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Celebrating Australia Day at The Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park

Posted by  | Categories: Desserts, Featured, Hotels, Modern Australian, Perth, Pub, Restaurants

We traditionally celebrate Australia Day in our household by throwing a Triple J Hottest 100 countdown pool party. Joined by our close friends we devour lots of good food, drinks a plenty and generally end our night with a short stroll to the end of the street to view the fireworks show. In the ten years we have lived in this house we have only had one year off when I had the misfortune to be rostered on to work.

On the weekend prior to Australia Day this year it was my Hen’s day.  It was a fabulous day out in the Swan Valley which turned into a Hen’s night with many of us boogying on the dance floor of Geisha nightclub until the wee hours of the morning. I had an absolutely ball of a time and am so grateful for all that came to the various parts of the day and night to celebrate with me.

However what goes up must come down and the following day I seriously began to regret my stubborn choice of monstrously high shoes that I had spent the night dancing in. Within 24 hours the whole side of my neck swelled up and I could barely move my head without sharp pinching pain.  After a few days in a cloud of pain killers I popped my head up out of the self-induced haze and ta-da; it was Australia Day! No party for us this year!

Having such a quiet and empty house felt like a bit of a fizzer for us so in order to liven things up the Boy suggested we walk down to our local; The Broken Hill Hotel. I donned some boringly flat shoes in a moment of complete sensibility and off we set down to the pub.

We were greeted by the sounds of the DJ spinning many dance music hits that all seemed to be released in the same year; 1989. We both found this very entertaining until we both realised that although it felt like yesterday we were dancing in the clubs to these very songs, it was indeed over 20 years ago! We really are getting old!!

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "pub food" "Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park"  "Broken Hill HOtel" "Perth hotels" "perth pubs" "Albany Highway" "Victoria Park" "Australia Day" "Triple J" "JJJ" "Hottest 100" "Seared scallops" "apple puree" "chive vinaigrette" "chorizo"

Seared scallops, apple purée, chive vinaigrette (chorizo excluded as not gluten free)

Our waitress was very helpful in negotiating with the chef what could be done gluten and onion free. We started with the seared scallops served on a bed of apple purée. The chorizo was excluded as it couldn’t be guaranteed gluten free. With the second main ingredient of this dish omitted it did seem slightly unfinished however the scallops were adequately browned to a rich honey colour whilst maintaining their delicate softness within.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "pub food" "Broken Hill Hotel, Victoria Park"  "Broken Hill HOtel" "Perth hotels" "perth pubs" "Albany Highway" "Victoria Park" "lemon yoghurt" "Australia Day" "Triple J" "JJJ" "Hottest 100" "Chermoula prawns" "prawns" "seafood"

Chermoula prawns

The chermoula prawns were the least enjoyable dish of the evening.  The prawns didn’t taste very fresh and lacked that exquisite crunch that I love.  After failing to taste much in the body of the prawn the Boy proceeded to suck out all the heads in a quest for something with more flavour.  This was something my family introduced him to over Christmas and he is now converted to dedicated prawn head sucker for life.

"Crisp skinned salmon" "pumpkin puree" "broccolini" "tomato vinaigrette" "fish" "seafood" &quo</a></p>



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Late night dinner at The French Brasserie, Melbourne CBD

Posted by  | Categories: Bistro, Degustation/Fine dining, European, Featured, French, Melbourne, Restaurants, Travel

It was the weekend before Christmas and I had flown into Melbourne a day earlier than the Boy in order to attend to some “secret wedding business”.  It was for my final dress fitting at Luci Di Bella and despite enduring a terrible flight with crying babies, vomiting toddlers and a delay on the tarmac for nearly an hour I remained hyped with excitement.

My Dad and Stepmum’s apartment is very conveniently located just off Flinders Lane; meaning with a short skip and a jump you can find yourself submerged in one of Melbourne’s hottest spots for restaurants; PM24, MoVida, Chin Chin, Cumulus Inc, Coda, Ezard…need I go on?

Despite their close proximity, I have not had the fortune to visit many of these fine establishments as my family are also star entertainers.  They are well known for throwing many fabulous dinner parties that often carry well on until the wee hours of the morning. As a result when I am in Melbourne, I rarely get the chance to check out the local eateries because there is too much good food to eat at home!

Arriving late on a Friday night we were all in agreeance that cooking would prove to be too much of a hassle and headed out to one of their favourites: The French Brasserie. We were greeted by the owner of the restaurant like we were family, which is not an uncommon occurrence when out with these two. They get a similar reception from many of the fresh produce sellers at the Prahran Markets which is something you wouldn’t expect in a big city like Melbourne. We were given some complimentary champagne to celebrate the beginning of the silly season with him and sat out in the alfresco dining area sipping away before being ushered to our table.

"Freshly Shucked Pacific oysters" 'Sydney Rock Oysters" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "French" "French Brasserie, Melbourne" "The French Brasserie" "Flinders Lane" "Melbourne restaurant reviews" "Melbourne food blog" "Melbourne CBD restaurants" "French restaurants"

Freshly Shucked Pacific and Sydney Rock Oysters

After enjoying some freshly shucked Sydney Rock and Pacific Oysters I started to feel the warmth of the champagne glow through my veins and all my stress from the crazy, hectic week slowly drained out of me. Living in separate cities makes it hard to keep my family up to date with all my wedding plans. As a result there was a lot of catching up for us to do! What made this moment even more special to me was that all my bridal babble was met with excitement and genuine interest. As not all my close family members have been by my side during this precious time, so their love and support has been worth its weight in gold. Or black truffle even 😉

"Filet de boeuf" "beef fillet" "beetroot puree" "duck fat potato" "potato salardaise" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "French" "French Brasserie, Melbourne" "The French Brasserie" "Flinders Lane" "Melbourne restaurant reviews" "Melbourne food blog" "Melbourne CBD restaurants" "French restaurants"

Filet de boeuf

Knowing there was a long weekend of Christmas feasting ahead of us we scanned the menu for something light. My Stepmum and I chose the filet de bouef.  My thickly cut tender yearling eye fillet was seared to a firm crust on its surface yet carved smoothly like pate under my knife.    An elegant smear of ruby red beetroot purée gave a hint of sweetness to the delicate meat.  It was exactly what I felt like. The dish is normally accompanied by a long block of potato salardaise; potatoes cooked in duck fat. I was unfortunately informed that the potato contained gluten or onion, I can’t quite remember, but basically it wasn’t suitable for me. They served us an extra dish of French fries to make up for this.

"Paillard de boeuf" "beef steak" "minute steak" Bone marrow" "bordelaise" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "French" "French Brasserie, Melbourne" "The French Brasserie" "Flinders Lane" "Melbourne restaurant reviews" "Melbourne food blog" "Melbourne CBD restaurants" "French restaurants"

Paillard de boeuf

Dad ordered the paillard de boeuf, a yearling beef minute steak served with marrow and bordelaise sauce. The decadent flavours of the bone marrow gave a richer and bolder flavour to the beef and if his dish wasn’t laden with onion I would have loved to have given it a try.  I cannot remember that last time I tried bone marrow, possibly it was at the family table as a child? What a perfect start to what was to prove an incredible Christmas weekend.  Let the eating begin!!

French Brassiere
2 Malthouse Lane, Melbourne CBD VIC 3000 | (03) 9662 1632 | http://www.thefrenchbrasserie.com.au/site/
 
Price:                     $$$$       (Entrée $16-20, Mains $34-43)
Food:                    4.5/5 (ultra-fresh cuts of meat, faultless preparation)
Service:                4/5 (I almost felt like family, I love that all the wait staff are French!)
Ambience:          4.5/5 (hidden down a little lane way, has a bistro vibe)
Drinks:                  4/5 (Dad picked the wine, it was something scrumptious from Bordeaux)
Total:                     17/20

 French Brasserie on Urbanspoon

Brunch with Ma at The Store, North Adelaide

Posted by  | Categories: Adelaide, Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee, Featured, Restaurants, Travel

Adelaide holds a close place to my heart.  I spent much of my impressionable teenage years there and much of that helped to culture the type of person I am today.  The real joy of returning to Adelaide however is largely because it is the home town of my dearest Mother.  I am a fiercely independent person much to the annoyance of those close to me; but I cannot deny that it would make my life so much better if I was able to spend more time with my Ma.  She is my best friend, my confidant, my comforter and my inspiration.  She is one of the best cooks, has a gifted touch in the garden and can always make me laugh until I cry.  I love her so much!

"kitchen" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "breakfast" "brunch" "adelaide restaurant reviews" "brunch adelaide" "breakfast adelaide" "gluten free adelaide" "melbourne street" "North Adelaide" "Adeladie food blog"

Kitchen side at The Store

During my whirlwind trip over to Adelaide in November for Eat Drink Blog 3 Mum and I managed to squeeze in a quick catch up for breakfast at The Store on Melbourne Street, North Adelaide. She already checked that this place had a number of gluten free options available and was keen to revel in some wedding chit-chat.  She was still on the hunt for her outfit for the big day and wanted to check out a cute boutique a few doors down from The Store meaning we could kill two birds with one stone.

"Poached free range eggs" "eggs" "gluten free toast" "mushrooms" "roasted tomato" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "breakfast" "brunch" "adelaide restaurant reviews" "brunch adelaide" "breakfast adelaide" "gluten free adelaide" "melbourne street" "North Adelaide" "Adelaide food blog"

Poached free range eggs on gluten free toast

Theoretically with the grotesque amount of food I had eaten at the Eat Drink Blog, one would think I would no longer be hungry.  But I always find overindulgence has a way of stretching my stomach capacity thus allowing me to continue spiralling into the depths of excess. I was craving some poached egg action and ordered myself some along with their gluten free toast, roasted tomato and mushrooms.

"Poached free range eggs" "eggs" "gluten free toast" "mushrooms" "roasted tomato" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "breakfast" "brunch" "adelaide restaurant reviews" "brunch adelaide" "breakfast adelaide" "gluten free adelaide" "melbourne street" "North Adelaide" "Adelaide food blog"

Poached free range eggs on gluten free toast

A big pile of rich earthy mushrooms tumbled across my plate next to some herbed roasted tomatoes and two softly poached eggs.  A quick pierce with a knife into my egg’s internals confirmed success as their yellow innards billowed out onto my gluten free toast.

Having also eaten a big meal the night before Mum opted for something very light ordering the fruit salad with the vanilla yoghurt on the side. Being used to the small serves and high prices of Perth I thought this was good value but having not eaten out much in Adelaide recently I have nothing but my hometown to compare with.  The fruit was as fresh as summer leaving Mum with a small amount of room to fit in some sweets to share!

"fruit salad" "salad" "vegetarian" "raw" "grapes" "watermelon" "rockmelon" "strawberry" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "breakfast" "brunch" "adelaide restaurant reviews" "brunch adelaide" "breakfast adelaide" "gluten free adelaide" "melbourne street" "North Adelaide" "Adelaide food blog"

Fruit salad

I skipped over to the counter to find out what gluten free cakes were available.  My choices included an orange almond cake (the bog standard) and a heavy-looking chocolate mud cake.  I am growing quite weary of the orange almond option and knew my Mum would never turn down chocolate.  I definitely inherited my chocolate addiction gene from her.

"Flourless chocolate mud cake" "chocolate cake" "gluten free cake" "mud cake" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "breakfast" "brunch" "adelaide restaurant reviews" "brunch adelaide" "breakfast adelaide" "gluten free adelaide" "melbourne street" "North Adelaide" "Adelaide food blog"

Flourless chocolate mud cake

Within minutes the two of us devoured our succulent treat and hand in hand headed off down Melbourne Street in search of an outfit worthy of the mother-of-the-bride. Alas we were in no luck this time but at least I got to share one of those precious moments with my Mum that many take for granted.

The Store
157 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide SA 5006 | (08) 8361 6999 | www.thestore.com.au
 
Price:                     $$ ($7-18 Breakfast, $7-18 Entrée, $19-29 Mains)
Food:                    3/5 (simple, fresh food using local ingredients sourced from Adelaide Central markets)
Service:                4/5 (unable to not notice beaming smiles and happy vibe amongst staff)
Ambience:          3/5 (reminds me of the décor in Dome cafes in Perth)
Drinks:                  3/5 (their own blend of coffee from a local South Australian company called Coffee World, it was creamy and light in flavour)
Total:                     13/20
 

The Store on Urbanspoon

The Beaufort Street Merchant, Highgate

Posted by  | Categories: Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee, European, Featured, Perth, Restaurants

A wonderful part of being a food blogger is discovering and connecting with other food blogs.  The downside of this is that it is a time consuming business and on top of running a business, working full-time and maintaining my own blog; it is sometimes an uphill battle finding the time to read all posts from those I have grown to love and enjoy. Consequently I find myself grouping favourite blogs into the “must reads”, “read when you have time” and “visit occasionally” categories.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Brunch" "breakfast" "beaufort street" "highgate" "Beaufort Street Merchant, Highgate" "Beaufort Street Merchant" "mt Lawley" "mount lawley" "Chew town" "eggs"

Persian Delight Jelly by Chew Town (photo courtesy of Chew Town)

Chew Town is definitely in the first category for me.  Not being excessively prolific in her posts, she posts often enough to support my interest without making it impossible for me to stay up to date. Her photography is breathtaking and she deservedly won 2nd prize for the photography awards at the Eat Drink Blog conference last year. But it’s not just her blog that is awesome.  In sharing a number of common interests we created a foundation for the pen-pal styled friendship common to the blogging community which was finally made a reality thanks to the magic that was Eat Drink Blog 2012.

"Chorizo" "spanish omelette" "cheese" "onion" "gluten free toast" "eggs" "rocket" "Manchego" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Brunch" "breakfast" "beaufort street" "highgate" "Beaufort Street Merchant, Highgate" "Beaufort Street Merchant" "mt Lawley" "mount lawley" "Chew town" "eggs"

Chorizo & Manchego

Originally from Perth, Amanda returned to the West for the silly season and thus we were determined to catch up despite my insane roster placing me on a run of 11 out of 12 days straight.  The only time we could tally up was the morning of New Year’s Eve and we met at The Beaufort Street Merchant for some brunch. The Boy was sweet enough to drop me off and so bidding him farewell I said I’d meet him back at the same spot in an hour and a half.

"Chorizo" "spanish omelette" "cheese" "onion" "gluten free toast" "eggs" "rocket" "Manchego" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Brunch" "breakfast" "beaufort street" "highgate" "Beaufort Street Merchant, Highgate" "Beaufort Street Merchant" "mt Lawley" "mount lawley" "Chew town" "eggs"

Chorizo & Manchego

I ordered the Chorizo and Manchego Spanish omelette. Foolish me, in my excitement and chatter I forgot to request no onion and it was a predominate ingredient. I still managed to successful pick the onion out and enjoy my meal. My serving size was absolutely enormous and would have easily fed two people even without the onions! Topped with a fresh crisp rocket salad and thick syrupy balsamic dressing this dish was quite an impressive sight. The toasted gluten free bread was spongy and light, with that springy resilience normal toast eaters take for granted.

"bagel" "scrambled eggs" "smoked trout" "seafood" "fish" buttered leeks" "leeks" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Brunch" "breakfast" "beaufort street" "highgate" "Beaufort Street Merchant, Highgate" "Beaufort Street Merchant" "mt Lawley" "mount lawley" "Chew town" "eggs"

Toasted bagel

Amanda ordered the toasted bagel which was served with hot smoked trout, slippery scrambled eggs and buttered leeks. Again the serving size was huge and all my hopes for getting her to help finish my own giant sized meal were squashed as she had trouble finishing her own.

Now those that know me well can appreciate that I can talk. Well, suffice to say Amanda gives me a run for my money. In what felt like half an hour, no less than two and half hours passed us by during which I had failed to observe 5 missed calls from the Boy who meanwhile was waiting in the heat out in the car for me. Eeeek. Am I the worst fiancé ever? After a number of failed attempts at contacting me, he decided to abandon ship and strolled up to the Queens where I found him enjoying a pint of beer under the water misters. Sheepishly guilty I hurried off to the bar to order the poor hungry man some food and more beer. I didn’t get a chance to stroll through the store at the back of The Beaufort Street Merchant and will be sure to return with an empty stomach and more time in the near future.

The Beaufort Street Merchant
 
488 Beaufort Street, Highgate WA 6003 | (08) 9328 6299 | http://www.beaufortmerchant.com/
 
Price:                     $$                           (Breakfast $15-22)
Food:                    4/5 (interesting options for breaky, large serves, fresh produce)
Service:                2.5/5 (slow with taking drinks orders and with delivery of food)
Ambience:          3.5/5 (great vibe, noisy)
Drinks:                  4/5 (coffee strong and not too bitter)
Total:                     14/20

 The Beaufort Street Merchant on Urbanspoon