Sneaking Through the Side Door BBQ - Highgate

Christmas has been and gone in a blink on an eye. But, I still haven't finished celebrating and catching up with friends. On a rather chilly Summer night, Miss D and I decided to try Side Door BBQ for our long awaited catch up. This place was absolutely pumping and we were nearly not seated, fortunately for us, as long as there is a flat surface we can make it work.

We decided to choose and make our own platter, thinking we would not over-order this way. How wrong we were. Below were what we tried.

Jalapeno Poppers ($17)

Mac and Cheese ($12)

Brisket ($11)

Beef short ribs ($30)

So yes, the not over-ordering was an epic fail. I was so full afterwards, I had to unbutton some buttons. So, the jalapeno poppers were too spicy for me, so I only had one bite, but it was a bittersweet bite. The cheese filling was delicious and the crumbing was perfect, but after a few seconds I felt like I my mouth was on fire. But, that blue cheese sauce was to die for. Next, the mac and cheese. This was the creamiest and richest mac and cheese we've ever tasted. It was so delicious and went well with all the meats. 

Then we tried the ribs. To say the ribs was large is an understatement, and there was mostly meat, not bone. I thought the ribs could've been tastier, but it was very tender and perfect with their house barbecue sauce. The brisket was last but not least. We were recommended the proper brisket not the pulled version and so glad we listened. The brisket barely needed to be cut and it was very tasty. It was amazing with the mac and cheese!

Overall, we enjoyed our food at Side Door BBQ and loved the lively atmosphere, everything was worth the extra kilo we gained. Will definitely be back even if it's just for the brisket! 

Ratings: /10
Food: 8
Value: 7
Atmosphere: 8
Service: 9
Overall: 8/10

Restaurant information

Side Door BBQ

497 Beaufort Street

Highgate

Ph: 6162 3610

Lunch With my Honey Beanz - Subiaco

Mr. T and I have just wrapped our very enjoyable staycation. To finish it off, we decided to do some grocery shopping to prepare for the busy week ahead. Following my master plan, I persuaded Mr. T to shop in Subiaco, so we can take a short detour to Honey Beanz!

Honey Beanz is an adorable cafe located on Hood Street in Subiaco. When we arrived it was filled with office workers waiting for their coffee fix, but we got a table straight away. As soon as we sat down and looked through the menu, their bibimbap burger caught my eye, especially since it comes with a side of sweet potato fries, so that's what I ordered!

Bibimbap Burger ($21.50)

The bibimbap burger was adorable. The flavour was exactly like a bowl of bibimbap and it was overflowing with the bulgogi beef. The fried egg was perfectly cooked and made the burger very satisfying. Unfortunately, the sauce was too spicy for me, but Mr. T was happy to finish it off for me! The sweet potato fries was crunchy and tasty, it's one of the best sweet potato fries I've ever tasted!

Iced mocha ($6)

Mr. T ordered the ham sandwich which he devoured before a photo was taken. He also ordered the iced mocha, his absolute favourite drink. Honey Beanz's ice mocha was delicious, the coffee flavour was strong, but well balanced with the chocolate. It wasn't too sweet and the home-made vanilla ice cream was deliciously rich and indulgent.

To our surprise, after our meal someone came to our table and offered soft-serve on the house. We sheepishly asked for only one, but they were so generous they gave us one each! One was drizzled with chocolate sauce and the other honey. I personally loved the honey one as it added a nice sweetness and the chilled honey added a nice chewy texture

Overall, we loved our meal at Honey Beanz and were blown away by their generosity. Not only did we get the free soft-serve ice creams, they were also handing out free cherry blossom iced teas, which we also really enjoyed! Thanks Honey Beanz!

Oh and please stay tuned for the up-coming posts about our staycation!

Ratings: /10
Food: 8.5
Value: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Service: 9
Overall: 8.7/10

Restaurant information

Honey Beanz

6/28 Hood Street

Subiaco

Ph: 6111 5064

Instagram: @honeybeanz

Oceans Will Part - Northbridge

One thing I never say no to would be ramen! And Perth's ramen scene has been blowing up, with so many new places popping up. For my latest ramen adventure I tried Oceans ramen. This place needs no introduction, since it's opening it has been drawing large crowds and people are willing to queue to get a taste or repeat visits. Needless to say I was pretty pumped to try this place!

Hokkaido Miso Ramen ($13.90)

As I've mentioned many times before, my favourite ramen broth would be the miso. So that's what I have chosen today. I was so glad this ramen came with corn, half a boiled egg and chashu, everything a ramen should have! I loved the broth, tasty but not overpowering. The corn added a very nice sweetness to the ramen and the chashu was a bit too thick, but still tender and tasty. I did not leave a drop of broth in my bowl!

Aburi Chashu Ramen ($16.90)

Mr. T chose the aburi chashu ramen as he's a big fan of anything aburi-ed. The pork broth of his ramen was so tasty and quite thick. The chashu looked very tasty, but in reality I thought you could barely taste the difference between the aburi chashu and the normal chashu. 

Kogashi Ninniku Ramen ($14.90)

Spicy Ramen ($14.90)

Our friends tried the kogashi ninniku ramen and the spicy ramen. The kogashi niniku ramen had the black garlic on top which gave it a very strong garlic aroma and it gave a strong garlic flavour too. The spicy ramen looked like it was saturated with chilli oil, but it wasn't as spicy as it looked (but still too spicy for me).

The bowls also featured a very adorable message at the bottom, which gave me another reason to finish the bowl! No, thank you Oceans!

Ratings: /10
Food: 9
Value: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Service:8
Overall: 8/10

Restaurant information

Oceans Ramen

62 Roe Street

Northbridge

Ph: 9228 8346 

Three Little Piggies At Hog's Breath - Northbridge

I have to admit I haven't been to Hog's Breath in a long time as there are so many new cafes and restaurants in Perth to try. But, I was honoured to have been invited to try Hog's Breath new Exotic Blends menu. So I took my two best eating partners, my mum and Mr. T to go try the new menu with me.

Chorizo & Brie Prime Rib Steak (Lite cut $29.95)

One of the Exotic Blends we tried was the Chorizo & Brie Prime Rib Steak. I chose this because I couldn't say no to the deep fried crumbed brie! And, I have to say, that brie did not disappoint, so crunchy and cheesy. The steak was cooked perfectly for medium well and it was tasty topped with the tomato chilli jam, which was not too spicy, althought I did hope there was more of it. The salad was fresh, crunchy and flavoursome, and the sweet potato wedges was crunchy too. The chorizo definitely added bulk to this meal and made us very full!

Satay Lamb Ribs & Prime Rib Steak (Traditional cut $36.95)

 Mr. T could not wait to try the satay lamb ribs and when it arrived it did look very tasty. The sauce was surprisingly spicy, but the satay flavour was present. The ribs were nice a tender, but I thought it was very fatty. The prime rib steak, being the traditional cut was humongous, well cooked for medium well, but I thought it lacked some kind of sauce. We chose the curly fries with this dish, which was the perfect choice as Hog's Breath Cafe's curly fries never disappoint!

Overall, we enjoyed the dishes we tried. As the portion sizes were generous, these two dishes were perfect for the three of us without letting anything go to waste! And, still can't stop thinking about the deep fried brie and those satay ribs!

Thanks Hog's Breath for inviting us and, especially, Hog's Breath Northbridge for hosting us!

Ratings: /10
Food: 7
Value: 8 (if we had paid the normal prices)
Atmosphere: 8
Service: 9
Overall: 8/10

Restaurant information

Hog's Breath Cafe (Northbridge)

21 Lake Street

Northbridge

Ph: 9328 8777

Oishii Ramen for a Slurping Good Time - Myaree

Finally got to try Oishii ramen with mum a few weeks back! I've asked a few people to accompany me to this place, but they always seemed so hesitant or outright didn't want to. Well there's always one person I can count on to accompany me anywhere, my mama! So I hoped for her sake the ramen would be good!

Miso Ramen ($12.90)

We got there just before the lunch rush, so we ordered and were seated straight away. I ordered my usual favourite ramen, the miso ramen. For the price I was impressed with the portion and the amount of chashu! The broth was tasty but lacked seasoning, after a sprinkle of salt and pepper, we were good to go! Also, I was hoping for a runny yolk from the egg, however they served their egg hard boiled.

Shoyu Goma Ramen ($12.90)

Mum decided to try the shoyu goma ramen. Upon trying her ramen, we both though both our ramens were quite similar in flavours, but I did think the shoyu goma ramen was a bit richer and more aromatic.

Overall, tasty ramen that's well priced. Probably not the best I've ever tasted in Perth, but still very satisfying and very well priced for the generous portions!

Ratings: /10
Food: 7.5
Value: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Service: 7
Overall: 7.4/10

Restaurant Information:

Oishii Ramen

33 Hulme Court

Myaree

Ph: 9330 9273

Feeling Proper at Madam Kwan's - Kuala Lumpur

The only time, during our stay in KL, we ate at a "proper" restaurant was at Madam Kwan's. We were recommended to try this place by the driver who drove us to Genting Highlands. He wouldn't recommend anything else as he kept saying taste is subjective, but he did keep mentioning Madam Kwan's so we thought we had to try it.

We arrived at Madam Kwan's just in time for lunch, as we were in a office district, it was packed, but luckily we narrowly missed the crowd so we didn't have to queue.

Nasi Lemak (RM 21.90)

The nasi lemak we had the day before had left me wanting more, so I just had to try Madam Kwan's nasi lemak. The rice was fragrant and tasty on its own and the beef rendang was rich in flavour but, not to spicy. I did miss the crunch from the ikan bilis and peanuts which nasi lemak normally comes with, but Madam Kwan's saucy version was tasty. To be honest though, the nasi lemak we had at the market was on par with this one and only a third of the price!

Fish Noodle Soup (RM 23.90)

Mr. T decided to try the fish noodle soup as he was feeling a bit unwell and avoiding anything too spicy. The fish noodle soup does bland with its lack of colour, but it was actually delicious. The flavours were subtle, but just perfect for an aching tummy and they were generous with the fish.

Then for dessert we just had to try the banana fritters. We enjoyed this dessert very much. The banana fritter was nice and crispy and the vanilla ice cream complemented it very well!

Banana Fritters (RM 15)

Overall, we enjoyed our meal at Madam Kwan's. The food was great, but the service could've been better. They delivered the wrong dishes to our table twice! And as it was so busy at that time, we struggled to get anyone's attention. Other than that, good food and comfortable restaurant!

Ratings: /10
Food: 8
Value: 7
Atmosphere: 8
Service: 6
Overall: 7.3/10

Restaurant Information

Madam Kwan's

Level 1 Pavilion Mall

168 Jalan Bukit Bintang

Bukit Bintang

Kuala Lumpur

Website: madamkwans.com.my

KLCC is Fun to See - Kuala Lumpur

Our third day in Kuala Lumpur was our day to spend in the city centre and its surrounds. Before we got there though, we decided to have a very Malaysian traditional breakfast of nasi lemak. 

We decided to try the nasi lemak at Restoran Win Heng Seng in Imbi. The nasi lemak stall is located just outside of the restaurant. How it works, it has all the elements of the nasi lemak pre-cooked and ready to serve. The customer can pick and choose which elements on offer they want and each element has a price for each serve, so that price will be added to the base rice price.

Nasi Lemak (RM 7.50)

Nasi Lemak (RM 8.50)

Between Mr. T and I we probably tried most of the elements on offer. It was a little bit difficult to tell what everything was as it was mostly covered in a delicious, rich curry sauce. Overall, these nasi lemak were delicious. The rice itself was aromatic, tasty and creamy. The elements tasted quiet similar to each other, but it all complemented the rice very well. 

After that nasi lemak feast, we could not pass up the pastry party dessert on offer at the restaurant. The stall above is not a rare sight in Kuala Lumpur, but even on a full stomach, this stall with all its golden pastry was irresistible. We decided to try the egg tart and their siew bao (pork inside the pastry). The egg tart was crumbly and buttery, but the custard definitely lacked flavour. The pastry of the siew bao was also very buttery, but it lacked the pork filling. (For the Perthian readers, Mr. Chang's bakery in Thornlie is on par if not better than these Malaysian bakery stalls!)

After our breakfast we made our way to the Petronas Twin Towers. We had pre-booked our tickets to the tower online beforehand, so we knew what time we had to be there.

Twin Towers Skybridge

View from the Skybridge

The Twin Towers tour was very well organised, it gives every visitor a chance to enjoy the views and experience without too much crowd. First, every visitor was taken to the Skybridge, which is the bridge that connects the two towers together. The view from the Skybridge was amazing. It's a great way to see the whole city of Kuala Lumpur.

After 10 minutes in the Skybridge we were taken even higher to the observation deck. The view from the observation deck was even more stunning. And, the observation deck was filled with displays to keep you entertained during your visit, if the views were not enough.

Following our visit to the Twin Towers, we were already feeling peckish again. So we decided to snack on the famous Mr. Chiam's pisang goreng (banana fritters) in Brickfields.

Banana Fritter (RM 1.30 each), Curry Puff (RM 1.50 each), Bola Bijan (RM 1.30 each)

Mr. Chiam's banana fritters have been hailed as the best banana fritters in Kuala Lumpur, even in Malaysia and during certain times of the day there would be a long queue just to get a taste of the banana fritters. We were certainly impressed by the banana fritters. The banana was sweet and soft, and the batter was fried to crisp perfection. However, I do think Indonesian banana fritters are better as it was a different crumb and Indonesians use a different type of bananas which are firmer so holds its shape much better.

Our third day in KL certainly made us feel like locals, despite acting like two silly tourists in the twin towers. But, there's one more food adventure we have to tell you about, so keep reading!

Information

Restoran Win Heng Seng

183 Jalan Imbi

Imbi
Kuala Lumpur

Petronas Twin Towers

Kuala Lumpur City Centre

Kuala Lumpur

Website: petronastwintowers.com.my

Brickfields Pisang Goreng

95 Jalan Padang Belia

Brickfields

Kuala Lumpur

Ph: +60 12 617 2511

More to See and Eat in Petaling Jaya - Kuala Lumpur

After an adventurous morning in Genting Highlands, Mr. T and I made our way back to Kuala Lumpur. This time we were in search for durian! We have heard that we have just missed durian season, so we were expecting the worst but hoping for the best durian!

We made our way to the suburb of Petaling Jaya, which we heard was the home of the durian market. To our disappointment only one durian stall was open, which meant no other stall had any durian stock. Well we didn't want to walk away empty handed so we decided to try the durian anyway.

The first durian we tried was the durian susu (milk durian). Much to our delight this durian was delicious! There was a plenty of the durian and it was sweet, not stringy and just really tasty. Unfortuantely, the second and third durian we tried was so-so, but the first durian made up for it. For the three durian we paid RM85 for them, which was definitely above normal market price as we missed the peak durian season.

After our durian feast we went in search for dinner. This time Mr. T insisted on kway teow. So after some quick internet searching, we found Robert's char kway teow to be the place to go. Robert's stall in locted in Restoran Say Huat, which was a bit difficult to find as it was located in the middle of a quiet and dark residential area. 

Hakka Noodle (RM 6)

Char Kway Teow (RM 6)

Mr. T immediately ordered the char kway teow from Robert's stall. The kway teow was delicious. It was full of flavour and the charring on the rice noodles made it smoky and aromatic. I ended up ordering Hakka Noodle from a different stall and it was satisfying. It was not as flavoursome as the kway teow, but the subtle flavours were just right.

Our tasty dinner concludes our second day in Kuala Lumpur and we're looking forward to even more new experiences! So stay tuned.

Information

SS2 Durian (Ah Wai)

Jalan Harapan

Section 27

Petaling Jaya

Restoran Say Huat

Jalan 17/27

Section 17

Petaling Jaya

Up Up and Away to Genting Highlands - Kuala Lumpur

A place that everyone told us to visit while in Kuala Lumpur was the Genting Highlands. It's the Las Vegas of Kuala Lumpur and situated on a very scenic mountain. Mr. T and I went there on our second day in Kuala Lumpur. We were planning on going on the cable car, however, unfortunately, on the day we were there, the cable cars were under maintenance. We had to settle with driving there, not as scenic, but just as effective. 

There are different hotels in Genting Highlands, we decided on First World Resort first as we heard it was the newest and most family-friendly. First World Resort was certainly the most kid-friendly, it's very colourful complete with a child-friendly theme park inside. Mr. T and I were not too interested by the rides so we ended up just walking around and window shopped.

Inside First World Resort, Genting Highlands

When it came to lunch time, we chose one of the few restaurants there, Hou Mei. This place seemed the busiest, so we had high hopes.

Assam Laksa (RM 21)

Sui Kaw Soup (RM 20)

Dry Hor Fun (RM 21)

We ended up being disappointed in the food. The dry hor fun Mr. T had was bland and really dry. The assam laksa I had was just sour and the noodles was way too firm. The sui kaw soup was decent. For those who don't know, sui kaw is pretty much wontons. In the end we finished the sui kaw and left the rest. 

After lunch we walked a short walk to Genting Grand. Genting Grand was a much more luxurious hotel than First World, but there was not much to see in terms of shopping. It certainly had a very large and lively casino!

After our visit to Genting Grand we decided to start driving back down to Kuala Lumpur, but we made a short stop at Chin Swee Temple, which is a Buddhist temple built by the same person who built and owned First World Hotel and Genting Grand.

Statue of Lim Goh Tong

The views of the forest and the hilltop were breathtaking from the Chin Swee temple and the air was so cool and fresh, it was like stepping into a fridge.

After our visit to the Chin Swee temple we decided to go back down to Kuala Lumpur in search of Durian!

... To be continued

Information:

Genting Highlands

(First World Resort & Genting Grand)

rwgenting.com

Hou Mei

Level 2, First World Plaza

Hou Mei

Chin Swee Caves Temple

csc.org.my