james test

September 17 & 19, 2016 The eating highlight of our time in Fremantle was Bread in Common. It's a converted warehouse with long communal tables and a no-bookings policy that reminded me of Gara gistes , and we took a punt on it for a fancy dinner. The sharing menu is a good one for vegetarians, and solid for vegans too (we overheard one sitting next to us and he seemed to be a regular!). Gluten-free folks also have plenty to choose from but the severely allergic may wish to proceed with caution - this restaurant is clearly proud of its bread and operates as a flour-dusted bakery as well as a restaurant. We were in the mood for cocktails - Michael enjoyed a negroni ($17) served with a huge ice sphere and I tried their burnt lime mule ($18). Unlimited bread comes with a $2 per person price tag, and the first section of the menu is an array of little foods that complement it. Although we ordered the sweet garlic butter with fennel salt ($2), we strongly suspect that we received th...

September 16-20, 2016 After my work duties were done , Michael met up with me in Perth so that we could enjoy a week off together. We spent the first half in Fremantle - here are six places we ate while there. ____________ After setting down our gear, we walked down to the Little Creatures Brewery by the water for dinner. They've been bought out by Lion Nathan since I last visited nine years ago , and the food had a 'gastropub for the masses' feel that echoes that history. To their credit, food service was startlingly efficient - each dish was presented to our table less than 10 minutes after we'd ordered it. We shared a large slice of grilled haloumi ($9.50), a so-so beetroot salad with spiced yoghurt, walnuts & freekeh ($12) and a wood-fired pizza topped with mushrooms, garlic & tallegio ($19). If we'd stopped there, we probably would have been satisfied. Instead we requested a couple of regrettably large desserts: for me, an enormous triplet of icecream ...

September 11-15, 2016 After a week in  Fukuoka , I'm now reporting from Perth! It's been 9 years since I explored this city in any meaningful way, although Michael stopped in just last year. My work commitments had me located right in the city centre, eating lots of in-house catering but allowing a bit of time to wander about and seek more exciting veg options. Here are four of those. ____________ I had Sunday to recover from my travel and prep for a busy week ahead. Most of Perth seemed to be in recovery mode too - the streets were quiet, although a smattering of burger joints were well attended! I was tempted to join in when I saw haloumi burgers filing out of the  Little Bird Cafe  kitchen, but I satisfied myself with their more conventional brunch menu. It reminded me of Melbourne's Glass Den , where meat-based dishes sit alongside green brekky bowls, maca-spiked almond milk smoothies and raw vegan cakes. I took on their signature vegan buckwheat pancake ($20), whi...

July 20-21, 2015 I had a speedy few days in Perth last week and hassled Steph for dining tips. She gave Formosa/Utopia the thumbs up, so I swung by a couple of times to suss it out. It’s tucked away in Northbridge, in a little courtyard back from the street a bit, so keep your eyes peeled to avoid walking straight past. Once you’re in, you’ve got to figure out the ordering process – the best thing to do is grab a menu, a pen and a little form for ordering and settle in at a table. The menu is humungous, with something like 200 dishes to choose from (plus seemingly millions of bubble tea and related drinks). Everything is pretty clearly labelled – I’d guess about half the dishes are vegan and spice levels are marked. It’s not cheap, but it’s not outrageous either – most mains are between $16 and $20. It’s heavy on the mock meat, although there are enough veggie and tofu based dishes if that’s not your thing. To order, you fill out the form with the code from the menu and take it up to...

Which of these two pictures gets your mouth watering? On the left is a cake of soap . On the right; chocolate stones .

I spent last week in Perth, mainly at a conference. You didn't even notice, did you? (Maybe Vida did - I regretfully turned down her invitation for a bakery excursion and then took up to 5 days to respond to comments.) I prepared some posts before I left and Michael faithfully published them throughout my time away, so I hope there's been a fairly seamless flow of material regardless. I generally ate well in Perth - the catering at the Convention Centre was of high quality and offered some variety for a vegetarian, although I did accidentally consume an anchovy in what appeared to be a spinach quiche (blergh). Dining at the official conference dinner was far less impressive - a carvery and overcooked veges served buffet-style under heat lamps. Here are a few highlights from the nights that we delegates foraged for ourselves... Annalakshmi Jetty No. 4 Barracks Square (behind the Bell Tower), Perth This is a pay-what-you-feel vegetarian Indian restaurant in the vein of Melb...