Vasco Bar, Surry Hills

Photo from Vasco Bar owners

Boisterous, fun, unapologetically loud, and a bit rough around the edges. Not really a place for conversation, quite likely somewhere you'll do shots and definitely somewhere you'll leave with ears ringing. The mischievous Italian bar tenders are insistent that you have a good time. In a few words: Italian Rock n' Roll bar.

Vasco Bar
421 Cleveland St
Surry Hills 
Night: Tues - Sun

Miss Kitty's Saloon, 6052

Themed bars. I’m a sucker for them. In this scenario it’s a Western saloon in Austin, TX….but minus the live band and add classier food.  Jean pocket seat covers, free unshelled peanuts, American soundtrack, clustered old furniture, plywood booths and a preloved piano, are some of the saloon style fixtures that give this place character. Borderline tacky (in a good way!) and of course less lived-in than the real deal, Miss Kitty’s is a comfortable venue with a serving of cheek.

 
There is just the right amount of dim light to enable a good time vibe and a steady flow of libations. Because it feels more natural to order a succession of ‘Paloma’s (grapefruit, lime, tequila, $14) mid-week, when the lights are dim, no? 

The food! Its inventive, cooked well, and largely made on site (read: house cured ham, and homemade pickles and sauces). Most importantly though, the nosh is different. Never before have Perth dinner menus rendered such combinations as – chilli con carne on a waffle, or chicken wings on a pancake. If you’ve ever ventured to the U-S of A however, you’ll know these kind of fearless, sweet and fatty food pairings are commonplace in the deep South. Expats be mindful though, ‘cos this Kitty does things a little different from the motherland. Miss K recreates Canadian and US diner comfort food favourites, in a suited up and slimmed down manner. Case in point: the Mustard Cured Meatloaf, $19. Served with a crumbed prawn and a tinsel of fresh greens, it’s more terrine than beefcake and will probably be the most delicate meatloaf you will ever see. Miss Kitty’s is not so much about eat-til-you-bloat grub, and more concerning small, tasty plates that are made for sharing. On that note, the portions could be a little more generous for the price. Bad Kitty. 

The hospitality philosophy at Miss Kitty’s doesn’t fall far from what owner Ian Lawless did with his earlier venture at Kistch Bar - leisurely, social dining. Order a couple of items at a time, share the flavours, and relax with a brew between dishes.

On a Wednesday night we hit the ground running with the Empanadas ($9 for 3). The slightly flaky and yellow pastry gave way to an unconventional filling of broccoli and ricotta. They were tasty as all git-out! The two-bite morsels came with delicious smoked tomato ketchup that I just wanted more of. 

Broccoli and ricotta empanadas, $9

BBQ Mopped Chicken, $25, albeit the least outstanding of the night, was still enjoyable. The chicken itself, was outperformed by the accompanying house-pickled vegetables. Can I buy a jar of these? 

BBQ Mopped Chicken, $25

As a fan of cornmeal, an order of the Beef Chilli topped corn waffle with avocado cream, $9 hit the spot. The waffle was light and fluffy, with a satisfying little crunch. It worked wonders against the smooth avo cream and the wet meat mince. 

Beef Chilli, corn waffle, avocado cream, $9

A Texan culinary classic- Pork Ribs ($14.5 for 6-7 ribs) felt necessary. Rubbed with Tamarind and served with sweet yoghurt, corn and chilli sauce, the treacly and savoury ribs had a scrumptious char to them, but were a bit slim on the flesh. 

Tamarind Pork Ribs, $14.5

Service – dressed in doo-rags and gingham- comes with a ‘we’re-new-and-want-to-make-a-good-impression’ enthusiasm, but a few teething problems too. I credit the open manner to food service though. You don’t feel rushed to eat up and hit the road. 

Rusted old objects decorate the room

Miss Kitty’s is an adventurous new addition to this side of town, and I only hope it acts as a catalyst for further pursuits at the Inglewood end of Beaufort St. I suggest y’all round up your gang for a good time, and hotfoot it to the saloon!

Free candy jars!

Hits: Friendly vibe, customer service, novelty factor, and above all- the ballsy, interesting and tasty food. Empanadas and Ribs especially yum.
Misses: Not high value for money, a few creases in service timing.

Amphoras Bar, 6005

Amphoras is a spot probably not well known to the greater population of Perth but certainly to those working in West Perth area. Because of the locale, Amphoras comes alive after 5. It’s a perfect spot for a bit of post work carousing, especially on a Friday. The ambience is just what you want after a day at work – pleasant staff, elegant furnishings, sexy lighting and an upbeat crowd. The size of the place is perfect too; intimate but not crowded. Serving a small number of patrons maintains the quality control in the kitchen too.

Chorizo, Pedro Xeminez, corn bread $16

The food – it’s not the holy grail of Spanish tapas but it’s definitely delicious. Between the two of us, we ordered a serve of roast pumpkin and fetta arancini ($16)- served in rich basil pesto, these were cheesey on the in and well crusted on the outside. A serve of Chorizo ($16) came out hot, chunky, glistening in syrupy Pedro Xeminez – a sweet, Spanish sherry. The taste of the sauce over the chorizo was delicious, although it did intrude a bit on the bold taste of spicy sausage. A squirt of lemon would have been enough. The chorizo came with a side of corn bread, which did not quite represent the corn bread I know and love. It was more of a white bread with remnants of corn. We could have used a couple more slices to mop up the juices. Still, the bread was fluffy and tasted home baked.

Dessert selection $14

Done with our chorizo, we ordered the dessert selection ($14) of four minis – chocolate tart, passionfruit and lime meringue, crème catalan and the cutest little baby churros in chocolate sauce! Each were lovely and not one was more carefully prepared than the other. The serving was small enough for one and just enough for two.

Food: 3.5/5 (scrumptious enough, but not at the Duende level, although I would definitely eat here again)

Ambience: 4/5 (classy but casual and fun at the same time)

Service: 3/5 (friendly but not the most efficient, although lingering over drinks doesn't call for fast service)

Value: 3/5 (Dessert well priced, arancini and chorizo not so much)

X-Wray, 6160

A few weeks ago I headed to X-Wray for a Yelp Elite event where we were invited to sample the wonderful new Winter menu. X-Wray has a new head chef - Ricky and this man knows good taste-y. The food really goes above and beyond the simple bar food that went before it.

Bread, hummus

Gnocchi, tomato, basil, parmesan

Minted Mojitos and stemless Tempranillos were accompanied by little bowls of spiced roast pumpkin seeds. These were extremely more-ish. The first round of substantial eats were bread boards with garlicky tahini dip, e.v.o. and balsamic. The bread was a bit over-toasted but once smothered in that silky hummus, it didn't matter.

Pork belly

Next was a shot of mixed mushroom soup with truffle oil - soooo good.  Addictive tempura broccoli and green beans were next, followed by dishes of pork belly with almonds and a kind of quince paste. The hero of the night for me was Ricky's Nonna recipe gnocchi. The melt-in-your-mouth pillows of potato dumpling were little clouds of joy.

Beef cheek, cauliflower puree, crumbed carrot

The beef cheek dish was another showstopper. Shreds of dark braised meat resting on truffled cauliflower. As if that wasn't enough deliciousness to muster, there was the unimaginably tasty carrot croquette rested atop. My eyes boggled at the taste.

Food: 4.5/5 (that carrot, that gnocchi, those Mojitos!)

Ambience: 5/5 (bohemian, casual and warm. Good for a low-key date)

Service: 4/5 (hipsters with totally non-hispter attitudes) 

Value: 5/5 (my food was for FREE! Cannot report on the actual prices)

Cookie, 3000

On a recent trip to Melbourne,  I was excited to finally get the chance to try Cookie, the bar and eatery below sister venue The Toff in Town.  The thing I love most about this place is that the decor has absolutely no connection to the food, except for maybe that its f-ing awesome.  Looking at the modern wall art that mixes images of Canadian woodlands with boxy graffiti art, you would never guess this dive serves up superb Thai cuisine.

L: Duck jungle curry with eggplant and bamboo shoots,  R: Crispy fish salad with green mango and pickled crab

The menu at Cookie is pretty extensive and is broken down into dishes of Small, Medium and Large. This makes it great for sharing amongst groups or if you're like me and want to try as many different  recipes possible. Why get one dish when you can try three different small ones? Sweet!   Feeling not overly hungry, my sister and I chose just two mid-sized plates - the Duck Jungle Curry with eggplant and bamboo shoots (we love bamboo shoots) and the Crispy fish salad with green mango and pickled crab.  Both were SO delicious - the salad sweet and zesty and texturally wicked - light crispy flakes of battered fish with the mild crunch of the green mango was an absolute pleasure to eat. The standout was the curry however, and we both ended up literally slurping the remainder of the curry sauce like it was soup.  Our conversation changed from complaints of Chapel Streets growing lacklustre, to repetitive mumbles (mouths full, not wanting to break from the munching) of  "oh my goodd...yummmm, this is amaaazzzinng..."

A picture of a German beer hall-doll hangs above our table; a quirky departure from your typical Buddhas and temples

Tall windows open to bustling Swanston Street

The service here is a admittedly a bit arrogant. Cookie seems to have a slight case of "fit but don't you know it", but I really don't care 'cos the food is that tasty. Egos aside, the staff are very knowledgeable and the waiter  confidently recommended a great wine to enjoy with our food. 

Barely a drop of curry wasted

I  adore the contrast of the the contemporary Thai street food, against the sweet 60s printed crockery, and crochet table pieces.

L: Lime, rum based cocktail, R: Banana coconut cocktail

Cookie doesn't end at amazing Thai cuisine, the cocktails are top-notch too. The bar staff, like the restaurant staff, know their stuff and happily whipped up some rather complex and extremely delicious cocktails after we declared our favourite flavours and poisons.  I think it's obvious I love this place; the buzz, the chatty staff, the kitchy-cool setting and of course the sublime Thai!  I cannot wait to go back when i'm next in Melbs.

Food: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 5/5
Price: $$$

Cookie
252 Swanston Street
Melbourne 3000

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