Wednesday 27 March 2013

Jamie's Italian, 6000

I was over the moon! I had scored an invitation for opening night at my favourite lisping celebrity chef's newest venture.

A fancied mix of classic and modern furnishings create a cheery ambience

Jamie's Italian is pretty much Mr. Oliver personified. From the food, to service, to the décor, everything echoes Jamie's philosophy, without being "branded" or cheesey.



The space is a playful mingle of old and new-world with splices of Italian bright red, white and green throughout. Retro booths and jade tiling, offset rough-hewn surfaces, hanging food produce, copper mesh lights and a blingy chandelier. A merge of hip and timeless, casual and classic. Warm, jovial and mightily inviting.

"Vegetables" Plank, $10 pp

The food is really like eating from the pages of a Jamie cookbook. We tried two pastas and a chocolate pot dessert. Pastas - rolled on site, cooked al dente and prepared simply- were thoroughly enjoyable. Dessert was lovely too. More bitter than sweet, the chocolate mousse was presented in a coffee cup, complete with cappuccino-top cocoa dusting and caramelized biscotti. Very cute and perfect for sharing. On my second visit I went for the Vegetables Plank which is a serious bargain at $10 pp. Marinated mixed vegetables, pickles, buffalo mozzarella, pecorino and a crunchy root vegetable salad. I followed with an entree size of Tuna Fusilli; 'Jools Favourite', $12. The woman is a nutcase but her taste in carbs ain't bad at all. Curls of al dente pasta in a tomato and flaked tuna sauce. Providing the wow factor were Jamie's trademark herby breadcrumbs. Crunch, crunch, crunch, om, nom, nom.

Entree size Tuna Fusilli; "Jool's Favourite", $12
The most exciting thing about the food is the realistic pricing. Factoring in the CBD location and celebrity endorsement- $9 for expert dessert, and pastas averaging $20 - is awesome. This makes all those "$20 Pasta Special"'s at other eateries look laughable. Competitors will be red-faced and shaking in their boots!

Antipasti board prep
The cocktail and wine list is excellent too. I can still taste that Clic Pinot Grigio in my mouth now -delicious!

The stylish tiled bar, and collared shirt-and-tie staff

In a nutshell, Jamie's Italian speaks rustic, warm, whimsical, contemporary and an emphasis on quality ingredients - much like the man himself. A win for Perth.

Food: 4/5 Simple, fresh food, made on site where possible, skilfully cooked. 
Ambience: 5/5 Warm, welcoming and coolly smart.
Value: 5/5 Antipasti approx $10pp, pastas $11-$30 and magnificent desserts approx $10
Drinks: 5/5 Great range of italian whites and reds, exciting cocktail list

Jamie's Italian on Urbanspoon

Monday 18 March 2013

PAWS City Cafe, 6000

I had put PAWS on the back burner after being rather put off by the animal smells that permeated the space. I returned more recently to find that PAWS no longer smells like a farm and the food offerings have swelled.
Filling $8 Small plate with beetroot salad, zucchini salad, chickpea curry and stir fried Asian veg

The unclassifiable exterior helps PAWS keep a low profile.  Inside doesn't exactly scream 'cafe' either. PAWS is very basic (yet warm and relaxing), furnished in what feels like donated furniture and 80s carpet. This is completely acceptable however, as the value for money lunching, can't be beat. Just don't bring your hot date here.


For $8- which they're calling 'Small', you can get a heavy serve of mixed salad and hot food. Boost your serving to a 'Large' plate for $12, and you may well be set for lunch today, and perhaps tomorrow.

Small mixed plate, $8

The prices are great, the selection is interesting, service obliging, and it's a non-profit. Cheap eats don't get much better than this.



PAWS City Cafe on Urbanspoon

Gordon Street Garage, 6005

Its like Little Creatures, meets the suburbs, meets sky blue paint. Airy, Summery, neo-industrial, contemporary, cool.
GSG's Summer neo-industrial refurb
The staff are well-trained, and versed in the kitchens offerings. And what wonderful offerings they are...For lunch I enjoyed their elaborate take on the Greek salad; with caramelised onions, heirloom tomatoes, avocado and a variety of feta cheese I'd like to buy a barrel of. The glossy brioche bun Salmon burger, will be my order next time. The menu is quintessential stylish Mod-Oz food. Does it get more Australiana than a Kangaroo meat sausage roll? (with green olive tepenade, I'll add)

The amped up Greek salad, on for lunch
Kangaroo sausage roll
After lunch we oogled the impressive and tempting French patisserie handiworks. Good luck choosing from creations like Passionfruit and white chocolate mousse cakes, pistachio macarons and mango cheesecake. We were informed there is a pastry *team* slaving away each morning in the kitchen. Bread is all baked on site as well.
Fit for a Parisienne patisserie! 

More to love - brilliant coffee work and an on-site roaster is not far from launching.

GSG gets my nod. An ideal place for group social gatherings, or to bring out of towners who want a taste of the Perth lifestyle.

Food: 4/5 (Creative twists on quality made classics)
Ambience: 5/5 (Nifty fit-out with plenty of space, plus all the ambient elements to forget you're meant be back at the office soon)
Value: 3.5/5
Service: 4.5/5 (Early days zeal!)

Gordon St Garage on Urbanspoon

Saturday 16 March 2013

San Francisco - wrap up

Oh San Francisco, how you wooed me with your romantic hill-perched homes, your open-minded folk, your dazzling lights, your bohemian soul, and your glut of quality dining. San Francisco has more restaurants per capita than anywhere in North America, the options are endless! The Gold Rush brought people from every corner of the globe, making for a diverse and authentic dining scene. Not only is SF swanked with a fabulous Little Italy and the best China Town I’ve been too (more intriguing than NYC), this city has a Japan Town and a Korea Town, too.

Great food goes hand-in-hand with great wine, a truth that San Franciscans entirely embrace. SF is blessed with a rich wine region, whose influence sprawls beyond the Golden Gate Bridge to represent in the city’s wine bars and urban tasting rooms.

Put it down to the sunny California climate, the urban-hippie population and the self-informed locals -Vegetarians are well represented in San Francisco, as are the health and eco-conscious. ‘Farm-to-table’, ‘organic’ and ‘locally grown’ are branded on just about every bottle label, menu and shop front.

Let me share with you other common SF food themes, which you should add to a buck list when visiting this charming city…

1. Cioppino – brought to SF when the Italians emigrated after the Gold Rush, this Little Italy staple is a cauldron of tomato based broth crowded with assorted fresh seafood. TRY IT: Sotto Mare- 552 Green St, North Beach (Little Italy) San Francisco.

Grilled Sand Dabs at Sotto Mare
2. Organic espresso coffee – For the most part, American coffee is bloody rubbish. They run on Americano, black, instant coffee – and espresso is the minority, unlike like in Australia where the reverse is true. SF has some good boutique grinders, however. I managed to track down some cafes who are dispatching honest cups of joe to SF’s aficionados. TRY IT: Blue Bottle Espresso – various locations or Four Barrel – 375 Valencia st, Mission, San Francisco.

3. Organic artisan ice cream – SF has some pretty special locally-owned ice creameries making sensational small batch frozen desserts. Your mind will boggle at the out-of-the-box flavours, and explode at the taste. TRY IT: Bi-Rite Creamery - Ignite your cravings: “Lavendar Honey”, “Brown Sugar Ginger Caramel”, or the rebelliously salty-“Salted Caramel”. My favourite was the orgasmic “Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl”. Yowzas. Don't be shy to try before you buy. Also try: Mitchell’s Ice Cream for exotic imported flavours incorporating Young Coconut, Purple Yam, Green Tea, Grasshopper Pie and “Lucuma”; a tropical fruit from the Philippines. 

Fro-yo concotion at Yopi frozen yoghurt
4. Napoli style pizza – You know the kind; wood fired, bubbly, charred edges, and super thin, plaiable base. Combine with harvested locally ingredients and you have some of the finest American made “pies” (as they call them). TRY IT: Delfina - 3621 18th St , Mission, San Francisco.

5. Cal-Mex – Californias has some of the best modern Mexican food to boast. The spin is genuine flavour made with Cali-fresh ingredients, and a farmed-locally-served-organically-no-meat-necessary jam. It’s my kind of Mex. TRY IT: Gracias Madre2211 Mission St. Mission, San Francisco 

Organic kale, pumpkin, refried beans and rice at Gracias Madre

Other places I dined and loved –

NOPA: 560 Divisadero St (between Fell St & Hayes St), Lower Haight.
You’ll feel like a local when you slip inside this always-bustling late night bar restaurant. The new-age American menu is rustic and seasonal, naturally. And the atmosphere? Contagious. The house grass-fed burger and pork chops are big draws, but really, it’s all fantastic. Highly recommended* 

Moroccan tajine with lemon yoghurt, green olives, pumpkin, brussel sprouts, carrots and almonds at NOPA
Ryoko’s Sushi: 619 Taylor St San Francisco.
Funky underground late night sushi bar with daily sashimi specials, a formidable Sake list, and a magnetic atmosphere. The vibe only escalates when a DJ fires up after 10pm. This is a place where you’ll want to go for the feeling as much as the terrific food. Waiting (and there will be a wait) at the top of the stairs that descend to the underworld of coolness, there's a buzz of excitement, feeling like one of the lucky few, who are privy to this gem. I enjoyed Ryoki's so much I went there more than once.
Uber cool Sushi bar at Ryoki's
La Mediterranee: 2210 Fillmore St (between Sacramento St & Clay St), Pacific Heights 
Simple, super fresh, organic Mid-East food, in a quaint bohemian adorned dining room. Idyllic lunch spot. 

Mixed Med platter at La Mediterranee: hummus, baba ganoush, dolmades, lentils and organic veg
Anthony’s Cookies: 1417 Valencia St, Mission
No outlandish ingredients, just comforting aromas and flavours like cinnamon, oatmeal, and classic choc chip. Slightly chewy on the inside, hot out of the oven, and perfect choc chip-to-dough ratio. Just like nan used to make. Best cookies on the planet. End of discussion.

Dk choc chip cookie from Anthony's Cookies

Pigeon returns...

Dear followers,

Has it really been three months since my last report? Oops! Not a good look. Well, I am back in sunny Perth after having nibbled, sipped and chewed my way through North and Central America. I will do my best to promptly share with you, my favourite food findings from my travels...first stop: San Francisco