It Just Has To Be Delicious

Posts tagged ‘Sunday roast’

Allegria, Ocean Reef

Allegria is a family run cafe, in the Ocean Reef shopping centre on Constellation Drive. As part of my quest to find Perth’s best Sunday roast, we decided to give Allegria a try. The roast is available from 4pm on Sundays, and there’s a Happy Hour between 5pm and 6pm.

Allegria is about much more than Sunday roasts, it’s a cafe, open from breakfast through to dinner, and has a wood fired pizza oven. They host theme nights (a recent one was a mexican night), and Paul the owner boasts that they make amazing coffee along with the tastiest pizzas around.

We dined for the roast beef and it was nice to see that the menu included other options – we could have also had chicken, pork, snapper or a beef rendang. There seems to be something for everybody. The wine list as also good, and I started with a prosecco, my partner choosing a lemon lime bitters.

When the lady took our order the overriding feeling was that this is a restaurant that cares about its customers. She explained everything really well, and we anticipated our roast beef with excitement. The ambience was really chilled and the young girls next to us were tucking into a delicious looking pizza, while the couple the other side were enjoying some very generous and yummy looking desserts.

When the plate arrived it didn’t disappoint. The beef was incredibly good quality, really tender and perfectly cooked. Accompanied by carrot, greens, broccolini, roasties and a superbly mutant yorkie it was delicious from the first mouthful to the last. We didn’t have to ask for sauces, we were given horseradish and hot mustard. One very minor criticism – I prefer to pour my own gravy, but luckily this was nicely distributed just as I like it.

Sadly we didn’t have room for dessert, but we will be back to try their other offerings and for several more Sunday dinners. This is the winner – Perth’s best Sunday roast!

Last visit – we’ll be back but this visit was September 2023

Click here to find out more

Category:

Restaurant review

Tagged with:

The Galway Hooker, Scarborough

Continuing with the quest to find the best Sunday roast in Perth, we decided to give the Galway Hooker a try. It’s a traditional Irish pub in Scarborough – a mecca for backpackers who want to enjoy the bustle of the bars and cafes, and sunbathe and surf.

As soon as we arrived I was struck by how noisy it was. The pub was absolutely packed, and the waitress directed me to my reserved table which was in the middle of all the clamour. She explained that there was UFC being televised throughout the pub, and it would be noisy for the next hour or so, and she suggested that we come back later. As we had come a fair way (40 minute drive) we decided to stay, but it was impossibly noisy and hard to have a conversation.

I went to the bar and ordered two $28 roast beef dinners (the other choice was roast chicken).

It was certainly plentiful with several slices of beef, a Yorkshire pudding, some greens, squash, carrot, roasted potatoes and mash, with a nice amount of gravy. We also asked for horseradish, which was of good quality. The beef was a little variable, some slices were really tender where others were a little fatty or slightly tough. I would have liked a few extra roasties and no mash, and would have preferred to pour my own gravy, but it was still a nice plate of food, and I suppose they are catering to a lot of people and providing hearty Irish portions with something for everybody.

In terms of the noise, I really wish that they had a) informed me of the situation when I booked and b) seated us in a corner or booth rather than in the centre of the pub. I think on a different day, we may have enjoyed it more, but the noise, the table location, and the fact that it was ‘okay’ food rather than amazing means that we probably won’t return.

Last Visit – September 2023

Click here to find out more

Category:

Restaurant review

Tagged with:

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.

Click here to find out more

Category:

Restaurant review

Tagged with:

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.

Click here to find out more

Category:

Restaurant review

Tagged with:

Fibber McGee’s, Leederville

As an ex UK resident, English born, I sometimes pine for a wonderful Sunday roast. I can cook lovely roasts at home, but sometimes I want to be the guest and have it cooked for me. We tried our local pub last year, but the carvery was dire, pre-cooked, pre-carved meats in metal containers – everything was overcooked and tasteless.

Fibber 1

I had seen Fibber McGee’s on several occasions, being a Leederville regular, but I didn’t realise that it was much more than a quaint Irish pub. Fibbers have their own organic farm, and they provide their own dry aged beef and organic produce for the restaurant.
The restaurant is an old fashioned room with leather seats with the homely feel of somebody’s lounge, but also very typical of an Irish pub that you would find in any town in Eire. The friendly staff are all Irish, and extremely helpful.

fibber 2

For the Sunday roast we had the choice of beef (medium rare), lamb, or pork, and we chose the classic roast beef. Other options on the menu included chicken and leek pie, Irish breakfast and fish and chips. Fibbers also provide a range of veggie options on a separate menu.

fibber 3

The beef was beautiful, sitting on top of a heap of stuffing, with a delightfully crispy but slightly stodgy Yorkshire pudding, perfectly cooked veggies and crispy tasty roast potatoes.
The vegetables were firm enough to hold together but soft enough to slice easily with a knife, and the cauliflower was perfectly cooked with a lovely coating of cheese sauce. Our only disappointment was that they had run out of horseradish sauce.
We were offered the dessert menu, but refused on the basis that we were about to collapse into a food coma. The four dessert options were ice cream, sticky date pudding, banoffee pie, and chocolate brownie. I may have been tempted if there was a crumble option. We also had a very generous Entertainment book voucher, so got one of the main courses free.

Fibbers have an impressive wine list too – it’s not extensive but every choice is a good one, and when I return I will have a hard time choosing a wine to accompany the meal. I will return, because that was a great Sunday lunch and I can’t wait to try some of the other menu options.

Visit Date – May 2018

Click here to find out more

Category:

Restaurant review

Tagged with:

Leapfrogs Sunday Roast, Wanneroo

Leapfrogs Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Leapfrogs is a cafe at Wanneroo Botanic Golf which in the evening transforms to a twinkly fun venue with a wood fired pizza oven. They recently started to advertise roast dinners and we decided to try a Sunday roast there.

leap 1

At first we were not sure if the roast was on the menu. The menu that we were presented with did not mention it, but after asking the waitress she said yes, today’s roast was beef.
We ordered this and sipped on some drinks while we waited. Even though a winter’s evening, the heaters and blinds kept the venue toasty warm.
When the roast arrived, we had a little ramekin of horseradish sauce, two yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, carrots, squash and three generous slices of beef.

leap 2

The beef was great quality, melt in the mouth and really tasty. All of the vegetables were well cooked and the yorkies were crispy on the outside with a little stodge in the middle, and well flavoured.
Minor criticisms – I would have liked some green vegetables in amongst the plate – beans, peas or brussels would have been nice, and I would have liked a little more gravy. All in all though, it was great value and we left with clean plates and full tummies.

Visit Date – July 2018

Click here to find out more

Category:

Restaurant review

Tagged with: