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Almost forgot to share my most recent Freo Herald review. I think that I restrained myself a little too much. Yes the food was much better than their attitude. Madame Cattan also had plenty to say about their incorrect spelling of French words on the menu. And no, we should not have both ordered the same dish! I’ve copped a pasting elsewhere for complaining about the lack of hospitality in today’s hospitality industry. I’ll be interested in your thoughts.

A new glow in East Freo

 

LA LUNE on George St has big shoes to fill. 

It’s in a great location and has been home to a number of excellent establishments. 

Locals will probably recall the George St Bistro run by Soren Koberstein and Sabine Treder, who enjoyed a decade-long tenure before moving to Juniper & Bay. 

Now it is La Lune, which Madame Cattan and I had been meaning to try for a while now and we finally made it there for a leisurely Sunday lunch. 

With an extensive menu to choose from, I’m afraid we both went for the roast chicken. 

I was pretty keen especially since this smartfoodmama has issues roasting chicken. 

There, I said it! 

At $24 the half chicken we each received was a perfectly roasted chicken; tender and juicy. 

We also ordered crunchy fries and a fresh salad. 

This was a perfect Sunday roast. 

La Lune has an extensive wine selection, but we abstained.

Madame was not going to share dessert so we settled for rather good coffees and a stroll around the gorgeous streets of East Fremantle where we “um’d and ah’d” over the gorgeous renovations and beautiful gardens of this picturesque precinct. 

I presume that La Lune like many other hospitality venues is having trouble finding staff because the youngsters on duty seemed a little under the pump and inexperienced. 

Didn’t we get a shock, though, when we went to the counter to find a sign saying: “We do not accept cash payment”. 

There are reasons for doing this, as it’s clearly easier and safer for management. But why not say so on the menu? According to their website they don’t take bookings either.

I could shrug this off as yet another sign that I’m no longer of a relevant generation, but I remain nostalgic for the days when restaurateurs actually embraced the idea of hospitality.

La Lune
73 George St, East Fremantle
6246 6566
Open 7am from Wed-Sun.
Walk-ins only.
Dinner Friday and Saturday.
https://lalunefremantle.com/
Catch me at (smartfoodmama@gmail.com) 

Eat, Look, Listen, Walk…..and eat some more!

Darwin: Guided Gourmet Food and Street Art Walking Tour https://www.darwingourmettours.com/

A trip to Darwin during the final frost days of Perth’s winter was just what this doctor ordered. Darwin by day is a riot of endless sunshine, vivid tropical vistas and heady aromas. Cooler evenings see a different streetscape come to life. Darwin’s Guided Gourmet Food and Street Art Walking Tour. (https://www.darwingourmettours.com/) gives you a generous serving of both.

I would not have known about this if it weren’t for my good friend, host in Darwin and fellow hospitality survivor Chris Bond, a woman of many talents. I wasn’t surprised to discover she’s an excellent tour guide.

Following our feerless leader

Walking tours are popping up all over the place these days. I’m a bit of a veteran of walking tours myself, but that’s another story. The trick I discovered is to make sure no-one gets run over.

Darwin really is another world: South-East Asian geographically and visually; its multicultural population makes Perth look somewhat bland. I will make my one and only critique (if you can call it that) of Darwin. Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to swim in. Yes, that magnificent Timor Sea be full of creatures you don’t want to meet! Raised as I was in Bondi, salt water you can’t  swim, or even dip your tootsies in, seems like a cruel joke.

Darwin is all about the geography: the Top End just screams “Asia” and this is of course reflected in the city’s foodscape. To enjoy that, there’s nothing like the local knowledge this tour offered. The tour starts in daylight and ends after dark. $179 might seem a lot, but with 3 restaurant visits and so much spectacular street art to take in; we certainly got our money’s worth.

We met up and began at Phat Mango, (https://www.phatmango.com.au) gotta love the name, for what we used to call Modern Australian cuisine, that is, classic European techniques applied (in this case) to local NT produce using bush flavours. Phat Mango offered us an entrée tasting plate which included local NT Eva Valley buffalo chorizo with hummous, fresh baked mini damper using Darwin’s famous One Mile Brewery beer, topped with a bush tomato salsa and Humpty Doo barramundi smoked in melaleuca bark.

If you want to try locally sourced produce paired with bush flavours this is the place for you. We did return to Phat Mango a few days later for dinner. I can definitely recommend their cocktails – how could I go past a “territory showgirl?” Made with vodka, elderflower and apple it was deceptively light and super refreshing, as a good cocktail should be.

Leaving Phat Mango we wandered past young artists working on the final of three huge new murals opposite what must be Darwin’s most famous example of street art. This multi-story representation of the late, celebrated Arnhem Land musician Gurumul:

The tour incorporates augmented reality, much of it is visual but you can hear Gurumul sing in language. You can find out more about that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flMh8iLgfGU

I have enough trouble just coping with my reality but the more tech-savvy members of the group seemed to enjoy it immensely.

Ella by Manoli (https://ellabyminoli.au/) took me by surprise – but then I am so easily distracted that I didn’t immediately twig to the fact that I’d seen (and loved) Manoli on Masterchef. So there’s a confession, I do occasionally tune in to Masterchef, though I find the hoopla nauseating. I remembered that Manoli’s rotis looked outstanding on the tellie, and indeed they were light, as air, crispy and simply the perfect accompaniment to the complex and rich Sri Lankan curries that just kept on coming. I knew I should hold back for the last stop but faced with such delicious choices, I just couldn’t restrain myself.

Manoli’s signature dish, kiwifruit in a mustard seed, coconut and turmeric sauce was divine, smooth, rich and flavourful. Is this how manna from heaven might have tasted? I think I can speak for the group when I say we all ate more than we should have. And subsequently felt very guilty not to do justice to our last stop.

Now it was evening and Chris had led us to the waterfront for our last stop Urban Spice https://www.facebook.com/urbanspicepantry/

I’ve long believed you can get fabulous water views or fabulous food but seldom do you get both. Urban Spice knocks that myth on its head. I’m going to be honest, none of us had much room at this point . But we gave it our best shot and thoroughly enjoyed their food, especially the local barramundi;

lightly spiced, coated in chick-pea flour and fried. 

 

 

 

And finally, crème brulee with a hint of cardamon. I was never allowed dessert if I didn’t finish my dinner, but there was no-one to stop me.

The walking aspect of the tour is every bit as interesting as the delicious food we enjoyed, but less fattening of course. It’s so good to see a city with a local, but especially with an informed and friendly person like Chris and an eager group of food lovers. A tropical night that ended with tales of ice-hotels and the aurora borealis from the couple from Denmark? Only in Darwin.

I enjoyed this tour as a guest of the Guided Gourmet Food and Street Art Walking Tour (https://www.darwingourmettours.com/)

 

THE Little French Nest has popped up in Fremantle and this francophile is very happy. 

With an interstate guest staying and with so many excellent venues in Freo, it was hard to choose somewhere special for brunch, but our third wheel, Madame Cattan, who really knows her brie from her camembert recommended the Nest.

It went well as we arrived late morning on a sunny Sunday and nabbed a window table. 

Their counter display is impressive: Croque Monsieur, super crisp, well-stuffed baguettes and a number of delicious cakes in the window; and what could be more French than madeleines, even if you’ve not read Proust (Google it). 

Like so many other pretentious foodies I’m happy to make the allusion without having read him either!

The Little French Nest is situated in what was the site of Vivisen Asian restaurant and next to Joy Kitchen, in its humbler days.

It really is a case of location, location: a quick walk from the FOMO building and everything else you might need in Freo; and it’s just round the corner from Spotlight. 

And if you have teenagers and want some quiet time, it’s also just down from the Games Workshop. Of course this could turn out to be an expensive option.

So if you’re looking for more than bacon and eggs, this is the place for you with so many tempting menu choices; including for my GF friend and interstate visitor Chris. 

Coffee is not as good as roasting venues, but that’s to be expected.

But the coffee is fine and the service is friendly and efficient Chris thoroughly enjoyed the Pear Belle-Helene ($18), a perfectly poached pear with a rich chocolate sauce, a little too rich for my taste, though I imagine many of you might disagree; and Chris loved it.

I ordered the Crepe Aumoniere ($19.50).  Reminded me of my brief incarceration as crepe maker at the hole in the wall that what was then Falduzzi. My efforts then were a poor imitation. 

This crepe was miraculously light, containing a variety of meaty mushrooms as suggested by the menu and a delicate but smooth and creamy béchamel. 

It’s not often that what I order fits the bill so exactly. I haven’t tried their crepe suzette yet, but there’s time.

Madame Cattan ordered confit salmon served on a brioche with tzadziki, and a citrus dressing ($23) and was also happy with the generous serve of salmon, and the brioche of course.

This is a dog friendly venue, as long as the pooch stays outside with water and abundant shade provided. For those who want more than bacon and eggs, I’m predicting the Little French Nest is a keeper.

Little French Nest
15 Point Street, Fremantle
Open Monday to Sunday 8am – 2.30pm

How sweet it is

I JUST love a birthday! In fact I just love a celebration – I’ll drink to that! 

I’ve wanted to try the Sweetwater Rooftop Bar for some time now. 

Asian-style food, cocktails and stunning views, what more can I ask for? 

Zen had made the booking and ticked the box for their birthday and was therefore presented with a glass of very drinkable bubbles on arrival.

Zen had also insisted on an Uber so Mama could try a cocktail or two and I did.

Particularly enjoyed the Singapore Sling while Zen’s Lost in the Clouds sounded like a Pina Colada, tasted like one but did in fact look like a mushroom cloud was about to emerge. 

I have to say the menu was right up my alley and my only regret was not leaving room for either of their duck dishes. 

Being a greedy soul, I would have ordered it anyway and struggled, but Zen wisely suggested we order some smaller dishes and see how we go. 

By the time we got through those, we were done!

So we kicked off with Charred Street Corn Fritters ($14): tasty mashed corn deep fried and served with their own kim chi and nahm prik pao (Thai chilli jam) which was a very suitable accompaniment to the subtle flavour of the fritters. 

Then on to Salt & Pepper Szechuan Cuttlefish ($16): miso mayo Wok-tossed Salt & Pepper Cuttlefish with a chilli & tomato sambal, green onion and coriander. 

I’m a big fan of fried squid, but was unsure of the difference between squid and cuttlefish.

Turns out (thanks Dr. Google) that there is a very slight difference – this was chewier than well-cooked squid should be but certainly not tough. 

Zingy

Apparently cuttlefish has more flavour than squid. The salt and pepper coating was nutty, the sambal zingy; I just loved it.

The Pork and Ginger pot stickers couldn’t compete with our favourite yum cha joint and I could get side-tracked on this “pot sticker” name. Aren’t they the dish formerly known as Shanghai dumplings? 

The Shark Bay Tiger Prawns with a tingling Sichuan dressing, coriander, and spring onion were poached and soaked in a subtle but tangy marinade, “tingly” in fact. 

The five large, juicy steamed tiger prawns, even at $24 for a small plate seemed quite reasonable. Divine!

Heaven

Prawn & Snapper Wontons ($18) Malaysian laksa, fresh herb, crispy shallots, sounded right up my alley, as I believe laksa is what you eat when you go to heaven and any wonton will do me. 

They were tasty, but a little overwhelmed by the very hot laksa. I’m a fan of chilli but a heat warning would be helpful. 

By this stage we had applied ourselves and there would be no room for the duck, just a shared dessert perhaps? 

The Valrhona Dark Chocolate Semi-Freddo ($16) was rich, but not too sweet. 

Grazing from small plates is such a social and relaxed way to eat. 

All in all a great meal and we were more than happy to get an Uber.

Sweetwater Rooftop Bar
Level 6/1 Silas St, East Fremantle WA 6158
9460 9988
Wednesday/Thursdaay 12noon – 10pm
Friday/Saturday noon – midnight
Sunday 11am – 10pm

by FELICITY NEWMAN

Spring is in the air and soon I’ll stop wondering how cafes and restaurants manage to stay in business. Warm nights…we’ll be out. Many folk in my local community are disappointed that the Fremantle South Beach sunset markets aren’t going to be held this summer.

Roel Loopers is clearly one of those people and he makes an excellent case for them:

https://freoview.wordpress.com/2019/11/18/you-got-it-wrong-fremantle-council/

I’m not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of the issue – more murky council business perhaps and certainly a blow for the indefatigable Georgie Adeane, who has been such a force in the market economy in Freo.

But I’m as selfish as the next person, okay call me a nimby. South Beach is my favourite place with, or without a dog in tow and each summer it’s been off limits on Saturday afternoon for me.

I don’t cycle (sadly) and doubt if the dog would make it there from Hilton anyway. Last summer, it was searingly hot and I’d forgotten about the markets when I popped the dog in to the car thinking we’d just pull in and have a quick dip. Turned out the nearest place to park was downtown Freo.

So while I’m sure I’m sure the foodtrucks and stalls did very well, not so the South Fremantle restaurants and cafes. I’m also going to say I was never that taken with the food truck offerings.

Many folks will mourn the loss of this market but I just feel like I got my beach back. There, I said it!

 

I’ve been watching (I’d like to say researching) cooking programs for a very long time. I don’t expect to feel the joy I felt when seeing groundbreakers like The Two Fat Ladies  and Iron Chef for the first time. So I don’t watch them much anymore. Despite all the razzle dazzle and even Maggie Beer, Masterchef was unwatcheable after a couple of seasons, though I will admit to watching those.

But I do flick onto the SBS food channel from time to time. Rick Stein, Adam Liaw, Poh Ling Yeow, Gordon Ramsey, Jamie Oliver, the late lamented Anthony Bourdain and others will all keep me interested and teach me something I may never use in my lifetime.

Yes, my TV cookery palate is jaded. So it was a nice surprise to land on Pacific Food Revolution.

I’ve only seen one episode but it’s top of my “to binge” list. So basically it seems there are teams of two from various Pacific nations. And they’re cooking with ingredients we’ve just never seen, except for sweet potato.

Yes they’ve adopted the Masterchef-style confessions of undying gratitude to various aunties and uncles but these passionate cooks produce food that just jumps from the screen and the judging panel are gracious and wise. Not a Calombaris in sight.

Love to know what you think. Binge with me?

 

SimchaFreo is a local Jewish cultural group. We meet up when we can and organise various events, then we retreat, as I did last year by not hosting our annual Chanukah party. Well I had overseas guests for Christmas – oops, did I say that?

But this year  we held it again and a great afternoon it was.

The band:

You all know by  now that Chanukah celebrates the miracle of the oiI.   If you don’t know: https://smartfoodmama.com/2018/11/30/its-chanukah-again/

You will find my latke recipe there.

Well this year I exceeded my normal latke output as we were expecting folks from the Jewish Freo group as well. No pressure!

Of course everyone brought a plate.

We also had a load of mini donuts .. with the requisite jam inside.

However Wendy and Celia set up a primus and fried their gluten free donuts – which were truly divine.

So we ate, drank, sang and were indeed merry.

Chag Chanukah Sameach!

So I’ve been a little busy this week – probably tilting at windmills yet again but this is a serious stoush. My beloved IGA is being chucked out in favour of a development by you know who. So here’s my “Thinking Allowed ” column, kindly published by the Freo Herald.

BY now you will be aware there’s trouble brewing in Hilton regarding the loss of our IGA. 

I say “our” IGA because since Gino Divitini took over the supermarket in 2008, that store has become an integral part of a community hub. 

With Charlie’s excellent coffee and Gilbert’s specialty offerings across South Street, a new Op Shop and Ruby’s, we do seem to finally have the Town Centre desired by the council.

The IGA doesn’t look like much but it employs 80 staff and offers a range of specialised products to suit the Hilton community. 

Since Mr Divitini took over in 2008, the quality of products and service has improved tremendously with many vegan, vegetarian, wholefood products and quality prepared meals offered. 

If they don’t have what you want, they’ll get it.

The IGA bent over backwards to accommodate the community particularly during the early days of the pandemic.

They even copped an unfair pasting for breaking large packets of toilet rolls into 4 packs. 

Some locals thought it was price gouging – as if! 

Gino made sure we all had loo paper, pasta and the rest. 

At the Hilton IGA the office door is always open and the staff are visible and helpful.

Eviction

All that will change with the IGA’s proposed eviction.

Despite lengthy positive negotiations with the Carcione group and IGA central management to redevelop the site, our IGA is suddenly being evicted in favour of a much larger development by one of the big two supermarket duopoly. 

“Them’s the breaks” you might say, “it’s their property, their decision”. 

But is our community entirely irrelevant? 

There has been no attempt to engage with us, to put their case or to let us know what the future will bring. 

It’s a 19th century way of doing business. 

What about community engagement, amenity, fair play, the glorious trees on South Street and last, but not least, road safety?

Locals take their lives in their hands when using the pedestrian crossing to get across from the IGA to the shopping arcade opposite. 

A woman was run over there and seriously injured, just over a week ago. 

Main roads acknowledged the danger by preventing right hand turns at this intersection but now they claim any traffic issues from the proposed redevelopment aren’t theirs to deal with as they will impact only Paget Street, which they say is the council’s problem. 

This is already a dangerous corner. What further impact will such a large development provide? 

The development application includes a 24/7 grocery, with a cafe and liquor outlet. 

There are already three bottle shops in the area.

It’s not exactly a dry suburb! So, what do we want?

We’d like to hear from the owners, who didn’t attend the precinct meeting to discuss this, though they were invited. 

We want to enjoy safe usage of our Town Centre. 

And we want more time to consider the proposal, just before Christmas seems a tad tricky. 

We believe the people who live in the area should be involved in what their community looks like. 

This is our town centre and we will be living with whatever is built long after the developer moves on. 

Concerns can be addressed to Main Roads: enquiries@pta.wa.gov.au

This year has been so full of surprises, pleasant and otherwise! Writing restaurant reviews for the Fremantle Herald has a very back to the future feel since I spent a couple of years doing this a very long time ago. At that stage my offspring was referred to as babe while the ‘ex’ went under the alias ‘Gomez’ and was generally the subject of my sad attempts at humour.

Well Gomez is now offshore and babe is an adult, but luckily I have no shortage of dining companions. This week I reviewed an absolute favourite, the Emperor’s Kitchen in Leeming.

Enjoy!

Regal feast