Winners of the Good Food and Wine Show Tickets

Congratulations to the winners of the Good Food and Wine Show (Perth) Tickets - Skye Melvin and Yee Gan.

Please email your postal address by Sunday the 3rd of July to theaussiebite[at]gmail[dot]com and your prizes will be posted to you [after confirmation of ID]. 

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition!

Good Food and Wine Show 2011 (and your chance to WIN a Double Pass!)

It's that time of the year again.  The Good Food and Wine Show is just around the corner and I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.

Last year, we saw the likes of Manu Fieldel, Matt Moran, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris take to the Celebrity Stage for live performances, including the preparation of a few dishes that selected audience members got to sample.  There are also wine, coffee, and cheese appreciation sessions that I’m sure will appeal almost as much.  On the less formal side, food and food related stalls are abundant, as well as food samples, a dining area, and you can even buy books and get them autographed.  For a bit more on last year’s show, you can look at my blog post here or go to their website at http://www.goodfoodshow.com.au/.

For a couple of lucky readers, I have two free double passes to giveaway.  For your chance to win one of these, "like" The Aussie Bite’s facebook page and then “like” the Good Food and Wine Show post, and/or email us with "Good Food and Wine Show" in the header and 2 lucky winners will be randomly chosen based on entries from each category.  Entries close June 17th and winners will be announced by June the 20th, so be sure to check back to see if you have won (and claim your prize).  Tickets will be posted to the winners.

The Good Food and Wine Show is being held in Perth over the 15^th to 17^th of July, with the following sessions:

Friday 15th: 10am - 5pm

Friday 15^th (after dark): 6pm - 9.30pm

Saturday 16th: 10am - 6pm

Sunday 17th: 10am - 5pm

Five Bar, Mount Lawley

Five Bar Mount Lawley; Five Bar reviews
One fine and sunny Perth afternoon I found myself walking along the Beaufort Street cafe strip - as many of you know this is home to many cafes, restaurants and bars.  In one of those aimless strolls, I found myself in front of Five Bar and immediately thought "five what?" - Five pints of beer, five glasses of wine, or even five courses of food.  Enticing choices I know, so I went in anyway.

You may have already heard people recommending Five Bar, either for its eclectic interior, casual and cool atmosphere, or even the tapas style selection of dishes on offer.  Regardless of what people remember it for, Five Bar is one of those new boutique style bars that offers a gourmet selection of bar type foods to complement those lazy afternoon or cozy night drinks.

Lamps set across a backdrop of wallpaper

The interior of Five is a collection of styles.  The classic wallpaper, and art deco lamps and sofas help create a nice unique environment to have a casual drink or meal.  These furnishings were set amongst other parts of a warehouse pub-like interior which seemed to detract a bit from the stylish parts but as it seemed to separate the bar into distinct areas, overall I still enjoyed the atmosphere.

Comfy, classy sofa

Although Five is classified as a bar, with a full bar selection and beers on tap, Five has a good selection of tapas style dishes and a few "pub" mains (including a gourmet steak sandwich) and desserts.  Whilst the menu is written on a big blackboard on the wall, the quality of the offerings complement the stylish surrounds.

Duck and chicken rillettes - $14.50

The duck and chicken rillettes were served cold, well flavoured and tender from the cooking process.  Despite rillettes typically being slowly cooked with salt and fat, the duck and chicken rillettes were mild on the salt and didn't seem excessively fatty/oily.  However, even though the rillettes weren't bursting of salt and fat, the rillettes tasted like they had been infused with a nice subtle flavour that still allowed the natural flavours to come out.

The rillettes were served with light toasted garlic bread style baguette slices, and a blackberry and orange preserve or jam.  The texture of the broken up duck and chicken meat, which was soft and tender in the mouth, made an excellent and easy to apply topping to the bread.  The combination of the balanced duck and chicken rillettes with garlic bread was enhanced with the sweetness of the preserve.

Rare roasted beef open sandwich - $14.50

Roast beef sandwiches can be simple meals.  Five Bar takes this classic sandwich and turns it into something more without overdoing it.

The thinly sliced rare roasted beef was tender as far as sandwich style roast beef goes.  On the sandwich's salad side of things, a nice red cabbage homemade coleslaw was creamy and wasn't strong as to overpower the beef.  However, perhaps the part which I thought brought the sandwich together for me was the mustard grain and horseradish cream that was light but still noticeable on the palate and matched the roasted beef sandwich as you would expect.  Rounding out the sandwich was a dash of chives, and sliced gherkin that was subtle in pickle (and a slightly bitter) flavour.  A gourmet tapas style "roast beef sandwich".

Dark chocolate pot - $13

This “pot”, which looked like a jar that formerly contained something off the supermarket shelf, was filled with a sweet chocolate mousse based dessert.  The mousse was a very smooth typical mousse, balanced in a good level of sweetness and chocolate flavour so that it was a decadent chocolate dessert that melted smoothly and consistently in the mouth .  Topped with sugared pistachios, lightly sweetened and soft macerated strawberries and mint that were refreshing, the overall mousse was rich, and indulgent.

In summary, Five Bar offers a bar experience with gourmet bar food.  The mostly larger than tapas meal selections seem to be well thought and executed.

Points to note:  Five Bar is a bar and not a restaurant.  In addition to the staple alcoholic liquid meals, it serves mostly tapas style dishes as well as a few "pub" style dishes.  Though there some tables inside, when it's busy you may find yourself standing.

Go for:  A drink or two.  However, you get some good food selections to go with them.

Five Bar

560 Beaufort Street

Mount Lawley WA 6050

Trading Hours

Monday to Saturday - 11am to 12am

Sunday - 11am to 10pm

Iku Sushi, Perth

Iku Sushi Perth; Iku Sushi Perth review

With so many sushi places in the city to choose from ranging from super fresh and traditional sushi through to quick pre-made lunch sushi, it's sometimes hard to differentiate sushi except in quality or variety of product.  This is where Iku Sushi has gone out and done something different with the Cheeseburger and Chicken cheeseburger sushi (see below).

Iku Sushi recently opened its doors in the new 140 William Street complex at the underground train station in Perth.  The decor at Iku Sushi is quite hip for a lunch bar type of venue.  Filled with lots of colour, and modern looking Japanese inspired decorations Iku Sushi looks like a place to go and see what the fuss is all about.  They've definitely created a hip looking lunch bar.

Menu-wise, Iku Sushi has offerings ranging from machine wrapped sushi through to rice meals and noodles.  All these are served in quite fitting (to match the interior) colourful and catchy packaging.

Chicken Cheeseburger Sushi - $7.50

In my opinion the best tasting meal of our visit, the waiter claimed this as their specialty (well, the "cheeseburger" types of sushi which is the beef version of this sushi).

Take a standard sushi roll with chicken and cheese filling (to make it a chicken cheeseburger), then coat it in batter and deep fry it.  Then serve it with some creamy (chilli) spicy mayonnaise.  A sushi that differentiates Iku Sushi from many other sushi places, it's just unfortunate that it was a relatively healthy sushi differentiated by deep frying it.  It was relatively tasty though for lunch bar sushi.

The batter was relatively light and quite crispy, and overall in some of the sushi pieces where the cheese melted the sushi tasted how I would expect chicken and cheese to be in sushi.  Interestingly, they battered the sushi in portions of two such that they could be cut in half, giving it one flat side covered in batter whilst the other side looked like sushi.  This maximised the taste and texture of lightly crunchy batter.

Overall, for me this was worthy of a try but whether you like to have your sushi battered and deep fried will be a personal choice.

Spicy Chicken Ramen - $9.95

Coming served in what looked like a colourful supermarket-cup-noodle container, I'm not really sure what to say about this ramen.  V.K. ordered this and described it as having a milky soup and didn't enjoy it.  I tried a bit of the lightly spicy soup and it was very simple in flavour and lacking the depth and flavour that you get at specialist ramen restaurants.

The serving size was small by many ramen standards (although also a few dollars or so cheaper) and the noodles and chicken were also quite ordinary.  The vertical nature of the container also made it a little difficult to eat the ramen like a normal ramen meal.

I guess they don't specialise in ramen.

Chicken Katsu Curry (medium) - $8.95

E.G. ordered this meal sized curry chicken katsu which was served with rice, spring rolls and salad.

Though this was called a chicken katsu, Iku Sushi covered the chicken in a type of thin coating of what seemed more like fine batter than breadcrumbs and lacked crunch and flavour.  For those of you that don't know, Japanese Panko is what is normally used to crumb katsu and when used right gives a good crumb coating and a nice crunch.  The result was that the chicken katsu was  quite ordinary and plain.  Also, the texture of the chicken itself was very smooth that made E.G. and I think that it looked and tasted like processed chicken.  Odd.

E.G. described the spring rolls (and indeed the meal) as pretty average.  The spring rolls were like a mini entree to the dish, loosely packed vegetables in mini rolls and deep fried.

In summary, Iku Sushi breaks with tradition and offers their own take on simple Japanese dishes served in colourful and catchy disposable packaging.  Though innovation is definitely welcome, I can't say that I enjoyed the experience as many dishes didn't appeal to me - even comparing against the traditional versions.  A shame since the concept seems quite unique.

Points to note:  Iku Sushi is a bit like a funky lunch bar with sushi and hot meals.  The food is not traditional Japanese so might appeal to people looking for something a bit different.

Go for:  A different fusion-Japanese food experience.

Iku Sushi
140 William Street
PERTH WA 6000
(08) 9322 6008

Trading Hours
Monday to Thursday - 7:30am to 7pm
Friday - 7:30am to 9pm
Saturday and Sunday - 11am to 5:30pm

Koko Black, Claremont

Koko Black Claremont reviews; Koko Black Perth reviews

Chocaholics rejoice there is a new chocolatier in town!

Since 2003, a Melbourne start-up Chocolatier by the name of Koko Black has grown to become a well known chocolate institution carrying on the art of European chocolate making in Australia.  After a few expansions by way of new stores over the years Koko Black has finally made its way to Perth, suitably locating its first store in the upmarket Claremont Quarter managed by Hawaiian - a notably classier location than some other chocolatiers that have been appearing around town.

With shelves and glass display cabinets filled with chocolate selections, Koko Black is a true chocolatier.  You can choose from a wide selection of individual chocolates, an in season Easter selection, and even dine in for chocolate desserts, hot or cold chocolate drinks, and even high tea.

Belgian Spoil - $13.50

This board of chocolate delights was one of those chocolate tasting boards for the serious lover of chocolate.

Starting with a square of simple chocolate flour cake that seemed a tad dry, I made my way through the piece of shortbread (that seemed a little plain and lacking of the rich buttery texture of shortbread on the overall chocolate plate), a couple of Koko Black chocolates, chocolate mousse, and chocolate ice cream.

The Koko Black chocolates were pretty good.  One was a raspberry chocolate flavour and the other had a soft chocolate centre and a bit of crunchy praline like nuts.  The chocolates were very smooth and consistent, rich and finished with a touch of Koko Black branding.  Leaving the chocolate to melt in your mouth further showed how silky smooth it was.  A good chocolate worthy of creating an upmarket chocolatier around.  Though to me not quite in the same league as those oh-so-good fresh Leonidas pralines or Godiva chocolates, but also coming under their  prices unless you're passing through Europe any time soon.

Rounding off this dish the smooth chocolate mousse and ice cream were both very, very sweet and very chocolatey.  In particular the mousse was very rich and provided the strongest chocolate hit on the plate.

Otherwise, a bit of a contrast to the chocolate cake and shortbread, the mousse and ice cream are probably the best items on the plate for the serious chocolate dessert lovers (and are available in other dessert type selections).  The crunchy crumbs sprinkled on the mousse were also a nice touch.

Belgian Hot Chocolate - $5.95

This hot chocolate was made with Belgian dark chocolate and according to T.E. was moderately sweet but still retained a bitter taste.  The overall consistency and mix was like a classy but "normal" hot chocolate made with Belgian chocolate.  The hot chocolate however was not quite the same as a thickly rich hot chocolate that is almost like a cup of chocolate that many people (including T.E.) prefer to go out to a dedicated chocolatier for (e.g. San Churros' thicker and sweeter hot chocolates).

Light Hot Chocolate - $5.95

According to "H.T." the light hot chocolate was sweeter than the Belgian Hot Chocolate, but true to its name was also lighter with a milk chocolate taste and a moderate sweetness.  Again, a milky hot chocolate as opposed to a thick chocolatey hot chocolate.

In summary, Koko Black makes a good addition to Perth's growing chocolate scene.  It is a good chocolatier with a good range of take-home and dine in options, however their selection of menu items vary with some items not as chocolate crazy as some other chocolatiers (right now I'm thinking of Guylian in Sydney where ordering a single chocolate dessert plus iced chocolate drink would send me into an ill state of complete chocolate meltdown).  Though none of us were in awe and itching to go back, if I make it here again soon I will have to try the iced chocolate drinks.  In the meantime, I'm sure Koko Black will have a huge following in our ever growing hunger for sweets and chocolate.

Points to note:  Koko Black has everything from chocolate for sale, to dine in hot and cold chocolate drinks, and chocolate desserts.  There is also a high tea for those who like to go that bit extra.

Go for:  Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate.

Koko Black

23 St Quentin Ave

CLAREMONT WA 6010

(08) 9284 2049

http://www.kokoblack.com/

Trading Hours

Monday to Friday - 9am to 10pm

Friday and Saturday - 9am to 11pm

Sunday - 10:30am to 10pm

Hippo Creek African Grill, Hillarys

Hippo Creek restaurant reviews; Hippo Creek African Grill reviews

Are you a hungry, hungry hippo?  Or just outright want to eat copious amounts of meat?  With probably the biggest concentration of South Africans outside of South Africa, it's no surprise that they brought their grill restaurants to Perth for our carnivorous enjoyment.

So when I think South African Grill, I think MEAT!  That's where Hippo Creek comes in with more than its fair share of meat including a good selection of steak, including moderate grades of Angus and Wagyu, and the Hunter's Assaghai (see below).  But for those not so red meat inclined, Hippo Creek has chicken (including a chicken version of the Hunter's Assaghai) and seafood options.

However, if you're vegetarian you then I hope you like garden or greek salad, or are happy with garlic bread and dessert as this restaurant isn't designed for you.  However, if you really are a carnivorous hippo you might want to consider the 2kg rump steak challenge.  I'll leave you alone with that one.

To complete the food side of things, contained in its own cowhide leather bound menu, the drink menu has many of your usual beers, wine (which unsurprisingly includes some South African options), and spirits.

Hunter's Assaghai - $43.50 (500 grams)

Coming in the 350g standard serve, or the "man-sized" 500g meal this is the "piece de resistance" or rather the centrepiece of Hippo Creek's South African Grill menu.  Think 500 grams of rump chunks, skewered and roasted, and  topped with melting garlic butter (or chilli/peri peri butter) oozing down those lashings of beef.  If all that meat doesn't tempt you, how about the bowl of crunchy fries that soaks up the melted garlic butter that drips to the bottom of the skewer.  'Nuff said.

Did I forget to mention that it also comes with a small garden salad?  Healthy stuff.

Chicken Breast - $39

At a different pace to the Hunter's Assaghai, the flame grilled lemon and marinated Mount Barket chicken breast was surprisingly moist and tender.  The chicken breast was topped with a few crunchy garlic king prawns (peeled but with tails left on) and surrounded by a decent amount of creamy garlic sauce.  Finishing off this place was a smooth and creamy mash and asparagus sticks.  It all tasted pretty good, no doubt due to the chicken breast being moist and the very creamy garlic sauce.

Koeksisters - $14

The least mainstream sounding dessert on the menu, to me the main component of the dish tasted like a sweetly (orange syrup) soaked soggy and doughy doughnut that clumped on its way down the throat.  Unfortunately that took the task of finishing this dessert off my things to eat list.

On the plus side, the cinnamon ice cream tasted ok (however it wasn't silky smooth or anything special) and the chocolate dipped orange slices went down a lot easier.

Amarula Mousse - $13

The two scoops of each of white and dark chocolate mousse were sweet and chocolatey.  Though they were definitely identifiable as chocolate mousse, they were quite average in texture and consistency like a soft ice cream.  I could finish this but after all that meat earlier in the meal the four scoop serving was a bit rich.

A couple of fingers of (dense and dry) lady finger biscuits dipped in a bit of chocolate were also present but didn't add a lot to the chocolate mousse.

Cappuccino - $3.50

Even though this was organic Toby's Estate coffee, it was a pretty average coffee that that seemed a bit watery - but hey this is a South African Grill and not an awarded Barista coffee shop.

In summary, Hippo Creek is a place to go for meat.  Despite being most well known for steaks and the Hunter’s Assaghai, Hippo Creek does offer white meats and seafood alternatives.  However you might be struggling for a mains past salad if you're vegetarian, but then again if you're vegetarian an African grill is probably not where you would eat.  Unfortunately, I thought the desserts were a little ordinary.  The service too can be a bit interesting – it’s not bad, but we watched out beer sit on the counter for more than five minutes whilst nearly half a dozen young wait staff were standing around it chatting.

Points to note: This is a South African Grill so expect tons of meat (and usually beef) to come out of the kitchen.  Most of the dishes are relatively simple and this isn’t fine dining – but they do make an effort with a good selection of meat.

Go for:  Meat of course.  And preferably steak.  Though if you aren't into beef you can still survive on chicken or seafood.  Vegetarians - might I suggest you go elsewhere?

Hippo Creek African Grill
Shop 203 Sorrento Quay Boardwalk
Hillarys Boat Harbour
58 Southside Drive
HILLARYS WA 6025
(08) 9447 2238

Trading Hours
Lunch and Dinner - 7 days
Breakfast - Saturday and Sunday