Hop to Hopscotch Bar, South Perth
Posted by Bars, Featured, Perth, Tapas Bar, Wine Bar | Categories:I am refusing to let this back pain rule my life. When I originally injured it ten years ago, the pain overwhelmed me and I was terrified that I would never get back to my previous level of activity. This time round I am better prepared for the ride and thankfully my pain has been easier to control. It was my mother-in-law’s birthday a few weeks ago and it was at a point that I was still maxed out on my pain killers and mostly housebound. I was determined not to be beaten by this fact and agreed to join them for a lunch outing to celebrate.
To avoid having me seated in a car for too long, the Boy chose a local venue called Hopscotch Bar which is a new addition on Angelo Street in South Perth. This beautifully decked out bar is located in an old supermarket that remained vacant for some time after a storm blew its roof off last winter. I was glad to see they opted for a more modern and social way of dining with a small menu of share plates.
My parents-in-law are always so accommodating and generally let me order for everybody so that I don’t miss out. I think the truth of it is they like being able to sit back, relax and not have to stress about trivial things like what to eat or drink. Neither of them have any food intolerances nor are they fussy so it is an easy job for me.
We started with the free range chicken wings which I was originally told were gluten free provided I didn’t eat the sauce so the waitress ordered the sauce to be served on the side. After placing our order she came back and informed me that the chef wanted to advise that the oil may be contaminated with gluten as he had fried food with a flour coating prior to cooking the wings. This level of knowledge about gluten inspired great confidence in me. It is such a relief to know the chef already understands the basics of cross contamination when it comes to feeding a Coeliac.
Many of the small plates were able to have gluten free crackers substituted for bread leaving us quite a few options to enjoy. The duck liver pâté was smooth, smearable and richly flavoured although the jar made it a little difficult to serve easily. I cannot say I’m a fan of the trend of serving food in jars. I always feel like it is a short cut way to serve things rather than making an effort to plate the food up.
One of the vegetarian dishes of quinoa tossed with kale, mushrooms and goats cheese was a more substantial size and reasonably priced. It appeared that they had run out of kale and substituted spinach instead. The mushrooms had a wonderful meatiness to them and I could have happily eaten this dish to myself. But then again I am a mushroom addict!
The jamon-wrapped salmon fillets were served on a bed of cauliflower purée and topped with grilled asparagus and microherbs. The crispy jamon gave a great textural contrast to the softly cooked fish and I was pleased to note the salmon was cooked to have a satisfying dark pink centre. I get cranky when my salmon is overcooked as I believe it ruins it.
Neither of the desserts on the menu were gluten free however the Earl Grey pannacotta could be easily adapted by the omission of the shortbread biscuit. It had the requisite wobbly movement and the hint of bergamot aromas were so uplifting.
The Boy ordered the chocolate pudding to share based purely on the addition of vanilla ice cream. Ice cream really is his weakness. The “Sailor Jerry” chocolate pudding was irrelevant to him and he left it for his parents to enjoy instead. He can be easily pleased sometimes. Sometimes I said! 😉
Angelo Street was in dire need of somewhere cool that took it beyond the realms of sandwich bars and brunch spots. I look forward to seeing how Hopscotch Bar fits into the scene and will definitely be returning.
Hopscotch Bar | 79 Angelo Street, South Perth WA | 0418 399 966 | Facebook
Halo Espresso, South Perth
Posted by Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee, Featured, Perth, Restaurants | Categories:After such a magical time away in Thailand for our wedding, coming back to the humdrum reality of house work, cooking and cleaning felt like a kick in the face. To make matters worse, our maxed out cards and empty bank accounts meant we both had to return promptly back to work and start earning some cash. After a week of living like millionaires at Andara with a maid and a personal chef, the idea of returning to boring home cooked food sounded as tempting as eating my own arm.
The day before we both went back to work we begrudgingly headed off to our local greengrocer Scutti’s for our weekly food shop. It was the first time in nearly three weeks that we had to do such a chore and as we parked the car we were both looked longingly at each other for a solution. The idea of a temporary escape by delaying the shopping and heading over the road to a café for lunch sounded promising. Shoving my shopping list deep into my handbag we strolled over to Halo Espresso.
After all the rich food we ate on our stopover in Singapore my stomach was in dire need of something healthy and light. With this in mind I opted for a spinach salad with chicken served with avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts and gluten free bread and the Boy ordered a steak sandwich. As I handed over a fifty dollar note for our two meals and one coffee I was surprised that it wasn’t enough and rummaged in my bag for some extra change. I hoped the meals would be worth the reasonably high prices.
As we took our seats near the front window I noticed a big A-frame sign out the front saying “Best Coffee in WA”. I have to be honest as there is no way that I have tried every place in WA worth trying to know if this is actually is the best coffee however I can agree that it is extremely good and injected a much needed boost into my downer of a day. Unfortunately Halo’s food does not match up to their wonderful coffee. My spinach salad was dripping in copious amounts of dressing, oil coating each and every glistening spinach leaf and to add to the unctuous burden, my toast tasted like it had been laden thick with butter before it was toasted. The additional of some dry chicken in no way improved the dish either as it was flavourless. My only consolation was all the oil made the overcooked chicken more palatable.
The Boy’s steak sandwich was a bit better than my choice however in no way impressed him considering the price. The cheese was half melted and half hard, the steak very thin and dry and his side salad had no dressing at all! Instead of giving us one last hurrah before heading back to work, we were left somewhat unsatisfied and with a lighter wallet than expected. I would probably only go back there again for the coffee.
Halo Espresso 82 Angelo Street, South Perth 6151 WA | (08) 9367 4444 Price: $$ Food: 2/5 (disappointing considering the calibre of the coffee) Service: 2.5/5 (quick but not very welcoming or friendly) Ambience: 2/5 (very noisy dining room, we could barely hear each other and it was half full) Drinks: 4.5/5 (great coffee) Total: 11/20Gusto Food, South Perth
Posted by Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee, Featured, Perth, Restaurants | Categories:With only a few days to go before we fly out for our wedding in Thailand, I was feeling stressed and under the pump. I had taken the last week off work to finish of all the last-minute things however the more I got done the more I found I still had to do. Despite being so time-poor I needed some time out and openly welcomed a proposal for a quick catch up over breakfast from a close friend Tracy. She was soon to be joining us in Thailand and wanted to meet up before we left.
Last time we saw each other was during another breakfast date at Sayers Sister. Hustling for a car park in Northbridge was such a pain but our meals we enjoyed there were worth it. This time round to save time I chose somewhere more local that I had heard good things about on Foodie Craving’s blog; Gusto Food, South Perth.
Our coffees were literally being prepared as we were ordering our food and so no sooner had we sat down than they were brought over to our table. My macchiato was made just how I like it, with just a dash of milk and no more. Gusto uses an imported brand of premium Italian coffee Caffé Saccaria.
Our first ten minutes of conversation centred on my recent wedding planning endeavours and all the enjoyment and stress that come with it. Tracy and I don’t get to catch up very often so it was great fun to share what details I could without spoiling anything for her.
Being so short of time I was thankful our meals arrived quickly. I ordered some poached eggs on gluten free toast and Tracy ordered the French toast. To our surprise out came the most massive serve of thick cut French toast piled high with bacon, berries and caramelised bananas. There were even chunks of honeycomb perched on top. What incredible value. There was no way I could see Trace getting through it all. She informed me the only complaint she had with her dish was the bacon was too fatty, but otherwise worth the indulgence!
I had already been up for a several hours and had my first breakfast, so I figured being a bride I had best limit the size of my second breakfast of the day! In my hurry and fluster I forgot to get the all-important egg goo shot for those fans out there but suffice to say one of my eggs got the tick of approval, my other egg was soft but goo-less.
My side serve of roasted tomato and spinach really stole the show with this meal. The spinach was slippery soft and immersed in very naughty amounts of melted butter. The tomato had been roasted with balsamic sweetness and served with the cutest little skewer. If both my eggs were poached to heavenly I would be tempted to say this was one of the better breakfasts I have had in a long time. I will have to return again before making my final judgement.
Gusto Food 86 Angelo Street, South Perth WA 6151 | (08) 9367 3512 | Facebook Price: $$ ($15-20 per meal) Food: 3.5/5 (lost marks for the fatty bacon and firm egg) Service: 4.5/5 (so quick and attentive despite being reasonably busy) Ambience: 3.5/5 (cute café vibe) Drinks: 4/5 (creamy, not too bitter and just the right temperature) Total: 15.5/20