A Simple Breakfast.......with a fantastic view - Botanical Cafe, Kings Park

We are now into our second full week of living in Perth and now that James has got a gym membership, this is leaving me a bit of time to myself.

This mornings task was to go to the Medicare office and get registered, unfortunately it turned out that I was unable to do this task without my two boys in tow.  So armed with the forms to fill in and some leaflets to read I found myself with a spare couple of hours to fill while James worked on pumping up his ever expanding muscles!

We are fortunate enough to be living temporarily across the road from Kings Park which has to be the most stunning park I have ever seen. It has the added bonus of having an awesome view of the Perth city skyline and the Swan River.

I headed up to the park and left the car along Fraser Avenue and walked up to the Botanical Cafe looking for coffee and breakfast.  I was pleased to find the place had lots of tables free both inside and out however there were enough people in the place to give it atmosphere.  I decided I wanted to sit inside, although its an open sided cafe so it was like being outside anyway.  On the way to my chosen table (the one with a newspaper conveniently left behind) I noticed some of the food others were eating.  In particular the Raspberry Pancakes with Rhubarb Stew and Vanilla Gelato, and Warm Scones served with double cream and Strawberry Jam both looked delicious and made my mouth water. However in an effort not to consume my body weight in calories I decided to stick with coffee and toast.

So first the coffee, back in the UK I had though I was really into coffee and considered myself a bit of an addict, however since lining down under I now realise I know nothing about this subject and I have alot to learn.  So for now I am sticking with a trusted cappuccino which you cant go far wrong with. I always drink it skinny as I cant stomach full fat milk. They present their coffees beautifully over here but then again all the baristas have had proper training I believe.

To go with my coffee I ordered Sourdough Toast with butter & preserves.  My choice of preserve was Australian Honey which I adore on toast. I had two little pots, one for each slice!

The toast came as two huge slices with four little individual portions of butter. These had already melted a little but no matter.  The sourdough had a lovely chewy texture with a good crunch and that lovely sharp  taste of sourdough.

The cafe has a lovely atmosphere and an amazing view of the park and the city skyline beyond.

While I was there the breakfast menus were taken away and replaced with the lunch menus. One or tow tables ordered from this while I was there and everything I saw looked delicious.

I really enjoyed spending an hour at The Botanical Cafe with my coffee and the papers (I forgot to fill the forms in!!). I'm looking forward to going back another time with Craig in tow to check out the lunch menu.  But for now I have a feeling this is going to become my cafe of choice for the next few weeks until we move away from the city into a house.

Botanical Cafe Web site

Sharon x

Barchetta, North Cottesloe, Perth

Today was our last day in holiday mode before Craig starts his new job, so we decided to have an afternoon exploring the beach and a couple of surf clubs? 

We headed to one in Cottesloe which is one of the more popular beaches and had expected not to be able to park the car.  We were pleasantly surprised to find lots of spaces so no worries on that front.  Car parked and towels in hand we headed towards the surf life saving club to make some enquiries for James.  Unfortunately the membership office had shut so we didn’t find out the information we wanted.  So we decided to head on back up the beach to find some lunch and then have a swim and catch a few rays afterwards.

I had checked out a few guide books and other food blogs to find out what was good in Cottesloe and I had narrowed it down to one of two places, either Barchetta or The Blue Duck.

We came across Barchetta first so we headed on it and asked for a table.  To my surprise we managed to get a table on the balcony overhanging the beach, absolutely glorious.  It was really windy today though so weirdly enough we got a little bit chilly as we were sat in the shade........although I am NOT complaining about the weather.

All the waiting staff here everywhere we have been are so friendly and efficient, and it wasn’t long before menus arrived and drinks orders were taken.  They have a drink in Oz called lemon, lime and bitters which is so refreshing so I ordered one of those while the boys had cokes.

One thing I hadn’t taken into account when picking a cafe on the beach was the fact that the prices would be inflated.  I got a bit of a shock when I looked at the menu however the choices were lovely.

James stuck with one of his old favourites, Margarita Pizza.  It filled the dinner plate and a nice thin base.  There was a good covering of cheese and a scattering (technical term) of halved cherry tomatoes. James enjoyed the pizza and Craig also tried a piece and declared it good.

Craig had earlier seen the table next to us chowing down on a plate of fantastic looking Calamari which is one of his favourites and nice and light to eat in the sun (or shade!).  A substantial plateful arrived garnished with rocket salad and some garlic mayonnaise.  Delicious. I tried a piece and no word of a lie it was the nicest calamari I have ever had......light, not rubbery, gently browned and not greasy, just perfect.

I opted for the Meatball Sandwich which is something I have always wanted to try but never got round to doing. It came as a warm white baguette filled with mini meatballs and smothered in a rich tomato sauce and shaved provolone cheese. This was all served up with a portion of home cooked fries.  The meatball sandwich was really nice although I couldn’t eat it all as it was so rich.  Craig had a chunk to help me out.

The fries deserve a special mention as they were so good. The potatoes still had their skins left on and were cut quite thinly. They were not greasy at all and had been nicely seasoned with sea salt and rosemary.  I would have happily eaten just the chips for lunch with a mayonnaise dip......next time.

Overall our food was delicious and we will come back again. I have heard this place does great breakfast and looking at that menu (see their web site) I am keen to come and find out for myself.  The location is just stunning and the staff are all so lovely how could you not want to come back.

And after lunch a swim on the beach below......................

A photo of the restaurant taken from the beach below.

Barchetta

Sharon x

Twilight Hawkers Market, Perth

So, our foodie adventure down under begins.  I have been looking forward to this for a long time now.

It’s only our second evening in our new home town but we couldn’t wait to get out and start finding out what Perth has to offer by way of foodie adventures.  Due to my research I knew that the Twilight Hawkers market takes place every Friday evening between 5pm and 8pm in the Central Business District.  It’s a summer event that runs from October until March.

The market is made up of around 20 or so food stalls from around the world all selling delicious smelling a good looking food at reasonable prices.  I had already read a few other reviews on some local food blogs so I knew what to expect.  I also had a good idea of what I wanted to try.

We wanted to ensure we got to the market before all the popular dishes ran out so at around 4.30pm we headed out down to the train station to catch a quick ride into the CBD.  When we arrived just after 5pm the place was buzzing with activity and lots of people were milling around the stalls checking out what was on offer or already sitting down at the plastic tables eating their dishes.

Craig took about 0.2 seconds to decide he wanted curry from the Two Fat Indians stall. I think this is because somebody had mentioned to him previously that you can’t get a good curry in Perth and he sees this as a challenge now!!

A very generous portion of butter chicken and saffron rice was purchased for $10 (roughly £6.60).  The meat was in big juicy chunks in a rich tomato based sauce.  I tried a mouthful and it was delicious and tender.  Not spicy at all.  I might have this myself next time.

I headed for the Chinese Dim Sun stall. Partly because I have eaten so much rich and filling food lately I felt like something light and partly because I absolutely love Dim Sum and it’s really hard to find back in Maidstone.

The man on the stall was a very cheerful chap as you can see from the photo.  There was a choice of Steamed Pork Buns, Pork Dumplings or Prawn Dumplings.  I opted for the Pork Buns even though I had bought some frozen ones earlier when I did a big supermarket shop.

I got 2 in a portion for $4.50 (roughly £3). Two are plenty especially as I wanted to try a couple of things so I didn’t want to get too full.  The buns were delicious, very light bread like outside with a slightly sweet barbecued shredded pork filling.  The only thing missing was some soy sauce to dip them in but even without this they were great.

We had managed to find a couple of chairs and a table free so we were able to sit down while we ate our food.  We watched while people chomped on various foods. There was one stall that was selling “Spud Spirals”.  Essentially this was a potato that had been cut into a spiral using a special tool and put on a skewer then deep fried.

Other stalls were selling Japanese noodles and pancakes, donuts, Mexican food, Spanish Paella, Malaysian Satay, steamed dumplings, spud spirals, churros, Australian foods, Ice-cream and various others that I don’t remember.

After we had eaten our curry and Pork Buns we decided we needed a glass of wine/beer to wash it down so we headed up to the main street to find a bar.

Suitably refreshed we headed back to the Market for some Malaysian satay on sticks.  We just wanted a small taste so we opted for 2 chicken satay sticks and 2 beef satay sticks served in a cup.  The meat had been cooked on a BBQ while being fanned in the traditional way.  They were then served up in a polystyrene cup with a ladleful of peanut satay sauce poured over.

We each had a beef and a chicken skewer.  The meat was nicely charred from the coals and really moist. The satay sauce was a bit too sweet for my liking but the peanuts in it were nice and crunchy.

We decided we needed something sweet to finish off so we headed to the Portuguese donut stalls and got 2 donuts each......they were only small!  They were hot and dredged in cinnamon sugar and in the centre there was a small amount of sweet jam.  I could have eaten another 2 of these as they were so good but that would just be greedy!!!

So satisfied and full we decided to head back to the apartment.  The market was a great way to kick of our foodie adventure down under and we can’t wait until next Friday so we can go again, albeit next time Craig will have been at work so I will meet him in town.

Sharon x

Spice Fusion, Maidstone

Of all the types of food out there, Craig's absolute favourite is Indian so he was very happy to find out we had a new Indian restaurant in town.

Spice Fusion opened in an old pub which has been fully refurbished a couple of months ago.  We have driven past a few times and to be honest from the outside it looks very odd and stark, however we didn't let this put us of trying it out.  A friend of mine who has very high standards visited this place a few weeks back and she gave a glowing report so on the back of that we decided to give it a go last night.

I had a look at the menu online in advance so I already knew that this place seemed a bit different to your average Indian.  It seemed more modern and fresh with more interesting menu choices.  It listed Connoisseur's starters and traditional starters, connoisseurs mains and traditional mains, plus a section for Biryani's, North Indian Tandoori specialities, vegetable main courses, vegetable side orders, rice & breads.

When we arrived at about 8pm there were only a couple of other tables seated.  You enter through a very contemporary and modern bar area which has high stools and red sofas and I could imagine spending a bit of time in here either before or after a meal having a few drinks.  We went straight through to the restaurant......wow.  Wooden floors, crisp white table clothes, funky down lighting at every table and a HUGE central chandelier plus a long yellow leather bench along one side of the room made up the decor.  Even the cutlery was modern and cool.

Menus and drinlks in hand we set about choosing what to eat.  I started with the Jhinga Til Tinka which was King Prawns marinated with fresh spices, dipped in batter, then cooked with breadcrumbs and sesame seeds and served with a mango sauce.  The prawn was a giant prawn split down the middle and was plenty for a starter although it was so nice I could have easily eaten another one.  The mango sauce was not too sweet and had a very subtle spice flavour. 

Craig went for Nizami Sheek which was minced lamb mixed with coriander, tomatoes, mint cheese and spring onions.  This was no ordinary sheek kebab.  The meat was moist and tender and the spicing really well balanced.  It was also served with the same mango sauce as my starter.

For my main course I choose South Indian Garlic Chilli Chicken.  I didn't want rice and bread so I asked for a side salad to go with it. The side salad turned out to be a mixture of various leaves, fresh green peas, green peppers, red onions, cucumber and tomatoes.  It was fantastic although my only complaint would be that there were not many leaves in it.  The chicken dish was probably the best chicken curry dish I have ever had.  Long strips of chicken breast in a rich sauce that had a very gentle heat.  the chicken was still very moist and tender.

Craig ordered a Chicken Rogan Josh, Bombay Aloo, Mushroom Pilau, and a nann bread (why do men always feel the need to order half the menu?)  We shared the naan which was hot, light and fluffy, very nice.  The potato dish was also very good with decent sized chunks of potato in a tomato spiced sauce. For some reason I forgot to take a photo of the curry! Sorry.

When we had finished the table was cleared and the waiter brought us a dessert menu.  We didn't have anything as we were both full so we just asked for the bill.  The bill arrived on a plate with 2 chocolates and 4 straws of sherbet which is something I have never seen in a restaurant before.  I thought this was a nice touch.

I know I have said this before but this is now our new favourite Indian restaurant in Maidstone.  The food was much lighter, fresher and more modern.  I liked the decor, and the little touches like the sherbet.

Give it a go, its worth it.

Spice Fusion

Sharon x

Beer Butt Chicken

I never imagined the day would come where I cooked a roast chicken by putting a can of beer up its bum!!!

I had heard this method of cooking mentioned in the past (in fact I think my sister has done it?) but had never seen a recipe until recently.  I was looking through "Jamie's America" by Jamie Oliver and I came across the recipe accompanied by a rather obscene looking photo of the chicken cooking (see first photo).

With friends due for lunch on the Sunday I went out a bought a couple of free range chickens (never battery!) and some large cans of Budweiser beer.  This was going to be a joint cooking effort between Craig and I since there was a barbecue involved!

The whole idea of cooking this way is that the beer in the can heats up and steams the chicken from the inside out keeping it nice and moist while the outside gets nice and crisp.

The recipe starts by making a rub for the chicken and letting it maride for a while.  Once you have mixed up the rub use your hands to massage it all over the chicken making sure you get all the nooks and cranny's!

The rub is made up of the following -

1 heaped teaspoon fennel seeds - ground up in a pestle and mortar
1 level teaspoon cumin seeds - ground up in a pestle and mortar
1 level teaspoon smoked paprika
1 heaped teaspoon brown sugar
1 level teaspoon mild chilli powder
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Mix everything together and massage into the chicken in a large dish. Cover and leave to marinade for a couple of hours or overnight.

When you are ready to cook you need to get your kettle BBQ hot.  Move the coals to either side so you are not putting the chicken over a direct heat.  And the BBQ must have a lid.  If you don't have a BBQ you can do this in the oven, you just need to make sure you have the height so you might need to take out the shelves.

You need a 473ml can of beer.  We used Budweiser but I don't think it matter what beer you use.  Drink or pour away a few good gulps so that the can is about half full.  Then lower the chicken over the can so that it is sitting upright.

Then put the chicken on the BBQ for about an hour and 10 minutes to an hour and a half until its golden and the juices run clear.  Its important to keep the lid on while cooking so the heat stays in.

This photo is the chicken ready to get cooking, how weird does that look!  We put a tray underneath them to make it easier to lift them out and catch all the juices as they cooked.

The last photo is the chickens when they have cooked, you can see some juice in the tray.  I think we cooked then for slightly too long however the finished product was delicious.

It was a really fun recipe to cook and it had a "wow" factor however I obviously wouldn't do it like this every time I cooked a chicken.  I would use the rub for a normal roast chicken though or even on chicken breasts on their own.  One word of caution, the beer is very hot when you take the chicken of the BBQ and we accidentally pierced the can and hot beer poured out so be careful (another comical sight - use your imagination!!!)

Have fun :-)

Sharon x

Papas Barn, Maidstone

Papas Barn is a Fish & Chip Restaurant and takeaway in the Ditton area of Maidstone.  We have been driving past it for years now but have never stopped to go in.  Last year it unfortunately burnt down and was shut for a long time.  The owners took the opportunity to rebuild it bigger and better than the original establishment.

A couple of weeks ago Craig and I decided it was about time we took a drive over to Ditton to have fish & chips for tea.  When we arrived the attached car park was very busy but luckily for us there was one space left.  We wanted to sit in the restaurant part to have our dinner and there were a couple of free tables.  The decor was very bright and fresh and modern and I noted very clean.  The atmosphere was buzzing and the smell coming from the kitchens made our mouths water.

Any thoughts of dieting went straight out of the window, we were in a fish & chip shop after all!  I decided to go for plain and simple cod and chips.  I was really worried I would end up with a piece of fish the size of a small whale however I was pleased that my fish was a very manageable size to eat.  The batter was very crisp and hot and not too thick. Sometime it can be a bit stodgy but not in this case.  I had a wedge of lemon dipped in parsley to squeeze over the fish which I duly did.  The chips were delicious and just how chip shop chips should be (but often aren't).

Craig ordered one of his favourites, Rock and Chips.  Rock has a big bone through it.  Last time he had it in a fish & chip shop it was raw in the middle so he hoped that this time there would be no problems.  He needn't have worried as the fish was cooked perfectly.  Again his batter was crisp and hot and very light.  He didn't have the lemon but he did have a little pot of tartare sauce (which he hates so he didn't try it)

The food was great, the service was good and the atmosphere was buzzing.  We really enjoyed our meal at Papas Barn and its somewhere we intend to return to (occasionally) if we fancy fish & chips for tea. We got chatting to the manager and he told us that they also open for breakfast and morning coffee and cakes.  Unfortunatly there is no website so I cant post a link.

Papas Barn
497 London Road
Ditton
ME20 6DB
Maidstone

Sharon x

Cadbury Cocoa House, Bluewater

Last weekend Craig and I had a Sunday afternoon shopping at Bluewater shopping center in Kent.  We arrived around lunchtime so that we could get a bite to eat first before we started on the shops.

We decided that we only wanted something light rather than a full meal so we chose the Cadbury Cocoa House.  Its a fairly recent addition to Bluewater and we had not eaten there before or even know anyone who had, so we were trying it out without any pre conceptions at all.  I had had a peak inside previously when I have walked past and thought it looked good.

When we arrived every table was already taken and the only option was to be seated at one of the high marble topped tables with tall stools.  Normally I hate sitting on these as I find them uncomfortable however I was very surprised to find that they were actually just fine.

A waitress came over to give us our menus.  All the waitresses are dressed in really cute old fashioned tea shop uniforms complete with hairbands.  This sets them apart from other cafes I thought and it was a nice touch.

The menu had plenty to choose from including a whole page of chocolate drinks.  Funnily enough I'm not really into chocolate so I stuck to black coffee however Craig decided to order a Rich Malted Milk hot drink.  It arrived in a big thick white mug, piled high with cream.  Not my thing at all but Craig loved it (he is a real chocoholic)

To eat I went for a Club Sandwich.  This came presented on a wooden board with a little basket of fries. These were hot and crisp and really good.  The sandwich was on white bread (brown is also on offer) and was filled with boiled egg slices, chicken, tomato, and bacon.  It was a nice sandwich although nothing out of the ordinary.  But there was nothing wrong with it either and I would order it again.

Craig had the Fish Finger Sandwich which also came with chips.  Two fillets of fish freshly fried and served in a floured bap.  He absolutely raved about the sandwich.  It was hot, fresh and homemade.  Again the chips were good. A little pot of tomato ketchup also came on the board.

The food, drinks, service and atmosphere at the Cocoa House were all really good and I would say its a great choice for somewhere to eat if you are at at Bluewater.  They also do a great range of breakfast dishes and afternoon teas which we intend to try on another occasion.

Cadbury Cocoa House

Sharon x