were lots of hugs and gossip to be had and it was going to continue throughout our dinner.

Pearl Restaurant expert, Miss. D, also graced us with her presence. So we left the ordering to her! Below are her favourite Pearl dishes!

Pho Tai

The Pho Tai is a must have dish at a Vietnamese restaurant. This one impressed us, but it was not the most tasty or authentic pho tai I've ever tasted. They were very generous with the filling and that soup was clear as glass though!

Bo Luc Lac ($24.95)

The Bo Luc Lac, I was told was a favourite dish at Pearl Restaurant and I could understand why. It was definitely the tastiest dish of the night. There were plenty of flavours going around and althought I hoped the diced beef were a bit more tender, it was certainly very enjoyable to eat.

Suon Ga Rang Muoi ($18.95)

Another tasty dish at Pearl was their suon ga rang muoi (don't ask me how to pronounce it). This chicken ribs dish was flavourful and the chicken ribs were nicely battered adding a very nice crispy texture.

Dau Hoa Lan & Bong Cai Xanh Xao Sot Thit Cua ($19.95)

Unlike the beef and the chicken, the broccoli and snow peas with crab meat sauce dish above was very delicately flavoured. Snow peas is one of my least favourite vegetables, so I didn't even bother to try it, but the broccoli drizzled with crab meat sauce was very pleasant.

Ice Chendol ($6)

For drinks I couldn't resist their Ice Chendol. I was very full by the end of the meal and couldn't finish the drink, which I regret very much! This was a perfectly sweet and sinful drink and it made me miss Indonesia, where ice chendol is probably only 50 cents a pop!

So what did I think? The dishes were all tasty, but not without faults. Perhaps I had hyped this restaurant too much in my mind, but I really didn't think this was the best Vietnamese I've had in Perth and the prices were a little steep for what they were. I guess the price was affected by location. So overall, not bad, but I won't trip over while rushing back here.

Last but not least!!! Merry Christmas to you all! Hope you have an amazing festive season with family and friends and everyone you love! God bless everyone!

Ratings

Food: 7/10

Value: 6/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Overall: 6.8/10

Restaurant Information

Pearl Restaurant

11 Riseley Street

Applecross

Ph: 9364 2064

Disclaimer: Prices and restaurant information was true and correct on 8th November 2015. Prices inclusive of 10% GST.

Malaysian Dining Delights by Name, Delightful by Nature - Bentley

The best type of meals are free! Mr. T's good friend celebrated their birthday by inviting a bunch of friends out for dinner. Their dinner was at Malaysian Dining Delights, so not only was I going to have a free meal, but I was going to try a restaurant I've never been to before! Double winning. I haven't heard much about this restaurant, but when we arrived I could see that I've been missing this from my life because not only was it packed, there were people lingering outside the door waiting for a table. 

Fortunately for us, we had reservations, so we walked in as if we were VIPs! Straight away, we started stalking other diners' tables to see what they were eating. We were immediately in awe of the Kerabu sauce fish and the special tofu tower. Unfortunately for me, on this particular night I was not equipped with my camera and my phone ran out of battery so I did not take photos of the food (gasp). 

Fast forward a week later, I decided my weekly family dinner will be held at Malaysian Dining Delights. From the week before I found out that the kerabu fish had to be pre-ordered, but I didn't find out what it was called, so I mistakenly pre-ordered the assam sauce fish. Anyway, enough of my jibber jabber, here's what we had during my second visit to Malaysian Dining Delight in a week.

 

Going with the Flo Espresso - Northbridge

A few months back, when I first ate at Flo Espresso and posted the photos on Instagram, my sister started nagging me to take her there. The fact that I kept raving about it did nothing to defuse her nagging. When she finally arrived in Perth, she would not stop bringing it up. So then, on one of my days off, we finally made the trip to Flo Espresso. 

Flo Espresso is relatively new, but it certainly has made a name for herself. We arrived at about 9 am and it was packed with office workers picking up their caffeine hit, the line was out the door. Fortunately, we were still able to get a table. Flo Espresso doesn't have a menu, everything they serve is on display at the counter, but we didn't need to look to know what we were going to order. 

Iced Mocha

Nothing Beats Freshmade - Perth

Ramen, the five lettered word that evokes joy in my soul. Okay, that might be exaggerating, but I do love my ramen. I love Japanese food in general, as you can tell from the past three posts! My latest Japanese food obsession is Freshmade Cafe ramen. Before my first trip here, I've heard mixed reviews, some were impressed, some not so much. By those who didn't like it, I was told it was not authentic and that Nao or Dosukoi were still better. All these reviews made me want to try it even more!

Ki Tonkotsu Curry ($11.50)

Food Fit for a Samurai at Musashi - Joondalup

About six years ago, my one and only sister moved back to Jakarta permanently. I didn't realise then how much I was going to miss having her around. We weren't too close when we were younger, but distance makes the heart grow fonder and now I look forward to seeing her when I visit Jakarta and when she visits Perth. 

In November she visited Perth for two weeks. I was beside myself in excitement and was really looking forward to act as a tour leader and introduce her to the awesome food scene that has emerged since she lived here. 

Musashi didn't quite make it to my tour list, but mum insisted I take her and my sister there. Being the amazing daughter that I am, I took them there straight away! Well, no regrets! We first heard of Musashi from my sister-in-law who regularly lunched here during her stint of work in Joondalup. Now, we visit this place as often as possible!

Ginger Pork ($8.30)

Teriyaki Fish ($8.30)

Karaage ($8.30)

As you can see from the photos and the captions, each portion is generously sized and what's more outrageous are the prices! There are fewer and fewer places in Perth offering up delicious food for under $10 per person, so based on on price alone this place is definitely worth a try.

On top of the great prices, their food is fresh and tasty. My personal favourite is their fish teriyaki. I love how the batter is still crispy even after being drenched by the flavoursome teriyaki sauce. Their karaage is also rave-worthy, very crispy without the oily aftertaste. 

They also offer ramen, but only available during lunch time on Mondays-Wednesdays. Hopefully they will start serving them on other days too, because I can't wait to try them. 

Overall, Musashi is a great option for a casual lunch or when you want a delicious and satisfying meal on a budget. Unfortunately they are not open on weekends, so plan your sickie now so you can go try it. 

Ratings:

Food: 9/10

Value: 9.5/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Service: 9/10

Overall: 8.6/10

Restaurant Information

Musashi

Unit 7/115 Grand Boulevard

Joondalup

Ph: 9301 0226

 Disclaimer: Restaurant information and prices were true and correct on 30th Oct 2015. Prices were inclusive of 10% GST.

Buen I'm in Love - St. James

This is a true love story. I first came to know Buen 151 and their chirashi sushi when my sister's friend introduced us. The restaurant is large for a Japanese restaurant, but rather poorly decorated and not so welcoming. We persevered despite unshakable doubt of the quality of the food. Once I opened the menu, nothing seemed to stand out except for the chirashi sushi. This was the first time I've seen chirashi on a menu, I'm sure because of my own ignorance. I was intrigued at the idea of a bowl of sashimi on top of sushi rice, so I ordered it. I fell in love and I fell hard... with chirashi sushi. I don't usually have cravings, but I crave chirashi and I have to say, in my opinion, the best one is still at Buen 151.