Perth Food Pix Slide

For those who cant wait for me to slowly post the pix up due to my slow write up ... here u go

Mr Samurai @ Perth City

One of the first memorable place that I makan when I first arrived (back during the school days) .... it's memorable because it was supposedly one of the few places that serve good Japanese food at a relatively cheap price.

I didn't think I got any chance of returning to this joint as a couple of times when I visited the city during the weekends, it was closed. I almost missed it to even tho I walked up the street a couple of time because I had forgotten how tucked away this restaurant is from the street.



Anyway, returning to this place had proven a couple of my friends right .... they said that Mr Samurai is no longer nice or cheap anymore

Consumed >

Beef Rice Bowl


Fried Vege

Goodies > The only good thing I would say is that the Fried Vege is still as crispy and make me wonder how to do it. I believe it was the first place that I tried such Japanese style of fried vege but then again, it's rather overpriced

Yuckies > The Beef is so dry ... it's like eating thin slices of beef jerkies and a lot of rice that had no gravy on it. Disappointing from what I used to remember of their beef rice bowl

Cost > should be A$6 bucks for the beef rice bowl and another A$4 for the Fried Vege. Isn't it used to be only A$4.50 for one beef rice bowl ?

Returning (?) > Unlikely as it's no longer cheap or good. One of the most disappointing meals that I had for this Perth Trip

Weblink > -

8 Apr 08 - 5pm

Han's Cafe @ William St

The Groom-to-be laughed at me when I mention that I wanted to eat at Han's Cafe ... His take is that it's fake Asian food for the Ang Mos ... actually it isn't on my list till I passed by one of the outlet at Hay Street near my Comics Joint ... I had memories of that place but couldn't remember what was it until I went thru their menu ...

Yeah I remember someone recommended the Pepper Squid Rice to me before ... and I think I got fond memories of that dish or that person which I can't exactly point out in details yet ...

So when the Groom "dumped" me at Williams St after we gotten our suits, I saw the Han's Cafe that I used to frequent back at the Northridge area and the hungry stomach lead me to the cafe for some stomach memory refreshment


Ironically, The Backpacker accommodation (two doors down from Han's Cafe) was the one that I was supposed to stay ... Couldn't find it at where I thought it was supposed to be and rather surprised to see that it's actually quite far up north than I had expected.

Consumed >

Pepper Squid Rice


Lemon Lime Bitter

Goodies > When I got served, I remembered what I was so fond abt this dish ... as again, the crispy fried coating of the Pepper Squid and the munchyness / spongyness of the squid inside : ) there is this sweet & savoury taste the the fried coating that I couldn't get enough of ...

then the Lemon Lime Bitter which was also introduced by my special friend had a poetic feel when I was slurping on the sweet and bitterness of the drink .... I bet she would love to be here right now to makan the dish n drink that she introduced me to

Yuckies > I was surprised to see the expansion of the Han's Cafe around Perth (as listed on their menu) ... I wonder will the standard drop with such franchise-ness to it .... anyway, it wasn't supposed to be good so .... each to his or her own taste

Updated: Another Friend of mine who is currently staying in Perth love the same dish ... sooooooooo different ppl got different taste bud la

Cost > A$17 for both Drinks ... Can't really recall what the breakdown but I'm guessing it's 14 to 10 bucks for food n the rest is for the drinks

Returning (?) > on the Bottom of my list but if there's an opportunity in future, I don't need the menu to know what I am getting at Han's

Weblink > www.hanscafe.com.au

Jesters Pies @ Carillion City

I had always played with the notion of bringing the franchise of Jesters Pies over to Sg ... it's yummy n chunky inside n crispy on the outside (self realization: I said the same thing abt the boneless chicken wings too) but don't know why, no one ever considered bringing it over ... maybe it's not suitable for local market but hey, who knows, it might create another fad over here

Anyway, striking number 2 off my list of "Perth Foods I wanna eat on this trip"



Consumed >


Footy Pie

Goodies > I just love how the gravy drooling out of the pie and the meaty chunks inside ... siok ah

Yuckies > It's actually hard for me to decide what to get ... so many flavour n yet so little time

Cost > A$4.50

Returning (?) > Yeah ... whenever I come across a Jesters Pie Shop that's not closed

Weblink > www.jesters.com.au

Songs heard @ Downunder

Haven't done this for a long time but heard a song playing in a Cd Shop and the singer's voice + the melody made me asked the employee what the song title.... a pleasant surprise as it turn out to be a band from Perth ... how's that, discover a likeable song and it turned out that it's from a local band ...

The Panics - 'Don't Fight It'


it felt like it was the right song for this traveler who is a bit lost (not in the map sense) and is wary of what's next ... maybe i should just do what the song suggest

"I left my heart in places
Forgot everyone of their faces
And tried to navigate a broken path
Of which I may have helped create
In any incident, this is never no accident
To stand alone and
Let the silence make itself at home"

then the next song turned out to be equally catchy and it made me walked all the way back from the Dvd section to check this one out ...

Arcade Fire - No Cars Go

maybe becos I was traveling around Perth without the luxury of a Car (for the first few days)

My Fave Hideaway

back in those uni days ... come every Friday, this sign is a sign of comfort

Cos it's doing something that I love and anticipate ... the weekly arrival of new comics ... It was a joy to bring forth something that I enjoyed back in Singapore to Perth

and I can't wait to walk down those shaky stairs to the shelves that contain the latest shipment ...

where I can get lost in the world of different arts and story.

the irony part is that ... after I returned back to Singapore, I stopped collecting comics after a while due to fiscal constrain and frankly, I think I outgrew comics ... yeah it took a bit longer for me

But still, I got a strong sentimental feeling for this place .... cos it was a hideaway and comfort zone for me when I was going through some unpleasant phase during my studies ... A friend and I termed those moments as Hell Trip. So some weekends when I was having the blues, these racks (i mean shelves's racks ... don't think too much k) and artwork helped make things bearable

The funny thing was that I never thought of calling this comic shop as my comfort zone or hideaway until I happen to catch an episode of Queer as Folks (Gay Drama Programs that we won't get in Singapore) and one of the character actually does that, escape to his "little" hideaway until one of his friends point out to him that he does that whenever he is feeling the blues.

Yes ... for a short period of time, I wonder am I gay too but then again, that doubt was gone shortly after ...

Anyway, going thru the racks made me realize that there are some titles that I been wanting to check out in Singapore but forgotten to do so and it's up to issues 5 ... that showed me how out of touch am I with the Comics

then while roaming another part of the town, I found out that there another Comics shop .... finally a city as big as Perth is getting more than one comics Shop ... for your info, a country as small as Singapore got more than 5 or 6 Comics shops while Perth all along only got 1 ... it was an indication on how not competitive Perth was but now with the blooming Mining industry and real estate price rocketing up (as my man Matt told me), it seems that finally Perth is stepping up

2 apr 08 4pm

Viet Hoe @ Williams St

The first of the list of "Perth Foods I wanna eat on this trip" that gotten strike off ... it's my favourite Vietnam restaurant along William St.


Consumed >

Boneless Chicken Wings

-the inside-


Raw Beef Horfan Soup


Soda, Milk with Egg

Goodies > The number one food that I must consumed from this restaurant would be Boneless Chicken Wings .... it's not really a specialiy from Viet Hoe but I just can't get enough of the crispy fried skin with a blend of meat n vege stuffed inside this wing ... and the best part is (for me) that you get to consume a chicken wing without the need to munch around the boney parts. Together with the sour n slightly spicy dip, it just too fantastic to even care about my diet anymore ...

I tried to make this a couple of times but it's really time consuming to remove the bones and somehow, it's never as tasty as this restuaurant ... Will keep coming back to sample until I can get it right ...

then it's the Raw Beef Horfan, which is cooked just enough by the soup ... yummy but still cant beat the boneless chix

lastly, the drink that I loved to recommend to anyone that accompanying me to the resturant. Most of them will give me the (almost) same expression / reaction .... let see if you will have that kind of frown too ... it's Soda mix with Milk and a Raw Egg ! ... awesome combo right ??? There's even an Orange version to help ppl who cant get use to the Protein Cum Gassy drink combo but I don't really like the Orange Version that much

Yuckies > Folks there are still a bit slow in collecting money ... yup I gotto wait to pay but lucky dont have to wait to sit ...

Cost > A$9 for Raw Beef HOrfan Soup, A$5 for Boneless Chicken Wings (x2) & A$4 for Soda Milk n Egg

Returning (?) > Yup, on every other trip back to Perth, this is a
Must for me

The first thing that I miss about Perth

I have always wonder what I miss about Perth ... Was it the food, location or activities that I will miss and in a way, use it to define what Perth is to me ...

Moments after I touch down and when to Matt's place ... it became quite clear what the first thing that I miss about Perth and if I ever want to define Perth, it's not thru tourist area like Fremantle or Kings Park... It's not all those yummy food in food ... neither were those activities like Rock Climbing, Sky Diving or Scuba Diving too

It was simply how the cold air smell

I don't know how to define it but once we stop at Matt's last accommodation (before he move into his love nest), it was clear how much I miss the smell of the cold air that contains (what I believe to be) lavender and Ross(wood)?

Yup something so simple and so abundant but those smell with the combination of cold air brought back plenty of memories of those time spend outside in the natural aircon ... some were sweet, pleasant and some were sad and sour ... but I guess that's what life is all about ... the sweet and bitter

One of the reasons that I gave for not re-visiting Perth so soon was that I would like to visit other places that I never been before but somehow, I think part of me wanted to avoid some of the unpleasant memories I had of that place.

But smelling that unique air which I didn't get at Melbourne or Sydney made me realize, it's better to embrace whatever that had happen ... be it good or bad ... somehow the air of Perth had made me fall in Love with this quiet city in ways I never expected ... and to think I used to think people who keep visiting Perth after their studies were stupid ...

Now, I can't wait for my another friend to invite me again to their wedding back in Perth so I can breathe in all those memories again.

the perk of flying on 1st of April

haven't done this for the longest time and in fact, I find it a bit childish but it seems to be the perfect time & opportunity to pull such prank : )

just before my flight, I send out 5 sms out to some of my closest friends, grumbling to them that I overnapped and missed the flight to Perth ... just to see how many innocent folks can I hook ...

nottoo bad as I managed to score 3 / 5 : )

folks who fell for it, don't feel bad cos in my books, I'm listing you under "Very Concern Friends"

Xiong Di again ?

My Mate from Perth just asked me ... to be one of his Groomsmen (aka Xiong DI ???)

Was quite honoured about it ... cos the other two Groomsmen would be his brother and another his best friend in Perth ...

I believe there won't be sabotage like the local wedding (plus the bride's family doesn't seem to be too Chinese anymore "groom to be's exact words") and the duties included should be photo shoot and etc

My Mate also let me in that the girl I had a crush on before I left Perth for "Good" will be one of the bridesmaid !!! hahaha what luck ! finally bridesmaids that are not attached or married like my previous experience in this type of "suffering"

and he is going to provide me with the suit attire !!! hehehe another notch above the previous two wedding !! the minus bit was that it will be on rental ... tsk tsk tsk cant bring it back like the bridesmaid ... and i gotto go early to try the suit out (not that I mind about that as I was planning to go there early to do some Perth activities)

the best bit of our conversation was when he revealed that it was his wife to be's idea to ask me to be his groomsmen ... kinda touch cos I only met her a couple of times in Perth : )

yeah so mark your calender ... I won't be in town on the first week of April next year

I been BOOKED !

My Favourite FlateMate just buzz on msn and wanted to give me the rough dates for his wedding !!! I was so excited for him that I thought he had already propose and the girl gave the nod to him .... turn out that (in his own words... it was a conventional relationship) he haven't propose and they had to pre book the chuch cos it got a very busy schedule ... feel like Singaporean getting ROM (married) in order to get that HDB flat

: ) kinda excited that I will be going back to Perth during next year Late March / Early April ... never thought I will be so excited going back to that boring place but recently, I been "missing" that Place ... don't know why but I got a couple of things I like to do when I am back there ... such as surfing (hopefully by then, I will have a respectable weight n figure to go surfing) and my 2nd Sky Dive : ) ...

also there are some food that i crave for in Perth ... that old Italian Pasta place, I crave their pasta and chili mussels. Joy Garden , one of the best place to eat Dim Sum and that Viet Food with the boneless Fried Chicken Wings .... and and even my old school's Satay Chicken (yeah been complaining about Asian food when I was there but hmmm the Satay Chicken there really solid siah ) ... and if I still got space, I like to stuff it with a few Jester Pies : ) and maybe Mr Samurai if it's still open ... oh oh and Freo's Fish n Chips !!! hehehe plus ICE CREAM ... (I think I will be so Fat after this Trip)

and maybe ... hopefully, I get to meet some old friends who are still staying there ... and perhaps some old ghosts from my past

the excited me went to check the cheap budget airfare and whoooooo it's $429.98 (incl Tax) with TigerAirways ... argh ... so ex ... might fly with SQ instead