It Just Has To Be Delicious

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Curry Munchers, Leederville

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In the heart of Leederville, almost on the corner of Newcastle and Oxford Street, is Curry Munchers, a modern Indian restaurant.

The staff are friendly, and we were seated quickly at a comfortable table. As well as some usual Indian favourites, the menu contains a good selection of vegan and vegetarian options. The drinks menu is also quite extensive with cocktails and wines galore.

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We went with vegan options – bhindi dopiaza – a lovely combination of okra and onion in a tasty curry sauce:

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Tarka dhal:

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Kulcha naan:

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Peas pilau:

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Everything was thoroughly delicious and a perfect amount for two hungry people. Curry Munchers often have special offers, so look out for their happy hour deals. Definitely a go to option for your curry fix in the Leederville area.

Last Visit Date – July 2020

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Restaurant review, Vegan/Vegetarian

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2 Fat Indians, Joondalup

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This Joondalup restaurant is one of the latest venues in the 2 Fat Indians chain. Bold and brash, it occupies a large area near the station concourse.

We originally had several takeaways from here when our local favourite Imli closed during the Covid pandemic, and found the food to be good quality with plenty of vegan/veggie options.

This was our first sit-down experience and the restaurant was busy with customers keen to return after the lockdown. Takeaway business was booming with several UberEats bags stacked up ready for collection, and we perused the menu looking for some vegan and vegetarian favourites.

We chose a pappadom basket to start with tamarind pickle and mint sauce. This was a little dissapointing, some of the pappadoms were underdone, and a bit tough – not the lovely crispy bubbly rounds that I am used to. The pickles were good.

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For mains we chose a Diwani Handi – mixed vegetables in a medium curry sauce with fenugreek. A wonderful mix of carrot, corn, sweet potato and peas – thoroughly delicious.

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We also chose tadka dhal which is a good staple of red lentils with turmeric and spices to give it the lovely yellow hue.

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The naan was a garlic naan – a delicious mix of soft and crispy.

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Jeera rice was served in a little pot.

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All in all the meal was good quality, the service was very quick which meant that we didn’t linger in the restaurant. You definitely get larger portions when you order a takeaway, but the meal was certainly enough for two and we really did enjoy our visit.

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Restaurant review, Vegan/Vegetarian

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Dusit Dheva by the Sea, Hillarys

I used to go to Dusit Dheva in James Street fairly regularly and was interested to visit the new kid in town at Hillarys to see if the quality and authenticity was the same. The restaurant is near the Breakwater Tavern on Sorrento Quays boardwalk, there is plenty of parking around.

We have now been back a second time and found the quality of ingredients, choice and service to be excellent. We found plenty on the menu to suit our pescatarian/vegetarian diets, and the flavours are so good, it’s hard not to be delighted.

The first time we visited we tried one of the signature dishes of soft shell crab and watermelon. What an absolute star of a dish, crunchy crab, refreshing watermelon and a lovely umami background flavour.

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We followed this with a vegetable green curry, which had a great depth of flavour and a really authentic flavour enhanced by thai basil.

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The third plate was prawn pad thai – again authentic, tasty, plump and plentiful prawns – we loved it.

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Here are some similar but different pictures from our second visit:

Prawn and pineapple curry – amazingly good – this inspired me to make my own at home:

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Vegetable pad thai:

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We really love this place for Thai food – it is in a great location, the guys serving are friendly and helpful, and you will leave here very satisfied. Premises are licensed, however you can BYO wine for a corkage fee.

Last Visit Date – May 2020

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Restaurant review, Vegan/Vegetarian

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Chinese Orchid, Joondalup

Chinese Orchid is on the top floor of Joondalup Lakeside shopping centre, and they serve all of your Asian favourite comfort foods – noodles, soups, rice as well as having a serve yourself buffet that includes incredibly good barbecue meat options and sticky wings.

My go to vegan option dish is the veggie Singapore noodles, the one in the picture is cabbage based, but you can also have the dish with a mixture of other vegetables like broccoli and capsicum:
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Singapore noodles with mixed veg:

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The nasi goreng is incredibly good:
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My partner likes the mee goreng.
Veggie mee goreng:
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Chicken mee goreng:
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Seafood kway teow:
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Seafood Singapore noodles:
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Wanton noodle soup with bbq pork:
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Chinese Orchid has something for everybody, and the service is always friendly. Totally recommended.

Last Visit Date – June 2020

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Category:

Restaurant review, Vegan/Vegetarian

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Miller and Baker, Northbridge

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Miller and Baker is on Lake Street, not far from Sayer’s Sister, and always seems to have a crowd outside. It’s easy to see why – Miller and Baker have to be the best bakery around, milling their own flour and making superb loaves and pastries.

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As you walk in the bread smells amazing and the array of pastries, savouries makes you want to have one of each.

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Coffee is also really good – beans roasted by Five Senses and Offshoot – you can tell that the staff here make an artform of absolutely everything they sell.

I love Miller and Baker and regularly make the 40 minute car journey just to smell and savour the best baked goods in town.

Last Visit Date – June 2020

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Coffee shop review, Restaurant review

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Indian Mixed Vegetables

This is my general recipe for indian mixed vegetables – it is basically an aloo gobi (potato and cauliflower) recipe which you can adapt to suit your taste and to suit whatever you have in the cupboard.
It helps if you have green masala paste and dhania/jeera spice mix already made up, but don’t worry if not – you can adapt the recipe for a one-off version, but if you find that you are making it regularly, I would advise making up a batch of each to save time.
See my page on home made Indian food for instructions on dhania/jeera and green masala.

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Aloo gobi

Here is the recipe for my aloo gobi, but feel free to change the vegetable content (carrots, broccoli, swede, spinach, capsicum, butter beans etc) – I would recommend always having potato and onion in it, but you can use sweet potato if you prefer. If you like a good variety of veg, you can make it with frozen diced mixed vegetables too.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium to large onion – chop half of it finely and the other half quite chunky
1 -2 potatoes (or sweet potatoes) diced
half a cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces
2 ripe tomatoes chopped (skin them too if you are fussy)
2-3 large mushrooms sliced
1 tablespoon of dhania jeera mix (alternatively use a heaped half tablespoon of ground coriander and a heaped quarter tablespoon of ground cumin)
half a tablespoon of ground turmeric
2 teaspoons of green masala (alternatively grate a green chilli, 2cm ginger and 2 cloves garlic)
1-2 teaspoons sugar
half to one teaspoon salt (depending on taste)
a handful of frozen peas
a handful of fresh chopped coriander

Method:
1. Prepare all of the veg.
2. The amount of oil you need can vary depending in how many veggies you have and how watery they are – if you are not using tomatoes or mushrooms, add a little extra oil. Heat the oil in a large pan (use a huge saucepan or wok, but make sure it has a lid).
3. When the oil is hot add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds – fry until they pop and crackle.
4. Now add everything else except the peas and coriander. I find it easier to stir the spices and masala paste into the oil, then add the veggies. You won’t coat them all in spice to start with, leave them to reduce a bit and stir occasionally. Put the lid on throughout the cooking. If the veggies seem to be sticking a bit you can add a splash of water to help steam them, but don’t add too much water.
5. The veggies will take approx 30 minutes depending on how many hard veg you have. Stir them every 5 minutes and test them with a knife. When nearly done, add the frozen peas and coriander and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
6. Serve as a veggie curry on it’s own, or as a side dish, or in Indian bread with yoghurt.
Add fresh shopped chilli if you like it hotter. If it’s too hot, add a little extra sugar and stir it in well.

Category:

Restaurant review, Vegan/Vegetarian

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Grown Up Chocolate Bars

Making your own chocolate bars is so easy, and you can guarantee that your guests will love them.

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The recipe here is for adult chocolate bars with dark chocolate and salty peanuts – but if you really can’t bear to go without milk chocolate, you can make them with milk, just use less butter otherwise they will be really soft. You can vary the fillings to suit your taste, I like glace cherries in mine, but you can also use crystallised ginger, caramelised nuts, slices of Cherry Ripe, M&Ms etc.

Recipe:
250g dark chocolate (try to use at least 70% cocoa) in small pieces
5 tablespoons butter (or dairy free spread)
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 to 2 cups of salted peanuts (the salt is essential – it brings out the flavour of the chocolate)
1 small pack of glace cherries
270g Crunchie bars, Dark Violet Crumble, or honeycomb chopped into small pieces

1. In a double boiler (or a bowl over a saucepan of water), melt the chocolate, butter and honey together. Do this gently and if you are using a bowl over water, don’t let the bowl touch the water.
2. While this is happening line a standard loaf tin with baking parchment. If you don’t have a loaf tin, you can use any container – a tupperware tub will do.
3. Put the glace cherries in a sieve and pour boiling water over them to remove the sticky coating. After a few minutes, run cold water over them to cool them down and dry them off well.
4. In another bowl combine the peanuts and the honeycomb, then add the glace cherries.
5. Once the chocolate/butter/honey has melted, take it off the heat and add the
nut/honeycomb/cherry mix. Stir well with a spatula.
6. Transfer to your lined container and pack it down well with the spatula, then chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
7. When ready to serve, remove from the fridge and slice using a very sharp knife.

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The bars make a really nice after dinner treat to serve your guests with coffee.

Category:

Restaurant review, Vegan/Vegetarian

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Gurkhas Nepalese, Kallaroo

I went to this restaurant on a whim on a Saturday night. Fancying something a bit different from the usual Japanese, Chinese or fish and chips, I scoured Urbanspoon for something local and came across this restaurant.
It is BYO and right next door to a bottleshop which is very convenient. The staff are gentle and welcoming, and the restaurant is modern with a clean, elegant ambience. The menu is unsurprisingly very similar to an Indian menu with the usual favourites like samosas, pakoras, tandoori etc.
We were given cumin poppadoms while we read the menu – it would have been nice to have some pickles to go with them. We tried to choose something that we wouldn’t find in an Indian restaurant and opted for the Gurkhas special chicken curry, served on the bone:

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The Prawns Makhani which is in a creamy tomato sauce:

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To accompany this we chose pilau rice, mushroom bhaji and keema naan:

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All of the dishes were really good, certainly better than most Indian restaurants in the northern suburbs. My only improvement would be to add more seasoning to the mushroom bhaji.
I would be very happy to go back to this restaurant.

Last Visit Date – November 2014

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Restaurant review

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The Little Pantry, Shenton Park

In a delightful leafy location on the edge of Shenton Park sits The Little Pantry. There is seating inside and out through the back conservatory, and it’s a peaceful homely space – ideal for a leisurely brunch.
The menu contained lots of yummy options and I started with a lovely spring smoothie while I browsed the menu.

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My partner chose a soy decaf flat white, which he says was tasty, smooth and delicious.

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After much deliberation over fried cauliflower, coconut panacotta, truffle scrambled eggs and the like, I opted for the patatas bravas with aioli, tomato, and poached eggs. The potatoes were a delight – wonderfully crispy, the eggs nicely gooey, and the tomatoes fresh and summery. This was a great dish and one that I would have again in a heartbeat.

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My partner chose the kimchi dashi rice bowl – an artwork of kimchi with fried eggs, radish, lotus root, gochujang (hot pepper paste), sesame and herbs. The kimchi was the star of the dish with great companion flavours from the other ingredients, making for a stellar combination.

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As we left, we perused the cake cabinet, and it looked very appetising. We’re already planning a return visit to this little oasis in Shenton Park. Fabulous food and a relaxed setting – highly recommended.

Last Visit Date – November 2019

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Dhal makhani bowl:
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Coffee shop review, Restaurant review, Vegan/Vegetarian

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Propeller, North Fremantle

Propeller is a great venue tucked away on Queen Victoria Street in North Fremantle. It’s a nicely designed building with a quaint sea container for a bar, and there is seating inside and outside. We came for brunch and were impressed by the range of options on the menu. We ordered coffees while we mused over the choices and coffee was delicious – beans provided by Twin Peaks.

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I was very tempted to try the rose rhubarb apple porridge, the chocolate, date and pear brik, or the mushrooms on toast with lentils, but I decided on the sardine brik for something a little different.

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This dish was packed with flavour. The slow roast tomatoes were rich, the sardines good quality, the egg was just oozy and the pickles added a nice piquancy. The brik pastry stuffed with potatoes had a nice texture, and herbs added another layer. These flavours were strong and punchy, but not so overwhelming that I couldn’t finish, and I loved the way that the dish set me up for the day. It was really delicious.

My partner chose the turkish spiced baked beans with duck egg, kale and grilled bread.

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The bread was absolutely delicious, the beans nicely cooked, again big rich flavours with the spices and kale adding depth. A citrus backdrop gave it freshness. We loved Propeller. It’s not your regular breakfast venue, and all of the flavours are great. We also chose a brownie and chocolate almond croissant for afternoon tea at home, and they were equally great quality. We’ll be back.

Visit Date – July 2019

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Coffee shop review, Restaurant review

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