Category: Fremantle -

Maya Indian Restaurant - Fremantle

3/10/2011

Some online research proved that Maya was a hit with reviewers and being Brits in Oz we missed a good curry so once we'd walked past this place during our Freo trip it seemed right to pop in and make a reservation for that evening.

Service was friendly and efficient. The waitresses all seem very sweet and keen to please. Steve started off with a beer and I went with a Goa Sunrise which was a pineapple, vodka based concoction.

We started off with a mixed entrée platter which comprised of some spiced prawns, lamb seekh kebab, chicken tikka and some eggplant pakora. All the dishes were tasty and light on oil and grease.

Our main dishes included fish qmin described as hot fish curry of local barramundi fillets prepared insauce with roasted cumin & fenugreek seeds, coconut, tomatoes and red chillies and was highly recommended by one of the smiley waitresses as her personal favourite. The second dish was chicken mumtaz (butter chicken) - clay oven roasted chicken pieces finished in a sauce of tomatoes, roasted fenugreek, cream and little butter – this twice cooked chicken dish is prepared over two days and is Maya’s classic.

Butter chicken does not exist in UK and having tried various variations during our time in Australia; we liken it to chicken tikka masala with a hint of korma thrown in. Incidentally tikka masala and korma here are also different to their UK namesakes. Anyway the curries were both delicious. My favourite was the fish qmin - strongly spiced and flavoursome with a delicious sauce that was spicy enough to be challenging and so enjoyable. The butter chicken was an excellent interpretation of the dish. It was rich and creamy yet without the lingering greasy buttery feeling that sometimes can happen.

The accompanying roti was fluffy and doughy with crispy bits and perfect for scooping up sauce.

This was an excellent meal and we would not hesitate to return here on our next visit to Freo.

Maya Indian Restaurant and Lounge Bar on Urbanspoon

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Fidel's Café

2/10/2011

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Our stay at the Port Mill B&B across the road meant we were lucky to have four breakfasts in this charming little café. Our first time got off to a flying start and we enjoyed our eggs Benedict (one with smoked salmon and one with ham) along with a strong pot of English Breakfast tea.

We felt the portion size was just right - large enough to feel decadent for a holiday breakfast but not too large that it sends you back to sleep! The Hollandaise sauce was rich, creamy and buttery. Personal tastes meant that I'd have preferred it be less rich and more tangy but on the whole I fail to see how this would not please. The poached eggs were prefectly cooked with a runny yolk.

The following day we went for the Big Breakfast and enjoyed the homemade baked beans and all the other accompaniments. For our final breakfast we went back to the eggs Benedict and whilst they were still good, this time a different chef may have been working as the eggs were not as perfect as previous. The were more raggedy in appearance and the yolks were cooked through.

Overall though we enjoyed all our meals here and would recommend this place wholeheartedly.

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Cicerello's - Fremantle

2/10/2011

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They say it's a must do in Freo; to have fish and chips by the harbour so we decided to follow traditions and picked Cicerello's out of all the different choices on Mews Street.

I opted for a grilled fish sepcial with chips and salad and Steve had the traditional fish and chips. No complaints about the quality of the fish for both dishes. I enjoyed the salad that came with mine. Chips were the frozen kind which seems to be the norm in Australia and we've had better chips.

No real complaints or quibbles but also no real praise either. Next time we'll try one of the other ones.

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Little Creatures Brewery - Fremantle

1/10/2011

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A trip to Freo is incomplete without a visit to Little Creatures. And we completed our trip with two visits. We had our first holiday dinner there and ended our trip with lunch.

Situated on the harbour, Little Creatures is a huge vast warehouse of a building with seats outside in front and behind the building. There's also a smaller bar area next door.

Always busy and bustling, it still manages to be welcoming and both our visits we managed to score the same table outside in the courtyard with a view of the harbour.

Service can be slow mainly due to the volume of customers and food can come at random times but the whole package works and people come for a one off visit and also as repeat customers.

Our Saturday night dinner comprised of chilli mussels, halloumi with cherry tomatoes and nachos.
The highlight were the mussels in the flavoursome tomato and chilli broth. The nachos looked better than they tasted and were a little too greasy and the chilli was bland.

Little Creatures isn't just about food though; it's about ambience and beer and in spite of the food not being stellar it was still pretty tasty and enjoyable. So much so we were drawn back for our final meal in this area of Western Australia.

Our lunchtime experience was like the previous one in that the place was still busy, the welcome still friendly, the service still slow but acceptable. Once the order is placed food and drinks arrive pretty quickly. It's just hard to flag someone down at times.

We ordered more chilli mussels, some corn on the cob, frites and aioli and chicken tenderloins.

Once again chilli mussels were a flavour hit. The corn was good, the frited were good and the chicken tenderloins good so thumbs up all round. No fancy flavours or clever tricks just good grub. The frites came out first and by the time everything else arrived, the bowl was pretty much empty so timing can be a bit hit and miss but given the casual ambience of the place and that it's fun to pass away a few hours here it almost doesn't matter that the food just comes when it's ready.

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The Monk - Fremantle

1/10/2011

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A sunny Saturday afternoon and the crowd of people sat on the terrace enjoying themselves proved too strong for us to just walk by and we decided to pop in for a light lunch and refreshment.

As we walked up we passed a BBQ with wonderful sausage and onion smells coming from it. We were greeted by a lederhosen clad smiling waiter. Just as luck would have it a table of two were just leaving so we took the seats in the sunshine and settled down with a pint of marzen for Steve and a kolsch for me in celebration of Oktoberfest.

We opted to share the sticky belly pork and scallops going for four pieces of pork and some frites with aioli. The food arrived quickly and we enjoyed the caramelised pork and the scallops that were cooked just to perfection. The bed of beansprouts it came on provided a nice refreshing salad accompaniment. The frites weren't really frites and more like roast potatoes. They were a little tough and soggy rather than crisp and fluffy and there were a lot of them.

We decided to hang around a bit longer as it was a nice place to sit. Before long the stein holding competition began and we watched about a dozen men hold out steins of water with the winner taking the crown after fifteen long minutes.

It was a fun place to spend a couple of hours and I'd happily return here and try the BBQ bratwurst next time.

The Monk Brewery & Kitchen on Urbanspoon

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Maya Indian Restaurant - Fremantle

Fidel's Café

Cicerello's - Fremantle

Little Creatures Brewery - Fremantle

The Monk - Fremantle

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