Cicerello’s, Fremantle

If you are wondering why I have not updated my blog for about a week, thats because I was out of the country.

About half an hour’s drive or so  from Perth is the village …oops CITY of Fremantle. Frankly I find it to be a little too tiny to be a city. Anyway Fremantle is a harbour due to its location which is just at the mouth of the Swan River.

I took a stroll along its streets and got the feeling that I was back in time….many of the streets will give you the feeling that you are somehow lost in the 19th century.

Well, maybe this is what charms most tourist and after an hours' walk I decided it was time to eat.

My choice was none other than Cicerello’s. Established in 1903, it prides itself as ‘Western Australia’s Number 1 Fish n Chips’. The view from the restaurant is simply mesmerising and the atmosphere is relaxing.

I chose to sit right next to the harbour. Many ships are docked there and birds are flying everywhere.

I ordered 2 types of food (yes..because I was starving after all the walking). The lady took my order  and I paid up. I expected to be given my food…but no, she gave me this device and told me to wait for my turn.

I went back to my table and after some time, the device  vibrated . So I  went back to the counter and collected my food.


I really loved the tasting plate. Everything was so fresh...….finished up everything…after all it costs a bomb (after conversion it would be over RM100!)

I didn’t finish the fish and chips (which by the way was ordered because I wanted to find out how WA’s best fish and chips tasted) perhaps because I was too full after eating the tasting plate and also because I am not that crazy for fish and chips.

Another restaurant in the vicinity

Address :Fishermans Wharf, 44 Mews Road, Fremantle 6160 Australia

Opening hours: 10am until late (7 days a week). Closed on Christmas Day

Something from Down Under - Billy Tea with Lamingtons

I would like to share with you 2  photos which I took on my recent  trip to Australia.

This is billy – not the goat! It’s just a metal can with wire handle – nothing high tech about it, you may say….and I would not argue about it. But what makes Billy interesting is how it is used.

I was told that the early Australian settlers brewed their tea in a billy – out of necessity. A billy is filled with water and then placed over a fire.  When the water comes to a boil, the billy is removed and tea leaves are added. I don’t know how true this is but I was told that you will need to throw in a  fistful of tea leaves for each person and add one more. For example if there are 3 people you will need to put in 3+1 i.e 4 fistful of tea leaves.

You then leave it to brew…….then comes the interesting (and may I say challenging) part…..reminds me of what I see on Malaysian tv – DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME!!

The billy is swung at arm’s length. You have to ensure that you do not bend your arms…or else they will be an ugly sight , not to mention scalding! Swing the billy in a full circle. The reason for this is to allow the tea leaves to settle at the bottom of the billy so as to avoid any tea leaves in the tea cups later on.

I personally found the tea made to be  top notch--- more aromatic and when drunk in the cold weather kept me warm for hours.

This is Lamington – a very popular cake in Australia. You can find it in the shelves of Woolsworth. I wanted to grab some and bring them back with me, but upon looking at the expiry date (at the time I was at Woolsworth) which was a mere 3 days away, decided otherwise.

Anyway, I did have some Lamingtons, compliments of my friendly guide (and yes…the ‘missing ones’ in the picture above were eaten by  me).  Lamingtons are cakes (could be anything from butter, pound or simply sponge cake) typically cut into squares, dipped into chocolate frosting and then rolled in dessicated coconut….hence their limited shelf life!

There are many versions of stories regarding the origin of Lamingtons, but my favourite one has to be this:-

Lord Lamington was the Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901. He often attended meetings and when tea was served he often lamented about the lack of creativity of the people preparing the food. So one day he complains again…and the chef did not know what to do. He looked at what he had in the kitchen. So he cut the sponge cakes into 2, dipped them in frosting & rolled them in dessicated coconut…Thus begins the Lamingtons era!

Another story has it that the Lamingtons resembled the homburg hats favoured by Lord Lamington

Another claim is that the Lamingtons' chef at Queensland's Government House, French Armand Gallad, was called upon at short notice to provide something to feed unexpected guests, Gallad cut up some left over French vanilla sponge cake baked the day before, dipped the slices in chocolate and set them in coconut. Coconut was not widely used in European cooking at that time, but was known to Gallad whose wife was from Tahiti where coconut was used in cooking.

Whatever the origin is I would say that these ‘woolly’ looking cakes are a must try when you go Down Under.

Til then, G'day mate!

Imperial Peking Harbourside, Sydney

The Imperial Peking Harbourside is at least quarter of a century old and it that span of time has won many prestigious awards.  Although the name says “Peking” , having enjoyed a tantalising meal there, I would say that the Pekinese cuisine here caters to a more contemporary palate.

It is often described as Sydney’s best kept secret and I now know why. A  culinary experience here is not only pleasing to the palate, it is also a feast for the eyes. It offers a sweeping view of its vicinity i.e the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.  

Here are some of the food we have – lobster, crocodile, vegetables with chinese mushroom, kangaroo & fried ice cream (not in the correct sequence of these photos - go figure it out if you can!)

I shall not divulge the prices of the individual dishes…Let me just say that the price of food here is rather steep, but then how can one complain because the ambience and food make this a great place to dine in.

Address: 15 Circular Quay West

The Rocks

Sydney

Tel: (02) 9247 7073, (02) 9223 1128

Fax: (02) 9247 9850

 

Opens daily from 12 noon-2.45pm, 6pm-10.15pm

Credit cards are accepted