Nippon Fare, Perth CBD

Every few weeks I try to go into the city and meet Craig during his lunch break at work. He doesn't often take a proper break from his desk so this is a good way to encourage him.  We go and eat somewhere that is fairly near to his office (QV1, St Georges Terrace) so that he doesn't use up too much time trekking across the city (not that its big).

The last time we did this (a few weeks ago now!) we went to Nippon Fare in Shafto Lane. Its just off Hay street.

Nippon Fare is Japanese food, and its quick, easy and cheap.  I got there early so was able to bag us one of the few tables outside in the lane so we could watch the world go by as we chatted and ate our lunch.

I had a pack of the Chicken & Avocado Sushi rolls. The regular size is 5 pieces but you can also have a large size with 10 pieces. Each roll was quite large and lovely and fresh. The avocado was nice and soft. There was a sachet of soy sauce which I tipped into the lid of the box as I couldn't think how else to use it? I don't like pickled ginger so I didn't try it.

Craig had a hot dish of Teriyaki Udon Noodles. I have to admit I'm not keen on this type of noodle because it reminds me of something else that I wont mention however if I don't look at it I don't mind, so I shut my eyes so I could try a bit and it was tasty. A decent portion for $8.90 which fuelled him up for the afternoon ahead.

We also shared a portion of Gyoza Dumplings which came with a little pot of dipping sauce. They were delicious, soft and crunchy at the same time.

Nippon Fare

Sharon x

A Weekend in Margaret River - Part 4 (final part)

Day 4

Its our last day and we are heading back to Perth this afternoon, but not before a long and leisurely lunch at Knee Deep. This was another recommendation by Chris our tour guide from Top Drop Tours.

We managed to get a table booked however it was the last one available and was one of those high tables with tall bar stools. I was worried about this, but as it turned out it was one of the best tables in the restaurant. It was right in the window which were opened right up and overlooking the beautiful vines. The sky was blue and the sun was shining......perfect.

The table was also near the wine tasting room and our waitress invited us to go and have a taste before we decided what wine to order with lunch; it would have been rude not to take advantage of the offer!

We ordered two entrees to share between us.  The first was the Knee Deep Charcuterie Plate. This consisted of Chicken Liver Parfait and Rose syrup, Pork Belly Rillette and Bread Wafers, Buffalo Chorizo and Cornichons. The first thing to say about this dish (and all those that followed) is that it was beautiful presented.  The stand out element for me was the chicken liver parfait. It was exceptionally smooth and silky and had an amazing flavour, not at all bitter.

The second entree was Barossa Valley Camembert baked in paper bark and served with rye bread wafers, apple and quandong chutney. The second photo shows the cheese cut in half. It was lovely and gooey. The chutney helped to cut through the richness of the cheese.

For his main course Craig had what was described on the menu as Margaret River Venison topped with potato puree and served with braised red cabbage.  In reality the dish was a venison Shepard's pie type thing which happens to be his favourite meal, just a bit posher.  It seemed wrong to be eating such hearty comfort food on such a glorious hot day but it was very moorish indeed.

I wanted something light and refreshing so I opted for a Yabby and Chicken Salad. This was a Chicken breast and herb roulade with yabby tail on a Nicoise style salad. I had not eaten Yabby before (not something readily available back in the UK) so this was a first for me. They were sweet and tasty and not at all chewy as I had assumed they would be. The whole salad was a pleasure to eat and looked so pretty on the plate. 

And then came dessert. We were using our Margaret River Gold Pass which gets you various discounts and offers around the region. At knee Deep the offer was for a free dessert and coffees if you buy entrees and main courses. It would be rude not to partake. The dessert we were given is a tasting plate of various desserts and to be honest it was a few weeks ago now and I don't remember all the elements of the dish. I do remember however that it was scrumptious (yes I did just use that word!). I'm glad it was for the both of us to share as I am not a big pudding person so just a little was good for me.

As it was Easter Monday we were given a little bowl of chocolate mini eggs to go with our coffees which I thought was a nice touch.

I should mention that the service throughout the meal was excellent and it was a pleasure to eat lunch here. No rush, no pressure.

So that's it, part 4 of our weekend in Margaret River.  To sum it up we cant wait to return to the region for another weekend of food and wine. We shall try (and write about) a whole new set of places. Meanwhile, I really hope this write up and the three previous will inspire you to visit yourself.

Sharon x