Raining Chaos

Category: Food

  • James Parker Sushi & Sake

    So this place has popped up a couple of times on my radar, but I’ve been so hesitant about any sushi place outside of Japan and Sydney because I’ve become a snob (ok, I’ve always been a snob) about the quality and style of sushi. It doesn’t help that I think I suffer whatever the name of the condition is where you think you know something because you read someone else’s opinion on something, and you apply it yourself without understanding. In this case, it’s about nigiri.

    So after a long walkaround and having just consumed some pub fish and chips (with some awesome chips) and then nibbling away at a friend’s chicken parmie and chips, I decided I could still eat and should really have a proper dinner. Finally, I decided this sushi place was worth a shot since I was in the area.

    I totally did not expect the place to look like it did, and wished I took a picture of the outside and the entrance! There’s a lovely hallway that kind of reminds me of the Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth entrance, only brighter and not as long. Still very beautiful though! I was in a classy place.

    Not only was I in a classy place, it also felt very Japanese. I would say authentic, but it was too big to be truly authentic (maybe. I’ve only been to two sushiyas and no izakayas to actually know). I was seated at the sushi bar, which had the most amazing lineup. The ordering system was pretty interesting because the waitstaff would pop your order into their tablets (and my tea arrived while I was still asking about the menu!), and were very good at explaining the menu too. I wasn’t sure whether to opt for the 10 piece chef’s selection of nigiri or to order my own, and after being explained what the 10 were that day, I decided to order my own choice. The lovely sushi chef had an amazing sashimi knife – now I want one!

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  • Noma Australia – Part 1

  • Petition Kitchen

    Petition Kitchen is a brand new restaurant that opened in Perth, and so I had to check it out. I didn’t know who the head chef was at the time, or the background to this place, and in its first two weeks of opening (up to 11 October), reservations were essential. From my observations of the Perth population, I wasn’t sure that reservations were necessary, at least on non-Friday and Saturday nights. Turns out you can walk-in, too, during this time.

    What I love about visiting a brand new restaurant is actually seeing them seeing what works and what doesn’t – watching something come to life and then grow is fascinating. So I booked two sessions, the first was a Sunday brunch (I thought I booked for lunch but they gave me a brunch menu? They didn’t seem to be serving non-brunch until after about 1pm or so), and the second was a Friday night dinner.

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  • Automata

    Kensington Street is getting an upgrade, and I want to go there for one reason: Kensington Street Social. However, since it wasn’t open yet, and I had some spare time, I was very lucky to find out that Automata, another new restaurant on the block, was open for Sunday lunches, so off I went.

    The layout, to me at least, felt remarkably similar to Nel, especially when it comes to the open kitchen. The other similarity, I noticed, was the set menu style meals. It’s not quite a grand deguastation, but coming in at 5 courses, it is still an experience. It’s also relatively cheap, and by that I mean sub $100. It’s like a new breed of restaurant has popped up – accessible fine dining as if to appeal to the masses. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but considering how small profit margins are for restaurants, I am a little concerned about their longevity. It’s hard to see how all these restaurants will all remain standing after 5-10 years, if that. But only time will tell.

    Onto the food.

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  • Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth

    For once, I decided not to get the David Blackmore full blood wagyu burger, and instead wanted something from their restaurant menu. The result? Some tasty food, though I believe the burger is the best thing they do.

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  • The Perth adventure begins

    And it begins with me chasing birds. Well okay, so I did do my food and coffee rounds first. Again, I struggled with my super short lens (can’t wait until I get a new one so I can take pictures of things from far away!)

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  • New lens, food shooting

    Taking pictures of food is so much fun! Random photo spam incoming:

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  • Behind the Machine

    I visit Exchange so frequently that I think I can get away with a few things, though I do always ask nicely to make sure. Most of the time. I’ve always been envious of people who can take really cool shots at cafes, so I decided this was my best chance to do so too. I had the perfect excuse of testing out a new lens!

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  • Pretending to be a chef: More random market hauls

    So I’ve got a tiny bit of downtime. Finally! That’s what happens when I decide I should take up an active hobby while still cooking, writing, drawing (ok the second two not so much), eating, coffeeing.

    It seems there’s a whole range of interesting things lately, some of which I’ve not seen before or just didn’t have the marginal propensity to spend on. Plus it’s not good when I think that Tasmanian winter truffles are so affordable that I’ve ended up buying more truffle this year than any other time.

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  • Restaurant Revolution ADL – where I get to be a snobby snob snob

    It’s a little different from Masterchef. It’s a little different from My Kitchen Rules. It’s a real pop up restaurant that you get to eat at!

    When I first saw the shed present on my way to the markets, I thought, that looks interesting. Then ignored it for a good while.

    After a while, I decided it was worth checking out what this commotion was all about. It’s yet another reality TV cooking show, but appears to focus on the setting up of a restaurant and running its everyday matters, rather than a pure amateur cooking competition. I believe the contestants could be people who already worked in a restaurant, but couldn’t be high profile or head chefs. Having had my fair share of dining experiences (mostly high end), I decided I’d give it a go and taste the food there. I agonised for a while how I’d judge the place (for my own purposes, not anything to do with the actual show rules) – would I compare it to an average restaurant? Would I compare it to a fine dining establishment? Was it going to be a disaster where I was left for hours without food?

    There was only one way to find out!

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