Ha-lu is a great Japanese fusion restaurant for not only dine-in but take away as well. I was so impressed the first time I went, I returned twice in one weekend. Here’s a combined post on the times visited recently including a very special birthday for Foodie Cravings.

Sashimi of the Day $18.00 Salmon, Tuna and Kingfish

Thick cut fresh slippery slices of fish to start.

Crumbed Camembert Cheese $9.80

These deep fried wedges of soft cheese oozes into your mouth with the tang of some lemon and their delicious blueberry jam like sauce. It is served with cute skinless honey cherry tomatoes.

Ebi-Mayo $17.00

This was one of those dishes where the table next to us had to lean over just to ask what it was because it looked that attractive! Plump juicy prawns tossed in their own concoction of mayo cocktail sauce and was barely contained in a deep fried wanton parcel.

But wait theres more!

Once cracked open… a poached runny egg streams over a refreshing avocado salad. It was amazing.

Scallop Nanban $18.00

These fat scallops are only lightly deep fried and inside they are still a little raw. Some people, myself included, who don’t like raw seafood might be put off this dish. Having said that I still enjoyed these because the scallops themself were so bitey and fresh that I could overlook the fact it was still raw.

Close up of Scallop Nanban $18.00

The fried lotus root and julienned raw veggies on top complimented the scallops perfectly.

Oyster Kaki-Fry $18.00

Unlike most of their lightly fried dishes, this dish is a bit on the heavier side. The oysters are coated with a seasoned panko batter and is very crunchy. I would probably only order this if there are more than two people eating as I got quite full eating it.

Linley Valley Pork Belly “Kaku-ni” $16.00

The blocks of slow cooked Linley Valley pork belly pulls apart with ease. The light soy jus goes great with the pork and soft boiled eggs. This is my favourite dish here.

Kingfish and Salmon Belly Nitsuke $18.00

Mmm did I ever tell you my favourite part of a fish is the belly and skin? These were a win being skin-on and deep fried belly pieces. The slow cooked daikon was very light and fluffy.

Succelent Terriyaki Chicken $13

Teriyaki chicken the way it should be. Crispy skin and a caramelised teriyaki sauce with additional mayonaise.

Grilled Miso Patagonian Toothfish $18.00

The toothfish was flakey and soft and lightly grilled with miso flavour.

Duck, Aubergine, Madeira sauce with Wholegrain Mustard $24.00

My second favourite dish here. The skin of the duck is crunchy with a smokey flavour. The meat of the duck, cooked to a medium rare is very tender. The sauce madeira-tamari together with the duck was out of this world and even though I do not like aubergine or the hint of mustard powder I still enjoyed this dish to the fullest.

Ginger Linley Valley Pork $22.00

I was actually confused when this dish came out as I was sure she said pork, but when I tasted it, the texture was completely different to what pork usually tastes like. The pork had no dryness… so not only have they managed to make it taste delicious but they made it extra juicy. Not only are they chefs but wizards too.

Premium Beef “Ishi-yaki” Grill with Fried Onions $32 Margeret River Wagyu D-Rump

The wagyu rump is served in a stonepot so you can cook your beef to your liking and the fried onions become a chip like side.

Side Ramen $8.00

The tiny knob of butter melts into your broth and the slurpy ramen made me wish I had ordered this to myself.

Miso Soup $2.50, Rice $2.50

White Chocolate, Roasted Tea and Berry Pannacotta & Ume Plum Gelee $9.50

This dessert was light and not overly sweet.

Baked Cheesecake with a hint of Azuki $9.50

This was not a traditional cheesecake. It was more like a soft, warm cloud of yumminess. Bites of berries and sesame ice cream to add to the experience.

Tea for Two $4.00

Teriyaki Chicken Bento $16.00

All their bento’s come with two croquettes, japanese omelette, kara-age chicken, mushroom salad and rice. The Kara-age chicken was a bit cold in mine but it was still tasty.

Beef Tataki Bento $20.00

Pork Belly Bento $26.00

The staff here are very helpful and the food comes out quickly. The takeaway wait time is a little bit longer at around 20 minutes, but it’s worth the wait.

The worse thing happened… I lost my camera! During the busy Christmas period it must have dropped out of my bag =( My wonderful boyfriend bought me a new one for my birthday so I’ve found my fire again.

Since my birthday falls on Valentines Day, most places have a set menu so I went with Hawkers. Hawkers has got to be my favourite late night eatery in Perth. Their signature Marmite sauce is to die for, their Malaysian and Chinese menu variety is insane and their drinks are the best around.

Singapore Chilli Crab seasonal price $90.00 per kilo

This exceeded my expectations! It was better then some other chinese seafood restaurants I’ve tried it in Perth. The crab was crispy from the prefrying and the meat was so sweet. The sauce was perfectly sweet, tangy and chilli. I wish there was more!

My Plate of Singapore Crab and Mantou

It’s my birthday so I get to have a claw! Normally the claws are reserved for the parentals as a sign of respect… and so you don’t look like a fatty.

Side of Mantou’s 3 pieces for $3.00

So crispy and golden. Even though the menu says three pieces, you actually get six pieces because they cut it in half. Win.

“Superior” Crab with E Fu Noodles $90.00 per kilo

I was greedy and felt like more crab! I chose a more tradition sauce to please the parents, which was their Superior sauce. A blend of onion and herb thick sauce with E Fu noodles to soak the sauce and emphasis on the natural flavour of the crab. It was really enjoyable but I could not get over the flavour explosion from the Singapore Crab.

The Famous Marmite Chicken $16.00

This is the dish that made my fall in love with Marmite. The chicken is first lightly deep fried and then stir fried with their sweet and salty marmite sauce.

Pork Belly with Mui Choy $18.00

If anyone has a good recipe for this I would love to see it. Twice cooked pork belly in a pool of gravy goodness. The pork is first fried to give the skin the crispy and dark colour. Then the flavours of the preserved vegetables add a saltiness to the dish.

Steamed Toothfish with Radish Sauce $24.80

The flaky fish melts in your mouth and then you taste the lovely oily soy sauce and bits of crunchy radish bits.

Jiang Bao Spare Ribs $16.00

This was my least favourite dish of the night, deep fried spare ribs in a garlic Jiang Bao sauce which was very similar to sweet and sour. Still nice but there are better dishes on the menu.

Hawker’s Specialised Drinks

From left to right. Iced Milo with Condense milk $4.00, Iced Ribena with Lemon $4.00, three layer Teh Peng $4.00, Teh Peng $4.00.

The Cake Factory Grand Marnier Birthday Cake $25.00

Vanilla sponge soaked with Grand Marnier, filled with custard, white chocolate mousse and fresh strawberries decorated with roasted almonds, strawberries and chocolate hearts which was a valentines day touch. The cake was very moist inside and the cream was amazing as always. The Cake Factory makes the best cupcakes I’ve had in Perth yet.

I love korean food and even more when I get to cook it up myself. I like Tong 86 because it’s a healthier alternative to eating out and it open till late.

Tong 86 Menu

The left side of the menu is the uncooked meat dishes available for the grilling. There is a cute photo of a pig and a cow where they have labelled the cuts of pork and beef for you.

Our Table

A hot plate in the centre of the table with metal utensils. Not the best idea since metal heats up and I did burn my tongue a few times so be careful.

Sides

The sides today were pa muchim which is a spring onion salad, eomuk bokkeum which is fish cake mix and kimchi which is a popular fermented vegetable dish in a spicy sauce.

Three salads are served when ordering the meat dishes. Each additional side is 50 cents.

Greens

Lettuce is given for a refreshing bite to the meal. I roll my meat in lettuce pieces and then dip in the sauces.

Pork Belly $10.50

Thick cuts of fatty pork belly and onion rings. For the best results I prefer to leave the meat on for longer for maximum crispiness.

Neck Chain $12

This came out frozen! I wouldn’t order this again because the pork belly is better.

Beef Intercostals $11.50

Even with the picture on the menu, I’m still not sure what cut of beef this was. It had a lot of fat running through it which was lovely. I only sizzled this beef briefly because I like it medium rare.

Our Grilling Plate

Waiting…

The onion rings were so soft and sweet at the end of the cooking because it soaked up the meat juices.

Rice $2.00

Mushy carb-y goodness.

My Plate

I enjoyed my experience here and would have liked more sauces as they only provided a sesame salt and soya bean dipping sauces. Regardless it’s a great hang out experience, it has Korean pop in on a widescreen, has a freezer of korean ice creams and open till 12am on weeknights.

We finally had the opportunity to use our Scoopon for two entrees, a mixed platter and two drinks for only $59.00. We literally had to take a mini road trip to get there and when we got to the front, the decor and set up was really interesting.

The Leopard’s Lodge Entree Gate

We thought we were actually lost until we saw the gate.

Elephant

For decorative purposes a big elephant greets you on your way in. In the background sounds of snakes and insects can be heard… I really hope it was a recording and not the actually surrounding!

The Leopard’s Lodge Menu

African Tropical Fruit Juice

I got excited when I saw the ‘African’ in front of the tropical fruit juice but it was just regular fruit juice out of the bottle. Regardless it was nice that our two drinks provided by the scoopon voucher had no restrictions whether it be beer, wine, soft drinks or fruit juices.

Castle Lager

The bf’s choice of drink.

Chicken Livers

This was very spicy so it masked the liver taste.

Boerewors Taster

The sausage were very meaty and tasty.

Mixed Platter

From twelve o’clock. Chips, roasted vegetables, yellow rice, Cape Malay Bobotie, Boerewors and Mash, more chips, Serengeti Chicken and in the centre a steak covered in Monkey Gland sauce.

The yellow rice was still hard in the centre and had no taste. The Cape Malay Bobotie which is curried mince meat, was too sweet. The Serengeti Chicken which is grilled herb and garlic chicken thighs were nice. Boerewors again was lovely but the mash was average.

Oh no! Overdone Steak.

As there is only one steak per platter we both had to decide on the doneness of the steak. We both go for medium rare.

I’ve rarely had the situation where I’ve gotten an overdone steak. I saw two options. I either send it back or don’t come back at all. Unfortunately with slow service and ok food I will not return here. Even with another Scoopon.

Funny Toilet Sign

As the restaurant is newish, I hope that in time it will pick up as the waitstaff were friendly enough, just slow. The concept is intriguing and the decor is funky but again the service and food was average.

When the owner came and cleared half our plates, we had advised him we were ready to order dessert, he left for the kitchen and forgot to return to clear our other plates or to take out dessert order. After a significant wait we took it as a sign to leave.

It’s been so long since I’ve woken up early enough to enjoy breakfast before work. But I started later on Tuesday so I ventured out to Stimulatte which is said to have the best coffee in Subiaco.

What I thought was a nice touch in this funky little shop, is how they have a board for customer’s to keep their loyalty cards for convenience.

Stimulatte Breakfast Menu

Breakfast is served until 11am. The prices are very reasonable and they also had subs, rolls, wraps and baked goods on display for people on the go.

Drinks Menu

Cappacino $3.50

The beans they use are 5 Senses and the coffee was very smooth. A skilled barrister made the froth into what looked like a christmas tree. How fitting for the season.

Stimulatte Breakie Wrap $8.50

Scrambled eggs, bacon, tomato, cream cheese, baby spinanch and relish. Although the wrap was pre-made and toasted when ordered, it was still satisfying.

Our Favourite Baked Beans on Toast $9.50

The bf’s choice for the day. I’m inpartial to baked beans but these were delicious. Serve piping hot, these big white beans stewed in a tomato base with a side of toasted crusty bread were a perfect way to start the morning.

Last night my boyfriend surprised me with a dinner reservation and he told me it was on my list of restaurants to try in Perth. Just before we were leaving the house he had left the window for Google maps open on his computer and I saw the directions to The Prophet. I appreciated the thought regardless.

I’ve heard great things about The Prophet and after a brief holiday to Bangkok recently I was keen to discover Perth again.

This cosy restaurant is always booked out in advance so book ahead, but is opened later on Saturday with the kitchen still open till 10.30pm.

The Prophet Menu

The bf and I could not decide what dishes to order because we felt like a bit of everything so we opted for the banquet which was a selection of entrees and mains for $40.00pp. A minimum of two people required.

Free Bread!

A free basket of warm bread is served. Additional baskets $2.00 extra. We were warned by one of the workers to not eat all the bread as there was a lot of food coming.

Hommus

mmm Garlic chickpea dip with a a centre of olive oil.

Garlic Sauce and Pickles

I love garlic sauce on everything.

Additional Garlic Sauce

And more garlic sauce. Not as awesome as the one from Little Lebanon.

Entrees Spread

All this with Tabouleh and Baba Ghanouj made up our cold entrees.

Falafel

For the hot entree, we had three pieces falafel. The yogurt sauce and tomatoes made this dish very refreshing even though it was deep fried.

Fried Kibbeh

These had a mince lamb filling. I preferred the falafels.

Shish Tawook

For mains we got three meat dishes and two vegetable dishes.

The first meat dish was chicken skewers.

Shish Kebabs

This was my favourite savoury dish of the night. The meat was very tender and the meat well marinaded.

Sambousek

The pastry for this was very yummy. The filling was the same as the kibbeh though.

Loubieh Beans

These beans were ok. Nothing special.

Fattoush

This salad was way too tangy. Too much lemon and vinegar flavour.

Lebanese Coffee $3.00 small $6.00 medium $9.00 large

This was a medium sized coffee and made about four cups. It was very strong.

Baklava $3.00

Another highlight of the night was the baklava. The layers of filo was very crispy and sweet.

All in all it was a good experience. The waitress’s were fairly attentive, food was good, but it was very noisy. I prefer Elie’s Tent for atmosphere, service and most importantly food. Especially their dessert options.

The Lion King is now screening in 3D and I convinced my bf to take me as we had free movie ticket. I love reliving childhood memories and yes, I did cry during the movie. Just once! We decided to eat around the Morley complex since I don’t go there often and I found two great eats.

Golden Chicks

Golden Chicks, only opened three months ago, is the perfect place for a snack or meal of chicken wing goodness. This brilliant korean concept is simple. You choose either fried or roast chicken and then choose a flavour from original, sweet chilli or soy.

Golden Chicks Fried Sweet Chilli Chicken Wings $18.50 (Regular)

Very golden and finger lickin’ good. The sauce was out of this world. A cross breed between sweet and sour chilli and singapore sauce. Sprinkled with crunchy nuts. The chicken pieces include either wings or drumsticks.

Also include with their meals, if you eat there, is a bucket for the chicken bones and towelettes. How thoughtful.

Golden Chicks Roasted Soy Chicken $9.50 (small)

The roasted chicken had a more smokey taste and the sweet soy went swimmingly with them.

Both fried and roast chicken are marinated for 12hours and they only use 100% canola oil.

Golden Chicks Small Salad $2.50

Other sides include wedges and tornado potato. The salad was refreshing and the dressing was really yummy.

Golden Chicks own Towelettes

Yes, you will end up needing these.

They deliver, accept text message orders and have party packs. From the reviews I have read about this place, anyone who tries it ends up returning and so will I.

Nic’s Shak

The entrance of the Nic’s Shak is bright and colourful. Three guesses what they sell?

Nic’s Shak Interior

Nic’s reminds me on an old school burger bar and feels real homey.

Nic’s Shak Menu

mmm Free sauces… more then one!

Nic’s Woodfired Pizza Menu

If you ask the owner nicely he will do a half n half pizza for you.

Nic’s Shak Drinks Menu

Yes, you saw right. You can add an egg in your milkshake. When I asked the owner how many people have actually tried it, he said one. Apparently back in the day it was quite popular for people who want extra protein.

Nic’s Shak The Shak Burger $13.95

Homemade giant beef patty with bacon, egg, cheese, mushrooms, and fried onions with veggies. The bun was so soft and soaked up all the juiciness of the burger patty. The patty was absolutely delicious. Beefy, herby and did I mention juicy?

Nic’s Woodfired Pizza $13

Half n half. Garlic Prawns and The Shak Pizza. Bacon, ham, cacciatore, sausage, red onions, olives, mushrooms, tomato, bocconcini, cheese.

The Shak Woodfired Pizza

The Shak half of the pizza packed lots of meaty flavours and the red onion was a nice change.

Garlic Prawns Woodfired Pizza

Bursty garlic-y prawns. Complimented by tangy tomato sauce.

Nic’s Shak Strawberry Milkshake $4.25, $0.50 extra from malt

Yummy. Perfect with the burger.

It’s been a while since my regular posting, I’ve been super busy with a great new job. I now have a new area to venture out for food.

I use to love going out to eat tacos and then ending my night with some kind of pastry like waffles or churros. Today, I’d like to share with you the easiest churro recipe, within 20mins you have an crowd pleasing favourite and on top of that, you may never go out to buy churros again.

We had Foodie Cravings and burger boy over for dinner and the night started out with a display of MYO tacos.

Homemade Shredded Beef Tacos

I made shredded beef tacos in the slow cooker and should have taken more photos!

The condiments include cheese, diced tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and choice of either soft or hard shell tacos.

Burger boy even graced us with his new guacamole making skills learned from Crust.

Homemade Churros with Melted Chocolate and Strawberries

The four of us ended up eating this whole plate of crispy goodness.

Churro Recipe

Recipe adapted from Allrecipes

1 cup water

2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

approx. 4 cups of oil, enough for frying

1/2 cup white sugar, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

A block of your favourite meltable chocolate optional

Fresh Strawberries optional

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in flour until mixture forms a ball.

2. Let the dough rest for about 15mins in the fridge so it’s easier to pipe.

3. Heat oil for frying in deep-fryer or deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

4. Add one third of the dough into a piping bag*, pipe strips of dough and have them lined up ready for deep frying. Repeat for the other two thirds of the dough.

5. Add one strip at a time to avoid sticking and fry until golden, drain on paper towels.

6. Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll drained churros in cinnamon and sugar mixture.

7. Melt chocolate and cut up the strawberries. Serve with the churros hot.

*I use the disposable piping bags in the baking section of the supermarket. For around $3.00 you can buy the Multix brand which includes 5 bags, 4 nozzles and coupler. I use the star nozzle with the eight points for a more crispy edge.

Piped Churros ready for deep frying

The dough ends up feeling like Play-Doh and it’s very easy to work with. I use rice bran oil which does not change the taste and is healthier for you.

The only place I go when I’m in need of roast duck is Good Fortune. They specialise in the juiciest, tastiest and cheapest duck. During peak periods, people are lining up outside the door for takeaway roast meats.

The dining area only fits around 20-30 people and chairs and tables are the old school chinese wooden ones as depicted in chinese movies.

Make sure to take a look at the walls for their specials.

Good Fortune Peking Duck $18.00 5 pieces $3.50 extra for sixth pieces

This is easily one of my favourite appetisers. Crispy skinned, full flavoured duck pieces ready to be wrapped around a steaming fluffy pancake. Served with hoisin sauce and a piece of spring onion and cucumber.

Tonight’s serving had the perfect roast duck skin to meat ratio and three pieces just doesn’t seem like enough.

Good Fortune Peking Duck Close Up

The pancake itself was not too thin, not too thick and perfectly chewy.

Good Fortune Beef Brisket French Style Dry Noodles $11.50

Amazing! Tender, succulent pieces of beef brisket in a meat gravy, smothering  a bed of dry egg noodles. The fall apart meat went very well with the crunch of the noodles.

Two Meat Combination Dry Noodles – BBQ Pork and Duck $11.50

These noodles are topped with a serving of your choice of any their bbq/roast meats. I chose BBQ pork and duck. The noodles are drizzled with the roast meat sauce. Always a winner.

Ice Lemon Tea $3.00

Home made tea with slices of lemon.

I come here when I crave for comfort food. Their shared dished with rice are also yummy. Other dishes worth a try includes their singapore king prawns, crispy skin chicken and salt and pepper soft shell crab.

My Dim Sum favourite at the moment is Dragon Palace. The quality of the food is good, the menu is good, and it was the first time ever I saw a smile from a waitress working at a Dim Sum restaurant! Quite rare since they are always frantically running around.

If you come before 11.30am you should get a table fairly quickly.

Depending on my mood I sometimes stick to the usual pot of chinese jasmine tea or sometimes I order chrysanthemum tea.

Sui Mai of Prawn and Fish Roe $4.90

One of the most common dishes for dim sum. Bursty prawn and pork dumplings wrapped in wonton skin and then steamed.

Har Gow Steamed Prawn Dumplings $4.90

Prawn pieces in a translucent starch wrapper folded in pretty pleats.

Steamed Crystal Dumplings with Scallops and Corn $5.90

I love steamed scallops and the sweetness of  the corn gives this more on a kick.

Pan-Fried Turnip Cake with Bacon in XO Sauce $5.60

This has got to be one of their signature dishes. Cubes of raddish cake tossed with crunchy bacon bits in a dark chilli XO sauce. Crispy outside coating with a soft centre. Not greasy like at some other places.

Cooking Mama China cooks this at home and this is almost as good as hers.

Cha Siu Bau Steamed BBQ Bun $4.90

Steam chinese bun with a BBQ pork filling.

Lo Mai Gai Lotus-Leaf Glutinous Rice $5.90

Sticky rice parcel with gravy meat filling some sausage, mushroom and egg.

Lotus-Leaf Glutinous Rice Innards $5.90

The glutinous rice is coloured from lotus leaf and the aroma rushed up your nose when you open it.

Cheong Fun Prawn Rice Noodle Rolls $5.60

The rice flour noodle rolls was thin and not a bit mushy. At some other restaurants I’ve had mushy, gooegy batter which is really offputting.

And now for the deep-fried items…

Chilli Pepper Whitebait $5.90

Traditionally I’m use to having squid tentacles but this was a wonderful change. Deep extra fried whitebait with chilli, salt and pepper with peanuts.

Deep Fried Prawn Wantons with Mayonnaise $5.90

If anyone knows what kind of mayonnaise they use with this dish please tell me so I can get a kilo of it.

Deep Fried Meat Dumpling $4.90

Crispy outside and hollow on the inside, these savoury oval balls are a savoury version of mochi balls filled with minced meat.

Our Busy Table

Beef Belly and Spicy Chicken Feet was also consumed both had delicious sauces.

Dan Tat Flakey Egg Tart $4.90

Three per serve! I’m use to only received two per serving.

Sago in Coconut Milk $4.90

Up to par.

Grass Jelly $4.90

Not so much. Tasted like it came straight out of a can.

Coconut Jelly Pudding $4.90

Blocks of coconut jelly.

Fresh Watermelon Juice approx $5.00

Mmm fresh fruity.