Echye's restaurant

Authentic Ethiopian

J and I decided to be culinary adventurous and tried a newly opened Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant in Victoria Park. This was probably one of the most exciting dining experience I've had as I've never tried Eritrean food before.

Echye's is a family owned restaurant with a lovely African feel depicted through their furnitures. The menu is based on a wide selection of curries all accompanided with Enjera (yeast risen flatbread). J and I had our pick of different curries, we chose Zhigni and Goredgored curries. We also ordered the Habesha coffee just to experience it. Menu can be found on their website.

When the Enjera came out, we were so shocked with it's appearance, it literally looks like a sponge, I studied the texture and it accurately resembles one. The colour was also odd. Taste wise, it had a fermented sour taste to it just like DOSAI. Unfortunatly I'm not the biggest fan of dosai.

Our curries arrived in cute African stew pots and we were told to put the curry on the bread and tear it with our hands, the waitress gave us cutlery just incase but we decided to do it the African way.

Zhigni - Most popular meat dish - tender lamb with berbere (mixture of spices with red chilli), onion, garlic and tesmi (purified butter with spices).

Like many curries full of spices, it tasted like an indian curry but probably more intense with the spices. Meat was deliciously tender accompanied with lovely sauce. 

Goredgored - tender beef pieces, pan fried served with awaze (chilli paste)

The Goredgored wasn't as saucy as the Zhigni but still delicious.

Since the bread was huge! We struggled to finish our dishes and I wasn't too keen on the bread, the waitress gave us a different kind of bread as she understood Enjera may not be for everyone. We actually prefered the new bread. She also brought us a paste which I wasn't sure what it was called but J loved it! he started putting it on everything. I on the other hand found it abit too strong for my liking. 

We started wondering when our coffee was going to arrive, the waitress then came out with a smoking pot with coffee beans and wanted to show us the roasting process. She said in Africa the aroma from roasted coffee is an invitation to come over and have coffee. I thought that was cute and nice of her to show us abit of their culture.

Few minutes later she brought out our coffee in a funky teapot with a wired ball in the spout which much resembled a hair ball, this served as a filter. Teapot was quite heavy than the norm and there was a technique in pouring the coffee. Coffee-wise, we both thought it was very strong, I would have liked some milk and I overloaded my little asian looking cup with sugar. J on the other hand took it in pretty well.

Overall, we enjoyed our Eritrean experience and would definetly recommend it to everyone who has never tried it out, food is authentic and I believe it's as close as you can get.

Food For Me

"FOOD FOR ME AND EVERYONE"

Cafes are popping up everywhere in Perth and I'm always on the look out for new ones. FOOD FOR ME is currently one of my favourite spots atm. For one, I LOVE THE NAME it's so obvious that you'll be fed here; secondly, I love how you can make reservations, the older I get, I realise life's too short to be waiting in line to be fed; thirdly, Food is delicious! good quality and they have an extensive menu from sweet to savoury, deliciously unhealthy or refreshingly healthy; Four, lovely atmosphere and plenty of seating and booths; fifth, friendly service; sixth, nice toilets :)

C, M and I went for brunch at FOOD FOR ME on a beautiful saturday morning for which C had kindly made a reservation. Nestled in the heart of Victoria Park, this corner cafe isn't hard to find, but I surprisingly have never noticed the cafe until I started hearing about it. After pondering over the menu making that all time hard decision in choosing between savoury or sweet for brunch, I had settled to go for Sweet and Savoury. The French toast with berries and bacon with maple syrup, but the zuchinni corn fritter also sounded delicious! I lined up to order and when I reached the counter I've chosen the Zuchinni and corn fritter *sigh* forever a savoury girl. I also ordered a chai latte for the gazillionth time *I swear I live my life like a broken record player* C opted for a zuchinni tart displayed in the glass cabinets and M had the usual big breakfast which she is yet to finish one.

Chai Latte

I loved my Chai Latte, they were spot on with it, so creamy and frothy. I have concluded that many cafes can do a good chai latte. My work is done *not that I played any influence in this revolution whatsoever*

Zucchini and Corn Fritters with avocado, mixed greens and a poached free-range egg. Served with a preserved lemon, dill and chilli dressing (GF) 15.0

I loved my dish! the fritters had a generous dose of corn kernels with a hint of middle eastern spices, there was a generous serving of half an avocado, yay! I love avocado and considering how much avocados cost these days I think I'm getting a discount with my dish. The poached eggs was perfectly poached, silky egg white resembling cute boccocini looking balls with perfect wet yolk when cut, all this was rounded off with a slightly tangy, sweet sauce that went perfectly with everything. It was a well thought out dish.

Full belly breakfast - 19.0

M enjoyed her breaky and did pretty well with it, the only thing she would fault was there wasn't enough butter to slather on the GIGANTIC toasts, apparently the bread is sourced from Barrett's bakery in Nedlands. Nedlands do have some good bakeries and yay for local.

Frittata and salad

C's meal looked all so healthy and very appetising, the frittata looked beautiful with the stripey effects from the zuchinnis.

Overall, a jolly good catch up and I will definetly come back to try the other items on the menu. At last Perthians can round up a big group of friends and dine in a popular brunch cafe without the long wait.

Vons chicken

There is an invasion of Korean restaurants happening in Perth. In the future we will all be dancing and singing to K pop and dressing up like one. Oh wait. that's now. that's me *shame*. The BF have been going to alot of man dates to Vons chicken in which they all talk highly of including my workmate, so I decided to try this place out myself.

Vons chicken is a franchise restaurant in Korea serving mainly chicken from which you can opt for the roasted or deep fried. I stood aside and let the BF take the reigns for this one ordering chicken and rice, he chosed the roasted chicken with mild chilli sauce. You can choose your level of hottness. For me, i'm not that hot :(

We all sat down and got our plastic gloves which I think is pretty awesome! at that moment I was very excited, who wouldn't be excited with plastic gloves!...PLASTIC GLOVES!! *crazily waves them around* Each table is equiped with a chicken scrap bin and baby wipes.

The chicken arrived and as expected it was a bunch of chicken on a plate, glistening with sauce and a lovely brown, make you salivate colour. At that moment I thought, we should've ordered the fried rice or something, so it wouldn' t be so plain and repetitive, but I need to let the control freak that I am go and just eat. 

I slid on my gloves *excited fit* and started digging in, only to realise it wasn't what I imagined it to be, I thought in wearing the gloves I'd be able to devour the saucy chicken with my dignity still intact looking classy and all lady-like, but it proved to still be quite difficult, like I was better off eating it with my bare hands. It was difficult to eat the rice and have gloves too, so I only ended up using one glove. Chicken wise, they were delicious but I think they were too hyped up, I've been told they're better than KFC, KFC is pretty damn good. I think they're both equally good but vons is probably healthier and also pricier . I didn't end up eating my rice, just had the chicken so I guess the rice was really not that necessary nor would fried rice either since I was too busy handling the chicken and was happy with just chicken.

Overall, eventhough it's just roasted saucy chicken, it's still GOOD chicken. The next time I come here, I'd have a take away so I can devour it in my own privacy sauce on my face, clothes, hands and all. I also wouldn't mind a side serving of chips, it would be a great alternative to KFC, without the greasy, unhealthy feeling you get after a KFC meal. 

Ellie's Tent

"Shake those full bellies"

http://www.eliestent.com.au/

Looking for somewhere different to dine? A different experience? Cuisine? Ellie's tent is fun interactive dining, Lebanese style.

Ellie's tent is perfect for large group bookings and seatings are unique, you can choose to have table and chairs OR sit in harem squares! in this case pfft..who needs chairs :P I booked the harem square for 16 people and we were given a whole section just for us. 

First impressions coming in, it didn't look as extravagant as the photo on the website, I just saw wooden tables and chairs and fabrics draped across the ceiling, but after walking further towards the end, voila! there were the harem squares.

Ellie's tent interior

The harem square comes as a floor seating or high floor seating (basically like a square booth). I would've preferred the high floor seating but it wasn't able to fit 16 people. Having said that I still enjoyed sitting on the floor. Our seating was elevated by a step and covered with carpet, the area was decorated with middle eastern decor such as instruments, candle stands and rugs displayed on the wall it really added to the experience.

Dining lebanese style in harem squares

Bf and I shared the Lebanese banquet $35pp, it was definitely more than enough and I wouldn't have chosen anything else. I wanted the ultimate Lebanese experience. The banquet consists of Hoummos, Moutabbal, Tabbouleh, Falafel, Sambousik, Fetta Cheese, Shish Tawook, Shish Kebab, Seasoned Rice, Shawarma Lamb, Shawarma Chicken. 

First of all the falafel arrived and the lovely waitress told us about how her mum's (chef) falafels are slightly different to the ordinary hence it was a little more greener (don't quite remember why, parsley?), her marketing skills for the falafel worked and my other friends ended up ordering a couple for themselves, I think they gave it to them for free too :) I liked the falafel, crunchy on the outside and soft in the centre, it was like a potato ball but with chickpeas..obviously healthier haha. The sambousik was like a full on meat curry puff minus the curry, I enjoyed it but honestly I still prefered the usual curry puffs.

Falafel

Sambousik

The hoummos and moutabbal looked delicious with the paprika and olive oil drizzled on top, both dips went well with the pita bread, I particularly liked the sweet smoky egg plant flavour of the moutabbal. The Shish kebab was tender, I probably would've liked it more marinated but that's just me..always wanting everything marinated haha..The taboulleh and feta cheese was fresh and complimented well with all the deep fried and grilled dishes, it was fun eating the banquet, you could put all the meat and dips into the pita and have it like a kebab or just have a little bit of everything.

Hoummus, Moutabbal, feta cheese and falafel

How good does this hoummos look

Shish Tawook, Shish Kebab and tabbouleh

The bf and I was very full at this point, BUT THERE WAS MORE :O the seasoned rice dish with shawarma chicken and lamb and in the end we couldn't finish it. I didn't quite enjoy this, it was probably because I was too full and was forcing it in, but I think it needed more flavour. Overall I enjoyed the banquet but I found most dishes had the same level of subtle flavour, I think maybe having a stronger flavour with the meat and rice would allow the refreshing nature of the tabbouleh, feta cheese and dips to shine and compliment the main dishes.

Seasoned rice and shawarma chicken and lamb

Most of my friends ordered from the ala carte menu which majority is basically one of the items from the banquet and a side. Here are some snaps.

Soon after finishing our meals, the music suddenly became louder, that was when I knew my long awaited moment has arrived. BELLY DANCER! They didn't call her a belly dancer for nothing, she really knew how to shake it. A couple of us were good sports and joined the dancer when she 'lured' them in, do not assume that just because you're sitting in the back corner, you won't be targeted by the dancer, even if it's inconvenient for you to get out of your table she can still pick you regardless. There were actually two sessions of belly dancing so don't be quick to leave after the first dance.

Belly dancer!

No one  is safe haha!

Ellie's tent is a great addition to Perth's multicultural scene and I enjoyed experiencing the Lebanese cuisine and customs. Definitely dine in the weekends for the belly dancing.

Taro Taro

"Can we have some TARO with that?"

Taro Taro has sparked an asian frenzy all over perth, I first heard of this place from my work colleague who loves the food. So being the curious foodie that I am, I decided to try it out with bf and C.

Taro Taro sells Taiwanese desserts and is popular in Taiwan. If I had to describe Taiwanese dessert, I’d say it is a bunch of asian stuff in a bowl. Nothing fancy, nothing pretty, just tasty and refreshing.

On arrival, the place was packed with people...asians...I looked around and felt like I was in asia..Taiwan in particular. We were lucky enough to score a table and abused C's coupon ordering the taro taro signature herbal jelly soup, the famous fried chicken, braised pork rice and lychee and green tea ice drink. For the taro taro signature dessert, you can design your own and select different toppings, you can also choose to have it warm or cold and staff will ask for % sugar preference.

Our taro fiesta ^^

The Taro Taro signature herbal jelly soup comes in quite a large bowl so I'd recommend sharing and trying out other dishes. Though not pretty, it is refreshingly delicious. I really liked the sago, better than Utopia sago, it was soft and gooey but not too gooey. I also enjoyed the soybean pudding and grass jelly, there was something fresh about the ingredients, grass jelly was very soft and jelly-like, different to those in grass jelly can drinks. As for the taro, I don’t remember =-= hahah.. bf absolutely loves taro...actually...maybe I didn’t actually have any taro coz HE ATE IT ALL :O

Taro Taro signature warm herbal jelly soup

The fried chicken was yum! Basically chicken rolled in MSG..ALOT of MSG, how can you go wrong right? Braised pork rice was rather average, but it’s cheap and fills you up. So if you’re looking for a cheap lunch go for it. As for the drinks..the name says it all, tastes like lychee flavour with ice/ green tea flavour with ice.

Taiwanese fried chicken and pork braised rice

After a decent first impression, I've returned twice, but it was disappointing. Due to the high demand, they ran out of TARO! :O bf was particulary devastated as he was the one longing for taro..me..not too fussed haha..but despite not having taro, the joint was still packed with asians. We had to replace the taro with another topping choice, the second visit I chose the lotus seeds and the third occasion I opted for the lychee balls.

Lotus seeds was well..lotus seeds, I don't know how to explain the taste but mum makes it at home so it wasn’t anything special, I just chose it coz I knew it was good for you. Lychee balls was very interesting! When you bite into the balls it squirts out lychee liquid. I was so fascinated with how they’d inject the liquid into the balls. It’s like those fish oil capsules except more pleasant to eat.

Taro-less herbal jelly soup with lychee balls

I also tried the Oolong tea milk float. My friend who tried this in Taiwan absolutely loved it, but in this case she was disappointed. I decided to try it myself and yeh..I didn’t find it that great, pretty much just Oolong tea. I wasn't sure if I was meant to mix the milk into the tea or increased my 25% sugar to 50% as it was rather tasteless and the milk float tastes like nothing, just a slight flavour of milk.

Oolong milk tea float

Overall, I think taro taro is overrated, but I still think everyone should try this place out. Though I know people have been disappointed especially my Taiwanese friends, I don't find it bad at all, it's a good change from the usual ice cream chocolate dessert and I reckon it's a healthier dessert option too. I hope taro taro will be ordering a GAZILLION more taros from now on after their taro crisis, otherwise..I expect a name change.

Alpine Restaurant [CLOSED]

I can finally cross off trying German cuisine on my list after visiting ALPINE in Carlisle with my two buddies! I walked out the restaurant with a fat belly and a lasting impression that Germans like to eat & drink BIG"!.

On arrival we were greeted by a friendly lady, I believe she was the wife of the owner (chef). My first thought of the interiors was wow..cluttered there was so many decors and so may excellence awards displayed on the walls as well as a picture of the lady herself posing with John Howard. There was german music playing in the background and we happen to be seated right under a Cuckoo clock which sounded every hour..*I think* I have to admit it gave me a fright the first time.

Not long after being seated I realise she was the only waitress serving..I knew it was going to be a long night as I've read reviews about the slow service, but that was forgiven as she was such a sweet lady and my outing was to catch up with my two buddies I haven't seen for awhile.

My two friends started off with good ol german beer, I LOVED the BIG mugs that came with the beer which was BIGger than the average size too.

The menu was filled with a huge selection of meals...all sounding so good! but after reading reviews of the big portions served, we decided to share one entree. We ordered the "Frikadelen" Pork veal and beef rissole served on toast with iceburg lettuce and fried onions $15.50. Presentation wise..it wasn't very good looking but it tasted delicious..reminded us of an open burger. The patty was flavoursome, well seasoned and the roasted capsicums were really good! they were perfectly roasted and soft. The dish was rather oily though, but it was GOOD oily, the kind of oily that made it taste good, not to the sickening point. I have to say, good thing we shared our entree coz this entree size was like a main.

Frikadelen

My friend also ordered a soup "Goulash" which he quite enjoyed, it looked rather thick though but very hardy.

Goulash

For mains, I ordered the "Schweinebraten", rolled roast pork belly in malt beer sauce $19.50. My first impression of it was WOW this is big followed by..where is my PORK? as it was drowned with the malt beer gravy, I did not get a hint of beer taste in my gravy, but apparently you're not meant to taste beer? so it just tasted like ordinary gravy, abit gluggy for my liking though. The pork on the other hand was very tender, perfectly cooked, though it seemed like it was more braised than grilled which I was expecting. The dish came with sauerkraut and roasted potatoes which just looked so golden and YUM! there was ALOT of potato though, I didn't manage to finish all of them.

Schweinebraten

My friend had the "Kassler" $19.50 a smoked loin of pork grilled served with sauerkraut and potatoes. This dish seem to be popular as I saw a newspaper article about it displayed on the walls. The dish looked just like mines..minus the gravy.  It looked delicious! and he enjoyed it, though after trying the pork it seemed abit dry but my friend thought it was fine.

Kassler

My other friend had the cheese schnitzel $35 and boy was it HUGE! chicken covered with cheese accompanied with skewers of tomato and more CHEESE. He managed to finish it all though he did repeatedly comment on how much cheese was on his dish...numerous times.

Cheese Schnitzel

Both my friends had no space for dessert BUT I DID!! So we shared two desserts. "Appelstrudel" $9.50 and "Rote Grutze" $9.50, a light dessert made from fresh raspberries and red currant served with cream or ice cream. One of the few Schleswig – Holstein Specialties.

Rote Grutze

Appelstrudel

The Rote Grutze was rather rich, despite it being described as "light" In simple words, it basically tasted like jam with ice cream. Abit too sour to finish the whole thing. We didn't finish it in the end even by sharing amongst the three of us.

The appelstrudel was delicious, it was warm and crispy on the outside. A perfect warm dessert to end the night. It wasn't like the famous Corica apple strudel but I reckon the fact that it was warm, made it alot better.

Overall, my dining experience lasted 2 hours! due to the slow service and well..we had alot to say to each other, price tag was $31 and I was very full and satisfied. I can now happily tick of "German" food off my list of cuisines to try ^^. I wouldn't mind coming back to try out the other specialties they offer.