I've been eying The Gaya for quite some time ever since it made an appearance on urbanspoon however we never really got around to trying it until the other day.

The interior is simple and quaint and we had no trouble finding the place as there was a large sign pointing us in the right direction so we were off to a good start.  Service was excellent throughout the whole meal and I was particularly impressed with the magical expanding towelettes at the start!

After being seated we were given wet towels and an amuse bouche consisting of small korean pancakes and some sort of cheese biscuit.

Complimentary crispy rice pancake

The pancakes were nice and crispy on the outside with a soft and delicate inside which contained spring onions.  It was also topped with a sweet chilli sauce giving it a bit of a quick!

Complimentary fried cheese

These cheese biscuits were very light and fragrant, the flavour of the cheese went very nicely with the light mayonnaise.

For starters we went with the fish jijimi and crab croquette:

Fish jijimi ($12)

The fish jijimi really seemed to be lightly battered fish in my opinion rather than a korean style pancake (perhaps that's just me) however the batter was seasoned nicely and the fish was cooked well.  Although it was nice at the start I did get a little bored of it after eating a piece or two, it just didn't have that "give me more" kind of taste, especially after the mayo and sweet soy sauce ran out.  I think the addition of prawn antennae gave a nice texture to the jijimi.

Gaya crab croquette ($14)

The crab croquette was superb!  The crumb was nicely seasoned and very crunchy while the inside was moist and fluffy.  The potato within was super smooth and dotted with traces of delicate crab meat.  This, coupled with the spicy mayo gave a wonderful balance of smooth, creamy potato and crab with the sweet spiciness of the mayo, yum!

For mains we ordered the Tteokgalbi and Truffle Hamburg steak.  Each main came with a side dish of pickled celery, seafood pancake and pickled radish.

Sides to compliment our mains (... but no kimchi?)

Truffle Hamburg Steak ($28)

The patty for the hamburg steak was well cooked and very tender.  There was also a beansprout salad, mushrooms, rice and some cauliflower all sitting on a truffle cream sauce.  While the patty was tender and cooked very well, I couldn't help but feel that all the other elements were simply drenched in the cream sauce which reminded me of the white sauce used in lasagne.

The richness of the cream sauce overpowered the saltiness of the patty and the freshness of the beansprouts, leaving a feeling of crunchy creaminess in your mouth which I didn't find particularly pleasant.  The dish could of been improved by simply putting less of the cream sauce.

The steak was also topped in Parmesan cheese however this was not shaved finely and thus you would end up with large thick shards of cheese which was a bit too mild for the steak and other components due to its thick cut.

Tteokgalbi ($30)

My partner had the tteokgalbi and once again the beef spare rib was cooked very well.  The dish consisted of "Korean royal court cuisine grilled beef cube roll patties with deep fried rice cake and coconut rice topped sunny side up egg with oyster mushroom pickled".  The rice was also very fragrant and the seafood salad was very fresh.  All the elements were nice individually however I thought they were an odd combination, especially the deep fried rice cakes which were sweet and chewy, it didn't mix well with the other elements at all.  All together the dish didn't seem to come together properly, well to me anyway but the elements alone tasted nice.

Finally we had the red misu for our dessert and it was amazing, definitely the highlight of the meal.  The texture was smooth and creamy and the flavour was on point.  The red misu also contained little chunks of red beans which I thought was nice, the "soil" on the top was a nice chocolate crumb which went very well with the red misu both in terms of flavor and texturally.  What amazed me most was the "stones" on the top which really do look like pebbles but they were actually nice chocolates, very nice.

Homemade Red Misu ($8)

Overall, The Gaya was just alright for me, not enough to take me back but I am willing to give them another chance as I believe they have recently changed their menu.  I am still somewhat confused about their idea of Korean fusion and I don't really see much Korean in the dishes at all.

7/10.

Le Vietnam, Perth CBD

Being a big fan of presotea, I have seen this coffee shop numerous times across the road from the BBT shop on Barrack Street, but somehow whenever we are scouting for places to eat, it never came across our minds. So on Monday, we finally got around to it :)

Stepping into the coffee shop, I was already in awe with the decos. I reached there around 12pm so there were plentiful of seats.

Le Vietnam's interior; so classic yet chic.

Being very hungry, we ordered two bánh mì sandwiches, stuffed chicken wings, a (giant) pork bun and two mini pâté so. The banh mis were so good! I do not like salads in general, but the pickled carrots were quite yum! Together with some vietnamese mayo and the minced meat (I later found out it was called pâté) sandwiched in between toasted bread, it was just heavenly.

The stuffed chicken wings were good, maybe a little bit more salt. The mini pâté so (hot pastry pie) were very scrumptious (loving the extremely flaky and light pastry); the pork bun just reminded me of those meat/vege siew bao we have back home! I was so delighted to find an egg inside it as well haha.

From top to bottom: Original banh mi ($6),
(left to right) stuffed chicken wings ($4 each), mini pate so (sorry I forgot how much were these), pork bun ($4),
grilled pork banh mi ($6)

I enjoyed their vietnamese coffee too - nicely brewed coffee and a good amount of sweetness from the condensed milk. The hot chocolate that Echo had needs a bit of oomph, however, as it was too milky for our liking (making it taste somewhat like flavoured milk instead).

Front: Viet Coffee ($4); Back: Hot Chocolate (Reg $3, Large $4)

Overall, we had a great brunch experience at Le Vietnam. The impressive decor, relaxing atmosphere, tasty food and friendly staffs will make you want to come back for more. I will be back again the next time I am in the city for a quick bite :)

Brunchino

The girls and I decided to visit this place called "Brunchino" in Belmont before driving to Swan Valley for our honey cake fix.

The place is located on Belvidere Street amongst older, run-down buildings where you would not think you would find a cosy little cafe like this.

The decos inside the cafe was simple, sort of a vintage feel.

I was very excited when I saw the list of flavoured latte on the drinks menu - normally coffee shops just serve chai or normal lattes. We ordered a caramel latte, a green tea latte and a white chocolate mocha. The white chocolate mocha was great! Green tea latte was also surprisingly good (we weren't expecting much after the disappointing experience at Tuck Shop). My caramel latte, however, tasted just like any ordinary latte - there is not even the tiniest hint of caramel in it, maybe they forgot?

Caramel latte (Sorry I forgot how much was this)

I was going to have their tandoori chicken burger, but upon placing our orders at the counter, I saw this beautiful burger/sandwich (I thought it looks like a burger, but the lady insisted it is a sandwich, so...) at their display window as decided to give it a try!

Chicken and Avocado Sandwich ($10.50)

The crumbed chicken cutlets (somewhat like katsu) were so succulent and yummy, and the sandwich was generously filled with avocados, yum! One of the best ready-made sandwich I have ever had, and quite cheap too - there are no sides though, but I like mine plain so am not fussed at all :)

Echo ordered the french toast, as usual, and boy, it was delicious. The french toast was not like any other ones we had in Perth... it is hard to put into words, but this reminds us of those soft eggy toasts back home! Maybe this is the asian way of making french toast, and we are certainly loving it. The slightly-sour berries gave the sweet breads a good balance as well, though we had completely forgotten about that cup of homemade coconut yogurt... oops.

French toast with berry compote ($11.95)

Karmun ordred the Brunchino Brekkie, which is pretty much just sauteed mushrooms, spinach, scrambled eggs on sourdough toast. It was nothing particularly special, just something you can make at home.

Bruncino Brekkie ($12.95)

We ordered the soup from their special menu too - pumpkin soup with sweet potato crisps (I think). It was yummy and warmed our tummy in that chilly, gloomy morning. The only thing that I did not really enjoy was the already soft crisps.

Pumpkin soup ($9.50)

Overall, friendly service, good food and coffee. I think this place would be a hit if they refine their menus a little, but if you are in the area and want a good value brunch spot, definitely give this place a try! (Hint* french toast and green tea latte if you like something more special)

Sixteen Ounces

Sixteen Ounces is my newly-discovered brunch spot at Victoria Park. Being a foodie, and having friends who loves food just as much as I do, is a big plus as we are always keen to try out new places.

This quaint little cafe just on Albany Highway gives a very welcoming vibe. With the quirky decos and (very) friendly staffs, no wonder sixteen ounces has quickly become a new favourite coffee spot in the area.

The place is quite tiny as you can see, but it is perfectly cosy for a catchup with friends or a quick coffee.

 

The menu.

The menu was fairly small, but as we got there a bit before 11.30am, the lady said we could order everything from the breakfast & lunch menu. Echo was delighted as she has been eyeing for the French Toast, which on the menu says it is only available till 11.30am!

We ordered three dishes to share among ourselves;

Baked Chorizo Hash - spicy chorizos with baked potatoes and tomatoes, topped with a sunny side up & served with toasts on the side. I am not a big fan of chorizos but my friends absolutely loved the dish! The dish was a bit under seasoned for me (it needs that extra little bit of punch!) but everything worked well together.

Baked Chorizo Hash ($16.50)

Sweet and Salty - brioche french toasts served with bacons and bananas (there are sandwiched in the middle of the toasts, if you are looking for them) topped with salted caramel drizzle and nuts. The toasts were a bit soggy, but what I like about this dish is that it is not overpoweringly sweet despite the generous amount of salted caramel drizzles.

Sweet and Salty ($17)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beer Braised Stew - short ribs with brown butter mash (Don't worry, it won't get you drunk!). The beef ribs were cooked perfectly but the winner of the dish would be that wonderful buttery potato mash. Butter makes everything nicer, I am sure.

Beer Braised Stew ($21)

I drink coffee quite often (more specifically, lattes and chais) but I cannot differentiate a to-die-for coffee to a good-but-can-be-better coffee. It is either good coffee or yucky coffee to me, one way or the other haha. All I can tell you is that the place serves good coffee and good food (though lacked a bit of seasoning in general), but the best part of Sixteen Ounces would be the wonderful staffs and relaxed atmosphere. I would see myself coming back again the next time us girls need to catch up on coffee (and gossips). Hopefully by then they would have a bigger menu!

Harvest Espresso

I have decided to visit Harvest for the first time last week (a bit slow I know) after hearing lots of people raving about their wonderful autumn menu.

We went around 11.30am on a Friday, and had to wait a bit for tables. The place is really tiny, sitting about 15 people at most, with another two tables outside the quaint little shop.

And this place does live up to its hype!

I ordered Bubble and Squeak and I loved everything about this dish. It was beautifully presented and flavours were spot on. The two eggs were poached perfectly, topped with sweet potato crisps which gave the dish this extra crunch. I really liked the patty as it reminds me of croquettes (I am a big fan of fried potato-ey food), which goes really well with the vegetable farce and spiced pumpkin puree.

Bubble & Squeak ($19.50)

My friend, Echo, ordered the Pork Belly, which comes with two poached eggs, almond crumb, grapes, squid ink and anchovy sauce. She enjoyed her generous serving of pork belly - the skin was crunchy and the meat was full of flavour. It was her second time at Harvest but she was glad she gave it a second chance (her first wasn't that great to be honest so I made her come here with me again this time haha, but yay)

Pork Belly ($22.50)

We wanted to try their famous mango and coconut bread (it looks really pretty!) but too bad our tummies did not want anymore food. Oh well, maybe next time.

Overall, friendly service, good coffee and yummy food - food was reasonable priced I reckon, and you do get generous servings. The only downside is that the shop was tiny so you might have to wait for seats during peak lunch hours or weekends. It will be wiser to come with just a date or two, I think :)

They change their menu every season and I definitely will be back to try their upcoming winter menu.