Ootong and Lincoln, South Fremantle

 Website: http://ootongandlincoln.com.au/

Ootong and Lincoln is located in the niche area of South Fremantle which we were keen to explore due to all the social media buzz. They describe themselves as a quirky rustic eatery and they specialise in home cooked breakfast and lunch.

Lychee Slushy ($8.50) & Green Smoothie ($9.50)

The lychee slushy was a lovely addition to our meal, as it was super light and refreshing. It contained an interesting combination of lychee, watermelon and a hint of mint. However we feel that $8.50 is a little pricey for what it is. 

The green smoothie on the other hand, was divine. It was packed full of healthy ingredients which included spinach, banana, kiwi, apple, lemon and chia seeds. We loved that the fruity flavour really came through even though it contained spinach and overall the drink wasn't too filling. 

Prawn Zucchini and Rocket Fettuccine ($20)

Warning if you are on a date...do not order this! The overall dish was pleasant but it was overpowered with garlic. However, we loved the fresh crunchy texture of the zucchini and the generous serving of the good quality fresh Australian prawns. We rate this dish 7/10.

Tempura Soft Shell Crab ($23)

Firstly, we loved the marinated flavour of the tempura, it was sweet and tangy which suited the Asian vibe of the dish nicely. However, the tempura was too soggy for our liking and the crab inside had a strange mushy texture that we haven't come across before. We also feel that the sweet potato chips that accompanied the crab didn't add anything special to the dish, we would much prefer a fresh sweet potato salad perhaps. We rate this dish 5/10.

Overall Review

Ootong and Lincoln have a great atmosphere with their quirky decor and the staff are friendly and efficient. We think that their concept is great but execution of the meals could be improved upon. In addition, it was a little pricey for what we received but thats what you expect in the location. Overall we believe that they deserve a 6.5/10.

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Rabbit in the Moon, Fremantle

Website: https://www.facebook.com/rabbitinthemooncafe/

Some of the most aesthetic foodie photos circulating on Instagram are taken at Rabbit in the Moon, so of course we had to see whether the food is actually as good as it looks! In celebration of my final exam, I decided to come here with my lovely friend Sophie. (Megan was still in Europe at this point, we're just super behind in posting!) 

We don't usually venture into North Fremantle but we must say the area is stunning, since it's kinda secluded from the main area in Fremantle, it's really peaceful and calm. A perfect way to finish off the University year, stress free.

Iced Green Tea ($4.50)

As a fellow asian, I love my green tea very much. However this drink was quite a disappointment, it was very light and there was barely any taste of green tea. May as well had just plain water. I wish I tried out their smoothies/milkshakes!

Avocado and Roast Tomato Stack ($16.50)

The presentation of this dish is gorgeous but unfortunately it didn't as good as it looks. It was really average for an avocado stack. There was not enough avocado slices and the pieces of tomato were too big to evenly distribute the flavour. Although the feta and balsamic dressing was a nice touch, we would've liked some extra 'omph' to the dish. We've seen places be more creative with their avocado stacks, so we rate it 6/10. 

Thai Chicken Quinoa Salad ($18)

Although this dish didn't look as pretty as the last one, we like it a lot more! It was delicious, fresh and light! The texture of the chicken was nice and not too dry, the quinoa had a light fluffiness to it. The Thai style dressing was a perfect addition, it was full of sweet and tangy flavours. Plus it was nice to finally eat something healthy after the horribly unhealthy exam period. We give this dish a rating of 8/10.

Overall Review

Yes the food did look amazing, however the better looking dish didn't taste as good. The staff were all super friendly and the service was quick. Since we were in the mood for savoury dishes we didn't try out the sweet ones. They also seem quite popular online, so we must go back and see! Overall we rate Rabbit in the Moon 7/10. 

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Voyage Kitchen, Sorrento

Website: http://www.voyagesorrento.com.au/welcome

Voyage Kitchen is a local favourite for the residents of Sorrento, located conveniently right next to the beach. Their philosophy is to provide fresh homestyle food, whilst creating a friendly and relaxed atmosphere for the local community. 

Chai Latte ($4.60)

We both love chai lattes and thought we'd order one each prior to brunch. However, we were left very underwhelmed as it was overly sweet due the heavy handed use of syrup. We didn't try any of their other coffees which we're sure would be alright but we wouldn't order the chai again.

Dip Trio ($12)

We must say that $12 for the dip trio is pretty good value, you get loads of pita bread and a nice large serving of dips. Our favourites were the hummus and the pumpkin with tahina dip, the texture was so smooth and creamy, the flavours complimented very well with the walnuts and honey. The smoky red pepper and tomato dip was very average and tasted similar to salsa. We rate this dish 8.5/10.

Grilled Barramundi with Mixed Grain Salad and Roast Vegetables (Specials Menu)

This was by far our favourite dish that we tried at Voyage. The fish was cooked perfectly and we loved the crispy skin on top. The grain salad also really stood out to us because of it's delicious curry flavour and the texture from the variety of grain and cauliflower. We rate this dish 9.5/10.

Lamb Ragu Pappardelle ($28)

After tasting the beautiful Barramundi, this dish didn't quite live up to our expectations. Firstly, the lamb ragu had such a lovely flavour and the créme fraiche added some cool and creamy tones to the dish. Unfortunately, the pasta let the dish down as it was a little clumpy and stuck together, we would prefer a thinner type of pasta. We give this dish a rating of 7/10. 

Overall Review

We can say that Voyage Kitchen uphold their philosophy of serving fresh homestyle food as we left feeling mostly satisfied and comforted. The service was efficient and excellent, can't really fault them. Despite minor let downs, we were very happy with the quality of the food and the price is justified  due to the beautiful location. Overall we rate Voyage Kitchen 8/10.

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Arc of Iris, Margaret River

Website: http://www.arcofiris.com.au/

While exploring Margaret River we came across Arc of Iris, a popular little restaurant in the heart of the town. Arc of Iris supports local produce by sourcing all their free range meat, cheese, bread, olive oil and wine in the Margaret River region. Upon entering we were seated by a lovely attentive waiter.

Kilpatrick Oysters ($3.50 each)

Since we were in the already luxurious Margaret River we had to try some of their local oysters and we decided to have the Kilpatrick oysters. The sauce was beautiful and tasty and the spice was wonderfully balanced with the chunks of bacon which added some extra texture and saltiness. The only flaw was that the sauce over powered the flavour of the oysters and we prefer fresh uncooked oysters. We rate the oysters 6.5/10.

The Beef ($40)

We liked this dish however, it didn't blow us away. The beef was cooked very nicely so it was tender and juicy. It was accompanied by a light and tangy sauce which gave it some extra zing. For those who don't like to venture too far out of their comfort zone this would be a nice option but we feel like it needed a little more creativity. We rate this dish 7/10.

The Pork ($36)

We ordered the Finest Linley Valley free range pork belly which had been slow roasted for 7.5 hours. Since the pork was roasted it had a different texture to what we were used to, it was slightly chewier and a little dry. The skin was not as crispy as we'd like but paired with the red cabbage and apple sauce it was palatable. We rate this dish 5.5/10.

The Duck ($39)

The duck was our favourite dish out of the lot we tried. It was sourced locally in Wagin and was free range. We liked that it was a generous serving size giving us half a duck, which was a twist on the traditional asian roast duck. We enjoyed the sauce as it added some sweetness which was eventually cut through with some spicy flavours. We rate this dish 9/10.

Overall Review

Overall we thought the food was very high quality however, it was very expensive for what we had. We would like to mention that the staff were friendly and attentive, providing excellent service. If you're in Margaret River any time soon we recommend you try out their duck. We rate Arc of Iris 7/10.

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Bread in Common, Fremantle

Website: http://breadincommon.com.au/

Bread in Common is one of my favourite places in Fremantle, I've been here multiple times each time forgetting to bring my camera. Since it was my lovely friend Allira's birthday, I took the opportunity to finally blog it! Every time I've been here the quality of the food has always been amazing and this visit was no different. 

Roast Pork ($24)

This is one of my favourite dishes from their menu, the pork is always cooked to perfection and the meat could not be more tender. However on this occasion the crispy skin was a little too chewy for my liking. The chickpeas complimented the pork nicely, whilst the light dressing gave just enough flavour but didn't overpower the dish. I give this dish a rating of 8/10. 

Poached Chicken ($21)

I haven't tried this dish before but I've always contemplated ordering it, so I finally gave it a shot. The chicken was lovely and tender, and the pumpkin puree was a nice addition. Although it was delicious and presented beautifully, I felt that this dish was lacking that something special to give it some wow-factor. This dish deserves a rating of 7/10.(Should've stuck with the Lamb Ribs, which I love!)

Overall Review

I would like to point out that the quality of food here has been consistent each time I've visited and have not been left disappointed. However the price is quite steep for the serving sizes, personally I would only come here once in a while for a splurge. The staff are lovely and the service has been great every time. Overall I give Bread in Common a rating of 8/10. 

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Timber Café, Harrisdale

Website: http://www.timbercafe.com.au/

Timber Café is a new hip café in the Southern River/Canning Vale area, it is located right next to Carey College, not where you would normally expect to find a café but they've decked out the area very nicely. Their menu is quite simplistic and contains all your favourite breakfast/brunch dishes, we were keen to try it out as we haven't found too many great local cafés in our area. 

This blog post, followed by the next two were done a while ago when Megan was in Europe. I've finally had the time to write them all up! I had a few girl friends accompany me for these posts and I took the opportunity to catch up with the lovely Sophie for this one.

Chai Tea Latte ($4.30)

Sophie and I are Chai addicts, however we've both become very fussy and Chai can only be done right one way; using Prana Chai Masala blend (our fave!). It's never the same when cafés use powdered or syrup Chai. When we saw Prana Chai displayed on their shelves, we knew it would be safe to order one, and of course we weren't disappointed. It was a pot of smooth lovely cinnamon-ey goodness!

Pan Fried Mushrooms ($17.50)

We recommend this dish as a nice light vegetarian breakfast option. It contains 5 different types of mushrooms, all buttered to perfection with a nice hint of spice to it. The poached egg was a nice addition to the dish, giving it substance and texture. Out of the two dishes that we tried, this one was our favourite and we rate this dish 8/10.

Ham Scram Sarni ($16)

We usually like to go for the more adventurous options, with the way it was described on the menu, we didn't know it was served as a burger. The ham and scrambled eggs were nice but nothing special. We found this dish quite average and we wish we had tried something else on the menu. We give this dish a rating of 6/10.

Overall Review

I think it's great that more cute cafés are opening up South of the River, so we don't always have to venture into the city or North of the River to get some good coffee and food. We found the menu quite average and a little boring, however the staff were lovely and the service was great. Keep in mind that we visited a while ago when Timber Café had first opened, they've updated their menu and may have improved since then. I would definitely like to go back and try the new things on their menu. Overall we rate our visit 7/10. 

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Margaret River Gourmet Escape 2015

We were extremely lucky to be invited to the Margaret River Gourmet Escape, we had an amazing time last week and would like to share our experience with you. The event showcased all that Margaret River has to offer in terms of good quality produce and beverages, as well as the opportunity to watch your favourite celebrity chefs cook live on stage. To name a few on the line up, Marco Pierre White, Matt Moran, Adriano Zumbo and Rick Stein.

The event currency was "Gems", one gem = $7 and the gems were used to purchase food and drinks at all the individual stalls within the Gourmet Village. These are the stalls that we visited throughout the day:

We were given a free wine glass upon entry, in which we used to taste all the amazing local wines that were featured at each stall. It may seem like a tiny taster at each stall but before we knew it, we were already tipsy! (Hehe)

 

Out of the many wines we tasted, the Harmans Pink Sparkling stood out to us and we ended up purchasing a bottle from the lovely Greg, who is responsible for making the wine. 

Throughout the event there were yummy little tasters of chocolate, cheese and other delicious produce that comes from the Margaret River region. One of our favourites were Gabriel Chocolate, the chocolate was creamy, smooth and melted in your mouth!

 As it was such a hot day we decided to cool down with an ice cream sandwich coated with chocolate chip cookie on the bottom and dipped in Gabriel chocolate. 

The boys at The Cocktail Lab (who also were at Taste of Perth) were there showing us their skills with the bunson burner. Check out the amazing cocktails below, they all tasted amazing. Our favourite was the Torched Lemon Meringue Pie!

Torched Lemon Meringue Pie & Grasscutter Mojito

Nitro Espresso Porter

Mac and Cheese Toastie

After having a few drinks, we craved a greasy, cheesey toastie but we were left disappointed unfortunately. First of all, it shouldn't be called a toastie because the bread wasn't toasted properly and it was soggy. The mac and cheese inside was average and the hot sauce was too much which overpowered the whole sandwhich. 

This is where the chefs presented their cooking shows, we loved that you could be in such close proximity to your favourite chefs. The ownly downfall was that the seating area was not under cover and as it was an extremely hot day you couldn't stay out and watch them for very long.

We were extremely lucky to even get a taxi back to our accomodation as we forgot to book a bus ride back. We would like to give a shotuout to the awesome taxi driver Darren, he even stopped to show us this beautiful scenery on the way back.

To sum up the event, our positives and negatives were:

Positives
- Huge variety of food and drink avaliable
- Amazing atmosphere and beautiful venue
- A great line up of chefs
- Lots of free tasters
- Lovely staff

Negatives
- Purchases became quite expensive due to the gem system (1 Gem = $7)
- Portions of purchased food were small and not worth the price
- No shade in the Chef Theatre
- No free water was avaliable

- General Tickets are only for access to the Gourmet Village, other parts of the event required extra costs 

Overall we had a great time, every event has it's positives and negatives which can be improved upon in the future. A special thanks goes to the Margaret River Gourmet Escape marketing team for inviting us, it was such an awesome experience and we would love to do it all again!

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