Sunday, September 30, 2018

Perth Holiday - To Do 22Sep2018 (Fremantle Markets, JDK Airport, King's Park, Elizabeth Quay, Caversham Wild Life Park, Perth Royal Show, Guildfort Street,Herrison Island, Subi Farmers Market)

Perth - To Stay
Perth - To Do
Perth - To Eat
Perth Holiday - To Do
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SQ213 departs 0740 arrives 1250
SQ allows 10kg for infants in arms travel.
- That includes his car seat if you're bringing it along.
- Stroller's weight is not counted and you can use your own all the way to before boarding the plane, after which it will be checked into the cargo hold.

- Odd size items are checked in as per normal and they give you a huge plastic bag to wrap it up. Items are later checked in via the odd sized counter. Collection as per normal at the baggage carousel. (Some stations you can collect the pram at the arrival aerobridge.)

SGD7 Australian Visas from Kangaroos Kang as recommended by others. Easy and cheap!

Rented from Bayswaters Car Rental Recommended by others
Phone us on +61 (0)8 9370 1592 
When your plane lands so we know you need to be picked up.

(Shuttle takes about 8mins tops from their car rental location)T1 International & Virgin Domestic: Wait at Passenger Pick-up / Drop-off — Seated Booth Zone L near the International Terminal exit doors.
T2 Alliance, Tigerair & Virgin: Wait at Passenger Pick-up / Drop-off — Zone A Simply take a seat and signal our white minibus with yellow 'no birds' signage.
8Days AUD237 with AUD2000 insurance coverage. 
Return to airport shuttle is every 30min on the hour. Just be present 10mins before the half hour interval. A charge of AUD5 each way.

Even with airliner crew discount at other car rentals, No Birds car rental is still the cheapest there is around. If one goes without the car insurance the rent for a 8day stay was at AUD138. Round trip shuttle is 10AUD and is call on demand for the pick up and for airport return service is a half hourly departure on the hour.


Perth - To Stay
Click here for AirBnB Listing in Burswood

Free High Speed Wifi. Provides parking for rented vehicles as well
Oven, Microwave, Kitchen with stove top and decent size fridge.
Short 3min drive from large Woolsworth

Day 1 Arrival
Checking in and getting local supplies.
Ate at Earth and Ocean (New Entrant for Seafood near AirBnb)

Day2
 
Fremantle Markets
Fri Sat Sun Mon Only 9am-9pm

Ate at Bather's Bath house
Click here for other One Evening in Fremantle Eats.

Day3
Jandakot Airport 
Kings Park

King's park is huge. There's loads of parking spaces all over the place, so you either park nearest to whichever 'attraction you (Like the Glass Arched Bridge for us) want to catch or you can explore section by section and later proceed via car to the next location. Loads of beautiful open spaces for picnics and a nice show case of different fauna around Perth.
Most of the park are probably for the big kids, but May Drive Parkland where Zamia cafe is probably catered for the little ones.
*Some great photo opportunities with massive pre-historic rock animals sculptures.*
Ate at Zamia Cafe for Lunch (Recommended by Others)
King's Park Fraser Ave, Perth WA 6005, Australia

Elizabeth Quay
(Perth City)
"Opened in 2015 to much fanfare, Elizabeth Quay is built on the foreshore of the beautiful Swan River, and has a bit of something for everyone, from a great playground for kids, to gourmet restaurants, to farmer’s markets in the summer.
The Quay is architecturally stunning, and well worth a stroll, especially at night when the bridge is lit up with rainbow colors.
Elizabeth Quay is also famous as an event and festival space, so it’s worth checking out its website to see what’s on. - https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-things-perth-australia/"

A nice walk around the renovated Quay especially after a heavy, smoked meal at Side Door BBQ. 
Ate at Side Door BBQ for Dinner

Day4
Caversham Wild Life Park

Opens Daily 9.00am-5.30pm

A pretty good half day activity. Arriving at doors open is best as one activity naturally flows onto the next.
Start with the Koala meet and greet, which rolls nicely to Wombat and friends meet, followed by the Barn Yard show at the end. That pretty much covers the three major shows, after which one can take the time to enjoy the rest of the park at one's leisure. 
Most of the wild life in Caversham consist mostly of local bird life, with a huge section dedicated to free ranging kangaroos which of course one gets to feed. There's a pretty cool reptile section and Caversham is a great child friendly place for a half day activity. 

Ate lunch at TBSP on the way back. (Recommended by locals online as an amazing breakfast joint)
Ate Dinner at Pan Pacific Buffet

Day 5
Perth Royal Show
IGA Show Grounds

22-29Spet2018
 *Wood Chopping championship at one of the pavilions*
Click here for more info on Perth Royal Show  
The Perth Royal Show is an annual carnival atmosphere event. The show grounds will feature craft competitions, loads of farm animal meet and greet as well as food produce. There are various acts and shows at the different pavilions. These can range from wrestling, song performances, cooking demonstrations and many many more.
 *The rather small food pavilion. They do have whole sale meat there as well.*
*The crafting pavilion which feature entrants from the various categories of art creations.*

Definitely stay for the night entertainment, which features motor stunts as well as the grand finale of fireworks. Each of the states in Australia have their own version of the same concept. In Brisbane its called the Ekka, and in Melbourne its the Royal Melbourne Show.
From recollection in comparison to the Ekka, the Perth Royal Show is much smaller. Like 30-40% the size of the Ekka. Its still a fun day out, but if you're already impressed by Perth Royal show, you're going to be blown away by the larger ones in other states. 

A great day out for the kids and family. Note that all the rides and eats are of course additional charges and the ride prices can be quite steep at about 8AUD range per pax.
Click here for more info on Perth Royal Show

Day 6
Water Town Shopping
Shopping day and freen and easy

Friday Opens 9am-9pm
Most other days closes at 5pm/5.30pm
 
Water Town shopping previously known as Harbor town shopping
Ate at Mister Walker (Reported best romantic spot for a meal)
Day 7
Free and easy Day
more shopping
Guildford Street Near Swan Valley


Nothing much here. Just a big U-Turn after morning shopping. All I can say really is really good web presence and photos. A stretch of Antiques and oddities along this street. Nothing which really could keep us hanging around there for long. 
Herrison Island
Island of Kangaroos?
This connecting piece of island between Perth City and Burswood was supposed to be the island of Kangaroos. We went during dusk to check out the park. Like most of Australia's parks, beautiful large spaces and play areas.

Well, Island of No Kangaroos more like it. Its possible we were on the wrong side, but also passed by other tourist who too were on the hunt. Others have reported spotting a few during an early morning jog. So there's no guarantee if you can catch wild roos on the loose on Herrison Island.

Ate at Ciao Italia (Large portions and still pretty value for money joint)

 Day 8
Subi Farmers Market Opens from 8am

*Subi Farmers Market is one of the oldest and original farmers market in WA, operating since 2009. We have a number of simple objectives.  We support a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.  We support WA farmers, growers and producers.  We create a welcoming place where you can meet friends, shop for wonderful produce and gourmet foods, enjoy some fantastic fresh food and drink for breakfast or brunch, listen to talented entertainers and know that the kids will be having a great time. We are very proud of our relationship with Subiaco Primary School.  They have welcomed us at their lovely school since the beginning.  Subi Farmers Market is a not-for-profit organization that gives all of its profits to the school. We hope you enjoy attending Subi Farmers Market as much as we enjoy putting it on!  See you there next Saturday?*

Sadly it was a wet Saturday which did hurt the experience. Its got a pretty small spread of foods but plenty of fresh produce. One of the smaller weekend markets that's located in the school grounds. Most weekend/farmers markets follow a similar structure of food and fresh produce.
 
Return Home
SQ226 departed 1405 Return 1935

Perth Holiday - To Eat (22Sep2018 Earth and Ocean, Bather's Bath House, Toast Face Grillah, Get Ya Fix,Grand Lane Fish House, Tuck Shop, Mister Walker, Zamia Cafe, TBSP, Slide Door BBQ, Short Order Burger Company

Perth - To Stay
Perth - To Do
Perth - To Eat
 Perth - To Eat
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Follow us on Instagram @ABBATRAVELS or #ABBATRAVEL 
 Earth and Ocean
A new Entrant to the foodie list known for their seafood.
Came here as it was located close to AirBnb on touch down day.

 Ordered On:
22Sept2018
Oceanic Risotto AUD31 & Tasting Plate AUD29
 *Only the Oceanic Risotto was worth it. Chock full of squid, fish and prawns with an impressive scallop served on the shell for presentation. The tasting plate however, though looked good, lacked in many aspects. Firstly the heavy Asian influence puree at the bottom was a miss for us. Secondly their fried calamari was under-seasoned and lastly,nothing to scream over their curry puff like dumplings and fried chicken. The octopus dish was pretty decent but their chorizo sausage lacked the heat punch.*
Total AUD60Fed2.
Ambience 2.5/5
*A very dated interior. Bare basics and seems to have been neglected.*
Food 3/5
Service 3.5/5
Value 3/5
Okay but not great contrary to some local online reviews. The Oceanic Risotto was superb and could have honestly fed 1.5people. Perhaps a wrong selection with the tasting platter but the Risotto was pretty well worth it. Good order but not to die for to return just for that.
Earth and Ocean 262 Albany Hwy, Victoria Park WA 6100, Australia

Bather's Bath House
Opens daily 11am-10pm at Fremantle

 Bather's Beach House 47 Mews Rd, Fremantle WA 6160, Australia
"Bathers Beach House in Fremantle is Australia's first-ever liquor licensed beachfront bar and restaurant, so you can now enjoy your drinks with your feet in the sand!
Get a share plate and a couple of cocktails delivered directly to your sun lounge while you sit back and live like a king. If you'd prefer to stay out of the sun, grab a seat inside and enjoy the amazing views and incredible service. You can't really get much more Perth than this!
They’ve got tempting meal specials, a nice big seafood platter and amazing cocktails to go along with the busy and vibrant atmosphere, but the thing we're really excited about is their $15 gin tasting paddles. Every Friday, they'll give you five—yes, five!—delicious gin cocktails for just $15. So what are you waiting for? - The UrbanList.com"
Very cool concept. You can have your meal beach side too! Amazing ocean view and 
Ordered On:
23Sep2018
 South Australian mussels, chipotle, capsicum, garlic, orange and cider cream served with chargirilled ciabatta AUD20
*Beautifully plump sweet muscles. A very respectable serving size with a very mild spicy muscle soup, almost akin to a very, very light laksa broth. The strong char grill flavors on the bread are amazing. All that smoky, buttery, toasted bread goes amazingly well with the soup/sauce. Fantastic! As good as Leon's in Paris.*
Char-grilled Tasmanian salmon, roast baby beetroot, grape tomato, zucchini, oregano, parsley, parmesan AUD28
*A beautiful presentation with a great mix of root vegetables to bring together and highlight the perfectly cooked Tasmanian Salmon. The sweet beets work surprising well and a dash of color as well. A translucent pink on the inside. That standing chip, is actually crispy salmon skin and decorates the dish very elegantly. One of the prettiest and well conceived salmon dishes had thus far.*
Fed2 Total at  AUD52 probably an additional 4 for the service.  
Ambience 4/5
*Beautiful beach with the ocean view. One you can go down beach side as well to have your meal! Almost like Cliffhouse (SFO) for the view, but here the dishes dare I say were even better*
Food 4/5
Service 3.5/5
Value 4/5
I never noticed this place was located just beside Sweet Lips (another go to place for fish and chips over cicerellos). I find its a fairly valued place with beautiful dishes and a great location by the ocean. Casual dining  with both great indoors and outdoors options. Worth the return for another meal for lunch and one can imagine more beautifully during the sunset.
Bather's Beach House 47 Mews Rd, Fremantle WA 6160, Australia

Zamia Cafe
located at King's Park
8am-4.30/5pm 
King's Park Recommended by Gerad
Zamia Cafe is located in King's Park at May Drive Parkland, pretty much a smaller self contained park that's more child friendly, located within King's Park.
Ordered On:
24Sep2018
Eggs Benedict, poached eggs, double smoked thick cut ham, spinach, toasted sourdough, hollandaise. AUD20
Zucchini and Gruyere Load, toasted with smoked salmon, poached eggs, spinach, green tahini. AUD23
Blueberry and Passion Fruit Special AUD4.90

The only real standout was their muffin special. Served warm and butter at the side to add that richness. The other two dishes were good and pretty much standard. Nothing really to scream about. What works for this place is really its ambience. Nice large open windows with a view of the gardens. A good place for a meal before or after some park activities and fun.
Ambience 3.5/5 
*For the win as its a nice pocket
of kid friendly park that's self contained and has a view of the park grounds*
Food 3.5/5
Service 3/5
Value 3/5

Side Door BBQ
*Complimentary serve of sweet popcorn starters*
Reportedly a good smoke house other than Old Faithful which is located in Perth City. 
Ordered On:
24Sept2018
Brisket AUD12
Beef Short Rib AUD30

*This is the order that's really worth! Look at the marbeling and that huge serving size. This alone could have easily fed 2 or even 3. Their selection of home made BBQ suaces, especially the espresso BBQ sauce are amazing with their smoked beef dishes*
Pork Belly Lollipops AUD16
*Good at first, but after the second and third pieces, its more sauce and dry pork than anything else.*
Corn on The Cob with lime and chipotle mayo and Parmesan Cheese AUD10
*Nice and interesting, but once you break it down, it very pricey corn dressed up to be fancy.*
Mac and Cheese Bomb AUD4

*Just wanted to give this a try but its nothing great really.
A little under seasoned to be honest*

Brownie S'more with trimoline meringue AUD12+3AUD for Ice cream
*We had to pack the meat to go as it was too much, but there's always space for dessert after a good meal. The brownies are soft, warm and rich. Pretty standard brownie serving, only to be let down by the cheap vanilla ice cream. Had the potential to be better.*
Total AUD87 Fed 2
but could have fed 3 or even 4 lighter eaters.

Ambience 3.5/5
Food 3.5/5
Service /5
Value 3.5/5 
In comparison to Old Faithful located in Town, this place is definitely more bang for one's buck. The will go to order are the Beef Ribs. The brisket was okay, but the fat to meat distribution wasn't as generous as the beef rib cuts. The pickled onions were a nice compliment to the BBQ dishes. Their Southern Fried Chicken served to another table looked excellent too! A worth while smoke house to explore which poses as a cheaper alternative to Old Faithful.
Side Door BBQ 1 Mary St, Highgate WA 6003, Australia

TBSP
6.30am-3pm weekdays
8am-3pm on weekends
Closed Mondays | Tuesdays to Fridays, 0700-1500 | Saturdays and Sundays, 0800-1500
 TBSP 10 King William St, Bayswater WA 6053, Australia
*Tbsp. Cafe was about a 20 minute drive from where I was staying in Central Perth, but it was so highly recommended by my local friends that I just had to go.The cafe was quite busy on the Saturday I went, so I had to wait about 15 minutes to get a seat. I didn’t mind the simple, minimalist look of the cafe, though my friend commented that it looked a bit underdressed.
I was most impressed when my order was served. My Brioche French Toast ($16.50) looked and tasted divine, topped with whipped strawberry butter and some sort of crunchy cereal that gave the pleasantly-eggy french toast extra texture and sweetness.
At $16.50, I fancy I could’ve gotten something similar in Singapore, but I’m sure it wouldn’t have been half this good. I’ve also heard some praise for their Kimcheeseburger ($22), a unique Kimchi cheeseburger if you couldn’t already tell by the name.
tbsp. Cafe: 10 King William Street, Bayswater, Perth, WA 6053 | - Seth Lui*
Ordered On:
25Sept2018
Kimcheese Burger AUD22.50
double beef, american cheese, pickled cucumber, fresh kimchi,
brioche bun, shoestring chips.

*A good burger but definitely not the best. Burger House (MUC) and Pearl's Deluxe (SFO) still take top spots. One can see the Asian fusion in this place. The Kim Chi adds a nice pickle but carries no heat at all. The beef patty itself is nicely cooked but a little under seasoned. The chips are Mc Donalds standard crispy. The plate could have used some side salad or pickles. Requested to have the burger cut for easy sharing*
Zucchini and Corn Fritters AUD19.50
bacon, fried egg, mayo, okonomi sauce, bonito flakes.


*It sounded interesting on paper to have zucchini as an ingredient replacement. Though the presentation is very pleasant, with the sweet okonomi sauce, it taste pretty much like okonomiyaki, a Japanese Pancake.*
 Ice Chocolate AUD5.50
*Feels a little watered down and not as thick as one would like. Best Hot Chocolate still stays with San Churros (Australian Chain)*
Ice Matcha Latte AUD6

*Its nothing like Starbucks Matcha Latte. Its most likely a good latte, with Matcha powder added. Syrup is a must for those with a sweet tooth.
Pandan Coconut Cake AUD8

*It looked so good on display, and came recommended by the counter staff. A slice is definitely for sharing. The pandan flavors are strong, and the coconut shaving works very well together.*
Ambience 3.5/5
Food 3.5/5
Service 3.5/5
Value 3/5
Although we didn't go for the Instagram worthy Brioche French Toast, as that's more of a breakfast/brunch thing, the mains ordered were still pretty decent. One can see the Asian influences and from other dishes flying by, looked pretty damn good too.

Over all the mains were good, but not WOW, and are a little on the pricey side. A sub AUD20 would have been perfect. The drinks though large sized, again lacked a punch but as always in most cases, their pastries were of good standing. Good but not worth a special  drive all they out just to try. Had this on the way back from Caversham Wild Life Park.
TBSP 10 King William St, Bayswater WA 6053, Australia

Toast Face Grillah
Opens early but closes at about 4pm/3pm


To order: Pear Grillz, blue cheese, pear and lime chutney. - Urban list
*Didnt get to try but will do the next time!

 Its easy to miss this side alley altogether. Connecting the main shopping street to North Bridge, this back alley diner can go unnoticed. Something similar to Madang in Sydney.
Ordered On:
27Sep2018
 Shroomy Shroomy Ya
Marinated Mushrooms, spinach, red onion, djon, emmantel, cheddar 9AUD
Danny Zuccho
Brie, marinated zucchini, jamon serrano AUD9


*Both toasties taste as described. The mushroom won over the Danny Zuccho as it had some unfamiliar spice added to it. Both are surprisingly filling and a great light meal for on the go exploration. Interesting what simple toasties can do*

Ordered On:
26Dec2019
Ambience 3.5/5
Food 3/5
Service na
Value 4/5
Fans of Toasties can give this place a shot. Another researched joint located in North Bridge is Get Ya Fix (Yet to be reviewed). Grand Lane Fish house another fish and chips/fish taco joint is located further down in the same alley beside Toast Face Grillah and has yet to be reviewed.
Toast Face Grillah Wellington St & Barrack St, Perth WA 6000, Australia

Mister Walker
Best Date Spot: 8am-11.30pm
South Perth

"Assuming your date (and your intentions) are respectable, how about a romantic dinner on the Swan River, with some of the best scenery in Perth? Open every day until late, Mister Walker doesn’t just rely on its 180-degree views to pull in the punters; it also offers quality food and decent service without breaking the bank. For a breakfast date (or sustenance the morning after), the super-soft waffles with bacon and maple syrup are a must-try."
- From The Thrillist
Ordered On:
27Sep2018
 Ocean Platter AUD69
*Although they say the serve is for 2 to share, the serving is really more of a feed 1.5persons or two light eaters. The seafood was all very nice and with most of the menu has an Asian influence to it. In this case, more Indian pickled vegetables and sides. 
Goolwa Pipi Clam Saffron Linguine AUD33
 *The Japanese seaweed kinda work with the fresh green peas. Enjoyable dish with the sauce soup lapped up at the end.*
Total AUD102 Fed 2
 Ambience 4/5
Food 3.5/5
Service 3.5/5
Value 3/5
(Fairly valued for the seafood that you are getting)
The place delivers on the ambience 100%. What better way is there to enjoy the view of Perth City than from across Swan River within this quaint near panoramic view at Mister Walker. Note that the seating is relatively limited so most likely an early dinner or booking would be needed. The place delivers on the view and a mostly Asian influenced dishes.
Mister Walker Mends Street Jetty, South Perth WA 6151, Australia

---------some other researched joints in Perth but will have to try another time-----------

Short Order Burger Company
Best Burgers:
Fremantle/Perth Branch 11am-9pm
"A pop-up it may be, but Short Order Burger Company knows how to draw a crowd and achieved legendary status very quickly. Based in Fremantle, but now appearing further afield, Short Order keeps the menu simple but perfectly executed: grass-fed beef cooked to order, two types of cheese, brioche bun, candied bacon… you get the idea. Hopefully the breakfast menu will return one day." - From the Thrillist

Ordered On:
Ambience /5
Food /5
Service /5
Value /5
Short Order Burger Company 800 Hay St, Perth WA 6000, Australia
 
Get Ya Fix
Best Toasted Sandwiches:

Perth (North Bridge)

Yet to be Reviewed

7am-3pm Closed Mondays
"It’s technically a hipster bike shop, but when it comes to toasties -- a firm Perth favourite -- Get Ya Fix does them better than anyone. These sandwiches are of the true “jaffle” variety and feature quality ingredients,  including one with reaper chilli (although you have to sign a waiver to try that). It serves some of the best coffee in Perth and stocks plenty of delicious sweet treats as well, including Mumma’s Sweet Lies decadent slices, so there’s a complete meal on offer at any time of the day. A must-visit if you haven’t been there yet." - From the Thrillist 
Ordered On:
Ambience /5
Food /5
Service /5
Value /5

Get Ya Fix 1/471 William St, Perth WA 6000, Australia

Grand Lane Fish House
Fish and Chips and Fish Tacos
Click here for full review
11am-8pm closed on Monday 

Tuck Shop
7am-4pm Closed on Mondays
Recommended by others as the breakfast brunch joint
in Perth
This place is hailed as one of the best cafe-restaurants in Perth. The food is seriously top notch here. Friendly staff that make it even more worthwhile to check out. Pork belly is a standout.  - https://www.ventura-homes.com.au/veryventura/top-cool-cafes-perth/
Ordered On:
Ambience /5
Food /5
Service /5
Value /5