Viet Hoa, Northbridge

Last Friday Ms Red and Ms Red's friend E flew back into Perth after a week of 'cadet camp' for cadet journalists in Adelaide. They were both looking a bit worse for wear when they arrived at our place, but were keen for something to eat before they had to face the 2 hour drive back to Bunbury.

Ms Red requested something light with an option for lots of vegetables, preferably Thai or Vietnamese, as they had had a week of overindulgence and very low on vegetables, as hotel food often is. I narrowed this down to a couple of Vietnamese places in Northbridge, that had been recommended by my work colleagues and would be quick, cheap and tasty.

After finding a park (no mean feat in Northbridge!), we wandered along William Street, passing a couple of the places recommended to me. We kept walking, unable to make a decision, until we made it to Viet Hoa, and as soon as we were out the front, Ms Red deemed it to be 'the one'.

E was feeling to seedy to order anything, so Ms Red and I made the selections for the table. We started with the Goi Cuon (Vietnamese rice paper rolls - pork & prawn) and the Nem Nuon Cuon (Vietnamese rice paper rolls - grilled pork balls).

Goi Cuon

Nem Nuon Cuon

Ms Red then ordered a wanton soup (unfortunately, I can't remember which one!) and I went with my satandard, Pho Tai (raw beef hofun soup). And although she didn't order anything, E helped both Ms Red & I out with our enormous bowls of soup!

Ms Reds wanton soup

Pho Tai

Ms Red & E then stocked up on Red Bull, and started the trip south...

-Alphie

My food biography

I read this article/blog by Jill Dupleix a while ago (sometime in July or early August I guess...), and scribbled down my first thoughts for my food biography on a scrap of paper, with the intention of turning it into a blog post. The scrap of paper was ‘safely’ filed away in my diary, and not surprisingly, I totally forgot about the idea and the blog post I had planned. Cleaning out my diary last week, I found my notes, and started turning it into a readable post. So, with a little help from my sub editor sister, Ms Red, here is my food biography.

1. Gingiboat

image from cuisine.com.au

One of my first food memories is of homemade smoked trout pâté, affectionately known as ‘gingiboat’. Ms Red has questioned our parents on the origin of the word gingiboat, and the response is always ‘I have no idea, you just started calling it gingiboat, and it stuck’. So no real insights there. To this day I have a soft spot for a well-made smoked trout pâté and have been known to make a bee-line to the relevant stall at growers markets muttering ‘gingiboat, gingiboat…’.

2. Pikelets

image from taste.com.au

My Mum went back to uni while I was in primary school, and so was home a lot more. One of my main memories of this time is of mum cooking pikelets for afternoon tea, after school. I seemed always to be able to put away a scarily large number of pikelets for a 6 (or so) year old. On one particular occasion I managed to eat more than 20 in one sitting, and I regretted it pretty soon after. And now, I’m one of those weird people who don’t really like pancakes (although I make an exception for poffertjes).

3. Chicken with mustard sauce

image from nine msn/real living

One particular semester of Mum’s degree, she had a late afternoon/evening lecture. Ms Red and I used to go to my best friend’s house after school, then Dad would pick us up and make my then favourite dinner - mustard chicken with mash and veges. Every week without fail, the three of us had chicken with mustard sauce. And, while it might have been my favourite when Dad asked for suggestions at the start of the semester, I got over it pretty quickly. I asked Dad if we could have a break and have something else next week, and the look of hurt on his face was obvious even to a 7 year old, but he relented, and sadly chicken with mustard sauce has not made an appearance since.

4. Chocolate self saucing pudding

image from nine msn recipe finder

This was one of the first things I learnt to cook solo, possibly because it doesn’t require an oven, just a microwave – you might have seen my previous post on microwave puddings. I have numerous memories of whipping this up in Mum and Dad’s old kitchen after dinner. It has now become a staple last minute dessert at our house, as well as at Ms Red’s. Although, sadly I don’t think Mum and Dad have continued the tradition...

5. Lasagne

image from nine msn/AWW

My dad is one of those cooks who finds something that works and sticks with it (see above). Lasagne is one of these dishes, and it has outlasted all others. Dad’s lasagne makes a regular appearance whenever the four of us get together, and is often requested by extended family when they visit. I’m sure it’s totally not traditional, and that any self respecting Italian would disapprove, but it is the best lasagne I have ever eaten, with perfect bolognaise to béchamel sauce ratio. He has passed his skills on to Ms Red and I, but neither of us can ever get it quite right.

6. Pho

I remember very clearly my first Vietnamese food experience. Near the end of my last year at school, Dad drove me to Wollongong for a scholarship interview. The night before the interview, we walked to the mall to find dinner. Not surprisingly, the mall is not really the best place to find food, so we kept walking and ended up on Keira St, in front of a Vietnamese restaurant, Monsoon (which I later discovered was a Wollongong institution), luckily, they had a table and ushered us in. Neither of us had any idea what to order, so a very energetic waiter sat with us and helped us decide. I can’t remember what we had, apart from the best fish cakes I have ever eaten, and that I had never had anything like it before. Once I moved to Wollongong, Monsoon became a regular lunch (and dinner) spot, and I almost always order the signature Vietnamese beef noodle soup, pho bo, regardless of the temperature outside. Pho has become my measure of a Vietnamese restaurant, and is my first choice when trying out a new place. I am so in love with pho, that I convinced FH Alphie to spend three weeks in Vietnam earlier this year, just because I wanted an excuse to eat the delicious noodle soup for three weeks straight.

7. Lebanese

image from taste.com.au

I had two food revelations in my first year of University, the first was my introduction to pho (above), and the second was an introduction to Lebanese. This happened around the time FH Alphie and I first got together. He was working at a Lebanese restaurant, and regularly brought things back to college to supplement the appalling food Eurest provided us. Also, FH Alphie’s Mum (FMIL), is Lebanese, and loves to cook, so she helped to open my eyes to Middle Eastern food – to think I once hated felafel! To this day, kibbi, hummus and baba ghanoush are some of my favourite foods. Oh, and flat bread! how could I forget that gloriously soft and stretchy flat bread!

8. Mum’s home grown lamb

image from cuisine.com.au

Growing up, we didn’t have lamb much at home; the occasional crumbed cutlets were about the extent of it. Then, about four years ago, Mum started raising her own sheep, and lamb became a hot commodity in our family. I now eat lamb at every opportunity (only Mum’s of course), from roasts to stir fries, slow cooked shanks to meatballs, and casseroles to those familiar cutlets.

9. FH Alphie's pizza

This has already featured here, but it deserves another mention. FH Alphie first started making pizza about 3 years ago, when we first started living together. Initially he didn’t make the bases, and it was an infrequent event. Then it became more regular, but he still wasn’t making the bases. After a couple of tries at making the bases, he finally settled on a recipe from Good Living and it became a Friday night feature. Even though I’m in Perth at the moment, the tradition is continuing with Mr & Mrs Pink, but I really miss my Friday night pizza hit.

10. Macarons

And, last, but definitely not least, macarons! Who would have guessed! As regular followers (all 9 of you...) will know, I’m suffering from a macaron addiction at the moment. And after a number of attempts, I think I’ve finally perfected them using a recipe, and am now getting excited about creating my own flavours.

So, now that I've shared, what would be in your food biography?

-Alphie

Phi Yen, Perth

Friday was FH Alphie's last full day in Perth, so I took an extended lunch break, and we meet for lunch in the enex100 food court. I had eaten at Phi Yen earlier in the week when my search for avocado-free sushi had proved fruitless (ha! no pun intended!). I tried the Bun Bo Hue the first time around, and vowed to return to try the beef pho.

Goi Cuon (rice paper rolls with chicken, prawns & vegetables)

We ordered at the counter, and received our rice paper rolls and a pub-style buzzer for the rest. We found a seat in the licensed area of the food court, adjacent to Phi Yen and tucked in to the rice paper rolls while waiting for the buzzer to go off.

Pho Tai (beef noodle soup)

The beef pho, a dish that I could eat every day and never get sick of, was ready first so I collected my tray from the counter, filling a few small containers with condiments while I was there (sliced chilli, lemon wedges and fish, soy, chilli and hoi sin sauces were on offer). A generous amount of sliced beef was layered on top of the rice noodles, topped with mint, coriander and sliced onion. The broth was quite meaty, more so than most others I have tried before, and very satisfying.

Bun Bo Cao Ca Ot (rice vermicelli with lemongrass chilli beef and salad)

If beef pho is my test of a Vietnamese restaurant, then vermicelli salad (either beef or the special/combo) is FH Alphie's test. He said it was not the best vermicelli salad he's had, but it was still tasty, with a high beef to salad ratio.

-Alphie

Red Lantern, Surry Hills

Yay!!!! To celebrate, or perhaps commiserate, my last night on the east coast, for an undefined length of time, FH Alphie took me to Red Lantern for dinner (see my previous post on Red Lantern, Luke Nguyen, and the difficulty I have had getting a table). Admittedly we were after a Tuesday night booking, and when FH Alphie called the day before to book a table, I thought that our chances were slim. But I was surprised, and excited, when I found out we had a table for 2 at 8.15.


We turned up at 8.15 and were ushered inside to a table behind the door (much better than it sounds mind you - we were out of the draught when the door was opened, and had a great view of the rest of the restaurant). And I suddenly realised why it had been so difficult to get a booking in the past - this is a seriously small place.

Salad of spanner crab, pomelo and Vietnamese herbs

Our waiter explained the specials (spanner crab salad, and wagyu ribs), and how/what to order (think about the textures, something crispy with a fresh salad for example) and took our drinks order, although I think he was a bit disappointed that FH Alphie only had a coke! We also asked if photos were ok, after our last experience, and he looked surprised, but assured us that photos were not a problem - we could take photos of whatever we liked, as long as they weren't of him!

Goi Vit Cuon - rice paper rolled with roast duck, enoki mushrooms and Vietnamese herbs

We started with the spanner crab salad, and the duck & enoki mushroom rice paper rolls. The salad was very tasty, although considerably spicier than anything we had in Vietnam (maybe we were being served the tame, 'Western' versions?), with a good ratio of crab meat to salad. The rice paper rolls were delicious, and had cute little mushrooms sticking out the rolls, in place of garlic chives.

Con Dom Hap - mussels steamed with garlic, chilli & lemongrass and finished with coconut milk

We then had a 'middle course' of mussels steamed with garlic, chilli & lemongrass, which, given they were my first experience with mussels, were pretty tasty. The chilli was not too dominant, and the coconut milk mixed with the mussel juice to create a delicious sauce that meant I ate way to much rice at this point, given what was still to come.

Ga Chien Don - crisp skin pasture raised chicken cooked in master stock

We finished off with crispy chicken cooked in master stock, and some Asian greens. Although FH Alphie said that the chicken wasn't as good as the crispy skin duck we had at Billy Kwong, it was still really good. The master stock infused the chicken with beautiful flavours, and it was super soft, juicy and tender, with gorgeously crispy skin.


Possibly the only disappointment was the beer selection. There was only one Vietnamese beer on offer, although an impressive selection of other south-east Asian and internationals. We drank little else (apart from water & coke) while we were in Vietnam, and the beer they have on offer, 333, was one of the least impressive we had. We were both hoping to see either Hanoi or Larue, or even Saigon.


The next time you hear from me I'll be filling you in on my adventures in Perth!


-Alphie

Fat Noodle, Star City, Pyrmont

I have been dreaming about eating at Red Lantern for some time now. Something that only intensified with our trip to Vietnam earlier this year. However, thanks to MasterChef's love affair with chef Luke Nguyen, it is now nearly impossible to get a seat. Last time I tried, after Luke's first appearance on the MC juggernaut, I was greeted with a pre-recorded message telling me that Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights were booked out for the next 6 weeks, but to leave a message if I was after a mid week booking (which I was). I then found out that the only time they could fit us in was at 9.30, on a Tuesday! Which, unfortunately, was just too late - we wouldn't have made it home before midnight, and we're early risers in the Alphie household (not by choice let me tell you!).

So, when I stumbled upon a review for Fat Noodle, only to find out that Luke is the consulting chef (not really sure how I missed this in the first place, but oh well), I was pretty much sold. The mixed reviews scared me a little, as did the description location (main gaming floor), but by that stage, it was too late, I had already decided.

Fat Pho noodles

We arrived just after 6.30, and there was already a line forming. Once we were seated, the service was prompt, if a little cool. We started with the salt & pepper silken tofu, and the Byron Bay grilled pork neck skewers. The chilli dressing on the tofu was surprisingly punchy, and tended to overpower the salt & pepper elements of the tofu, however if you could get past the chilli, the crispy salt & pepper batter perfectly offset the creamyness of the tofu. While researching this restaurant, the pork neck skewers were given rave reviews by almost everyone (even thos who had few positive things to say!), so it was a must order. We were not dissapointed. The pork was sweet and tender, while still having some of those crispy chewy bits that you expect from a grill.

On to mains (not that things came out in that order - as the website says, 'dishes are brought to your table as soon as they are ready'), I had the fat pho noodles (I couldn't resist!), while FH Alphie had the roast duck. The pho broth was incredibly beef-y and full of flavour - more so than any other pho I have had, even those in Vietnam - it was so good, I'm not sure I'll be able to return to my usual pho without feeling like I'm missing out. The beef was soft and tender, even the brisket cut, which has a tendency to be tough and unappetising, and the noodles slippery - just like they should be!

I was surprised by FH Alphie's choice, I thought he might go with the turmeric chicken curry or the XO prawns, but he mad the right choice. The duck was crispy tender and succulent served with a rich chicken broth, unlike any I have tasted before.

As I suspected, the location left something to be desired. Fat Noodle is located between the baccarat area and the poker machines, the soundtrack of top40 hits interspersed with the tinny tunes from the poker machines, and people mindlessly hitting that button. Never the less, it seems to be quite popular, with people making a special trip to Star City just to eat there.

If anything, this trip has just made me more determined to get to Red Lantern - if this is what we see when Luke is only the 'consulting chef', I can't wait to see what he can do when he's actually in the kitchen!

PS. sorry about the lack of photos, but that was all I managed before I was asked to put my camera away (just like in Vietnam!)

-Alphie