M's Food Find #66

Yes, even when there is so much to do, I managed to procrastinate and spent my whole Sunday in front of the telly. And still feel pretty shitty. ANYWAYS, it is quite an exciting time for Perth's culinary scene with so many amazing new restaurants and chefs taking interest here and many anticipated openings coming up.

Of course, one had already launched in Burswood, ROCKPOOL! Oh yeah. Dad managed to score the family a reservation on pretty short notice and we celebrated Mum's birthday in advance...Let the journey begin!

When you enter the grand looking doors, you are greeted (no not by me) with this long beautiful walkway lighted by candles and glass panels in between. On one side, raw meat (yeuch!) and on the other wine bottles!


The menu by Neil Perry...

Our attentive waitress.

Beautiful lighting behind the couches

Dessert menu! Sorry the photos are all over the place, I had to use sis' camera and mine so the syncing was off.

And no harm in introducing dessert first here. Complimentary from the restaurant, their Devil's Food Cupcake for mama. So worth the money if you were to order this for the dessert. It is what a chocolate cupcake should be. Light moist chocolatey...ooooooooooooooooooo with the right amount of icing there.


Bread and water. Nahhhh, kidding, we had more definitely!

The menu came in a big piece of paper to not sugarcoat it. I really prefer nice bounded copies.

Our seating area. The place is pretty big and spacious within actually and still very nice and private. Perhaps created by the mood lighting...



After the long walkway, that's the 'concierge' with pretty (busty) ladies in beautiful black dresses escorting you to the tables.

Yeah, thats the raw meat in the glass panels to your left.

Dad got the oysters. Well, you can taste the sea and they are fresh. 'Nuff said.


The aged beef ordered by Sis, a tad chewy and she can't help comparing it to her time at CUT by Wolfgang Puck in Singapore. Apparently, Rockpool comes in second but not by a close margin even. UH OH.





Toilet break...





Menu


The soup was very nice and whilst it is a creamy kind, it is not too heavy and sits in the mouth very well. I would totally recommend it.

Sis had a good laugh about it, she said kinda makes her feel better she is eating happy animals?! WHAT?!

Another beef on the menu, Dad had this the more expensive one, but swapped with sis I think because it is such a tiny portion. Again, nothing to rave about according to both of them BUT they are really quite spoiled rotten when it comes to beef.

The macaron ice cream sandwich sis ordered for dessert. YUMS. Totally want that but it isnt like A WOW dessert. Banana and refreshing...

You spot the busy clean white bright kitchen when you walk through the candlelitted walkway. Buzzing is the word. But I admired the way how bright and clean it is.

My entree with pork belly. Could very well been my main and I would have walked away from this experience a much happier satisfied customer. But alas, it was not to be. The pork belly is a little chewy but overall I think they did it very well. Paired well with the other ingredients here. Totally recommend this.

One of our side dishes, roasted pumpkin WHICH WAS SUPER GOOD and everyone loved this one. AMAZING, BIG APPLAUSE FOR IT.



Woodfired broccolini....meh.

Spot the bar?


Namecards of Rockpool from all round the world.

LOL. House rules which are so cute! Love the concept.



Mum's coral trout. A tad overcooked but overall very fresh and tender. 6.5/10 but I am a very harsh marker on fish.

My dessert of meringue tart which was too small but tasted quite nice. Not overly sweet. In comparison to cupcake and macaron, this is number 3.



Dad ordered coffee which comes in this cute little alien looking container for sugar. AND CARAMEL POPCORN WHICH REALLY ROCKS. A little 'lao hong' but tasted so fragrant and yummy. I wonder how they do it....drools.....




























Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com

Not one of my most organised blogposts but I am in kinda rush hahaha. Not supposed to be on here but I really want to share this with you so who cares if there are repeat photos. Bask in them...

Overall my experience in Rockpool is pretty special because I had my family with me and it was Mum's birthday celebration. Other than that, I have had better dining experiences foodwise and servicewise. Nothing to crow about and definitely not worth the $$$$$$$ one has to shell out here. So I am thankful for this one time experience and I look onwards to Nobu for a better quality experience!

Till my next food find, Mayy xo

M's Food Find #65

FOOD FOOD FOOD. I can't live without it yet I wish I could. But thankfully I can't so I can enjoy all these yummy ones. The recent family visit here in Perth was quite the culinary feast especially with all the new restaurants opening up. Can't wait for Nobu opening in September! All the new interests and openings just make me love Burswood more than I already do.

This food find is on one of the newest restaurants in Perth Burswood Entertainment Complex. Modo Mio serves up Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner. My family and I visited for lunch on their last day here and photos will take you through our journey.



It replaces the old Victoria Station restaurant.

Waiting area just behind those doors. Yes, they have queues so make your booking to avoid disappointments!

Or sit at the bar with a drink before dinner...

Chef's kitchen, well you can watch them make pizza and such! Love this particular open concept even if it is a little far from some tables. Wish it could be a little more interactive so to speak. But more on pizza...

Sorry, it is a little blurry. But that's the whole seating area. Pretty big and spacious with the bright/light colours and lighting. Very different from the Victoria Station dim mood.

Our table. Sure it is alittle casual compared to the rest in Burswood but it does give patrons more options and choices. I like the idea that it is not as stuffy and stiff.

Spot the woodfire pizza stove from afar!

A cute mini lamp that was on the tables. SO COOL, it runs on rechargeable stations. Dad was super fascinated with it, truth be told, I was too. I wanted one so bad! Sadly, they don't sell it in Perth. Sis actually took a series of photos of Dad and I playing with it and just fiddling with it. HA HA HA.

Lunch menu, still quite a few choices there and good ones too.

Nice clean setting. I don't know why I am always so fascinated with settings and the cutlery. Guess it shows alot about the effort and details the management takes into consideration.

Yummy bread, albeit a little too tough on the crust. I love how the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and rocksalt is presented. Tear-drop shaped. So pretty. Dad and I also played with this one, tilting it enough so the olive oil flows or vice versa into each part without overflowing out of the saucers.

Dad ordered this for entree, the cold cuts. We ordered one of the 3course set and 2 of the 2course sets.

The fettucine dish with such a wonderous tang of tomato. Vegetarian dish but so satisfying. This had the whole family digging into it. Even Mum who shunned tomato paste stuff. Very light and refreshing for a pasta dish. Good choice!

Prosciutto risotto. Obviously, my order. Love the clean presentation but unfortunately, the taste...too salty for my liking. The risotto is actually cooked through perfectly, with bite and softness. Just that the ingredients and flavours don't seem to dance on my tastebuds.


PIZZA! Alittle unexciting looking, and it really do taste like it looks. The prosciutto and rocketleaf pizza is a very unforgiving pizza in my opinion. It is so simple and really differentiates the good and bad pizza bases etc. Here, the pizza base and crust were too tough and very bland. The tomato/cheese base a little too bland... Let's not go on here.

After main courses, desserts are a MUST. In italian restaurants, tiramisu is my favourite go to dessert but I am also usually attracted to unique ones too. Nevertheless, let's talk about this tiramisu. Not the best Ive had but it will do and finishes the courses quite well. Nothing to shout about, nothing to crave about. Just...nice.

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com

The poached pear with vanilla bean panna cotta. Very sour pear from the poached juice. And the panna cotta probably had too much gelatin in it... For those who don't have too sweet tooth, and still would like a dessert. Cleanses the palate well. But I would go for the tiramisu here if given the choice.

Overall, the service was alright, better than average but not good enough to praise heaps on. The food and prices and ambience matched well in my opinion. No big discrepancies and grievances here. Worth a visit but whether it warrants a second one is up to you. Unfortunately, not for me.

Till my next food find, Mayy xo

Shoestopper #44

Hello there, my bad. Been away for so long. I also admit that I am addicted/obsessed with my facebook selling page. Its like I am constantly on there just so I can check asap whether or not there is interest on anything.

Anyways, never mind selling something, it opened up a whole new area of shopping. Suffice to say given that now I dont have a lot of time to head down to the shops, I can shop online. OH BOY. It was so hard to sit there and go I MUST NOT GET IT and then move on.

So speaking of which, this pair of shoestopping boots is one that I told myself I MUST NOT GET IT and then caved in eventually.

These boots are made for walking...


Love the pretty prints inside! The boots are made of suede so requires alot of care from me. I spray it with the protection and constantly roller-tape the dust after I wear it. Thinking about it, sometimes I get so lazy to wear it! But I do love it. They are from Novo and so comfortable. Love the height of it but it seemed to always droop down a bit...

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com

The heels are great height because of the arch of my feet. It fits so I don't feel much pain like when I wear too flat shoes. I guess thats why I love heels. They don't seem to hurt for me for the most part. But flats... I need them for lazy days and recovery days even if they hurt after too much walking.

Oh wells, I love these boots and they are near perfection with the wider mouth and soft fit to my legs. Keep the cold away and keep walking. Pair it with any outfits and look amazing in winter!

Till my next shoe-stopping experience, Mayy xo

M's Food Find #64

Have you ever thought hard about where to go after dinner nearby? A nice cafe for coffee and cake to continue interesting conversations and you just dont want the night to end yet? I mean, why ruin a good time when the dinner place you were at had to rush you out. I faced this dilemma a couple of weeks ago and had no choice but to settle for bubble tea when I was at Victoria Park.

While walking down to Utopia Bubble Tea, I spied this little place where I was always curious about. Feeling adventurous (HA HA), I wandered in and I knew I just found one of my favourite places around.

Love the mood lighting and friendly yet quiet chatter going round. The lovely aroma of coffee wafts through.

A clearer display awaits at the end of the post...

Out of everything, I ordered the sticky date toffee pudding in the cup. Warmed up and soft.

Looks amazing and as much as I wanted everything else, I knew I had to order this one! I JUST LOVE STICKY DATE PUDDINGS! It came with ice-cream which I declined. I found this properly sweet and very moist. YUMS. The best I've found in Perth so far.

Cute bamboo wall at the far end.

2 cappucinos and it was lovely. Amazing good coffee, fragrant and felt like a dance.



Really small place, I was sitting sort of in the middle so there's abit more at the back. Front window had high chairs and table. Very cosy and they also serve some hot food and tapas.

Photos credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com

A closer view of the yummy cake display! You can be sure I will be back for more and I definitely now know where to go to for a spot of coffee and cake with a friend or after dinner chillout nearby... Meanwhile, I shan't be rude. Here's the address ;)

The Imp

863 Albany Hwy

East Victoria Park

(08) 9361 2600

Till my next food find, Mayy xo

Shoestopper #43

A pair of comfortable pair of shoes to drive away Monday blues. These days, I have to wake up especially early in this wintery cold weather for a class at 8am. It is getting a wee bit difficult, truth be told. And I don't normally function that badly except now I battle insomnia. Sighs.

Enough about my sleeping, or lack thereof, issues. Shoes lift my mood up and just explaining some accounting issues using shoes and brands as illustrations help me feel better too! While I am tottering my Monday away on a pair of heels, I wished I had this pair with me right now...

Photo credits: mayydiaries.blogspot.com

This cute preppy green/gold/white checkered pattern ballet style flats really takes the cake for a clean-cut look. I didn't wear it often till this year and had to unfortunately retired it a couple of months ago... If I ever do see it again, I would get it one more time!

The material used here is a thick cloth with the insoles made of the same material. While it may seem coarse to the finger touch but they are actually quite comfortable. The only bad point is that you gotta somehow wear socks with these, as the material isn't too good for sweaty feet! Eeuch, smell.

I was also quite afraid of getting it dirty since it is white but it remained white as no matter how many times I wore it! Amazing.

So how do you like this pattern? Too difficult to match or too cute for words?

Till my next shoe-stopping experience, Mayy xo