iMasticate

Here’s one to commemorate my semester here in the Netherlands :D

We scored one free birthday meal through the ‘Fig Faves’ loyalty card and decided to try out one of the Naked Fig’s sister cafes, the Pickled Fig, for a celebratory dinner. Each cafe has equally gorgeous ocean views and we enjoyed watching the sunset for a couple of minutes while we waited to be seated.

Babe ($32)

I quickly settled on the house smoked maple pork belly, which came with delightful curly pieces of crackling on top. Hidden under the crackling was citrus marmalade and a meaty piece of pork. There were also a few sprigs of spinach, jus, and roughly mashed pumpkin and celeriac (which is an ugly root vegetable). I enjoyed the contrast between smoky pork and sweet marmalade, mushy vegies and crunchy crackling. The dish was quite tasty but also very salty.

Salmon ($30)

My brother’s salmon fillet had crispy skin and moist flesh, so it was well-cooked. The risotto was quite creamy and I finished most of it because he doesn’t enjoy the taste of capers. The unidentifiable bright yellow sauce was cheesy and was okay with the fish.

Steak (usually $36)

Disappointingly, the birthday boy’s meal was poorly presented without explanation or apology. It looked like the food was thrown on a plate. The scotch fillet was quite small and thick (that’s what she said) but properly cooked to medium-rare. The menu claimed that the steak was wrapped in panchetta, but it looked suspiciously like good ol’ fashioned bacon to me. Not sure about the ‘potato fondant’ which seemed to be a boiled potato. It was a relief that this hit-and-miss meal was complimentary due to the loyalty program.

Service was a little slow at times and our waitress was consistently aloof and short with us - maybe she was having a bad day?

Summary 
Likes: free birthday meal with loyalty card

Dislikes: unfriendly staff, average food

Value for money: not great

Overall: would prefer to visit other restaurants around Freo

Contact
Address:
9/21 Ocean Dr
North Coogee WA

(08) 9431 7333

www.thefig.com.au

The Classroom is a restaurant and bar in North Perth that looks pretty boring outside, but packs heaps of fun inside! We had a group of six so we were able to reserve a table for a busy Saturday evening. The music was loud and included a fantastic mix of old and new hits, which resulted in bursts of spontaneous mid-conversation karaoke.

The Classroom’s Bucket of Kentucky Goodness ($19)

The menu boasts that the 12 secret herbs and spices will keep “the Colonel” out of business. This is some of the best fried chicken I have ever tasted and it is in a completely different league to KFC. Delicious batter packed with flavour and juicy tender meat inside. We shared a basket (sadly, not a bucket) and I could easily have demolished these on my own.

You’ll also spot the awesome bar tabs, which are blocks of wood that you might not-so-fondly remember from school maths lessons.

8Hr Bourbon Beef Short Ribs and Charred Pineapple ($19)

The tender meat on the ribs easily pulled apart and the bourbon marinade tasted like a rich BBQ sauce. Extra marinade in the jar was slathered onto the ribs and charred pineapple, which added a hit of sweetness to balance out all the savoury. No doubt the serving was too tiny for $19, but the dish was super yummy.

Tiger Prawn Tacos ($15)

My friends enjoyed the prawn tacos, which they described as fresh and tasty. The dish comes with pipette of spicy sauce - tread cautiously because my seasoned friend found it packed quite a punch. Every bit of the fresh guacamole was eaten, so it must have gone down well. I suffered from a little bit of food envy until more food was ready.

10Hr Duck Leg Confit ($23)

Sharing the solitary duck leg between three people was slightly challenging and became a disappointingly small serve. However, the apricot chutney was sweet and tasted great with the duck. I also enjoyed forkfuls of peach, dates, pomegranate, witlof leaves, and what we thought was quinoa (it looked like large couscous).

Ice-cream Sandwich with Gingerbread and Salted Caramel Cherries ($12)

How could I go past an ice-cream sandwich, one of my childhood favourites? It was a challenge to share this dessert because the gingerbread was not soft and squishy like the packaged variety. The gingerbread had a harder biscuit texture and tasted fantastic with the creamy vanilla ice-cream. I’m not a fan of weirdly flavoured cherries, so I donated mine to a friend. A really fun and messy dessert!!

Collect your own food from the canteen counter

The staff walked around for table service, but customers collect food from the counter when the buzzer goes off. My friends ordered a few drinks that took about half an hour to arrive, but it was good fun to watch the bartenders at work! The Classroom has a few novelty cocktails, including one that utilises a bunsen burner.

LN2 Espresso Martini ($22)

My friend ordered a cocktail that uses liquid nitrogen from the container sitting behind the bar. It was chilled and smoking on the counter, but unfortunately had warmed up by the time it arrived at our table. The drink was quite bitter so my friend requested two packets of sugar which seemed to make it more palateable for her. I didn’t have a taste-test because I don’t like coffee…

Lick, Sip, Suck: REDUX ($20)

The amusing name of this cocktail deserves a little smirk, but it seems redundant to make a “that’s what he said” joke… The cocktail consisted mostly of lemon sorbet and tequila, but my friend added two packets of sugar to her drink too! The weird kaffir leaf lime powder and black volcanic salt was pretty gross, so it ended up as war-paint on my friend’s face. The Classroom really brings out a person’s inner child, plus my friend loved the hand-made Mexican lollipop!

The Red Hook ($18)

Unfortunately, this cocktail was not as sweet as my friend had hoped for. I had a small taste and it had me reeling because it was very strong and tasted like whisky. After double-checking the menu description, we realised that the cocktail consisted of Vermouth, beam rye, maraschino liqueur, and a decorative cherry. Not a cocktail for the light-hearted.

Lockers and other cute school-inspired decor

Service was attentive and friendly, even though the food and drinks took some time to arrive (probably due to the Saturday night crowds). While the drinks were somewhat disappointing, everyone enjoyed the food and atmosphere. All in all, we had an excellent time at The Classroom and we will be back.

Summary 
Likes: fun decor, tasty food, great music, friendly table service

Dislikes: bitter cocktails, long wait for drinks

Value for money: reasonable

Overall: great spot for a fun night out with friends

Contact
Address:
Unit 1, 356 Charles St
North Perth WA

(08) 9444 7729

www.theclassroom.com.au

I am madly catching up with people before I head overseas for five months. I had a lazy Saturday morning and met my friend at The Roastery in Southern River for a leisurely lunch.

The Fillet Steak Sandwich ($18.50)

I found the lunch menu more exciting than the breakfast menu, so I selected one of the ‘Signature’ dishes. My sandwich had a generous serving of back strap fillet, which was delightfully tender and medium-rare. There was a light garlic and rosemary flavour to the meat, plus cheese, mushrooms, red onions, rocket, and a sweet tomato chutney. The cheese was soft but not properly melted, which bugged me a little. My friend advised me to remove the top layer of bread, which I happily agreed to. Despite just one piece of bread, I found that my ‘deconstructed’ sandwich was a hearty and tasty meal.

Coffee

My friend loves The Roastery because she has never tasted a burnt coffee there. She reckons the takeaway coffee is a more generous serve and suggests ordering one in a takeaway cup and drinking it there!

Service was friendly and the food and drinks came out quickly. However, we were sitting outside and chatting for over an hour without any staff clearing our table (or the table next to us), so napkins and paper cups were blown around.

Summary 
Likes: the ‘Signature’ fillet steak sandwich

Dislikes: uncleared tables

Value for money: average

Overall: would return if I was around the neighbourhood

Contact
Address:
1 Holmes St
Southern River WA

(08) 9394 0033

Mama Tran is a really popular restaurant near the QV1 Building in the city. Our group of six headed there for lunch quite regularly during our vacation work. The food is tasty, the portions are generous, and the prices are very reasonable.

Mì Khô ($11)

One of my favourites was the dry egg noodle dish with braised pork, pork mince, and fried battered prawns. There are also heaps of free condiments including lemon wedges, cut red chilli, mint leaves, and a range of sauces.

The noodles are the same as the wonton noodles at Malaysian restaurants. As you can see from the photo, the serving is impressive and there’s lots of meat!

Cơm Tấm Bì Sườn Chả ($11)

Pork overload! This rice dish is served with grilled pork, shredded pork, and pork terrine. The grilled pork chop was tender and packed with flavour, the shredded pork cartilege was (surprisingly) soft and edible, and the pork terrine had a funny spongy texture. My brother is a meat-lover so he was very pleased with this dish.

Phở Tái ($10)

Some of my friends ordered the rice noodle soup with rare beef, even though it was a hot summer day. I tasted some and the broth was flavoursome. Floating under the mound of mint leaves, there were plenty of noodles and a reasonable serving of thinly sliced beef.

Fried Chicken (2 pieces for $2.50)

During one particularly “fat” lunchtime, my brother and I ordered a side of fried chicken. These were bite-sized, oily, lightly battered delights. I just wish Mama Transerved stuffed chicken wings…

One of my favourites was Bún Chả Giò Thịt Nướng which is a rice vermicelli noodle salad with grilled pork and spring rolls. I ordered it three times in a row, but forgot to take photos (oops). The serving size was larger than Phi Yen, but the noodles at Mama Tran were slightly overcooked.

It is difficult to find enough seating for larger groups, but you can usually snag a spot for one or two people without any difficulty, even during the busy lunch hours. Service is friendly and food is prepared really quickly!

Summary 
Likes: large portions, cheap prices, super speedy service

Dislikes: struggling to find seating during lunch hour (but that’s to be expected)

Value for money: great

Overall: one of my favourite lunch spots near QV1

Contact
Address:
Shop 6, 36-40 Milligan St
Perth WA

(08) 9481 6688

mamatran.com.au