It Just Has To Be Delicious

Archive for May, 2020

Kabalason, Joondalup

We popped into Kabalason one evening on a whim as we were passing. The last time we dined here was many years ago and we ate thali which was nice, but not amazing. I remember the flavours as being very strong and the spices a bit raw. Anyway, that was ages ago and last time we walked past Kabalason there were many people dining and we felt that it was worth another try.
We were quite early, and there was one other diner. A buffet was laid out under heat lamps, but our experience of buffet food is not good, so we decided to eat a la carte. The waitress did try to persuade us to have buffet ($24.50) but we wanted something freshly cooked and relatively light.
We chose chicken tikka, seekh kebab, cauliflower capsicum masala curry and two garlic naans.

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The tikka was served with a limp looking salad and a mint yoghurt sauce. The meat was a bit tough and didn’t taste as if it had been freshly cooked. It tasted more like a part cooked tikka that had been warmed up, the flavour was okay, but the mouthfeel was dense and I have had much better tikkas.

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The seekh kebab was better than the tikka, but again served with a limp salad that we didn’t touch. I suspect that the salad had been made up quite some time earlier and left in the fridge. The meat was nicely spiced, and a bit on the salty side, but a nice flavoured kebab.

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The cauliflower capsicum masala started off okay, but as I ate more of it I found it quite strongly spiced, and the spices had a raw edge to them as if they had not been cooked through. One of the secrets of a great curry is to cook it long and slow so that the spices really get a chance to develop and lose their hot rawness. The first few spoonfuls were okay, but as I ate more, I found it salty, hot and overbearing and I left most of it.

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The garlic naans were nicely flavoured but variable in texture. One was soft and a little doughy, but the better of the two. The other one was quite crisp and stiff, so I couldn’t wrap my curry in it.
So will I go back to Kabalason ? Probably not. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that they make a lot of food in advance for the buffet and then just reheat as required. Other than the naan nothing tasted really fresh and bright, and the constant throat-clearing and sneezing coming from the kitchen was quite off-putting. We spent over $60 on a very average meal.

Visit date – October 2019

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Gusto Gelato, Leederville

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Gusto Gelato is the brainchild of Sean Lee, a gelato enthusiast who decided to learn his craft in the Italian town of Bologna. He uses traditional artisan techniques and the result is a smooth creamy dreamy gelato which tastes divine.
The parlour is in Leederville at the top end of Newcastle Street, a bright cheery place with pastel coloured tables and chairs so that you can eat in. Sean and his staff are friendly and knowledgeable and they serve the gelato with love and care, washing the scoops in between each flavour.
His flavours are not overly sweet and sickly, he has the balance of sweetness just right and the flavours are full and precise. I chose the Salted Caramel – which tasted exactly like salted caramel – salty but not overly so and caramel but not cloyingly sweet – absolutely delicious. I also had the Brittle Sweet Symphony – honey gelato with almond brittle and dark chocolate pieces – again just divine.
It’s not cheap at $8 for 2 scoops, but you get what you pay for and this is the best gelato in Perth.

Vegan flavours include – Dark chocolate, Coconut and mango, sour cherry, raspberry, lemon, orange and passionfruit and mango. Sometimes they have a fab lemon and lime bitters flavour.

If you also want to learn how to make great gelato, Gusto run classes!

Last Visit – We’re always here – it’s a favourite

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Fun thing to do, Vegan/Vegetarian

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Heirloom, East Perth

Heirloom is a restaurant in the swish Fraser Suites in East Perth. Pete Evans is apparently the executive chef, but I’m not so sure that he has seen the latest menu.
We were directed to a nice table near the window, and given the menu which is extremely limited and quite ordinary. The kind of menu that I love is one where I can’t decide what to eat because everything sounds so delicious. This menu was the opposite. I struggled to find something that appealed to me. Appetizers were bread and dip, or olives with chorizo, hmm not that inspiring. Small plates were calamari, chicken and avocado tacos, arancini with prawns, duck leg salad or falafel. We ordered drinks while we deliberated over the best option.
I asked for a mocktail, and the very helpful waitress Nicole showed me a choice of two. I picked a lychee version only to be told that they had run out of lychees but the barman would make up a coconut version. I ended up with coconut water containing a few sprigs of mint, lots of cucumber, and a hint of lime. It was plain weird.

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I asked the waiter about the size of the starters and he said that they were about 200 grams each, which I thought was a strange way of describing them. He said that if we ordered arancini, we’d get just three arancini balls and three prawns, and he seemed to be recommending the tacos, so we decided to share the chicken and avocado tacos to start. In my head I imagined soft tacos with lovely slices of green avocado, crispy chicken, and some kind of mayo. What we actually received were 3 crispy tacos with a sandwich style filling, a few diced mango pieces on top, and a lettuce leaf with some further filling. They tasted
okay, but the mango wasn’t really enough to come through, and they could have looked so much more appealing. I also asked the waiter if there were any specials, but he said no, the menu was brand new, and that’s all that was available.

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Nicole came back and asked me how I was enjoying my cocktail. I said that it was a bit odd, and she very helpfully asked if I would like to try a strawberry daiquiri style mocktail instead. I said yes that sounded much better, so she disappeared and then came back and offered me a virgin mojito instead, so I settled for that. When it came up it was much better than the previous cucumber water style effort, although I am not sure if it was very mojito-ey.

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The choice of large plates was equally as dull as the small plates. The waiter told us that the macadamia crusted schnitzel was a very popular option (not my idea of fine dining), but he also advised us to order side dishes because he said that there weren’t many vegetables with the mains. Other options were barramundi, salmon, sirloin steak, lamb rack, mushroom fettucine plus a veggie tian option. My partner chose the barramundi and I chose the sirloin. At this stage I was regretting that we didn’t walk out after first seeing the
menu.
When the mains arrived they were beautifully presented and very tasty. My steak was cooked well, it came with some nicely presented carrots, some charred onions, a fondant potato, and a mushroom puree. As instructed, we also ordered a side of sauteed vegetables which was a nice selection, cooked well.

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The barramundi was again nicely cooked, tasted good and came with a cumin spiced potato galette the cumin was not detectable), a nice snow pea salad, braised fennel, and a quenelle of preserved lemon and pesto.

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The mains were tasty, and well prepared, but not amazing. There was nothing to give them a wow factor, and I am glad that I had 25% discount voucher. We looked at the dessert menu and chose not try the lemon tart, orange honey parfait or the coffee creme brulee.
It was an odd meal and Nicole the waitress did a great job of trying to make everything as good as it could be, but I can’t say that it was memorable, and I won’t go back. It was okay, just boring, very limited, and not the standard that I expected for a restaurant that is claiming serve ‘beautifully crafted’ food.

Visit Date – April 2018

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Hyatt Regency, Perth CBD

I attended the IPAA awards at the Hyatt Regency Grand Ballroom. I know that it can be difficult to cater satisfactorily for hundreds of diners at an event like this, but everything was organised very well and the food was delivered to the table hot and well presented.
I didn’t sample the bread basket, but my colleagues enjoyed their rolls and butter. The starter was chicken breast with quinoa, celery, peas, tabbouleh and local feta salad. This was a delight with a generous portion of succulent chicken and tasty accompaniments with real depth to the flavours.

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The main was Amelia Park medallion rib beef with Pommes Anna, mushroom, kale,
pumpkin puree and Madeira jus. The beef was beautifully tender, and the vegetables again had really good depth of flavour, obviously having been prepared with care.

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We finished off with tea, coffee and some handmade biscuits. A really good example of how to do conference catering – congratulations on a great meal.

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Visit Date – June 2019

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Felix & Co, Nedlands

Felix is a small coffee bar in Hampden Road, Nedlands, with some tall stools and tables inside plus one outdoor table. However, what it lacks in size, it makes up for in quality.
They serve a few toasties, pastries and cakes, but it’s all about the coffee here – coffee is clearly their passion.

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There were 2 special single origins on offer when we visited, and we chose to try the Guatemalan ‘Huehuetenango’ with tasting notes of milk chocolate, red berries and almond.
The other single origins available was a Rwandan ‘Kabuye’ – earl grey, baked orange and honey. A loaded seasonal blend with tatsing notes of super juicy, vanilla, apple, berry, caramel and chocolate was also available. This was just the list for espresso roast.
Other options included the batch brew Mantis blend and the cold brew Honduran ‘Juan Contreras’, and no less than 5 filter coffee single origin options from Costa Rica, Honduras and Rwanda.
We both chose the Huehuetenango – I chose an iced soy version and my partner chose a flat white.

Luscious, rich, smooth, and displaying a complex palate of flavours, this coffee certainly brought a smile to our faces. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and they all share the love for the humble coffee bean. The cafe also sells beans to use at home as well as other coffee related paraphernalia. We’ll definitely be back to explore the menu further.

Visit Date – December 2017

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Coffee shop review

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Homemade baked beans

Canned baked beans….meh. They’re great for a quick and convenient snack, but beware – the average can of beans has 21g of sugar. It is simple to make your own, you then know exactly what goes into them, and you can also mix up your beans if you like. You don’t have to use haricot, you can use cannelini, pinto, navy, any type you like or a mixture.

Beans

My recipe uses chorizo, you can also use bacon if you don’t like the strong flavour of chorizo, or if you are vegetarian, you can leave out the meat (or include vegan sausages) and up the flavour stakes with additional herbs and spices. This recipe makes enough for 4 serves for dinner or approx 6 batches of smaller lunch-time serves. Quite an easily portable snack too. You can also serve more people at dinner by adding other ingredients to the plate such as toast, cheese, eggs, sausages, chips, hash browns and sauteed mushrooms.

Ingredients:
2 x 400g cans of beans of your choice (you can also use dried beans if you soak them overnight)
1 x 400g can of diced tomatoes (or about 6 large Roma or Truss tomatoes skinned and chopped)
1 average sized onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, very thinly sliced or chopped
Optional extra veg: a small chopped carrot, a small chopped capsicum
1 chorizo chopped into small dice, or two to three rashers of smoked bacon diced or vegan sausages chopped
1 teaspoon of Worcester sauce (If vegan, use a spoon of liquid smoke instead)
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
Half a teaspoon of cumin powder
1 teaspoon of mixed herbs, dried, fresh or freeze dried
1 teaspoon of vegetable stock powder
salt/pepper/sugar to taste

Method:
Prepare the chopped ingredients:

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If using canned beans drain them:

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Fry the chorizo, or vegan sausages, (or bacon) in a few tablespoons of olive oil until it is slightly crispy and the fat has rendered.

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Add the onions and garlic (and the carrot and capsicum if including them):

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Once the onion begins to soften add the flavourings – mustard, cumin, paprika, herbs, Worcester sauce, stock powder.

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Stir everything to combine well and then add the tomatoes.

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Half fill the tomato can with water, swirl it to rinse the last bits of tomato and add it to the pan. Alternatively just add a little extra water if using fresh tomatoes.

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Add the beans, but try not to stir them too much (this tends to mush them up. Shake them around the pan.

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Leave to cook for 20 – 30 minutes until the beans are soft enough to eat. Add salt and pepper to taste. You shouldn’t need to add sugar, but if you do, consider adding some honey or agave syrup instead of granulated sugar.
Serve in a bowl with fresh crusty bread and some grated cheese. So simple and tasty that you’ll probably never buy cans of baked beans again.

Vegan version with vegan sausages and carrot:

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Recipe, Vegan/Vegetarian

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My favourite cheesecake

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For me, the best cheesecakes are baked. I think the texture is much better than the whipped and refrigerated versions.

This is my favourite cheesecake recipe – every time I make it, it turns out well. It is based on Nigella Lawson’s London cheesecake recipe, but with a few minor variations, which I will explain as I go along. It is baked in the oven in a ‘bain marie’ which is effectively a water bath. You make the bain marie by filling a roasting tin with hot water and placing the tin of mixture into it. It is really important to line the tin with strong foil to avoid water seeping into the mixture. Make sure that you buy the extra long heavy duty foil – I use 3 layers to protect the tin and scrunch it all up around the top of the tin. Don’t buy the shorter length foil because you will have to overlap it, and the water will find a way of getting through. I also use a springform tin – you don’t have to, but if you want to present your cheesecake on a nice plate, you will need to turn it out and a springform tin is the best option. Make sure that the base of your tin is firmly in place before you fill the tin with mixture. If you push the bottom of the tin from underneath, it should not dislodge – if it does move then your base is not properly seated – push it hard until it ‘pops’ into place. Failure to do this will mean that you lose some of your mixture through seepage.

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Recipe
150g plain digestive biscuits (as my friend Sue said, “use the proper ‘pommie’ ones” e.g. McVities)
75g unsalted butter melted or very very soft
500g cream cheese (Nigella says to use 600g, but in Australia it comes in 250g tubs, so I use 500g with an 18cm tin instead of 600g with a 20cm tin. I also use one tub of ‘value’ cream cheese which is harder, and one tub of better quality or light cream cheese which is softer – if you use two tubs of good quality the texture will be too soft.)
100g caster sugar (Nigella uses 150g, but I think this is sweet enough)
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of lemon juice (Nigella uses slightly less)
18cm Springform tin
Heavy duty long tin foil
For the topping
200ml tub sour cream (Nigella uses less, but I like a nice layer on top)
1 tablespoon caster sugar
Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract

1. Process the biscuits until they are like crumbs in a food processor (or put them in a bag
and bash them with a rolling pin). Mix in the butter and use them to line the bottom of the springform tin, pressing them down so they are smooth and level. If you want to make it easier to remove the cheesecake from the base of the tin, you can line it with a layer of baking parchment before adding the biscuits, but this step is not compulsory. Put the tin in the fridge to cool and set the biscuit layer. Heat the oven to 180 deg C.
2. Beat the cream cheese until it is soft (you may prefer to use a food mixer for this, but you can also use a wooden spoon and some elbow grease). When it is smooth add the sugar. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks, then the vanilla and lemon juice. Boil the kettle.
3. Line the outside of the chilled tin with strong foil so that it covers the bottom and sides in one large piece. Repeat with another layer (I actually use 3 layers for extra safety, but you don’t have to). This will protect the filling of the tin as it cooks in the water bath.
4. Pour the cream cheese filling onto the biscuit base and place the springform tin inside a roasting tin. Fill the roasting tin with hot water from the kettle until it comes halfway up the sides of the springform tin. Carefully place the whole thing in the oven and cook for 50 minutes.
5. Just before the 50 minutes is up, whisk the topping ingredients together in a bowl – sour cream, sugar and vanilla.
6. Check the the cheesecake is almost set – it should be set enough to hold the sour cream
layer, but not rigidly so. Pour the sour cream topping over the cheesecake and cook for a
further 10 minutes.
7. Carefully remove the tray from the oven and take the springform tin out to cool. When it has cooled to room temperature place it in the fridge to chill it before unmoulding. It
should shrink away from the sides of the tin slightly – if not, run a sharp knife around the
edge before releasing the spring.

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So that’s it – my favourite cheesecake. My friend Kara would like to try a choc mint
cheesecake, so one day I am planning to try this recipe but with an Oreo base, mint
flavoured filling (maybe with chocolate chips in it), and either a chocolate drizzle topping or chocolate shavings on top – or maybe even both.

Update – this is the choc mint version just before cooking:

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Recipe

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Crustless Mini Quiches

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These mini quiches are lower in carbohydrate content and dairy casein than regular quiches. They use ricotta which has hardly any casein protein in it and little mature cheddar for some extra cheesy flavour. I baked mine in a larger size muffin tray, but you can make them mini muffin size or regular muffin size and reduce the cooking time slightly. Cooking times vary from oven to oven, but you know they are perfect when they are just very slightly wobbly in the centre.
They are ideal for a quick brekkie, and if you don’t have muffin cases, you can use squares of baking parchment and scrunch them into the muffin tray indents.
Other than the cheese, you can put whatever you like in them. I dry fried some bacon, mushrooms and onion and added it before baking them, but you can use anything. Here are some suggestions:

broccoli
peas
sun dried tomatoes
cauliflower florets
spinach
prosciutto
small pieces of sausage
capsicum
pieces of butternut pumpkin

Just make sure that all of the extra filling ingredients are cooked or partcooked beforehand so that you don’t get any raw veg or meats in your quiche!

Ingredients (makes 4 large muffins):
Mixed pre-cooked filling – see above
3 eggs
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon mixed herbs (dried) e.g. basil, sage, oregano, thyme, mint, coriander
I used a standard dried herb mix, but you can also use fresh or choose the herbs separately
50-70g ricotta cheese (depending on how much you like it and how much filling you have)
approx. a third of a cup of finely grated cheddar

1. Mix together the eggs, salt, pepper, herbs and ricotta – give it a good whisk with and electric whisk to make it as light as possible. The mixture might look a bit strange, but it will turn out fine.
2. Stir in the pre-cooked filling and most of the cheese – save a little cheese for on top.
3. Place mixture in muffin cases and sprinkle extra cheese on top.
4. Bake at 190 deg C for approx. 20 – 25 minutes.

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Moore & Moore, Fremantle

This was my first trip to Fremantle for brekkie, and I was very pleased that we discovered Moore and Moore. It’s a long drive, but I will be happy to go back for a return visit. The cafe is within an art gallery, and it is very interesting, a little kitsch in places, but very warm, cosy and inviting – I really loved the atmosphere.

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A lot of the dishes on the menu are vegetarian. If you want meat the only options are bacon and meatballs, and if you want fish, there is a smoked salmon dish, however, as a meat eater, I found the vegetarian dishes very appealing and the lack of meat did not worry me.
I chose the burnt butter, sage and roast pumpkin mash. This consisted of roast pumpkin spread on turkish toast with two poached eggs on top, rocket, and tomato relish. I added bacon as an extra. The whole dish was delicious – the bacon good quality and nicely crispy, the pumpkin mash slightly sweet and the eggs cooked perfectly.

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My friend Karen chose the smashed new potato rosti. This consisted of mustard seed, spinach and romano cheese potato rosti topped with a poached egg, avocado, green olives and caper salsa, rocket and tomato relish. Karen really enjoyed it, she has been a vegetarian for quite a few years and found it tasty and the flavours quite interesting.

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As well as the food, the coffee and the drinks were really good – fresh orange, home made lemonade – all refreshing and delicious.
I really loved Moore and Moore, the menu is inventive without being ridiculous, the flavours all go well together and it is nice to see a menu with a wide vegetarian choice. The building is lovely – the Moores building – it is a heritage listed building that used to be an old merchant’s warehouse. There are various rooms where you can dine including an alfresco area out the back. When we were there a musical trio were entertaining everybody in the walkway. It was very typically Fremantle – a bit different, a bit quaint and very colourful. I loved it.

Last Visit Date – December 2014

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Coffee shop review, Restaurant review, Vegan/Vegetarian

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Nobu, Perth

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Nobu in Perth is one of two branches in Australia (the other one is in Melbourne), a cool sophisticated restaurant located in the Crown Casino complex at Burswood. Sleek and stylish it is similar to other Nobu branches around the world, and this one has the advantage of overlooking the hotel pool, and has an interesting ceiling centrepiece of glass coloured baubles.

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The menu is quite varied with nibbles, oysters, sashimi, salad, tempura, wagyu, lobster, gyoza, sushi, and various signature hot and cold dishes.
We chose mocktails to drink.
A Nobu sunrise – Pineapple, Orange, Passionfruit Juice, Sugar Syrup & Grenadine – with a wonderful dehydrated slice of orange on top – yum.

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A Berry Mule – Fresh Lemon, Raspberries, Grenadine & Ginger Beer – with a mountain peach.

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Our first dish to arrive was a special of the day. Salmon sashimi with nashi pear, truffle oil, yuzu and chives. It was quite nice but the truffle was a little overpowering for the delicate salmon.

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Next came sashimi salad with matsuhisa dressing – a favourite of ours. The dressing is made from finely chopped onion, rice vinegar, mustard powder, sesame oil and soy. The seared tuna went beautifully with the leaves and dressing.

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Next came the best dish of the night. Tempura soft shell crab harumaki – beautifully cooked crab inside a crispy tempura batter served with a reduction and a wasabi mayonnaise. The mayo was just right, just enough wasabi to taste it without dominating the dish. Every mouthful was a delight, and the dish was served with some very addictive pickled vegetables.

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Next came Pepper Crusted Seabass with Balsamic Teriyaki. A beautiful seabass portion sitting on the sauce with lotus root chips, spring onion and pak choy. The crust was nice and crispy, and the fish really fresh and just flaking apart nicely. Another really good dish with the flavour of the crust being a nice contrast to the soft flesh.

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Next was Pork Belly Spicy Miso Caramel. Melt in the mouth pork belly with a delicious sticky sauce – another great choice.

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The last main dish consisted of two maki rolls and some miso soup. If you thought that all miso soups were the same, then I urge you to try Nobu’s miso soup. Such a wonderful umami flavour with beautiful silken tofu and seaweed.

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Maki rolls are fairly standard Japanese fare, and I didn’t really expect them to blow me away, but they really delivered at Nobu. I loved how they were very tightly rolled so that they didn’t fall apart on dipping, and the ingredients were top quality. The salmon skin rolls contained lovely crunchy salmon skin and flesh with some veggies to contrast the seasoning of the salmon. Then the little spicy tuna rolls wrapped in seaweed were explosions of flavour, great quality tuna with a nice chilli hit.

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For dessert we chose Nobu alfajores (South American cornstarch cookies with dulce de leche), and a Nobu cheesecake. The alfajores were a yuzu flavoured shortbread with yuzu curd, chocolate ganache, dulce de leche ice cream and candied puffed buckwheat.
The cheesecake was small but perfectly formed, baked (our preference to whipped) with passionfruit sorbet and raspberry sauce. A really wonderful selection of desserts to complete the meal, with a ‘Happy Anniversary’ thrown in.

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Everything at Nobu is made well with quality ingredients. This comes at a premium price, but it really is the perfect location for a special occasion.

Last Visit Date – November 2018

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Restaurant review

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