June 28, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Varsity Bar, Nedlands

Varsity Bar is quite the popular burger joint. The American themed bar, with huge mural of the “stars and stripes”, was heaving on a Sunday lunchtime. Tables full of punters devouring burgers, $5 pint cans of PBR American beer and Pyrex jugs filled to the brim with creamy milkshakes.

The bar is found on the ground level of Broadway Shopping Centre, a hop skip and jump from UWA, giving Varsity a student bar feel, though there were plenty of “cough” older people chowing down on their burgers there too.

The crowd at Varsity is pretty lively. It’s not a quiet bar. There’s sports on big screens, pool tables, ping pong and more.

With Little Chef being an only child, we tend to think of where we’d like to go to eat and hope that there’s a kids menu, rather than take him somewhere geared at kids with an indoor playground and average food. Varsity isn’t a bar you’d immediately think of taking kids to, though there were quite a few families when we visited. I think its fine for older kids, like 8 year old Little Chef. There’s a kids menu so it ticked that box for us.
Little Chef picked the cheeseburger and fries ($10), which he devoured in next to no time.

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June 22, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Honey Crème – Perth CBD

Perth’s love of ice cream and gelato just keeps on growing! Korean favourite “Honey Creme” is taking over the world and their very first Australian outlet has opened up in Perth’s CBD. Honey Crème, found on Barrack Street between the Hay and Murray Street Malls, is a soft serve lover’s paradise. While having a wander around the shops, Little Chef and I popped in to see what all the fuss is about.

Honey Crème’s signature honeycomb flavour is unmistakably popular, though Little Chef had one of their special flavours in his sights. You’ll also find delicious (and wacky) flavours like bacon and chocolate, organic cotton candy, popcorn, cereal milk(?!), churros, tiramisu and macarons. If you’re feeling fancy, get a milkshake topped with organic cotton candy – the kids will love it.

Little Chef devoured the scrumptious “Milo Reo” ice cream, a milo/oreo combo topped with a sugar cracker. He loved it, saying it was incredibly creamy and sweet. Their soft serve is made with premium fresh local milk and then sweetened with organic local honeycomb.

It certainly beats a 50 cent cone, but priced from $5.50 they’re not as budget friendly! Essentially Honey Crème is a takeaway, but the tiny store does have two or three small tables inside if you prefer to sit and eat your ice cream.

No matter which flavour you decide on, all of Honey Creme’s creations look just as good as they taste.

June 22, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Urban Bowl, Perth CBD

Hiding amongst the city skyscrapers, you’ll find a modern Vietnamese café. Lunch-y things like rice paper rolls, noodle salads, noodle soup bowls and Vietnamese baguette rolls are on the menu – with a focus on flavour and value.

Owner and Head Chef Che Tam Nguyen is influenced by many trends and cuisines – from the dude food he used to cook in his delicious Butty’s Food Truck, the modern Australian cuisine he used to plate up as part of the Australian Culinary team and now his popular Vietnamese Urban Bowl eatery, just off St Georges Terrace in the CBD.

Tam invited me in for a spot of lunch. The last time that I worked in the city was 2004, so I relished the opportunity to walk down the bustling terrace at noon. I really miss having the city’s takeaway and lunch spots right at my finger tips! Continue reading →

June 20, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Maison Staint-Honore, Swan Valley

Here’s a truth bomb… for years I’ve been guilty of pronouncing the word “macaron” wrong! It’s “mac-a-ron” not “mac-a-roon” (coconut biscuit). Silly me…

I had a #girlboss catch up with a couple of lovely ladies in the Swan Valley, coffee and notepads at the ready. I work from home now, freelancing with writing and social media, and these networking and “pep-talk” meetings are invaluable for sharing ideas and encouraging each other. Working on your own can be incredibly lonely!

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May 8, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Alfred’s Kitchen – Guildford

One of Perth’s most loved burger joints has recently become a whole lot more family friendly. Alfred’s Kitchen has been a Guildford institution for over 70 years. Previously, the takeaway didn’t provide much seating, apart from a few benches around the much loved fire pit. Perthies were happy to stand around munching on their burgers, though it could be a bit of a juggling act.

Now there is another alternative – Alfred’s have added a restored train carriage and courtyard which have loads of seating to eat your burgers and chips in comfort, making it much easier for little burger lovers too.

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March 23, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Burger Hut – Wanneroo

We found ourselves at Burger Hut recently for a quick and easy dinner. It’s a spot we’d driven past many times on Wanneroo Road and always meant to try. Finally, we stopped at the casual, suburban eatery on a night when neither of us wanted to cook at home.

At Burger Hut you can dine inside the small diner or alfresco and there were a lot of people dropping in for takeaways too. The service is friendly and patient, as we decided which burgers to choose from the large menu which also features steak burgers, chicken burgers, Asian pork burgers, veggie burgers and more on the burger menu.

Chef chose the “Double bacon deluxe”, $14.90. It’s a massive burger, brimming with bacon, TWO beef patties, cheese, pineapple, lettuce and BBQ sauce. All burgers are served with a small side salad and a basket of chips, making it a very hearty meal.

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February 17, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Collodel Ice Cream – Kalamunda

It seems as though this Perth Food Blogger have been eating a lot of Ice cream lately! Our summer hasn’t been stinking hot, but entertaining Little Chef in the school holidays was made a little easier by my quest to find Perth’s best gelato for Buggybuddys. Here’s another spot, an old favourite of mine, that made this scrumptious list!

On a hot day in the Perth Hills, when the warm easterly breeze is blowing and the sea breeze hasn’t arrived yet, a trip to Collodel is a must. The tiny Ice creamery is found on the leafy Haynes Street in Kalamunda. Collodel has been a favourite in the hills for years. I remember going there for an after school treat when I was a kid. Their scrumptious homemade flavours are very popular with the locals.

All of the ice cream is made fresh onsite each day to a traditional recipe from the Dolomite region of Italy. Little Chef enjoyed his cone topped with a scoop of cookies and cream (child’s cone $3).

His Grandad picked his favourite flavour of rum n raisin ($3.50 1 scoop cone), which he said was delicious and creamy. There is also a range of freshly made frozen yogurt and sorbets too.

I’ve heard about their spaghetti sundae, which sounds like it would be very popular with kids. Ice cream is squeezed into a pasta shape, which is then topped with bright red raspberry and strawberry sauces (the bolognaise) and finished with a dusting of sugar (the parmesan). Definitely one to try next time!

The family owned spot has are a few tables and chairs, if you don’t want to eat your ice cream on the go. The Ice Creamery is within walking distance of the Kalamunda History Village, Kalamunda Farmers Market (Sunday mornings) and Stirk Park.