Sunday Saloon

Unpretentious, honest food is always a good idea. Good food with good people is an even better one. Meet Chantel, an old soul with the warmest of hearts. It's been too long and far between catch ups with this lovely girl. We often find ourselves asking each other why it's taken so long to finally manage to lock in some one on one time and more often than not it's because of clashing and competing schedules, the daily grind (not the good coffee kind) and a bad case of terrible timing. 

It's always wonderful to catch up with Chantel. Hands are placed on the table, sometimes held, other times hitting each other with laughter. Our conversation hopped from topic to topic - love, loss and new achievements. Goals we promised ourselves we'd reach and obstacles we hadn't realised we had overcome. All of which were discussed of course, over Low Key's delectable delights. 

Low Key was buzzing, the warm lights from inside shone out the windows along the Oxford Strip and was a recluse from the cool Sunday evening. Tables had been snaffled up but Chan had the forethought to book ahead and we found ourselves in the corner of the restaurant by the window. 

Some pondering was done and recommendations were made from someone who seemingly frequents Low Key a little too often. New dishes were tried and tested, wine was had and snaps to jealous friends were taken. The gyoza was placed on our table first. Next came the mantou buns (seriously too good although I don't think anything will beat the first time I tried them) and our satay and kimchi salad soon followed. The lovely night was wrapped up with an azuki and strawberry crepe and a five spice sticky date pudding with warm butterscotch and a generous dollop of ice cream. 

The rest of the night was spent discussing men, awkward situations and the good old days. Words were read and giggled about and boosts of earnest encouragement from both parties along the lines of "If she can do it, I can do it too!" were expressed with fists clenched. Chantel is an avid writer and I know that in the future she will wonderfully affect the hearts of all those who are lucky to have her words grace them. Until her inevitable best seller is published it's journal scribblings and notepads from here. 

Thank you Chan for putting the time aside for such a lovely night, one that ended in hard goodbyes and promises of funny pictures of men making bad decisions. 

A French Pastry Breakfast

"You can't just eat good food. You've got to talk about it too. And you've got to talk about it to somebody who understands that kind of food." - Kurt Vonnegut

Jailbird.

To Market, To Market

There is something incredibly refreshing about waking up early on weekends. Most weekends of mine are spent running around doing errands, tutoring high schoolers and most definitely not spent sleeping in. So what made this particular morning weekend wake up different? I guess it was that I was up earlier than usual and off for a stroll around the markets and breakfast. The weather was beautiful with the warm sun out in the early hours of the morning and the brisk cool air washing over me as I walked around the markets with Suzanna.

My market plans with Suzanna included a visit to Leederville's Sunday Morning Markets. Little but quaint, the food stalls and friendly people warmed up the cool morning air, welcoming the early risers with a smile. Soups, freshly baked breads, pastas and farm fresh fruits and veg littered the Leederville carpark just off Oxford Street, across from the newly established Bills Bar and Bites. We did a little market hopping, driving down the road after Leederville's Market to Subiaco's later that morning. I love the freshness of the food, the smells and the bustle.

Subiaco markets are incredibly popular for those that live north of the river and aren't too keen on driving to the even bigger Fremantle Markets early in the morning. I would arrive about 9am however, as when it reaches late morning the crowds are definitely hustling and it gets a little difficult to manouevre around the fresh markets. And if you're unlucky like me, you may at some stage drop your flowers after bumping into someone! But if you're also lucky like me, you'll have a beautiful friend who will pick them up and dust them off for you.

The Art of Blogging

Truth be told I have been admiring Michelle Lau from afar for a while now. And I know a few (a quite a few!) have been doing the same. So when I first saw the announcement from Stacey about The Art of Blogging Workshop with

A Minute Away From Snowing - I quickly and somewhat impulsively bought myself a ticket whilst on the bus to work and happily went about my day with the knowledge that in a few weeks I was going to meet such a modest and enigmatic local blogger - while trying out a new and buzzing restaurant I had yet to visit.

I first heard of The Creatives Workshops from my friend Matthew who had the great opportunity of attending The Art of Hand Lettering (albeit his bribed by his boss). He had found it so well organised, plenty of fun and a great way to meet people. There are an array of workshops run by Stacey Clarke, an honest, fun loving and energetic woman who I had the pleasure of meeting. Matthew and I have signed up for a few other events Stacey has organised and I have no doubt they will be as great as the ones we had attended. Sorry Stacey but you haven't seen the last of us!

It was 10am on a Saturday and it had been raining a fair bit outside with a small group of us gathered around the doors of the Raw Kitchen in Fremantle. After a little hesitation and some peering through windows, we thought to perhaps try the back door. That was when Sarah opened the big blue doors for us and welcomed us through. Not before I exclaimed out loud "Sarah's coming!" which then had people asking me if I knew her personally, to which I said no, I follow her blog. And if you're not following it, you probably should be.

When entering the kitchen, the first thing you notice is that it is so big. The workshop was held upstairs, next to a room where a yoga class was taking place and where I have found out regularly takes place. On the ground floor just to the left of the doors is a store within the warehouse/loft style restaurant, selling raw food books, teas, knick-knacks and other kitchen utensils, of which I surreptitiously stole glances of when Sarah and Jinn took me there for our portrait session. As a surprise in the lovely workshop bundle, Stacey had organised for Sarah and Jinn to take photos of us which were then given to us on a disc to use however we liked.

I was very stoked to meet them in person after mutual follows on Instagram (I feel like since finishing uni, most of my social interaction occurs via Instagram) and after falling in love with their blog The Silver Lining Blog - for both its words and its beautiful images. Sarah and Jinn themselves, are beautiful people. Speaking of beautiful people, Michelle was upstairs waiting for us, dressed impeccably - perfect make up, a big smile and greeted us individually as we seated ourselves around the table.

Orders for coffees were made and just like the very first tutorials at uni - little introductions were said and each of us went downstairs in turns for our photos. Michelle then got stuck into the workshop - telling us of her humble beginnings and tips and tricks she has learnt along the way. Questions were asked and answered, with Stacey piping in every so often to ask the questions we were all thinking and to share experiences of her own. Everything from how to create compelling content, which platform to begin with and what to write about was discussed. Michelle was incredibly helpful, inspiring and lovely, talking through our own aspirations with us and suggesting ways to go about creating our own personal/professional spaces online.

It was a great event to participate in and I am glad I acted a little impulsive that morning when I bought my ticket. The other girls who attended were so lovely - I just wished I was a little more social or a little more cool because everyone who attended were so creative, cool and above all really nice people who were a pleasure to meet. Michelle was happy to answer questions, guide us through our blogging qualms and gave plenty of support and feedback. She really is the loveliest and it was such a rewarding experience and a privilege to have met her.

Luckily for those who may have missed out, Michelle and Stacey are holding another two Art of Blogging Workshops throughout August so head over here if you'd like to learn all there is to know from the best. You also get lunch which is a big yes in my books so head on over!

Low Key Chow House

Low Key Chow House is a new eatery in Leederville, a few doors down from 50ml and smack bang in the middle of the food strip along Oxford Street. It's completely unsuspecting from the outside, marked by an "Open" sign with mahjong pieces and a good luck charm.

The restaurant isn't as quiet as it looks in the photos above, it was actually really buzzing when Matthew and I got there although we had missed the lunch crowd at about 1.30 in the afternoon. We also hung about for so long that we were the last customers there, which was okay for me since it gave me free reign to take whatever photographs I wanted, with the permission of the manager of course.

The stripped back walls and floorboards bode well with the new and refined china, tables and wine glasses. The menu is a fun reflection of the attitude of the guys serving the food and the chow house itself. Famous lines from famous kung fu movies are coupled with cool Asian gangsters - icons from all sorts of Asian countries and dishes that go hand in hand with them.

I would suggest between two people, two or three shares and a main with dessert, or four or five shares and dessert, whichever dessert that is you choose. Matthew and I couldn't do that so we went with "3rd Base" which was probably the best idea and we got to sample three out of the four desserts on offer. All of which were delicious. However a head's up with the fried ice cream, that thing is messy! Gula melaka with sago, 5 spice sticky date pudding and salted caramel fried ice cream made 3rd Base.

As it was Matthew's birthday lunch (Happy 21st ya buttface) he chose the main and we both agreed steadfastly on our shares. You would be out of your mind if you gave the Mantou buns - candied caramel pork belly in the most beautiful steamed bun I've ever had, a miss. When you have it you'll know what I mean. We also had the Sangyeopsal and Ssamyang (you can tell it's Korean influenced) with pork belly yet again, lettuce cups, spicy dipping sauce and pickled celery. Although fried rice is an obvious and seemingly ordinary pick it was far from it, but beware of chilli!

Ever since my visit I've been dreaming about those pork mantou buns and I know there's not much stopping me from waltzing right back in for more.

Address:

140 Oxford Street, Leederville

Opening Hours:

Wednesday - Sunday: 5.30pm - 10pm

Friday - Saturday: 12pm - 10pm

Sunday: 12pm - 10pm

Bread in Common

Bread in Common has been on my to visit list for a while now. It is completely unsuspecting from the outside, marked by two lemon trees and a chalk board. Just in the entrance on your right is where their wood-fired bread, other take away goodies and coffee are awaiting your to select them and whisk them out of the kitchen. 

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was just how big, warm and homely it felt. It was an eclectic mix of cabin and cottage style decor with a rustic warehouse look. It's unpretentious and welcomes locally sourced home made produce. It's also spacious and there's no butt to table or accidental bumping of arms as you get to your seat. The juices and drinks (apart from the coffee of course) bar is situated on the far left of the restaurant, wines and spirits lining the shelves behind it. To my delight I found tubs of fresh fruit for juicing just to the side of the counter whilst scoping out the place as Jason waited for our desserts to arrive. 

I absolutely love how the dining area is like a big dining room and it feels a bit like a large open kitchen. The light fittings are strewn above two long tables which resemble large communal dining tables. You could essentially be seated next to strangers but still be united over the love for good food. Bread is freshly made on the premises (I even saw them wheeling a huge cart of sour dough from the bakery at the back to the front of the restaurant) and if you fancy a spread to accompany your loaf, Bread and Common has that covered.

We chose to share three plates between ourselves and a dessert each which of course we also shared. Bread is unlimited but you have to start off with two pieces first, and whatever spreads and sides you like. You should try the sweet potato spread it's yum! Also, the lamb is incredible. The meat is fresh, moist and has glides off the bone with ease and the black garlic is something else. Having mint sauce with lamb brings back memories of summer and winter meals at home and is something I haven't had with lamb in so long. The snapper with cauliflower, sunflower seeds and goji berries was delicious and I loved how fresh it was. Jason chose the venison sausage and it was not what you would initially expect. 

My beetroot, apple, orange and ginger juice lasted from our first dish straight through to dessert, which was aerated chocolate with friand, almond, mint and raspberry. We also had the banana, meringue, rosemary, marshmallow and caramel with icecream and I'm not usually the one who likes marshmallow but it was the exception. However if you do select this dessert, you'll have to eat the lemon and lime dollops with something super sweet like the meringue as it does get a tad sour. 

The menus change with the seasons and what local produce is available and so I am excited to see what kind of hearty, home-inspired food at restaurant quality they have in store. 

Address:

43 Pakenham Street, Fremantle

Opening Hours:

Monday - Thursday 10am - 10pm

Friday 10am - late

Saturday 9am - late

Sunday 9am - 10pm