Western

The Field Mushroom Soup ($10) is excellent. The soup is rich, smooth and thoroughly infused with the flavour of mushrooms. Served with sourdough crouton, a dash of olive oil and chives, this is about as comforting as it gets and I’m surprised that something so simple can be so good.

The Carbonara Linguine ($18) features al dente linguine tossed in bacon cream, egg yolk, guanciale (Italian cured meat) and a generous amount of Pecorino cheese. This dish is very savoury and cheesy - some might find find it a tad salty but it’s fine for me. The linguine is on the harder side, but nonetheless delicious.

The Local Duck Leg Confit ($24) has been popping up on my IG feed recently and it tastes as good as it looks. The duck leg is moist and flavourful, and it’s accompanied by orange carrot mousse, carrot tarragon foam and pickled mustard seed sauce.

The Grilled Australian Pork Jowl ($23) is the most tender pork I have ever had. The acidity of the braised red cabbage and sweetness of the caramelised apple and apple cider sauce balance each other and work really well with the pork - I love it!

Finally popped by Homeground Grill & Bar to try some of their mains as there is a one-for-one deal on Burpple Beyond. I’m not a big fan of deep fried food in general, but the Deep Fried Pork Chop ($17) is not bad. The deep fried pork chop is a refreshing departure from the usual grilled pork chop - the pork chop is moist and tender, and the buttermilk batter is quite delicious as well. A splash of lemon juice and house-made coleslaw help to keep the jelakness at bay.

Finally popped by Homeground Grill & Bar to try some of their mains as there is a one-for-one deal on Burpple Beyond. I’m not a big fan of deep fried food in general, but the Beer Battered Fish & Chips ($17) is not bad. The dory fish is fresh and moist, and the crispy beer batter is not too thick. The fries can be better though - they get soft and hard after awhile.

Finally popped by Homeground Grill & Bar to try some of their mains as there is a one-for-one deal on Burpple Beyond. The Charcoal Grilled Whiskey Ribeye ($26) is my favourite dish of the night - the ribeye steak is marinated in whiskey and fresh herbs and grilled till medium perfection. The meat is flavourful, juicy and tender, and the flavours are accentuated by a dash of sea salt and red wine sauce served on the side. The only downside is the portion, which can be a little small.

I have been wanting to try the handmade pasta from Eleven Strands, and I finally did so this week:) The Prawn Basil Pesto Pasta ($23 + $3 for handmade tagliatelle) comes with grilled prawns, a herby and garlicky pesto sauce, pine nuts and parmesan cheese. The handmade tagliatelle is on the softer side and the large surface area of the pasta is thoroughly coated in the fragrant pesto sauce. Pretty delicious and value-for-money with Burpple Beyond’s one-for-one deal!

This is my first time visiting Pasta Bar and boy am I impressed with their Tagliatelle ($32). The freshly made pasta is thoroughly coated in a 24-hour beef ragu that is bursting with flavour. The slow-cooked beef is so soft that it falls apart easily. The doughy texture of the fresh pasta works really well with the delicious sauce. The pasta is finished with a generous shaving of Parmigiano cheese. This is quite a splurge for me but no regrets:)!

The Linguine Curry Prawn ($19.90) from Pasta e Formaggio comes with charcoal grilled king prawns in an Indian spiced curry that is bursting with umami. The curry is fragrant, smokey and spicy, and it goes really well with the al dente linguine. The prawns are sweet and fresh as well. Yay to an adventurous choice of pasta that turned out well! P.S. There is an one-for-one deal on Burpple Beyond:)

As I wasn’t very hungry today, I decided to settle for a light lunch at Joe & Dough and give the Paprika Hummus with Dukkah and Toast ($8) a try. I wasn’t expecting much, but it turned out to be really delicious! The earthly tones of the mashed chickpeas, tinge of spice from the paprika and nutty Dukkah (mixture of herbs, nuts and spice) come together to create a creamy and savoury hummus spread that goes very well with the toasted bread. Simple but satisfying:)

We also had the Char-Grilled Australia Beef Ribeye Steak ($30 for 300g) served with seasonal salad and your choice of house-made sauce. The medium rare steak is thick but tender, and finished with a smoky char. There is a good amount of fat marbling, which makes it really juicy and beefy. The flavourful Natural Jus sauce complements the steak well. We also ordered an extra side dish, Fried Cauliflower ($8) with melted Gruyere cheese and dried longan, which helps to keep the grease of the Ribeye at bay.

Overall, the food at Perch can be pretty pricey but the quality is there and it is absolutely a steal with Burpple Beyond’s one-for-one deal🙌🏻 The portions are very big as well. I enjoyed this thoroughly and I would probably return for more! P.S. You can get a nice view of Jewel’s Rain Vortex from the restaurant:)