Taka! Tra Vinh~ Nando's..

2 July 2007 (Monday)
we woke up late today and decided to stay home for the day.. it was too rainy to head anywhere.. took time to note down these yum~ stuff here and to recover from too much good food.. in order to take up more challenges from tomorrow onwards.. wahaha!

3 July 2007 (Tuesday)
we met up with Sinnie for lunch in the city today.. she's leaving for Japan coming Friday.. she'll be there for 3 weeks to teach English.. how cool is that! she'll be doing some travelling in Malaysia and Singapore after that.. i may be able to meet her there..

lunch was at Taka's Kitchen and we ordered loads of yum~ stuff.. we had:

- Miso Katsu (my current favourite!)

- Japanese Curry with Karaage

- Teriyaki Toufu

- Teriyaki Fish

i ordered the California Roll as well.. theirs had fresh prawns in it instead of the usual crabstick.. feels like a Prawn Roll instead.. but i forgot to take a photo of it.. i was too hungry! wahaha.. and to be honest, you are not missing much if you didnt know about their sushi..

Results - Taka's Kitchen - Honey Senpai
1. Miso Katsu = 3.6/5 (72%)
2. Japanese Curry with Karaage = 3.85/5 (77%)
3. Teriyaki Toufu = 3.15/5 (63%)
4. Teriyaki Fish = NIL
5. California Roll = 2.45/4 [Smell section was strike off] (61.3%)

Honey Senpai commented that the Miso sauce of the Miso Katsu was a little too salty.. it was too salty to be eaten on its own.. with some rice, it's just right.. also, Honey Senpai only took a small piece of the Teriyaki Fish.. "not enough to comment", he said..

Results - Taka's Kitchen - Coffee Queen
1. Miso Katsu = 3.75/5 (75%)
2. Japanese Curry with Karaage = 3.6/5 (72%)
3. Teriyaki Toufu = 3.2/5 (64%)
4. Teriyaki Fish = 3.3/5 (66%)
5. California Roll = 2.3/4 (57.5%)

i love Miso Katsu~! haha.. i've been eating a fair bit of the Teriyaki Fish and Toufu before i switched to the Japanese Curry.. until i discover Miso Katsu.. you know, love at first bite? hehez.. the California Roll feels more like a Prawn Roll, really.. i wonder if they mixed up my order with someone else.. anyway, the sushi's not at all impressive.. better stick to my Miso Katsu!

Ambiance: a place where you can get value-for-money food real quick.. big servings that leaves you very satisfied indeed.. can be very noisy during lunch hours.. with heaps of people and the 'notifiers' (di-di-di-di~!) going off here and there!

Service: self-service.

Prices: very reasonble! that is why there's loads of students over there.. and even the office crowd favours Taka's kitchen for it's low prices..

Overall: a place i would go with friends and on my own.. and when in doubt, stick to Taka's Kitchen.. difficult to go wrong..

Taka's Kitchen
150 - 152 Barrack Street
(Corner of Wellington Street)
Perth WA 6000

*Sidetracking in progress: Transformers was the highlight of the day and we really enjoyed it!

Dinner was at Tra Vinh.. we initially went to Kim Chee House but it's closed on Tuesday!! oh well, we switched to Tra Vinh as Honey Senpai wanted to try Vietnamese food.. but the food there disappointed him after he ate it~ we ordered:

- Braised Chicken with Ginger & Spring Onion

i cant give this dish any other credit other than that the chicken is soft, really.. there's heaps of ginger strips but there's no hint of ginger at all when i ate the chicken on its own..

- Pork Spare Rib with Peking Sauce

Honey Senpai said this dish tasted like it's done Sweet and Sour.. i think i'm eating Pork Spare Rib with Plum Sauce.. i wonder if the order-taker took my order wrongly.. the Pork pieces are quite over done and looked charred to me.. credit is given for being served on a hot plate~ and i quite like the unknown sauce though~ haha..

- Fried Rice

the Fried Rice tasted bland and wasnt even mixed well with the soy sauce.. cant be given much credit..

Results - Tra Vinh - Honey Senpai
1. Braised Chicken with Ginger & Spring Onion = 2.55/4 (63.8%)
2. Pork Spare Ribs with Peking Sauce = 2.55/4 (63.8%)
3. Fried Rice = 1.9/4 (47.5%! this is the first red mark on this blog!))

Results - Tra Vinh - Coffee Queen
1. Braised Chicken with Ginger & Spring Onion = 2.3/4 (57.5%)
2. Pork Spare Ribs with Peking Sauce = 2.7/4 (67.5%)
3. Fried Rice = 1.9/4 (47.5%!)

Results are based on 4 instead of the normal 5 because the Presentation section has been taken off.. there's no presentation whatsoever.. so it would be better to strike it off..

Ambiance
Honey Senpai: "a lot of cheesy music videos.."
Coffee Queen: "yucky music videos.."

Service
Honey Senpai: "practically equivalent to self-service.."
Coffee Queen: "order-taking + serving = service?"

Prices
Honey Senpai: "a bit over-priced with regards to the overall feeling.."
Coffee Queen: "food's not worth the prices.."

Overall
Honey Senpai: "there are better alternatives for dinner.. eg, Sparrow.."
Coffee Queen: "it's all Kim Chee House's fault?"

there was only 3 tables that were occupied during dinner time.. i think that speaks for itself.. i'll stick to my Duck Noodles next time round.. if there's a next time..

Tra Vinh Vietnamese & Chinese Special Noodle House
149A Brisbane Street
Northbridge WA 6003

4 July 2007 (Wednesday)
Lunch was at Nando's in Karawara.. we ordered:

- Mixed Platter (half a chicken, 5 wings [not in photo] & 4 tenderloins)

- Coleslaw (large)
- Old-style Chips (large)

Results - Nando's - Honey Senpai
1. Mix Platter [Chicken + tenderloins] = 3.4/5 (68%)
2. Mix Platter [BBQ Wings] = 3.7/5 (74%)

Results - Nando's - Coffee Queen
1. Mix Platter [Chicken + tenderloins] = 3.3/5 (66%)
2. Mix Platter [BBQ Wings] = 3.4/5 (68%)

the Old-style chips and the Coleslaw tasted pretty normal, i supposed.. they are good, but not exceptionally impressive that i'll give them a write-up.. one thing to note though, the coleslaw tasted like the ones i can get at KFC.. i quite like them.. haha..

Ambiance: there's tables on both sides of the order taking counter.. facing the counter, the left side has a more cozy feel for people who may want to take a longer time to enjoy their meals.. ..on the right side, there's natural light shining through the glass doors.. which was more suitable for people like me, who want to take photos of their food.. haha..

Service: order-taking is at the counter.. and food's served to your table..

Prices: reasonable

Overall: a place i would pop back once in a while with a good friend/friends.. so we can order loads to share.. i wouldnt go there on my own as i'm not a great fan of chicken.. haha..

Nando's [Karawara]
Karawara Village Green Shopping Centre
Kent Street