Perth Trip (4 of 4) - Food we ate!

Last of the Perth series.... the Singaporean favorite...FOOD!

1) The Squid Shack, Albany - A place just beside the sea, the food they serve here is really really "today's catch". We ordered the Fish, Squid and Chips... its the best Fish and Chips we had at such price! 5/5

2) McSweeney, Denmark - A small place in a small town, it is supposed to serve the best coffee in town (the town's population is around 5000, which is like 2 blocks of HDB flats in Singapore). Well, the coffee taste really good...

We ordered the sliced ham sandwich tastes really good including the ham, cheese and bread...

We also had the Bacon and Egg Savory, the sprouts at the top looks and tastes good. 5/5


3) King Trout Restaurant - Located beside a river... the trouts served here are also really fresh. I usually don't take fish but this is really good. Grilled just right with no fishy taste at all. The restaurant also has an al fresco area, to have your food beside a river (clear, clean river... not talking about Singapore River kind), surrounded by a beautiful garden...ah.... life....5/5

4) Lavender and Berry Farm, Pemberton - There's a host of things to do here other than food. Personally, I will try to get an accommodation here if I return next. We ordered the specialty Berry Pancake (the berries are from their own farm). The pancakes are a bit overdone for me, vanilla ice cream was so-so but the berry syrup is nice...3/5

Also had a beef pie which comes with a large serving of chips and salad. The pie was ok, I liked the chips and salads in Australia are always very fresh. The cafe overlooks a garden and a river, and you get interesting birds coming to visit your table.... Food: 3/5; Ambiance: 5/5
5) Home cooked breakfast, Margaret River - We had a self contained apartment so cooked up some Australian brekkie! Toast, sausages, egg and bacon..... 5/5 - my wife made it, what do you expect? :P
6) The Cidery, Bridgetown - The Cidery serves superb Apple Juices/Ciders. Do try it when you are there. We had lunch there as well and since we had been fairly unhealthy, we went for a Ploughman's lunch. The quality of food was great but I guess Ploughman's lunch is not really that tasty a choice.... 5/5 for Apple Juice; 3/5 for food

7) Soto Express, Perth - Recommended by Lonely Planet for their coffee, we ordered a ham and cheese sandwich with a cappuccino. Coffee's good.... and a sandwich with loads of ham and oozing with cheese can never go wrong. 4/5
8) Matsuri, Perth - After days of western food, we were hankering for some Asian food. Went to this Japanese restaurant (again, recommended by Lonely Planet) and ordered a tempura udon set. The tempura's the best we ever tasted (ok, we have not been to Japan) and the thick fat slurpy udon was exactly what we needed. Prices are reasonable too. The set below costs around AUD18. 5/5
9) Tiger Tiger, Perth - Again, recommended by lonely planet for its coffee. The cafe had a number of interesting paintings on the walls and sugar comes in lumps instead of sachets.

We had almost exactly the same thing as in Soto Express.... coffee, a muffin and a toastie. Coffee and muffin was great, the bacon and egg toastie was ok. 4/5

10) Cicerellos, Freemantle - Recommended everywhere on the web and in Lonely Planet, this fish and chip joint is rather big with around 100 tables. Maybe it is now too commercialized but this turned out to be a major disappointment. The food was simply tasteless. 1/5

11) Matsuri, Perth - We had such an enjoyable meal at Matsuri that we decided to go back again. This time, we had the California roll that came with loads of avocado but no ebikko
Also ordered the Curry Pork rice. It was good but not as good as the tempura... maybe we were experiencing diminishing utility. 4/5
That wraps up the series on our Perth trip.... trust its a good reference for anyone visiting West Australia.

Perth Trip (3 of 4) - Places we stayed!

Since we were on a relaxing holiday (read - places where you can spend time reading on the veranda), we spent quite a bit of effort researching the places we were going to stay in.

1) All Seasons Albany, Albany (AUD 60/night) - Was not expecting much from this hotel given the price but it turned out much better than expected. Clean rooms with hot shower and a double bed. Not too far from the City Center too! Comfort: 3/5; Value 5/5


2) Big Brook Cottage, Pemberton (AUD 120/night) - This is a sprawling place with individual cottages with real fireplace but these are too big (and expensive) for a couple. Good thing they have bed and breakfast as well and the following is where we stayed. The owners' living area is on the right wing while the left wing has 2 rooms with shower en suite and a shared living area.

The bedroom is simple and elegant and it opens directly into the garden. As it is built towards the end of 2006, the shower area is also beautiful with expensive looking fittings.

This is the shared living area, as the other room was not rented, we had it all to ourself. Games such as Scrabble and DVDs are available.

Continental breakfast prepared by the owner is included. Overall, the place gives a feel of Deluxe accomodations - Kleenex tissues, scented toilet paper, fine China dining sets. It is really value for money. Comfort: 5/5; Value 4/5

3) Riverglen Cottages, Margaret River (AUD 115/night) - This time we got a cottage for ourselves, it is really the sort of place that we were looking for. The only thing missing is a real fireplace.
No aircon but there is a fan. The main door opens into the living area and bedroom but since it faces the forest, there is still privacy.

It is also self-contained with microwave and all. Pots are a bit dirty though.

And our favorite, a veranda where we can read books and have meals. It even has a grill for you to grill your food! Really what we have been looking for. Note the this place was fully booked out during our stay, quite a popular place. The only thing is that some of the items are showing its age. Comfort: 4/5; Value 4/5

4) Goodearth Hotel, Perth (AUD 105/night) - Hotels in Perth City are real expensive but we manage to get this self contained unit in Goodearth Hotel. It has a big kitchenette with everything...

And also a big living area. The unit we got comes with 2 bedrooms - one Queen, one with 2 single beds. Unfortunately, we were on a smoking floor but with the exception of the first couple of hours, it was ok. The place does not look very appealing but it was functional. The bed is also very comfortable. Comfort: 3/5, Value 4/5 (if you have a party of 4, it is cheaper to stay here than a YHA!)

Perth Trip (2 of 4) - Places we went!

Perth Trip Part 2 - places we went to... well, since this is a relaxing trip, we did a lot of bumming and not a lot of sightseeing, but here are the places that we went to.

1) Wind Farm, Albany - Huge windmill like towers to generate electricity. Magnificent structures but unfortunately, fairly bad weather when we visited. 4/5

2) Natural Bridge, Albany - Together with "The Gap", these are interesting natural rock structures along the coast in Albany. 3/5
3) Dog Rock, Albany - A rock in the town of Albany that looks like the head of a dog. The locals even paint a chain around its "neck" to make it more obvious. 2/5


4) Bartholomews Meadery, Denmark - Honey tasting, Award winning Honey wine tasting, Bees' nest, superb ice cream (love the Ginger Honey Ice Cream), friendly staff.... I love this place. 4/5


5) Valley of Giants Treetop Walk, Wadpole - A walk amongst the giant karri trees, the bridge sways slightly in the wind and it is really a rare experience. 4/5

6) Gloucester Tree, Pemberton - 153 steps and 60m up a tree with little protection if you fall. Definitely not for someone who is afraid of heights. Great sense of accomplishment to be at the top. 5/5
7) Lavender and Berry Farm, Pemberton - We went in late Spring and wildflowers are in bloom, here you can see Lavender and flowers in front of a lake. Plenty to do for a small place including animals, berry picking, meals, etc. 4/5

8) Cape Leeuwin lighthouse, Augusta - Very strong winds here and sometimes, you can see whales at a distance. It is also where the imaginary line where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. 3/5

9) Mammoth Cave, Margaret River - One of the many caves in the area. Interesting for those who have never been into a cave but this cave (despite being called mammoth) is much smaller than what we saw in Tasmania (also Australia). Hence, we did not think much of it. 2/5


10) The Cidery - Bridgetown - Where apples are crushed to make Cider. Cider tasting available which is excellent for us who could not appreciate wine. Food is also served in a beautiful garden. 3/5
11) Perth City - Pretty much like any other aussie city (quiet once it hits 8pm). Only much much smaller. 3/5
12) Freemantle Prison, Freemantle - You can only enter the prison with a tour guide and our guide (Paul) really knows the history of the Prison well. He's a WA native and has been there when it was built. Loads of stories and very informative. Must go! 5/5

13) Freemantle market, Freemantle - Always love to see the fresh fruits in the Australia markets. Its a riot of colors. Again... no difference from Queen Victoria market in Melbourne or Paddy's Market in Sydney... only much smaller. 2/5

Perth Trip (1 of 4) - Characters we met!

Recently, we went for a 8 day trip to Perth. It's kind of our last holiday without any kiddo to bother about. Shimin's in her second trimester and we got the blessings from the doc to go for our trip. Since we cannot do anything exhausting, we decided to go to Perth, arguably the most laid back state in a laid back country. Will be dividing post into 4 parts for easy reading... Part 1... introducing the characters we met in Perth!

1) Nissan X-trail - Got an upgrade from a standard car (camry) to a 4WD which we were glad we got because some of the roads we have to go on were really dirt roads...

2) Captain of the Amity in Albany - Battling the gales!


3) The dog from Big Brook Retreat in Pemberton. Nice fluffy dog with a huge space to roam.

4) Alpacas in the Lavender and Berry Farm. Careful... they can spit!

5) Bird stealing food when we are having our lunch in Lavender and Berry Farms... nice change from the crows we have in Singapore!

6) Blue jay begging for food from an empty chair across the table....

7) Little pony from Lavender and Berry Farm....

8) Cute scarecrow at Balingup, opposite the Old Cheese Factory.

No Bird Bird!

Results are out! Almost....

After yesterday's ultrascan, it appears that our baby is most likely to be a girl. The ultrascan machine used in ACJ clinic seems fairly high tech and Dr Wong appears to be very proficient with the machine. She can adjust the scanner to show the different angles of the baby and can tell at a glance what's what one the ultrascan. "See, thats the legs, the joints, etc etc" and we can barely tell.

Anyway, as you can see from the scan above, there is nothing in between the baby's thighs. Hence, Dr Wong is 99% certain that it is a girl. I do not understand why she uses the word "bird bird" instead of "penis". She keeps saying like, "if its a boy, you can see the bird bird in between the thighs." I would think that doctors would be comfortable to call a spade.. a spade!

Above is another scan with the baby's face facing us. The head is the round blob at the bottom... if you look harder, you will see it still looks a bit like ET... it will get fleshier as the weeks pass. Otherwise, everything is fine. The baby's weight is estimated at 168g, could not really measure the length as she is curled up but definitely at least 10cm.

3 vials of blood were taken from Shimin for the Triple Test ($108) and some HIV test ($88). Also added DHA supplements to the multivits and calcium tablets for Shimin since it is supposed to make the baby smarter. Next month we will have a detailed scan.

Minced Pork and Carrots Porridge

Saturday is turning into retro healthy home cooked food day. After the Macaroni in Chicken Soup last week, Shimin attempted to replicate her Mum's Minced Pork and Carrots Porridge.

Recipe (serves 2)

1. 125g minced pork
2. 1/2 cup rice
3. 1.5L water
4. 1 large carrot or 2 small carrots (finely chopped)
5. Cornflour
6. Soy Sauce
7. Pepper

1. Marinate pork in cornflour, soy sauce and pepper to taste for about 30 mins.
   
2. Add rice and water into a pot and bring to a boil.
3. Add carrots and boil for about another 10 mins.
   
4. When the grains look about done, add in the minced pork and boil for another 5 mins.
   

Turned out to be quite a success! Shimin said it tastes like what her Mum does although her Mum's version is more salty.

Baby Cot is Ready!

Last Sunday we were fairly bored... we saw the unassembled baby cot lying in the corner and decided to put it together. Afterall, it requires 2 people and we should do it before Shimin gets any bigger!

With no instructions, we thought it would be a challenge but it was fairly straight forward. 8 screws, 5 large pieces of wood, 30 mins later and we are done...


Since the baby is not due for another 5 months (I know I know... we are super kiasu Singaporean parents... 3 months later we will need to start moving house to within 1km of our preferred primary school and start volunteering in the school committee), we put in a sleeping cat...

Overall, the cot is of pretty good quality. No major scratches and stains despite it being a display set. $100... Good Deal !