I'm not going to beat around the bush here people; I have always liked Spinnakers. This morning my dear friend Miss Field and I went there for breakfast and I must say, it was nice to see a clean restaurant for a change. The tables weren't greasy and coffee-stained, the water glasses didn't have lipstick marks and I got the impression the restaurant was actually cared for, not just a means for someone to make money.
Miss Field ordered the Mini Jumbo, I ordered scrambled eggs on toast and we shared a pot of tea - English Breakfast if you care to know. Although we did seem to wait slightly longer than the amount of customers dictated, it wasn't too much of a problem as the restaurant had a relaxing atmosphere.
The scrambled eggs came with two slices of white vienna toast and grilled tomato, and for the price of $11.50 ($9.50 for fried or poached eggs) I was very impressed. It was also nice to have proper scrambled eggs, as so many restaurants tend to give you something that resembles a shredded omelet!
Miss Field's Mini Jumbo (3/5 of a full breakfast) came with bacon, tomoto, a fried egg, a chipolate and a piece of vienna toast. Although maybe a little over-priced at $15, it was delicious (especially the bacon) and I think after eating it, along with drinking her tea, she was perfectly sated. The tea was as you'd expect just that; an extra jug of hot water would have been nice though. That said, I am sure they would have been happy to oblige had we asked.
I'm not sure about you, but I don't recall ever having a decent breakfast for two at $30, let alone on the coast.
The only thing that really lets this little gem down is its lack of website. More and more people are beginning to look online for places to eat, and not even having a website loses you customers right there. Personally I like to be able to get an idea of a restaurant's prices and cuisine offerings before leaving the house. Don't look at me like that, I know you do it too!
On a final note, it was very refreshing to visit a restaurant that didn't rely solely on its location, unlike many, many other restaurants in the Hillarys and Scarborough areas. I object to having to pay $30+ for bad food, just for the privilege of eating in front of a beach.
Take my advice and give Spinnakers a try. Recommended.
95 Northside Drive, Hillarys 6025
(Near the Yacht Club)
9203 5266
04 June, 2008
Gin Sushi, Midland
Gin Sushi is conveniently located near the Fresh Food Mall at Midland Gate Shopping Centre.
While I imagine their primary business is takeaway sushi, there is also a medium-sized restaurant section for anyone wanting to dine in.
The menu isn't particularly extensive but all the old favourites are there, and what more does a shopping centre takeaway restaurant need than the classics?
It's important to remember prior to ordering that Gin Sushi only accept cash, which is virtually unheard of these days - and for good reason!
After a dash to the nearest ATM, I ordered a Katsu chicken set [$9.80] and eight pieces of tuna roll [$6.80].
The set included, along with Katsu chicken and white rice, two California roll pieces, coleslaw and a dollop of the delicious [just don't think about the fat content] Japanese mayonnaise.
Sushi is one of my favourite things in the world and the tuna roll at Gin Sushi didn't disappoint me.
It was fresh, tasty, and very morish, as good sushi tends to be.
The Katsu chicken set was also highly enjoyable.
A generous serving of rice complemented the deep fried chicken pieces well, as did the coleslaw.
A range of condiments [as well as cutlery for the uncultured among us who are hopeless with chopsticks - I include myself in this statement!], are on hand as well.
Even without the tuna roll the Katsu chicken set alone was more than adequate for a lunchtime meal.
It is a shame that this restaurant isn't in a quieter location - by the quality of their food I can't imagine they could ever be short of customers and when eating in at their current location, on the corner of a very busy part of the shopping centre, you can't help but feel as if you're in a fish tank as people pass by.
It would be fantastic to see Gin Sushi expand and become a standalone restaurant in the future.
Despite having to cope with the hustle and bustle of Midland Gate around them, the staff at Gin Sushi are friendly and efficient, the restaurant is clean and inviting, and the whole experience could easily be the highlight of a busy shopping expedition.
Despite being on the pricey side [when compared to the equivalent sushi takeaway restaurants at Whitfords City, Innaloo and Karrinyup shopping centres], we immensely enjoyed our lunchtime jaunt at Gin Sushi.
While I imagine their primary business is takeaway sushi, there is also a medium-sized restaurant section for anyone wanting to dine in.
The menu isn't particularly extensive but all the old favourites are there, and what more does a shopping centre takeaway restaurant need than the classics?
It's important to remember prior to ordering that Gin Sushi only accept cash, which is virtually unheard of these days - and for good reason!
After a dash to the nearest ATM, I ordered a Katsu chicken set [$9.80] and eight pieces of tuna roll [$6.80].
The set included, along with Katsu chicken and white rice, two California roll pieces, coleslaw and a dollop of the delicious [just don't think about the fat content] Japanese mayonnaise.
Sushi is one of my favourite things in the world and the tuna roll at Gin Sushi didn't disappoint me.
It was fresh, tasty, and very morish, as good sushi tends to be.
The Katsu chicken set was also highly enjoyable.
A generous serving of rice complemented the deep fried chicken pieces well, as did the coleslaw.
A range of condiments [as well as cutlery for the uncultured among us who are hopeless with chopsticks - I include myself in this statement!], are on hand as well.
Even without the tuna roll the Katsu chicken set alone was more than adequate for a lunchtime meal.
It is a shame that this restaurant isn't in a quieter location - by the quality of their food I can't imagine they could ever be short of customers and when eating in at their current location, on the corner of a very busy part of the shopping centre, you can't help but feel as if you're in a fish tank as people pass by.
It would be fantastic to see Gin Sushi expand and become a standalone restaurant in the future.
Despite having to cope with the hustle and bustle of Midland Gate around them, the staff at Gin Sushi are friendly and efficient, the restaurant is clean and inviting, and the whole experience could easily be the highlight of a busy shopping expedition.
Despite being on the pricey side [when compared to the equivalent sushi takeaway restaurants at Whitfords City, Innaloo and Karrinyup shopping centres], we immensely enjoyed our lunchtime jaunt at Gin Sushi.
Chatters, Midland
Chatters Cafe & Restaurant is a new addition at Midland Gate Shopping Centre and the second version of the popular Morley restaurant.
We arrived at about 12.30 pm and were seated straight away, impressed at how busy it was for weekday lunchtime.
Unfortunately though, this meant we waited 30 minutes before our orders were taken, and although we were given a bottle water during this period, more than one table who'd arrived after us had their orders taken before we were approached.
Chatters' menu boasts an extensive selection and we were impressed with the lunchtime specials, which are available along with the standard menu.
At lunchtime, dishes such as honey chicken, green and red curries and basil chicken all cost $9 and included plain rice [fried rice $1 extra]. Dishes such as ginger squid cost $11.
Otherwise, noodle, pork, chicken, rice and vegetable dishes cost between $9 and $13. Omelette dishes cost between $10 and $15, and the lamb and seafood dishes each cost $15. There is also a small but adequate selection of 'Western' dishes.
To start we shared Pandan Chicken, which consisted of four pieces of chicken, each wrapped in banana leaves. The dish came with a delicious dipping sauce that mixed honey and lemon flavours with rice wine. At $7.50 this entree was a touch on the pricey side, considering there were only four pieces. Even so, it was delightful. If you have a fussy eater in your family it is worth noting that garnishes are all dressed.
We had asked the gentleman who took our orders to recommend main dishes, and chose based on the two he nominated.
I chose the Szechuan Chicken and my company selected the Chatters Beef Lunch. The Szechuan Chicken was particularly spicy, although I was warned that it would be. Despite its almost overwhelming chilli flavour, it was very tasty and not too heavy - vital in making it through the afternoon without a nap.
Similarly, my friend enjoyed her Chatters Beef Lunch. She found the beef to be tender with a full garlic flavour and commented that the sweet rice wine flavour made the beef succulent. The fried rice was classically prepared and included egg, shallots, chicken and prawns.
Both the red and white 'Chitter Chatter' house wines were a nice drop, and were not unreasonably priced at $5.50 per glass.
After clearing away our plates, the lady serving us apologised for the long delays and explained that they were due to a large lunchtime crowd with limited time - a perfectly acceptable reason, although as we discussed, we were not asked upon our arrival whether we were on a lunch break.
We then had a long wait until dessert menus were offered, despite the restaurant being virtually empty by this point. For dessert my company had fried ice cream and I had a banana fritter, which was served with two scoops of ice cream drizzled in chocolate and strawberry toppings. Both were enjoyable, if nothing extraordinary. It is also worth sampling the wide range of teas that are available.
Chatters is well laid-out. The tables are not cramped and it is evident that a great deal of consideration was given to its layout and decor.
The website hasn't been updated since the opening of the Midland restaurant, which is disappointing for those of us who like to engage in online reconnaissance prior to visiting a restaurant.
We left just on 3 pm, full and happy, but also wondering where the afternoon had gone.
On the whole, Chatters represents excellent value for money with tasty food and friendly service in very pleasant surroundings. As my friend pointed out, in an age of enormous food serves, Chatters delivers a sensible amount of flavoursome food.
Delays in service can be blamed on the newness of the restaurant - teething problems that we anticipate will be ironed out quickly.
Highly recommended.
We arrived at about 12.30 pm and were seated straight away, impressed at how busy it was for weekday lunchtime.
Unfortunately though, this meant we waited 30 minutes before our orders were taken, and although we were given a bottle water during this period, more than one table who'd arrived after us had their orders taken before we were approached.
Chatters' menu boasts an extensive selection and we were impressed with the lunchtime specials, which are available along with the standard menu.
At lunchtime, dishes such as honey chicken, green and red curries and basil chicken all cost $9 and included plain rice [fried rice $1 extra]. Dishes such as ginger squid cost $11.
Otherwise, noodle, pork, chicken, rice and vegetable dishes cost between $9 and $13. Omelette dishes cost between $10 and $15, and the lamb and seafood dishes each cost $15. There is also a small but adequate selection of 'Western' dishes.
To start we shared Pandan Chicken, which consisted of four pieces of chicken, each wrapped in banana leaves. The dish came with a delicious dipping sauce that mixed honey and lemon flavours with rice wine. At $7.50 this entree was a touch on the pricey side, considering there were only four pieces. Even so, it was delightful. If you have a fussy eater in your family it is worth noting that garnishes are all dressed.
We had asked the gentleman who took our orders to recommend main dishes, and chose based on the two he nominated.
I chose the Szechuan Chicken and my company selected the Chatters Beef Lunch. The Szechuan Chicken was particularly spicy, although I was warned that it would be. Despite its almost overwhelming chilli flavour, it was very tasty and not too heavy - vital in making it through the afternoon without a nap.
Similarly, my friend enjoyed her Chatters Beef Lunch. She found the beef to be tender with a full garlic flavour and commented that the sweet rice wine flavour made the beef succulent. The fried rice was classically prepared and included egg, shallots, chicken and prawns.
Both the red and white 'Chitter Chatter' house wines were a nice drop, and were not unreasonably priced at $5.50 per glass.
After clearing away our plates, the lady serving us apologised for the long delays and explained that they were due to a large lunchtime crowd with limited time - a perfectly acceptable reason, although as we discussed, we were not asked upon our arrival whether we were on a lunch break.
We then had a long wait until dessert menus were offered, despite the restaurant being virtually empty by this point. For dessert my company had fried ice cream and I had a banana fritter, which was served with two scoops of ice cream drizzled in chocolate and strawberry toppings. Both were enjoyable, if nothing extraordinary. It is also worth sampling the wide range of teas that are available.
Chatters is well laid-out. The tables are not cramped and it is evident that a great deal of consideration was given to its layout and decor.
The website hasn't been updated since the opening of the Midland restaurant, which is disappointing for those of us who like to engage in online reconnaissance prior to visiting a restaurant.
We left just on 3 pm, full and happy, but also wondering where the afternoon had gone.
On the whole, Chatters represents excellent value for money with tasty food and friendly service in very pleasant surroundings. As my friend pointed out, in an age of enormous food serves, Chatters delivers a sensible amount of flavoursome food.
Delays in service can be blamed on the newness of the restaurant - teething problems that we anticipate will be ironed out quickly.
Highly recommended.
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