Tao Cafe, Innaloo

We have been to the Tao Cafe in Innaloo a couple of times. The staff young but always efficient and friendly. The restaurant covers three nationalities, Vietnamese, Thai and Japanese, and surprisingly seems to do all of them well.  The restaurant is very family friendly, and provide regular table sitting, booths or you can sit along the sushi train. Our favourite entrees include the spicy Thai fish cakes, fresh Vietnamese rice paper rolls, and a plate or two from the sushi train. There are a few kids meals such as kung fu fried rice, but we prefer to let them choose a plate from the sushi train. All meals are of very decent size and the price is reasonable. For mains, we have nto had a bad meal. You can eat around the world with the tom tum noodle soup (Thai), Pho tai (Vietnamese) and Chicken teriyaki (Japanese).

Other Things You Should Know

• BYO beer and wine. Corkage $4 a bottle, but not sure about beer bottles!
• open for lunch and dinner every day
• entertainment book 25% off (up to $25)

Location & Contact

• address: 381B SCARBOROUGH BEACH RD, INNALOO 6018
• phone: 92044774
• web: www.taocafe.com.au/

Subi Spice Cafe, Subiaco WA

We went looking for the Spicy South restaurant in Subiaco, but found it was under new management and under a new name too – Subi Spice. Unfortunately they did not honour our Entertainment Book voucher, but their prices are apparently much cheaper than before anyway. The Subi Spice menu covers both south and north Indian cuisine, though we decided to pick from the southern dishes as these seemed more interesting. We had the Banquette Rolls from the starter list, which were a spiced mix of minced lamb, onions and potatoes, wrapped in a pancake, covered in bread crumbs and deep fried. It came with a spiced tomato dipping sauce. Of the chicken dishes they had all the usuals (butter chicken, korma, tikka masala) but we went for the more unusual Chicken Chettinad, a hot and spicy Tamil Nadu Chettiar community dish, which made use of southern Indian spices. Our other main was Brinjal withPotatoes, made from lightly fried eggplants cooked with cubes of potatoes in a medium spiced sauce. Everything was great, including the price, and we will be returning soon to try more.

Other Things You Should Know

• BYO beer and wine
• open for luch and dinner. They have good lunch specials.

Location & Contact

• address: Shop 2, 375 Hay Street, Subiaco, 6008
• phone: (08) 9382 2434
• website: none

Harvest, Kyoto

An amazing buffet format restaurant in Kyoto station area that offers a large variety of Japanese food, with the aim of being healthy and natural using seasonal ingredients. A sign out the front says their philosophy is the “beauty comes from a healthy body”. And best of all it is all you can eat! We used the opportunity to sample a wide range of foods that we would not normally try, knowing that if we did not like it we could always try something else. There were a few surprises and overall a very good experience. It is not the cheapest place to eat, but worth a splurge if you want to try something different.

Other Things You Should Know

• the restaurant is all you can eat buffet style
• limit to 90 minutes per sitting

Location & Contact

• address: among the other restaurant in the basement level of Porta, the Kyoto Station underground shopping center
• website:  none

Ninniku Jip, Victoria Park

We heard about Ninniku Jip because of the children’s playground inside, a reason to go there with my kids in itself. We have also recently been to Japan, so were interested in eating more of that cuisine back home. The large sushi selection was a great place to start for our kids meal (we tried the Torimaki), though there was a specific kids meal menu too (nuggets and streamed rice!). Another favourite of ours is japanese gyoza which we were glad to see on the entree menu. We always look for something new and different on the menu, so some kimchi was in order (a traditional fermented Korean dish made of cabbage or other vegetables with varied seasonings). We tried the Kimchi & Pork Rice (Kimchi and pork stirred with rice and served with a sunny side up egg), and Kimchi Nabe (soupy kimchi with pork served in a hot pot). Very tasty and enjoyable. Next time (yes, we will go back) I’ll be trying the Yakisoba.

Other Things You Should Know

• open Mon,Fri-Sun 11:30am-3pm, 5pm-11pm; Tue,Thu 5pm-11pm
• Ninniku means garlic in Japanese, and Jip means house in Korean
• BYO wine (corkage $5)
• If you have the Entertainment Card, you can get 25% off total bill

Location & Contact

• address: 867 Albany Highway, East Victoria Park WA 6101
• phone: (08)9355 1988
• web: www.ninniku.com.au

1885 Eastern and Oriental (E&O), George Town, Penang, Malaysia

The historical Eastern and Oriental Hotel in George Town in Penang has several restaurants, such as Sarkies Corner, The Bakery, Farquar’s Bar, the Veranda, the Deck, and the place where we ate, 1885. The 1885 restaurant name is after the year that the hotel was established, and is the fanciest of the eateries at the hotel. We enjoyed a traditional English Afternoon Tea served in an elegant setting. We each had a different tea (served as tea bags): Fitness tea (which was a herbal tea) and Asam Mokalbarie tea (a rich full bodied broken tea with a lively aroma of malt and spices). Served with the tea was white bread finger sandwiches (no crust) with cucumber, smoked salmon, pork and pickles. There were also fruit and plain scones, served with jam and cream, and 10 tiny sweet portions – shortbread, fruitcake with strawberry and a mini croquenbush. It was way too decadent and posh for us – but great!

Other Things You Should Know

• there is no dress code, but you may want to dress up for the high tea service to feel the part
• open for afternoon tea 2.30pm to 5pm
• make sure you explore the rest of this old hotel

Location & Contact

• address: 10 Lebuh Farquhar, 10200 Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia
• phone: 04-2222000
• web: www.e-o-hotel.com

Zephyers Cafe & Kiosk, East Fremantle, WA

The Zephyers Cafe is located on the Swan River in East Fremantle, providing great river views while you enjoy your meal. It has been open since September 2004. It is a casual family place to eat, and you can bring your kids to play on the adjacent playground while you enjoy a coffee or small meal. When we visited it was busy and the service was not very friendly, but the coffee was OK and the location made up for it. Go for the view not the service.

Other Things You Should Know

• you cannot reserve tables
• open 8am – 5pm everyday
• Opposite the Leeuwin Barracks, on the Swan River

Location & Contact

• address: 61 Riverside Rd, East Fremantle, Western Australia
• phone: (08) 9438 2800
• web:  www.zephyrcafe.com.au

Coliseum Café and Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Coliseum Café and Hotel is a  historical landmark in Kuala Lumpur. We went for a evening drink and sat beneath the fans on a balmy night and felt like we had been transported back in time. It is well worth a visit to experience what Kuala Lumpur may have been like when the British colonial days. There was plenty of action in the cafe part so we assume that the food is OK too.

Other Things You Should Know

• The Coliseum Café and Hotel was a favourite haunt of William Somerset Maugham during his stay in British Malaya
• The hotel and cafe are located behind the famous Coliseum theatre, just down the road.
• open until late

Location & Contact

• address: 100 Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, 50100 Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
• phone: +60 3-2692 6270
• web: none