Café de la Paix

Hi everyone, I am going on holidays to Gold Coast and Melbourne soon so this is a quick post to review a new café up in Blackwood, South Australia. Café de la Paix is a little French café that just opened up on Coromandel Parade in Blackwood. When I stepped inside two things instantly crossed my mind - "Nice French style decor" and "OMG this place is tiny!"

I hadn't quite worked out how I was going to squeeze through to the empty table. At the table, even though it was a two sitter you are extremely close to your 'neighbours' and it made me feel conscious about conversation and the volume of my voice. They serve breakfast till 11.30am and there is a savoury menu as well as some muffins, friands and danishes on display. There were limited choices on the menu and unfortunately they did not serve Croque monsieur. After deciding, I squeezed my way to the counter to order only to be left standing there for a while with no acknowledgement as the 4 staff members carry about their business. Finally someone looked up and took my order to which straight after, she passed the order on to the barista and 'cook', gave a few orders to take coffees out and wrote some stuff down leaving me wondering if I should pay now or later. Eventually she looked up again and smiled and I asked if I should pay now. She nodded and asked me "Now what did you order again?"

I was thinking in my head if she hadn't distributed the order away and went about doing other things before giving me my bill I wouldn't have to repeat my order. Anyway, our drink arrived soon enough and the coffees were nice. Great! We're off to a good start. Then the food arrived.

Carl had French toast - brioche served with berries, maple syrup and créme fraiche for $9.50. Taking a bite into it, the French toast was rather dry and lacking in flavour. Quite frankly even I could do better than that. 

My ham and cheese croissant at $6.50 was a joke. The picture does not do it justice because the angle the picture was taken from made my plate look bigger than Carl's. It really wasn't and hence I decided to place a teaspoon (YES - a teaspoon), next to it to show you the size in comparison. It was the most petit ham and cheese croissant I have ever had. Very French indeed. We also had a Maple and pecan danish which was average, overly sweet, small and expensive.

Once again, I was hoping it would be good because there wasn't anything like it. The menu wasn't very French. Just what you would expect of an Australian breakfast café. When Carl asked about Croque Monsieur they said their Monte Cristo was their version of it. There were two things so wrong with that. First, Monte Cristo does not have Béchamel sauce and cheese over the bread and certainly not grilled. Secondly, Monte Cristo is a spin-off which is actually a deep fried ham and gruyere cheese sandwich. Problem was, what they served was neither of those. It was just ham and tasty cheese on Turkish bread. It wasn't even Monte Cristo.

We quickly finished our meal as I wasn't keen for my chair to be kicked any more than it already had (7 times). This place has potential. The barista is good and they have a selection of pastry and sweet treats. Perhaps more organisation is needed and certainly a review on their food's value for money. Hopefully they are still finding their feet as it is a new place.  

Verdict: 

Will revisit for drinks but not for meal.

The Little Leaf and Bean

On a find Sunday morning we decided to grab brunch at a little local café tucked away in Blackwood. They had recently changed owners and I was intrigued. Being winter, we chose to sit inside the country-style, cosy cafe. It was rather busy and with the place being small, there was not a lot of room to move around.

Their breakfast and savoury menu was understandably limited as they don't really have a kitchen. There were also little treats, muffins and biscuits on offer. We ordered 'Pancakes with banana, bacon and maple syrup' and 'Brekkie sandwich' for food and I had a Mango smoothie. 

The Brekkie sandwich was an open sandwich of grilled sourdough bread with bacon and a cheese, tomato and herb omelette. It was satisfying but nothing to rave on about. We were looking forward to the pancakes only to be told that there is no banana so it'll just have to be bacon and maple syrup which was fine but it would have been nice to be offered a replacement like an extra rasher of bacon or perhaps strawberry instead. None of that. Full price, no replacement. When it came, I was very surprised at the look of the pancake at first because I've never seen such a "blotchy" pancake. I remember uttering the words "That looks like Malaysian roti!" 

Lo and behold, we took our first bite and it WAS roti! And a heated frozen one of those! I was very disappointed and dissatisfied because it was clearly false advertising. You DO NOT put pancakes on the menu and serve ROTI. Furthermore, the portion of bacon was laughable. Needless to say it was not satisfying. 

Roti and bacon with maple syrup, not pancakes!

My Mango smoothie was okay. I had on a separate occasion been there for a cuppa and that was nice. They are one of the few who serve tea in teapots and fine china tea cups. 

Verdict: 

I would go there for a pot of tea and perhaps a biscuit but probably not for a meal, certainly not for 'Pancakes'.

Croque Monsieur

Quick post!!!! I came home from work to a very nice surprise of Croque Monsieur made by my partner (who usually eats frozen pizzas and pies). Croque monsieur is essentially a ham and cheese sandwich with mustard covered in a Béchamel sauce and cheese then grilled till golden. He only had tasty cheese to work with at home but typically gruyére would be the cheese of choice.

It was de-lish! Just what I needed after work. 

Singapore House

Hi everyone! Someone recommended Singapore House to me and we decided to try it out. We had visited the website beforehand and the place looked quite impressive. Stepping through the door was like going through a time warp. Decor was very, very extensive and thought out. The restaurant section had a nice ambience with a collection of European and Asian artifacts on the walls and shelves all throughout the restaurant. On the other side was the Butterfly Room which I was told is usually reserve for groups of 25. There was a huge collection of butterflies on the wall on one side and access to the bar on the other. Lighting was however too dark in my opinion and the room was very red reminding me of a back lane brothel.

Check out their website for more photos

We decided to order 'Hawker Style Crispy BBQ pork' and 'Mushroom Tikka' for starters. The BBQ pork was essentially Chinese crispy roast pork served with a Hoi Sin dipping sauce. The crackling was nice and crispy and pork meat tender. The  Mushroom Tikka was an interesting dish of mushrooms stuffed with minced mushrooms topped with cheese and coated in what I think is Tikka seasoned rice flour. Unique and quite delicious. 

For our mains we ordered 'Beef Rendang' (they spelt it as Randang....fail) and 'Ikan Curry' (Ikan meaning fish). The beef rendang was nice to eat and passable but not authentic enough. It had too much sugar and lacked a bit of what we call "oomph" on the spices side. The fish curry was a whole barramundi, deep fried with a curry sauce poured over it with eggplant, fried beancurd and cherry tomatoes. It can be confronting for some to see the head and tail all there and it was nice of the waiter to mention that when I ordered. The dish was a bit cold and I found myself wiping up the what's left of the curry sauce with half a fish to go. A bit more curry sauce would have been nice. To be honest when I ordered it I expected a whole fish in a long bowl of curry with vegetables instead of a ladle of curry sauce poured over it. Flavour was okay.

Overall the experience was good and they have certainly provided something that is not currently found in the area - Malaysian/Singaporean/Indian food from the Straits of Malacca. Unfortunately, as a Malaysian fussy-palate Malaysian, the food here is a bit too far from authentic for me. Expect a nice meal, but not an authentic meal.

Visit their website for more information: http://www.singaporehouse.com.au/

Stir fried chicken with garlic shoots

Here's another quick and easy dish. Stir fried chicken with garlic shoots. Garlic shoots are very aromatic and certainly not very nice raw but once cooked, it has a nice sweet flavour. They take a little longer to cook than other Asian leafy vegetables so be mindful of that. The bottom 1-2 inches (the white part) is usually discarded as it is very fibrous and less pleasant to eat.

Ingredients:
600g Chicken breast fillets
1 bunch garlic shoots (about 8 stalks - available from Asian groceries)
1/2 brown onion
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Shao Xing Chinese wine
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 cup water
pinch of sugar
1 tsp sesame oil - optional


Method:

1. Dice the onion and cut the garlic shoots into 2-3" segments discarding the first 2 inches of the white part.
2. Cut the chicken into small cubes.
3. Heat the wok or pan to a high heat and add 2 tbsp vegetable oil. 
4. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
5. Next, add the garlic shoots, water, oyster sauce and soy sauce then stir fry for about 5 minutes until water is absorbed.
6. Add white pepper, sugar and Chinese wine and continue to cook on high heat, stirring well, to evaporate the alcohol.
7. Season to taste with salt or soy sauce.
8. Serve with plain steamed rice.

Spice Market

Once again thanks to Cudo we had the opportunity to try out Spice Market. Spice Market is situated on Hindley Street where Rockford Hotel is. On a cold winter's night it was nice walking into a warm room with a fire to make it cosier. Red and black is clearly their decor theme. The place was rather modern and nicely set out. There is also an open outdoor area for those who like to bask in the summer sun. Our waiter for the night was Woo and he provided incredibly good service. 

I can remember reading the menu and wanting to order everything on it. Spice Market offers Asian-Australian fusion food which I love. After a long struggling period of trying to decide what to order (since I can only choose 1), I decided to start with "Ocean and Earth". A dish of crispy skinned pork belly with local king prawns and a wakami salad (Japanese seaweed salad). It was a beautiful dish. Crispy crackling, melt in your mouth pork and fresh prawns. The flavours just worked.  It was just a little touch too salty for my liking but I am fussy with my salt.

Ocean and Earth

Next for our mains we had the 'House made Gnocchi with wild mushrooms, choy sum, spring onion, fresh chili and a five spice infused cream sauce topped with shaved parmesan'. For an extra $3 you can have pork belly and daikon with it. The Gnocchi was up there with one of the best I've had; soft, fluffy, light, heavenly pillows. The sauce was interestingly tasty and the flavours once again worked well.

House made Gnocchi

Carl ordered their "Scotch Fillet special" which is Chimichurri marinated Gippsland Scotch Fillet with grilled prawns and crispy prosciutto served on a Malaysian potato salad finished with a creamy garlic sauce. It was an excellent dish albeit the richness. It was a beautiful piece of steak cooked to perfection. Every element on the plate was delicious.

Scotch Fillet special

By this stage we realized we had to try their dessert. Will it be perfect conclusion to the night or a let down? We ordered "Strawberries Romanoff" and "Coconut & Pandan Créme Brûlée". 

Well, well. Desserts were just as good. The strawberries were marinated in cointreau and served on chantilly cream and white chocolate tuille. It was pleasant to eat. The Coconut & Pandan Créme Brûlée was served with a caramelized fig and coconut ice cream. A light tap of the spoon, *crack*, taste...........there was silence. In fact there was very little talking through dessert. Overall a very enjoyable meal made better by excellent service. 


P/S: I apologize for the quality of some of the pictures as lighting was rather dim.

Ayam Pong Teh (Chicken braised in sweet soy and bean paste sauce)

Hello, hello. Today I will introduce the dish 'Ayam Pong Teh'. This is a simple Nyonya dish from Malaysia which is basically chicken, potatoes and mushrooms braised in a sweet soy and fermented soybean paste sauce. Unfortunately I did not have any mushrooms at the time. This is a sweet and salty dish which may be an acquired taste for some.

Nyonya is a term used for descendants of Chinese immigrants around the early 16th century to Malaya/Indonesia during the British colonial times. Most of them resided along the Straits of Malacca and in the later generations spoke Malay as their first language as they lost the ability to speak Chinese. In a way Nyonya food is a fusion between Chinese and Malay/Indonesian.

Ingredients:

2 onions or 6 shallots

3 cloves garlic

2 potatoes cut to chunks

8 Chinese or Shiitake mushrooms (for dried mushrooms, soak in hot water for 30 min)

6 chicken thigh fillets cut into bite size pieces

1 1/2 tbsp fermented soybean paste or Miso paste (available from Asian grocery)

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

50g Gula Melaka or palm sugar

4 tbsp oil

500mL water

Method:

1. Place the onions or shallots and garlic in a blender/processor until a paste is formed
2. Add oil to wok or pan and sauté the onion and garlic paste for 5 to 10 minutes stirring frequently, not letting it burn.
3. Next, add the chicken, bean paste and dark soy sauce and stir fry for about 5 minutes.
4. Add 500mL water and palm sugar then bring to boil.
5. Add potatoes and mushrooms then reduce heat and let it simmer until chicken is cooked and potatoes are soft. The sauce should also thicken to a gravy like consistency or to your liking.
6. Serve with steamed rice and sambal for those who prefer.

Simple Stir Fry Fish and Leek Dish

I had some fish to use up and wasn't really in the mood for cooking so hence this dish. Simple, easy, quick and yummy!

Ingredients:
1 cup sliced leek
2 fish fillets (any white meat fish. I like to use Basa fillets)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp Chinese Shao Xing wine
2 tbsp oil
water


Method:

1. Cut fish fillets into chunky pieces and add soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornflour and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
2. Heat the pan or wok and add oil to it. Cook the leek until it sweats and softens. You may need to add a little bit of water.
3. Add the fish and it's marinade to the pan and stir occasionally until cooked and a nice thick gravy forms. If gravy is too thick, add water, if too watery, add some cornflour and cold water mixture.
4. Pour the Chinese cooking wine in and stir it in for 2-3 minutes.
5. Serve with rice. 

Cha-Chi's Mexican Cantina

Thanks to Scoopon we revisited this place, only in a new location on Portrush Road as the Motel restaurant. I opened the door to a bridge over a little pond of which I unfortunately tripped on the carpet on the other side just as the waitress was greeting me at the "Please Wait" stand. They need to do something about that carpet!

I rather liked the interior which made me feel like I was in Mexico. There were bright coloured ponchos, sombreros and old posters across the restaurant. We were were seated in a separate section with booths and more ponchos! I was very tempted to pull one down and take a picture.

Can't have Mexican without a Corona

We started the night off with Nachos Supreme with Chorizo and Albondigas (pork and veal Mexican meatballs in tomato salsa sauce). The servings were huge!!

Moving along we ordered the Cha Chi's combo ($22.90) and Smokey Ribs (half rack: $17.90, full rack $23.90). Cha Chi's Combo is a sampler of chicken and cheese enchilada, beef taco and chicken flautas served with rice and frijole. The Smokey Ribs is pretty self explanatory. It's a Texas influenced smokey BBQ sauce served with rice and frijole. The servings were so big we ended up taking some home. They do provide takeaway containers for those who wish to enjoy the rest of their meal the next day. 

The Cha Chi's Combo was nice but did not exceed expectations. It's a standard burrito/taco meal. The rice I felt was a bit under-seasoned and could have more flavour. The serving of frijole was just ridiculously big and very capable of turning customers into gas factories. The Smokey ribs however, was exceptional. It was moist, tender, full of flavour well marinated in their special BBQ sauce. You could pull the rib bones at ease and it comes out clean. Quite often when ordering ribs in the past we have found there was a lack of sauce or marinade. Certainly no issue here. The ribs were the highlight of our meal. It reminded me of Tony Roma's world famous beef ribs, although Tony Roma's still wins hands down. 

*Ad break* - If you ever get a chance to visit Tony Roma's, they have the best ever beef ribs. I've only been to the one in Malaysia (4 times). There is one in Sydney and Perth if I'm not mistaken.

Overall it was a nice meal and I would probably visit again to have their ribs. Zapata's still tops my list for best Mexican in Adelaide. Service was great on the night we went but rumour has it that's not always the case. They offer "all you can eat nachos burritos and Tacos" on Mondays and Tuesdays. 

Adios amigos!