May | 2020 | Truly Scrumptious

It Just Has To Be Delicious

Archive for May, 2020

The Beehive, Horringer, Suffolk, UK

The Beehive is a typical English country pub in Horringer, Suffolk. It’s a very pretty location, very chocolate box-worthy.

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We visited for lunch on a lovely sunny day and enjoyed the old pub atmosphere and the warm welcome.
I chose thai style chicken which came with egg fried rice. It was nice but a little heavy on the salt.

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My partner chose lamb shank with mustard mash. This was absolutely delicious, and probably the best meal of the three.

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Our auntie chose a seafood linguine, which was good, but very hands on, with lots of seafood in the shell. She enjoyed it but found it quite messy to negotiate and it would have been good if the menu had mentioned that the seafood was shell-on.

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For dessert the chef made me a dairy free ice cream sundae with berries which was very good.

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My partner chose the sticky date pudding which he thoroughly enjoyed.

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The Beehive is a great location for an English pub lunch, and the food is prepared with love.

Visit Date – September 2019

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Restaurant review

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Sun Kwong, Whitfords

Sun Kwong is a shopping mall food counter that I have been happy to use for over ten years. I tend not to have the pre-cooked dishes that are kept warm, I like to order the ‘made-to-order’ dishes such as the noodle soups and the char kway teow. You pay for them in advance and get a numbered ticket, and within ten minutes you will be given a most delicious meal.

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I would say that the char kway teow is authentic, and the wanton noodle soup delicious and nourishing. The char kway teow is certainly as good as any that I have tasted in Malaysia and Singapore.

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This the wanton noodle soup – great value – lots of wantons and noodles and a delicious broth full of veggies:

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They also provide chilli oil in a little pot if you prefer things a little hotter. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the fridge has a plentiful supply of soft drinks.

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There is always a plentiful supply of dumplings, spring rolls and dishes ready to take away.

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I definitely recommend Sun Kwong for your lunch while you are shopping at Whitfords and your ‘go to’ place for your northern suburbs char kway teow fix.

Last Visit – February 2020

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Restaurant review

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Sayers Sister, Northbridge

I have heard a lot about Sayers Sister, so decided to give it a try for Sunday breakfast. It is in Northbridge at the Bulwer St end of Lake St. I haven’t been to this area before and was quite surprised to stumble across some other places that I have heard of such as Tarts and The Dizzy Witch.
Sayers Sister was the only of these restaurants with a queue, so we persevered and queued up. The restaurant is not quite as chaotic as Sayers in Leederville, the whole layout is better, and the staff allocate tables, so it is a much fairer system.
We were seated at the long central communal table, which has lots of sweet treats in the middle that you can graze on while you are waiting – you just put your payment in the little jars on the table. I think it’s nice that you can do this in Perth – you wouldn’t be able to get away with it in London – those coin jars would disappear on the first day!
I chose the potato rosti with bacon, poached eggs, rocket, spinach, parmesan and bramley apple/thyme chutney.
Every mouthful was delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed it. You could really taste the quality of the ingredients.

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I also had a white peach and passion fruit lemonade to accompany it.
My companion had a coffee – which was really delicious and smooth with a caramel richness. He also had a full breakfast which was equally enjoyable – lots of nice quality ingredients, and a lovely cumin mousse/sorbet on the beans which was unusual and tasty. It consisted of home made beans, crusty bread, eggs, bacon, bubble and squeak, mushroom and pesto.

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Sayers Sister also has a very attractive selection of home made cakes – if I were not on my January diet, I would have tried one (or two).
I will definitely be returning to Sayers Sister. I think it is slightly better than Sayers, but they are both good quality restaurants that I will always be happy to dine in.

This is another blog post a few years later:

I haven’t been to Sayers Sister for a few years now and wondered if it was as good as before. It is affiliated with Sayers in Leederville – a cafe that consistently serves great food and a brunch stalwart in Perth.

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When we arrived there was a queue and we were told that the wait time was 15-20 minutes. They very kindly gave us a lovely chocolate and strawberry muffin to eat while we waited. Once we got seated we ordered coffee which was a lovely smooth rich blend.

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The menu was full of delicious sounding options like baked apple waffles, zucchini and tomato bread with minted ricotta and zucchini flowers, leek and parmesan croquettes, but I chose my favourite potato rosti with poached eggs, bacon, spinach, rocket, parmesan, mustard, and apple/thyme chutney.

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This was such a perfect brunch dish, and every ingredient added value. Quality oozy eggs, perfectly cooked bacon and the oh so yummy rosti with a little piquancy from the mustard – this was everything that I wanted on that chilly morning.
My partner chose the coriander and cumin beans tagine with babaganoush, walnut pesto, poached egg and toasted linseed. There were a variety of beans which made it interesting, the linseed bread was tasty and wholesome, the egg was nicely cooked and the babaganoush sublime. He loved every mouthful.

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Sayers Sister is still delivering one of the best brunches in Perth – no wonder there’s a queue. Consistent quality and beautiful ingredients is a surefire winner here.

Unfortunately our last visit was not so great, it felt as if everything had changed and the service and quality had deteriorated. We haven’t been back in recent times.

Last Visit Date – July 2018

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Coffee shop review, Restaurant review

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Red Opium, Perth CBD

This restaurant is not right on Hay Street, it is just slightly in Hill Street, and you would probably walk past it if you didn’t know it was there. Inside it is buzzing, the colour scheme is black and red with simple clean lines and pictures of opium smoking characters on the wall. It is not licensed so you can bring your own wine.

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The menu is set out into sections where you can have smaller tapas style plates or large main course size plates. There are also some set meals, but we chose to have 6 tapas style plates and a salad.
The first dish to arrive was Kataifi King Prawns. King prawns wrapped in a shredded pastry with a tamarind and chilli jam dip. These were really delicious, cooked perfectly and the dip went really well with the prawns.

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Next up was spring rolls. These were thin and long, nice but nothing spectacular.

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Then came the star dish of the evening – spicy scallops – seared sashimi grade
scallops with tamarind and chilli. I could have eaten a whole plate of these, they were so good.

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The som tum with soft shell crab was really really nice, spicy, and quite lip tingling. The soft shell crabs were crispy and a nice contrast to the soft salad which was jam packed with papaya shreds, chilli, peanuts, onion and tomato.

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Tod Man was minced fish with thai chilli paste, herbs and minced prawns, served with a salsa.

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The salmon ceviche was really refreshing with caviar, onions, chillies, truffle oil and lemon.

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The satay was lovely, served with authentic rice cakes, cucumber relish and satay sauce.

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For dessert we chose mango with sticky rice which was thoroughly delicious.

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The food at Red Opium was really high quality, well presented, very tasty, cheffy, authentic and served by friendly staff. You couldn’t ask for more from a restaurant and I will certainly be returning.

Update – Unfortunately our second visit wasn’t as good, we found the food quite lacklustre and disappointing.

Last Visit Date – October 2017

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Restaurant review

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Smoothie Bowls

Smoothie bowls are a great breakfast idea and they can be made up in advance. The possibilities are endless, but one of my favourite breakfast smoothies is a combination of frozen blueberries, frozen cherries, almond milk, soy milk and protein powder. I bulked this up a bit by adding some cooked quinoa and then topped it with sliced banana, chia, strawberries, dried apricots, almonds and a few chocolate nibs.

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To get the best smoothie bowls, you need to be a little bit organised at the start of the week. If using quinoa, wash and cook up a small amount and keep it in the fridge in a sealed container. Put some chia seeds in a jar and soak them – they should swell with the water and form a gel like slurry. The smoothie can be made up in advance but will probably need a stir in the morning, then all you need to do is add your toppings.

Frozen berries make a great smoothie base because you don’t have to add ice. You can use blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cherries and some of the mixed berries too. Fresh berries are also good but don’t add the coldness to the smoothie.

You can use whatever milk you like and add yoghurt – thick greek yoghurt has a great protein content – and if you prefer not to add dairy you can use coconut yoghurt. For a bulkier smoothie you can add protein powder, quinoa, oats, psyllium husk and shredded coconut, and you can also soak cashews in water and whizz them up in the blender for a lovely cashew cream. I like to mix my milks so that I get a good fat/carb/protein mix.

Toppings can be fresh or tinned fruits – peaches, pears, apples, banana, strawberries, kiwi, lychees, pineapple.

You can also add nuts – if they are slightly toasted, that’s even better, and you can crush them too. You can also sprinkle desiccated coconut over the top.
Dried fruits make a great topping – sultanas, apricots, dates, figs.

Soaked chia is a nice addition, also agave syrup, maple syrup, honey and even a slight drizzle of nutella. Yum. Every bowl can be different, and they are fun to make.

Category:

Recipe, Vegan/Vegetarian

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Smoothie Bowl

Tiramisu

What do you think of when you think of Tiramisu? Is it creamy, is it chocolatey, is it custardy? I imagine that every Italian home and restaurant has their own special recipe, but the one that I really enjoy that reminds me of Italy is the recipe that I devised after tasting the house speciality tiramisu at Alla Rampa Restaurant in Rome.

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Alla Rampa is just under the Spanish Steps, and I was so impressed with the dessert that I went back for seconds the next night. Their version is dished up from a large flat baking tray, and is coffee and sponge covered in the most delightfully light custard with marscapone and sprinkled with powdered chocolate. No creamy layers or chocolate layers in sight. I once made this for Nancy Lam and she cleaned up the dish by scooping out the remnants with her fingers and licking them, such an amazing compliment from a great lady.

If you are ever in Rome, please make sure that you pay a visit to Alla Rampa to try this amazing dessert. If you are not likely to go to Rome in the near future, follow the recipe below and let me know what you think – I hope you love it. The quantities are approximate because I made the recipe up, please feel free to adjust them to suit your taste.

Recipe
1 pack of Boudoir or Savoiardi biscuits (these are sponge fingers which soak up the coffee and liqueur)
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1 coffee based liqueur miniature such as Tia Maria or Kahlua (approx 100mls)
1 cup of strong black coffee (e.g. use 3 heaped teaspoons of instant coffee, or if you prefer,
make ‘proper’ coffee) cooled
4 eggs – separated – whisk 2 of the whites into stiff peaks, save the other 2 whites for when
you want to make a meringue
100g caster sugar
4 level tablespoons plain flour
4 level tablespoons cornflour
600mls milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
250g – 300g marscapone
chocolate powder for sprinkling

Method
1. Take a large shallow dish and arrange the savoiardi biscuits in the dish so that the base is completely covered. If you have an oval dish like me, you will need to line the biscuits up like soldiers and then break some to fill the gaps around the edge.

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2. Pour the liqueur over the biscuits trying to ensure that each biscuit gets a splash of liqueur. Now pour the coffee over the biscuits – use half the coffee first and see how it goes. The biscuits are very absorbent, so you are likely to need all of the coffee.

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3. Whisk together 4 egg yolks and the sugar until thick and pale. Beat in the flour and cornflour along with a large splash of the milk.
4. Heat the rest of the milk in a medium-large saucepan until almost boiling, and pour it onto the egg mixture, stirring constantly.
5. Now tip the whole mixture back into the saucepan (use a spatula to scrape every drop out of the bowl), and heat again on a low heat, stirring all the time (otherwise it will stick). When it has boiled and thickened, remove it from the heat.
6. Fold in the whisked egg whites and return to the heat for a few minutes, you can also add the vanilla extract at this point.
7. Remove from the heat, cool for a few minutes and stir in the marscapone. The marscapone should melt quite nicely into the mixture, keep stirring until it is smooth and lovely (taste a nice big spoonful just to be sure). You can add extra marscapone if you like a creamier texture, it’s up to you.

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8. When it has cooled down sufficiently, it can be lukewarm, but not hot, pour it over the soaked biscuits so that all of the biscuits are covered.

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9. Using a sieve, sprinkle chocolate powder over the top so that it is completely covered. Chill for at least an hour, and serve only to your most deserving friends.

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Recipe

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Tiramisu

The Milk Barrel, Hillarys

There’s nothing like a great ice cream, and with so many parlours to choose from, it can be difficult to find a parlour that provides the right balance.
Many establishments are geared up towards children offering an array of sauces, sprinkles and chocolate bar additions, and although nice occasionally, I generally find them quite sickly.
Gusto in Leederville is a great parlour – the guy who owns it took the trouble to go to Italy and learn the true artisan craft of gelato making. Thus far it has been my favourite. When I saw that Milk Barrel had won numerous awards at the Perth Royal Show, I thought it was worth a try and was very pleasantly surprised – the gelato is certainly as good a standard as Gusto, although the Milk Barrel tend to have fewer vegan options as standard.

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I chose the Tiramisu gelato, which was beautiful. With sponge pieces, gooey chocolate and a not too sweet creamy coffee gelato backdrop, it was really well constructed and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
One of our group chose the pavlova special, which tasted just like a pavlova with raspberry, passionfruit and chunks of meringue. The lemon and lime bitters sorbet tasted exactly like lemon and lime bitters, wonderful and refreshing.
The cookies and cream was again not too sweet, but tasty and creamily delicious.

It’s great to see a good quality gelato bar in the northern suburbs, I look forward to going back to try the other flavours.

Last Visit Date – February 2020

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Fun thing to do

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Pinchos, Leederville

We stopped off at Pinchos for some Sunday afternoon tapas. It occupies a corner position in the heart of the Leederville strip with tables outside as well as inside. When they first opened a few years back, they had a small shop, but have expanded into the shop next door, a move that was needed because they are always busy.
The menus are the type where you tick what you want – at least the wait staff can’t get your order wrong. There are Pinchos classics, small bites, salads, ham and cheese, grilled bread with toppings, tortillas, croquettes, tapas, and a few bigger plates.
We started off with Pan Arabe – flatbread, saffron labne, olives, beetroot, guindilla pickle, grpaes and dukkah. This was one of my favourites, a really nice combination, and the flatbreads were beautifully prepared. I could have happily eaten a very large plate of this and nothing else.

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Next came Berenjena – Grilled bread with eggplant, brie and pear chutney. This was nice but quite mildly flavoured and could have benefited from a bit more seasoning.

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Then my favourite Patatas Bravas – beautiful roasted potatoes with paprika, tomato and aioli. My only wish was that all of the potatoes were coated with the sauces.

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Then the salad arrived – Frutos Secos – rocket, confit nuts, pear, goats cheese and orange segments. A nice mixture that I thought went well together, but my companion wasn’t overimpressed – describing it as a ‘trail mix’ salad.

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The last dish was a tapas favourite Campinones con Queso Azul – grilled mushrooms with px vinegar, blue cheese and roasted candied almonds. This was probably the best dish – full of flavour and not too overpowering.

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It was a very nice late afternoon lunch, and Pinchos is a casual relaxed atmosphere where you can sit outside and watch the world go by. It’s very tempting to compare it with Duende which is just around the corner, but I think that they are two different vibes. Duende is much more polished and had more of a gourmet feel to it, whereas Pinchos is perfect for dropping by to eat simple but delicious bites. Both venues have a place in Leederville, and they are certainly well loved by the locals.

Last Visit – October 2018

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Pictures from other visits:

Flatbread, pickles, labne, olives, grapes:
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Spanish pate with bread:
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Mushrooms with blue cheese, PX vinegar and almond crumb:
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Roast pork belly with cumin and lemon:
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Restaurant review

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Pho 4 U, Malaga

Pho 4 U is a casual cafe in amongst the parade of shops between Illawara Crescent and Beach Road facing Alexander Avenue. It is clean and modern, with a stereo that plays Asian pop and emits coloured lights while you eat. The staff are lovely and helpful, and the food is good. The menu is quite extensive, with the usual Vietnamese favourites as well as Chinese style sharing dishes.
While we perused the menu, the waitress brought us some peanuts – nice slightly spicy peanuts.

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We chose some crab claws and stuffed chicken wings to start.

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These were really tasty and cooked to order. The wings stuffed full of filling and the crab claws nice and generous.
For mains we chose fried prawns with salt and chilli. Beautifully cooked, crispy, spicy, and with those lovely fried onion and chilli bits, we ate them hungrily. We also ordered some boiled rice.

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We also chose stir fried chicken with vegetables and sambal sauce. The sauce wasn’t as spicy as I hoped but the vegetables were fresh, colourful and tasty, and the chicken was very nicely cooked.

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All in all it was a very nice and generous meal, and I will definitely go back to try some more traditional dishes.

Visit Date – June 2018

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Restaurant review

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Peppermint Green, Joondalup

Peppermint Green is a lovely cafe just off Winton Road in Delage Street. As soon as you walk in, you can see that it is clean, bright, and welcoming.

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We stopped off for a small bite before shopping. I ordered an orange and cinnamon iced tea which was lovely. They also offer allergy friendly options, and various different milks if you don’t do dairy.

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