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Side Door BBQ, Highgate

Side Door sits on the corner of Mary Street and Beaufort Street in Mt Lawley, and serves all things US style specialising in BBQ meats. You can choose a share platter or you can design your own share platter which is what we did.
We started with a nice glass of NZ sauvignon blanc – and it had a lovely pineapple bouquet. There’s also a good cocktail list.

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While we deliberated over the contents of our platter we nibbled on some caramel popcorn. This was incredibly moreish.

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We ended up choosing St Louis ribs, southern fried chicken wings, fries with aioli, pickled slaw and collard greens. It all came up together on a huge tray.

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There were 2 St Louis ribs, with a gorgeous sticky delicious coating and nicely charred meat, but they were a bit fatty and I found myself removing large strips of fat to get to more meat inside. Next time I would choose a different type of rib.

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The wings were the star (4 of them), large and meaty with a wonderful crunchy coating that tasted great. The pickled slaw was a good accompaniment.

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The collard greens were disappointing. It is hard to get spring greens in Perth, and they were a mixture of kale and broccoli with way too much of the cooking liquor. They were okay but not great, and also sprinkled with cheese which I really didn’t want.

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The chips were good, and all of the dips were nice. There was a nice sriracha style dip with pickling vinegar in it.

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Side Door is a place to go when you are very hungry, the portions are large and we didn’t have room for dessert. It’s a very family friendly venue and the wait staff are friendly and knowledgeable. I’ll definitely be back to try more of the menu.

Visit Date – November 2018

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Tsunami, Mosman Park

We visited Tsunami on Saturday night – it’s one of a few restaurants on Glyde Street in Mosman Park. It’s quite large inside with seating at the front and back and some outdoor seating too with pretty fairy lights. We were seated in the back section which was quite dimly lit.
The menu is interesting – a selection of sharing dishes, hot and cold, sushi, sashimi, hot stone dishes and hotpots. The menu also indicates that some dishes are ‘not recommended’ and just on the menu because people ask for them, which is a bit of an unusual approach.
We ordered a low alcohol yuzu highball to start – a lovely citrus drink with a hint of alcohol.

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We ordered five dishes from the menu – first to arrive was the mixed tempura. This was really delicious – prawns, mushroom, sweet potato and seaweed, beautifully fried with the lightest batter and a great ponzu dip.

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Next came the spicy tuna roll, probably the best spicy tuna roll I have tasted with quality minced tuna inside, aburi tuna on top and nice ginger, scallion, and avocado flavours.

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Next came the marinated black cod – a very yummy dish, but not easy to share, and not a lot of food for $22.

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We also had miso soup, which I did not photograph – it had a nice depth to it and lots of seaweed and tofu to enjoy.
Then came the lamb ribs, one of the highly recommended dishes. It was okay, but nothing really special. The ribs had a membrane on them which was not pleasant to eat, but the meat was nice and tender and the capsicum puree tasted good.

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Then we waited, and waited and waited… The wait staff seemed to ignore us for a very long time and after a few attempts to attract their attention we eventually managed to get a waiter to replace our water bottle. It was more than 30 minutes before our last dish arrived, which was strange considering that the meal had been well paced up to this point.
We waited patiently for our Ishiyaki volcanic rocks stone grill, and when it finally arrived we asked the waiter to replace our plates which were dirty with the previous dishes. He took them away and never came back ! The meat on the stone grill was scallops and wagyu but it had been put on the rock in the kitchen, so by the time it got to our table the scallops were hard and rubbery and the meat had stuck to the stone. There was no oil or anything to lubricate the meat. The wagyu wasn’t very tasty and the whole thing was a disappointment. Trying to share rice and potato salad with no share plates was difficult.

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We didn’t hang around for dessert. Nobody asked us if we enjoyed our meal. It was a real shame – it started off with so much promise, but ended up not being worth our 45 minute car journey to get there.

Last Visit Date – August 2019

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The Boatshed, South Perth

The Boatshed certainly has stunning views of the city. Situated at the foreshore end of Coode Street in South Perth, with a convenient car park, it’s a really nice space with lots of sofas and casual seating where you can have a drink before you are shown to your table. There is also a large dining area for parties that looks like it can be partitioned off from the rest of the dining room. With an array of tables next to the vista window, and plenty of other tables that still enjoy the great riverside view, the restaurant has a sophisticated but feelgood vibe.

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We started with a glass of riesling and I was surprised to be offered two choices of riesling by the glass – and we chose the local Whicher Ridge Frankland River riesling which had all the fruity, lime, floral, and crisp qualities of this grape variety.

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For starters I chose half a dozen oysters, 3 natural and 3 with nuoc mam. The vietnamese dressing was on the spicy side, and may be uncomfortable for some diners, but I enjoyed it. The oysters were good quality, fresh, and real taste of the ocean.

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My partner had the Thai spiced fishcakes with wakame (seaweed) and soba noodle salad, and pineapple and green mango salsa. These were very good and plentiful, the noodles had a lovely lime dressing, and the salsa another great taste and texture.

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For main course I chose the crispy pork belly with scallops. The scallops were fresh, perfectly cooked, slightly sweet, and high quality. The pork belly was also well cooked, the soft meat flaked apart, the fat was completely rendered, and the crispy crackling was crunchy and satisfying. Served on a bed of corn and golden beetroot with a lovely rich jus, this was a triumph of a dish.

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My partner chose the beef cheek, which he thoroughly enjoyed. The meat again soft and succulent, falling apart and served with a chervil potato puree, sugar snaps, and heirloom carrots.

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Although full, we opted for dessert, hoping that it would be as good as the rest of the meal, and it certainly was. It was a difficult choice, but I selected the PB&J dessert – peanut butter mousse, raspberry sorbet, peanut brittle, peanut butter cookie dough, raspberry gel and freeze dried raspberries. It certainly delivered – wonderfully smooth mousse on a chocolate soil, great crispy brittle, and the gel was so concentrated, it was pure raspberry gorgeousness.

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My partner chose the sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce, vanilla ice cream and chocolate soil. This was lush, sweet and sticky and everything that you could want from a sticky toffee pudding.

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The Boatshed gave us a very memorable meal. The staff were spot on – helpful but not intrusive, and every dish was made with care and beautifully presented. Highly recommended for great food and great views.

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Last Visit Date – September 2018

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Tea Woks, Perth CBD

Tea Woks is another little casual cafe on Hay, and this one sells Malaysian food. They also serve great value bubble tea. The menu has a tempting list of Malay favourites, noodles, chicken wings, bak kut teh etc.
On this occasion I chose Hainanese chicken rice. The chicken was lovely – melt in the mouth, and had been cooked really well, The rice had the wonderful chicken flavour, and the chilli sauce was a great accompaniment. The soup was a little weak though and could have been better.

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This is definitely a popular cafe, especially with workers and locals. I’ll be back to try the noodles!

Here are some pictures from my second visit. I had combination rice which was yummy.

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Here’s a picture from my third visit – hokkien mee – great flavour, lovely noodles, prawns and chicken.

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Fried kway teow:

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Fried kampua:

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Last Visit Date – November 2019

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The Kiosk, Floreat Beach

With great views of the ocean and a playground outside, The Kiosk is a good choice for families. We arrived for light breakfast on a Sunday morning, and the menu is full of the regular favourites – eggs benny, full breakfast, french toast, pancakes and fritters, as well as a cold cabinet full of savouries, cakes and breads.

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The coffee was good and full bodied, most likely South American.

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Not being overly hungry, I chose a slice of coconut bread. This was really good, light, not overly sweet with lots of great coconut flavour.

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My partner chose the wild mushrooms with polenta cake. The truffle oil didn’t need to be there as it was a bit overpowering, the mushrooms were good and varied, and the polenta was okay. It was an okay meal, but nothing sophisticated.

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Friends chose eggs benny with bacon:

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Also scrambled egg with toast, tomatoes and hollandaise:

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It’s a great beachside cafe for parents and children, the menu is fairly unsophisticated, but then again it’s not trying to be a cheffy cafe – The Kiosk serves simple food in a great setting, including a few vegan options, and the fact that it was really busy shows that the locals love this place.

Last Visit Date – December 2018

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Coffee shop review, Restaurant review

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Hylin, West Leederville

Hylin is located on Railway Parade in West Leederville, not far from Subiaco. Parking is at a premium, so make sure that you plan your journey well if you are going to visit. I managed to find a meter across the road, and it was just outside of ‘paid parking’ time. so I was quite fortunate.

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There are tables inside and outside, and we chose to sit inside as it looked like rain was a possiblity. There are some stools near the kitchen, a few wooden tables and a high table, but all of them are quite cramped, and this was my main bugbear with Hylin. The staff and the food are lovely but the seating is very uncomfortable and it’s not a great place to sit and linger. The chairs are wooden – school style, and there is a constant stream of diners and wait staff pushing past.
Our coffees were great, coffee is supplied by Micrology Coffee Roasters, and it was a nice smooth blend. I was a little disappointed to find that the in house herbal iced tea wasn’t available, so I chose an iced coffee.

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The menu has many tempting options like healthy bowls, chorizo, egg and creamed corn, pulled pork burger, breakfast bruschetta, pancakes etc. There are a few vegetarian options, but you would need to ask for special adaptations to find anything vegan here.
I chose the spicy chicken burger.

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This was a very nice burger, the fried chicken was seasoned well, with great pickles and lettuce and some pretty awesome chips.
My partner chose the open breakky burger – eggs, smashed avo, bacon, and potato rosti in a bun.

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It was nice, with chipotle mayo, a bit smoky and spicy, and all ingredients went well. He said that he thought my chicken burger looked more appealing though.

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All in all, Hylin is a good cafe and the staff clearly care about what they do, and I think that if the layout inside was changed, and the seating more comfortable, it could be an amazing cafe. I am not sure it’s worth a special trek to West Leederville, but great if you are in the area.

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Last Visit Date – November 2018

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Shingle Inn, Joondalup

I fancied a sandwich for lunch, and Shingle Inn at Lakeside Mall always has nice gourmet sandwiches. I had eaten here before and found the food a little uncaringly constructed, but decided to give it another go, and this time we were pleasantly surprised.
I chose a turkey and cranberry sandwich on multigrain. They helpfully made it without butter and spread mayo instead. It was really good with a nice quantity of avocado and turkey in the sandwich and a great side salad with honey mustard dressing.

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My partner chose the club sandwich which was equally good.

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He chose an orange juice. It would have been nice if it were freshly squeezed, but he ended up with a bottled variety.
I chose a mint and lime frappe which was tasty but had a slightly fake manufactured flavour. It would be really easy to make this with fresh lime and mint, but it was okay.

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The sandwiches here have definitely improved, but the restaurant still needs some care and organisation. There were lots of tables that needed cleaning and nobody really seemed to be attending to them. It’s nice here but it could be so much better.

Last Visit Date – January 2023

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Satay on Charcoal, South Perth

Satay on Charcoal is small, and not the easiest restaurant to find, but when you find it, it’s a real treasure because the food is authentic and delicious. It’s on Mends Street but behind the South Shore mall and behind the Windsor Hotel, in the car park, nestled in between the pub and mall next to a pizza joint. We walked past twice before we finally located the cafe.

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The seating is all outside but under a canopy, so you won’t get wet if it rains, and it’s very much cheap and cheerful cafe style where you go up and order when you know what you want.
The menu was full of Malaysian favourites and it was really hard to choose because everything sounded lovely, but we went for curry puffs to start and the house special nasi goreng ‘soc’.

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The curry puffs were good, thick pastry and a chunky potato filling.
For main I chose the special with chicken rendang. This was accompanied by fried egg, prawn crackers, and chicken satay, The curry was delicious, on the bone, and nicely rich. The satays were out of this world delicious and when I go back, I’ll be having a plate of satays to start!

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My partner chose the version with beef rendang, and this was equally amazing, the rendang beautifully cooked to that fall apart melt in the mouth texture.

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So will I go back to Satay on Charcoal? Absolutely yes. It’s not the place to wear your finest clothes, but it’s one of the best outlets for Malaysian food in Perth, and the staff are really friendly. They are also open for lunch. Definitely a place where you leave with a smile and a happy tummy.

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Visit Date – March 2019

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Sanook, Greenwood

Sanook is a real find – authentic, tasty, inexpensive Thai food in a relatively local area.
It’s best to get an inside table if you can – we had an outside table, which wasn’t too bad, it was a lovely warm evening and no flies, but every so often due to the location of the cafe, a little whirlwind whipped up and blew things off the table. Starters were chicken wings with chilli dipping sauce – again I forgot to photograph them before eating, so the portion size is much bigger than portrayed :

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Main course was green curry prawns:

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Larb chicken salad:

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Steamed rice in the shape of a heart:

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The whole meal was extremely tasty. The curry is the most authentic thai curry that I have tasted in ages, the larb was a delight with real thai basil, and the rice was perfectly cooked. This little cafe is open on Sundays too – I will definitely be going back – a lovely little feast for $54 – you can’t beat that.

Last Visit Date – June 2017

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Samsons Paddock, Mosman Park

We chose Samson’s Paddock on a bit of a whim. I received an email to tell me that it was included in the Entertainment Book, and the pictures looked nice, so I booked. It is in Glyde Street, Mosman Park – an interesting building with comfy armchairs, an upper deck and lots of nooks and crannies. We were seated on a high shared table – which I didn’t mind too much as we had booked fairly late, given the choice I prefer a regular height table.
Samson’s serve every drink that you could imagine, and also craft beers – we chose our favourite Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wine – and had a nice variety called Lone Goat. The menu has tapas style sharing dishes and bigger dishes too. We went for the tapas style. The first dish we chose was panko crumbed whiting and prawn with a daikon salad and spicy aioli dip. The prawns and fish were good quality, a nice size, and everything on the plate tasted good. The salad was nicely coated with dressing – a very nice dish to start.

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Next came wagyu rib fingers with kimchi. These were the star of the meal – beautifully spiced, boneless, rich, melt in the mouth – full of flavour and very very moreish.

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Third we had a citrus salad with oranges, radish and cucumber. It had a nice selection of different oranges, but I would have liked some more slices. Again, every leaf was coated in dressing and it was a salad that had been prepared with care.

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Next came a confit duck leg with kasundi (an Indian tomato relish), ginger and cabbage. Again, presented and prepared with care, the duck was melting and tasty and everything on the plate went well together.

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We did choose another dish, but it was so tasty that we didn’t have time to take a photo. We chose a cheeseboard with brie – it arrived with fruit bread, grapes, figs, and craisins. The brie was perfectly ripe and oozy but the bread was a little stale and I would have preferred some fresher slices.
All in all with our $34 Entertainment book discount, it was a lovely meal and we will definitely be returning.

Last Visit Date – May 2017

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