The Silver LiningLow Key Chow House
Posted on June 20, 2014
Bit by bit, our favourite local food hole, Leederville, is transforming. There’s been a spate of changes along ye olde Oxford St, and there are a number of new, interesting and happening food joints such as Bill’s Bar, Pincho’s and and now Low Key Chow House. There is very little signage from the street to indicate Low Key’s presence but there’s no denying its brand new facade which beckons you to enter the warmly lit space.
The hip industrial aesthetic plays off well against the quirky menus plastered with the faces of Asian icons like Bruce Lee and iron chefs saying, “…And den…?”. The food features re-imagined Asian staples from Malaysia to Korea to Vietnam and back again. My personal favourites? The bak kwah sliders and citrus cured kingfish with betel leaf.
Take a peek inside.
Low Key Chow House / 140 Oxford St, Leederville / 9443 9305 / Wednesday – Sunday dinner, Friday – Sunday lunch
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Spunky banana bread
Posted on May 6, 2014
Everybody loves a good banana bread. Somewhere in between a dessert and a savoury, and labelled as bread to make it a valid “healthy option”. Win win.
The reason why this one is so spunky, however, is due to the addition of dark chocolate and a few handfuls of toasted flaked almonds. The original recipe called for hazelnuts but it was 11:15am, my shift was due to start at 12pm, and I had to make the executive decision to use the already ready almond flakes over my non-toasted non-chopped hazelnuts. It was a decision that I did not regret! Yes, I was a wee bit late to work – but I came bearing freshly baked cake and soon all was forgiven and forgotten…!
Ingredients
- 125g butter, softened
- 175g brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups mashed banana
- 70g toasted almonds (flaked or slivered)
- 90g chopped dark chocolate
- 255g plain flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder, sifted
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate powder (baking soda), sifted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 115g golden syrup
Method
- Preheat oven to 160ºC.
- Prepare a 26cm x 11cm loaf tin.
- Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract together until well combined and creamy.
- Add the eggs one by one, beating well in between.
- Finally, add the banana, almonds, chocolate, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate powder, cinnamon and golden syrup and stir to combine.
- Spoon mixture into your loaf tin.
- Bake for 75 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
- Cool in the tin for 20 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
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Elotes callejeros
Posted on April 28, 2014
I first encountered this Mexican street style corn whilst at a flea market in Brooklyn, New York, a year and a half ago. Jinn disappeared for a wee while whilst I was rummaging through some old records and when I turned around he had returned with two massive cobs of corn coated with some unknown substances and an even bigger smile spread across his face. I wasn’t even hungry but before I knew it, my corn had disappeared, every last little kernel inhaled deliciously into my eager stomach.
We’ve been trying to replicate it ever since and I think, by George, we’ve got it! Thanks to stumbling across this rad Jamie Oliver recipe and putting our spin on it, we’ve now managed to spread the cheesy corn love to the rest of our family and friends.
Ingredients
- 6 large cobs of corn, husked and halved
- 4 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise
- zest of 2 limes
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 90g finely grated parmesan cheese (I find the almost powdered form the best as it sticks to the corn perfectly)
Method
- Soak the corn in cold water for at least 30 minutes.
- Mix together the mayonnaise, lime zest, lime juice and cayenne pepper. You can add more lime juice to taste. Now spread the mixture onto a large plate.
- Spread the grated parmesan onto another large plate.
- Preheat your barbecue or a griddle pan to high heat. Whilst you’re waiting you can skewer your corn for ease of consumption.
- Roll each piece of corn in the mayonnaise mixture. Cook the corn for 12 to 15 minutes each, turn occasionally.
- Now roll your nicely charred corn in the parmesan. Shake off any excess cheese.
- Get in quick. They’re that good.
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Citrus iced tea
Posted on March 21, 2014
So after a few chilly nights where the doona came out last week, I thought this was it! Autumn was here to stay. But no, it doesn’t seem like Summer’s ready to loosen its grips on us just yet and those fluffy coats I purchased online a week ago have to sadly remain in the spare cupboard a little while longer…Darn it…
But here’s a quick and ridiculously easy iced tea recipe that I made on the weekend. It highlights Earl Grey’s naturally citrusy tones with the addition of an orange, peel and juice!
Here’s how to…
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup loose Earl Grey tea or 12 Earl Grey tea bags (I used French Earl Grey from T2)
- 1 orange
- 1L boiling water
- 1L cold water and lots of ice
- 1/4 cup sugar
Method
- Peel the orange so the rind comes off in one long strand (I did this with a knife). Reserve the rind.
- Juice the orange and set aside.
- Steep tea in your boiling water and add orange rind. Leave for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the tea and rind.
- Stir in the juice and sugar, mixing to ensure all the sugar has dissolved.
- Add cold water.
- Top up with heaps of ice if you wish to serve it now. Otherwise chuck it in the fridge and enjoy it later!
Done!
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White Elephant beach cafe
Posted on March 17, 2014
It’s amazing how much you notice the weather change during the drive down south. We embarked from Perth on a 39 degree Celsius day and I’d packed four sundresses, a pair of shorts and a bikini. Thank goodness I threw in a cardie at the last minute! Searingly bright blue skies were replaced by muted grey clouds, and unforgiving rays of sun made way for a nippy breeze that surely raised goosebumps!
Breakfast at The White Elephant was tasty and unfussy. A lovely view of the waves constantly lapping against Gnarabup beach was the perfect accompaniment to my bacon and eggs on toast. The coffee too was just right. As their sign recommends, if you look out onto the ocean and look left you will notice a formation of rocks that resembles an elephant’s head side on with just a tiny stretch of the imagination!
Alas, the water was way too icy to take a dip. But fret not, we’ll definitely return to this spot on a future road trip.
White Elephant beach cafe / Gnarabup Rd, Gnarabup WA / Mon-Sat 7:30am – late / Sun 7:30am-10pm
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Oven Baked Tomato Sauce
Posted on January 29, 2014
Many many years from now, I’d like to retire and have a small backyard orchard, full of productive fruit and vegetable crops. We would have far too much of everything to know what to do with, and we’d give it all away to family, friends, and neighbours. With all the extra tomatoes we’d grow, we would make litres of tomato sauce and bottle it up, becoming slightly famous as a result (because it tastes so damn good). It would be idyllic.
Well, the other day, I could scarcely believe it when my parents gave me 2kg of tomatoes. Here was my chance to have a head-start on retirement and make some homemade pasta sauce!
– Jinn
Oven Baked Tomato Sauce
This is a great base sauce that can be enjoyed by itself on pasta, served with fresh basil and parmesan, or in a casserole, stew or with meatballs. It can be left on its own in the oven for hours, allowing you to get on and do other things!
Ingredients:
- 1kg tomatoes – cored with seeds removed and roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 2/3 cup of olive oil
- 2/3 cup of red wine or red wine vinegar
- 15 basil leaves – torn up
- Salt and pepper to taste at the end
- Preheat oven to 150C
Method:
- Mix all ingredients together in a 2L casserole or dutch oven, even a roasting pan will do. Cover and bake for at least 2 hrs – baking for longer will result in a more concentrated sauce.
- Allow to cool.
- Blend the sauce until smooth with a food processor.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Bottle it up and give to your family and friends.
- Easy as!
Adapted and altered recipe for pasta sauce from Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Companion.
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Ootong and Lincoln
Posted on November 12, 2013
Having a friend visiting from overseas forces you to pull out all the stops and show them the really best places in Perth. Ootong and Lincoln fits the bill in my opinion. Quite simply, my favourite cafe in Fremantle. Located slightly off the main cafe strip, it is nonetheless always bustling at any time of day, serving amazing food, great drinks, and even carbonated tap water (if you know which button to press!). Absolutely everything is made on site from the freshest of local organic ingredients with the yummiest of results.
Ootong and Lincoln / 258 South Tce, South Fremantle / 7 days a week, 6:30am to 5pm
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The Kinfolk Table
Posted on October 29, 2013
After much anticipation and many a bated breath The Kinfolk Table finally landed on our doorstep the other day. Most of you will know that Jinn and I are both massive Kinfolk fans and have been eagerly buying their magazine since they first started up (aside from the elusive first issue – argh!). The Kinfolk Table is a beautiful combination of gorgeous photography, inspiring recipes from all around the world and the stories behind them. As always, the emphasis is on small gatherings and genuine relationships. Their very words sum up an attitude to life that I aspire to – to “show up at life’s feast with an open heart and a genuine spirit”. This is a book crammed full of an abundance of simple, home cooked food that is real, tasty and unpretentious.
All images courtesy of Kinfolk
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Twilight Hawkers Market
Posted on October 25, 2013
The Twilight Hawkers Markets are back, heralding the start of warm-weather good times in Perth. Every Friday night, a multitude of different food stalls harking from many international cuisines descends on Forrest Place in the city ready to feed the masses.
It’s a great option if you’re looking for something different to eat before a night out in Northbridge, or even whilst you browse shops in Perth city. We sampled the South American pupusas, corn tortillas with a light fluffy texture, stuffed with cheese, refried beans and pork (yummo!) and I could not walk past the Vietnamese stall without ordering a banh mi, a crusty bread roll filled with pork belly, fresh coriander, slices of cucumber and carrot, and some crazy magic sauce that makes you feel like you could eat a hundred more banh mis! A lime coconut icy pole from La Paleta ended the night’s grazing most perfectly!
I’m making a beeline for that bratwurst next time! (Hmm, that came out sounding weird…) But, for serious, I’m definitely going to be back! If you go, will you save a spot in that eternally long Argentinian Barbecue line for me?
Twilight Hawkers Markets / Forrest Place, Perth City / Every Friday from 5pm to 9pm until end of April 2014
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Piccolo’s Corner
Posted on October 4, 2013
The other day, I finished my morning shift at work a little bit early and decided to meet Jinn at our new favourite local cafe, Piccolo’s Corner. This cosy little gem is located in the leafy suburb of West Leederville, just a stone throw’s away from our place.
Enjoy a cooked brekky with a beverage of your choice (so far I’ve had their coffee and chai latte – both are ace) inside their quirky interior or sunny garden, both characterised by a mixture of vintage bric-a-brac and cutting edge street art. Get there early on the weekend or be prepared to wait in line!
Piccolo’s Corner / 58 St Leonards St, West Leederville / Tuesday – Friday 7:00am to 4:00pm, Saturday & Sunday 8:00am to 2:00pm
The Silver Lining 