It Just Has To Be Delicious

Archive for July, 2023

The Iluka, Iluka

The second instalment in the quest to find the roast in Perth took us to The Iluka, a pub in the beachside suburb of Iluka.

There’s no separate dining area, all of the tables are within the pub, so dining here comes with all the noise and clamour of a pub atmosphere. To be honest I think the Iluka are missing a trick here, and there is definitely space to have a separate quieter bistro area.

Initially we were taken to a table that was incredibly uncomfortable. Even though I had booked several weeks ago, there didn’t seem to be a reservation sign on the table (unlike others), and it was a very cramped table with a huge barrel base and high seats. There was no way to sit comfortably, you either knocked your knees on the barrel or had to sit with your legs open to get close enough to reach adequately. I asked the waitress for another table and she said that they were fully booked so it was unlikely. Eventually she came back and offered us a much better table, but with the proviso that we only had 90 minutes to order and eat. I thanked her for organising this and we happily moved.

That’s pretty much where the waitress service ended. We had the choice of ordering online via a QR code or going up to the bar. The choices for Sunday lunch are roast beef, a chicken maryland, or a nut roast. I went up and ordered drinks and two portions of roast beef with trimmings ($38 for each roast). It was a bit confusing because the tables have a number, but you also get given a separate number to put on top of the table,

I had a rather nice glass of Tai Tira Marlborough sauvignon blanc while we waited.

The meal was served by a waitress, but without cutlery and sauces, so I had to go and hunt them down. I couldn’t find any horseradish and when I asked, the waitresses said that they would bring it to me, but that didn’t happen. A few minutes later I saw a staff member putting jars of horseradish on the sauce table, so I got up to get some, but it was annoying that I had to keep getting up to get things.

The meal was great, and nicely seasoned. The beef was very good quality (although another slice wouldn’t have gone amiss), veggies (broccolini, anise red cabbage, mixed carrot and swede) were perfectly cooked and the potatoes were excellent. I liked that the gravy came in a separate pot and it was a nice amount. The yorkie was good, but not huge.

I’d like to say that I would go back for a meal of such good quality, but I am a bit in the balance. If booking again I would specify a comfy table – too many people were awkwardly eating food while perched on the high tables. Obviously I’d be aware of the mainly self-service approach in future and know what to expect. The quality was great, but a little extra thought to the environment and the service could have made the whole experience fantastic.

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Chapters Bistro, Currambine

I am on a quest to find Perth’s best dining out Sunday roast lunch and decided to start my search with Chapter’s Bistro in Currambine.

It’s located in amongst the Currambine shopping centre, close to the cinema, and boasts a Sunday lunch for $25 – you get the roast meat of the day with all the trimmings for this price. You really have to book because it gets fully booked out pretty quickly, and you have to provide a credit card number to secure your table.

Service was friendly and I started with a glass of San Martino prosecco. The wine list is quite good and has some appealing cocktails.

Roast of the day was pork with crackling. Roast chicken is also a menu staple. If you want to share there is a ‘posh roast’ for two which consists of black angus sirloin and all the trimmings. We chose the pork.

It was really lovely to have more than two roast potatoes, and the variety of veggies was good – peas, cabbage, squash puree, and carrots. The crackling was beautifully crunchy and the yorkshire pudding of epic proportions. Yorkshire pudding is not a traditional accompaniment to pork, but I think those of us of British origin are generally happy to have a yorkie with any roast, whether it’s beef or not.

In general the meal was under seasoned. We asked for salt and pepper and also had to ask for apple sauce. In my opinion the traditional sauces should be offered as standard. I also like to put my own gravy on my lunch so would have preferred the gravy in a boat. It was nice gravy though.

When it came to asking for a dessert menu, the service was a bit lacking. We tried to flag somebody down, but no amount of waves or excuse me’s would attract anybody’s attention until eventually after ten minutes of trying a waitress noticed.

After all that we chose not to go with dessert – they all seemed quite heavy on the dairy.

As Sunday lunches go, it was quite a good one. I’m tempted to go back and try the posh roast, but I think the lack of seasoning is holding me back a little. We’ll see.

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Cranham Tandoori, Upminster, UK

The UK is well known for it’s particular brand of curries. They may not be particularly authentic or like anything that you would find in the Indian sub continent, but they are tasty and popular, and there’s nothing more traditional than a Friday night beer and curry when in Essex. Most Indian restaurants in the UK are actually Bangladeshi owned. There’s a ‘standard’ menu of increasing heat from korma, which is mild and creamy to the medium curry, bhuna, dopiaza (onion), kashmiri (with fruits), rogan (tomato), to the hotter madras, ceylon, vindaloo, and the super hot bangalore phal. There are other variations such as persian dhansak (hot and sweet with lentils), and biryani (mild rice dish with a curry sauce inside), and always the chef specials. The ‘standard’ menu is the curry bible that every UK aficionado knows – most people have their favourites, and many tend to choose the same dish each time. The restaurant owners know this and have honed their dishes to the UK paIate. I prefer to mix it up a bit, and I like to look out for the more unusual options like a methi (fenugreek leaves) or one of the chef special kitchen curries, but I do have my favourite standard options too.

I’ve stayed at an Airbnb in Cranham twice now, and found that it was really close to the Avon Road shopping strip, mainly convenience stores and restaurants. In amongst this row of shops is the delightful Bangladeshi restaurant – Cranham Tandoori. Everybody seems to be a regular and the owner recognised me instantly even though my last visit was 9 months ago. I was made to feel really welcome, and the staff were really friendly, knowing that I was dining alone.

I started off with a Cobra beer and some poppadoms and pickles. A fab selection of pickles – mango chutney, onion salad, lime pickle, mint sauce, and tomato pickle. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as trying different combinations of pickles on a fresh crispy poppadom.

On the first visit I chose a king prawn dhansak, which is a particular favourite of mine – it’s hot, sweet and sour with lentils, and I love the taste and texture. My veggie side dish was bhindi (okra, or ladies fingers), which I always find quite satisfying. This was an excellent combination along with the perfectly fluffy pilau rice.

On my second visit I chose chicken methi with a mushroom bhajee. The methi was sublime – I love the slightly fragrant fenugreek leaves, it’s a real taste of Bangladesh, and I happily polished off the whole meal, of course accompanied by an ice cold Cobra beer.

To finish you get a warm hand towel, and the bill is accompanied by an After Eight or two. Small things, but a comforting memory of UK Friday nights.

There are many curry houses in the UK and they can be quite variable but I love the consistent excellence of Cranham Tandoori. If you want great food, friendly staff, and a vibrant family atmosphere, you need look no further.

Last visit – June 2023

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