gr8 thanks

prolly go around 6.30-7sh... better be worthwhile cos i want to catch this >>>

Illuminites

Central SquareView mapDate: 16 December
Time: 17:00 - 22:00
Price: Free

For two Fridays in December, (9 and 16), EPRA and the Department of Culture and the Arts will light up the Perth Cultural Centre with the free Illuminites celebrations as part of the city-wide Festival of Christmas.

Between 5pm and 10pm each evening, Illuminites will bring a supper club, gift markets, family activities and live entertainment to the Perth Cultural Centre.

The funky designers and retailers of William Street will also showcase a vast range of beautiful designs and Christmas gift ideas, along with collectable Christmas cards. As darkness falls, a stunning new light-based public art installation will light up the area – set to provide a dazzling display.
Don't miss local bands programmed by RTR-FM, late night openings of Princely Treasures at the Art Gallery of WA and Alternating Currents at PICA, the make-your-own Christmas decorations activity and more.

See you at Illuminites!

oh wait, are they talking about that bicycle xmas tree? eeep. hahaha.

Yeah I really don't know what they were referring to with that..

The fresh produce section of the Morley Markets are going to be fantastic, had a look today, only about a third are open though. Very cheap, very good quality, not that you necessarily expect that to stay that way, first day after all.

I didn't find it too sterile, the warehouse shell saves it from that actually. They've got a big lounge area, chesterfield style things where the food places are, I like that idea, makes a place feel less like a school cafeteria.

It does look like South Melbourne markets but it is bigger and really much better, especially from the fruit and veg perspective. Meat/fish/deli/bakery etc it's yet to be seen, hardly any of those and none of the butchers were open yet. It will be a one stop shop for groceries anyway and will be very popular, there is just nothing like that out this way.

Sounds promising, hopefully it is open all week as well.

Good to hear, might pop in on the weekend.

cultural centre markets open and fairly busy, my mate has already gone through a fair bit of paella. main hawker markets at forrest place rammed as usual, i just got home from doing the rounds at both + vino @ bivouac

keen to check out coventrys as well, date samby? we can hold hands on the chesterfields

any decision made bart?

I passed on the info a day or two ago, but to the wrong email address. SO passed it on correctly today, so I'll find out ofver the w/e, I guess.

love tha asado de chimichurri... i like tha ambience of tha urban orchard better, far more relaxing and tha live acoustic music adds up... ended up getting some paella, jap pancakes and tha asado... sat down to eat, but some big ol' lez kept gawking... i had to hold back making chapping sounds with my lips whilst eating cos she was watching...

I've never seen the city so packed!! I know people have said this before but why the hell don't they do the cultural centre thing every friday night? Long lines in front of most food outlets.
On a negative note, I have no idea what possessed me to get dumplings from some stall called jumpling? I didn't even realise what I was getting, just got caught up in the moment. It was the most disgusting thing I've had in a long time. One bite and both my Mrs and I spat it out. Not to mention $5 for 3 small dumplings!!

I don't know why we don't have a permanent food market like that set up in the city.

I popped into Coventry Square today as it's only a few km away from my mums. I think it has a lot of potential to become one of the most interesting suburban retail district in Perth. Especially given the relatively multicultural make up of the north-eastern suburbs. Unfortunately unless you are in the area I wouldn't bother visiting at the moment as the majority of shops are empty and there is little atmosphere. But I do look forward to revisiting when I am next in Perth.

signs are great for coventry, i think it has heaps of potential. took a proper look around and spoke to a few retailers, most people sound pretty excited/hopeful. interestingly apparently a lot of shops are on 3 and 5 year leases, i expected the smaller shops to be on shorter leases.

fruit and veg very cheap, paid $0.50/bunch for kai lan etc, $8/kg for coriander.interesting variations on prices from various stores but early days yet.

from what i can see there will be one bulk meat place, all prepackaged, one chicken and seafood place, a chinese butcher, a bit of an all round butcher including game, fishmonger, 3 asian grocery shops, 2 indian grocery shops and at least 5 fruit and veg. whoever got what appears to be the only licensed place (some bar and grill right where the chesterfields are) is going to make a lot of money.

went for lunch at bivouac after, 3 people $65, all happy with their meals

bargain of the day was atlantic seafood though. got 4 whole small fish, scaled and gutted, enough for 4 people to eat very well, for $6.20. mum was amazed by how cheap it was

really nice fish too, ive had it in the past.

Loads of future potential here,glad its only up the road from Inglewood,fruit and veg massive cheap and superb standard this center will do very well when fully established...!!!:):):)

:):):) 140 William/ Murray street mall location stay tuned..Any idea what site?

oh must be taking over herdsman...

Hmmm... interesting. Herdsman seems like a bit of an odd place for them to go. Don't know if one40 has any other free space though.. except the building fronting Wellington.

:):):) 140 William/ Murray street mall location stay tuned..

hrmm, if 140 have pulled that off, they have just saved the whole retail development which must be really hurting. however i'm guessing herdsman would barely have been 1000sq.m, which may be a bit small for zara??

hrmm, if 140 have pulled that off, they have just saved the whole retail development which must be really hurting. however i'm guessing herdsman would barely have been 1000sq.m, which may be a bit small for zara??

Yeah, I reckon that might be a little small for Zara.

Wasn't Herdsman on William Street? As it would be their first shop in Perth I am guessing Zara would want pedestrian mall frontage as they have in Melbourne and Sydney.

You guys need to compare the size to others in PERTH, not the rest of the world. 1000 is larger than anything else here. Also the old prouds store has been leased too which was fairly large with mall frontage

No way ZARA would go into the Herdsman store. Thats not their style at all, and its got pretty poor street frontage. If they do I'd be pretty disappointed tbh.

If they could clear out the stores (Swarovski etc) on the ground floor, and the food court above, it would seem more like Zara.

Why aren't they going into the empty Borders store?

I really hope they wouldn't go into Borders. Shit location, shit floorplates, shit building. Murray St Mall>Hay St Mall.

the best option would have been the corner building at raine square if the 1st level was retail too. there really is a lack of decent mall space. if the owners of forrest chase and carrilion pulled their finger out there's opportunities to develop some awesome flagship tenancy space.

Zara said they definitely wanted Mall space though and were prepared to wait until it came available.

Not a chance it would be the Herdsman site. Far too small. Even the smallest Zaras I have seen aren't close to that small.

on another note, that little greek place at the 140 food court has shut down. shame, they had an awesome vegetarian souvlaki.

You don't make rents with salad.

^Funny.

You guys need to compare the size to others in PERTH, not the rest of the world. 1000 is larger than anything else here. Also the old prouds store has been leased too which was fairly large with mall frontage

^^ this...

went to la cholita with a friend at around 1am on sat night as he wasnt keen on azn food and we wanted to drink

the pork hock is awesome, definitely worth trying

i also think that they need to sort out some of their service issues, we were originally brought out someone elses pork hock (before we had ordered), i can imagine he wouldvve been a little upset if we ate it...

theyve got a new french girl who really struggles, nice enough girl but nice dont bring me food and drinks

ive also noticed a few people getting frustrated at some waits (a small % but it is def there) but apart from that i think most of the frustration is related to the no bookings policy

When we went Friday night about 1am-ish, we got drinks first, then the dishes came out one by one, but with about a 15 min+ wait between each dish. Made for frustrating late-night drunken eats - yeah mine came last. :P

I'm just happy The Moon has some late-night competition.

well for me the moon just isnt an option whatsoever. i honestly have been there twice in my life, fucking hate it so this is a great alternative to some of the asian joints i go to late, only problem with them is they arent licensed.

i hope they can sort out the issues though because theyve now finished 2.5 weeks of trading

You guys need to compare the size to others in PERTH, not the rest of the world. 1000 is larger than anything else here. Also the old prouds store has been leased too which was fairly large with mall frontage

True
But Zara do stick to what they believe in and thats generally... large shopfronts, mall location if possible, large floor-plates & 2 or 3 levels.

And in an ideal world, location will be next to DJs/Myer if I read correctly.

We shall see :)

Would they fit into a converted food court?

I asked 140 William on their facebook page if Zara had signed up there.

They replied 'watch this space'

The Herdsman site would be perfect. I've seen plenty of single level Zara's, the size is big enough.

Re: Herdsman - another overpriced joint bites the dust?

you know what, I just realised - there is a floor above The Herdsman with an emtpy tenancy right above it. Nothing stopping someone plugging in an escalator or two.

The upper floor empty tenancy is huge - approx 1200sq.m plus 450sq.m on the ground would give Zara 1,600sq.m+ - not sure if this is still too small?

Floor plans here...
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1034829

edit - apparently average zara size is 1,000sq.m so plenty of space

Good to see the penny's starting to drop. As Nate said, small Zaras may not be the norm but there's a fair few around (especially inside shopping centres) so start thinking in Perth terms.

Also, William st will potentially get just as busy as any section of the Hay st Mall. (city link etc)

you know what, I just realised - there is a floor above The Herdsman with an emtpy tenancy right above it. Nothing stopping someone plugging in an escalator or two.

The upper floor empty tenancy is huge - approx 1200sq.m plus 450sq.m on the ground would give Zara 1,600sq.m+ - not sure if this is still too small?

Floor plans here...
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1034829

edit - apparently average zara size is 1,000sq.m so plenty of space

It would be larger than Zara in Pitt Street Sydney, which is 1,400sqm.

The Herdsman site would be perfect. I've seen plenty of single level Zara's, the size is big enough.

Re: Herdsman - another overpriced joint bites the dust?

How long until your art gallery goes? :lol:





Just jokes.

dough pizza on william st where sparrows used to be opened today at 5.30

popped in around 5.15 but they werent ready so will go back another day. looks to be wog run, the guy was friendlyenough, explained that they wanted to do authentic wood fired pizza, the chef was from naples etc. to me it was a bit silly for them not to have asked me to have a seat and a drink and order first

menu looked good, im keen to go back and try. pizzas start at $16, option for buffalo mozzarella etc

How long until your art gallery goes? :lol:

Just jokes.

We are guaranteed not to close in six months ;)

Jokes aside, we have been open 16 months already!

Good to see the penny's starting to drop. As Nate said, small Zaras may not be the norm but there's a fair few around (especially inside shopping centres) so start thinking in Perth terms.

Also, William st will potentially get just as busy as any section of the Hay st Mall. (city link etc)

I would expect them to use both levels. Small city stores don't exactly fit in with their strategy in Australia so far. Zara Adelaide is 1700sqm. But you never know I suppose. Anyway, if they do take the tenancy it will be great for William St.

Wait I thought the CoP took that first level tenancy for their library until the new one is ready.Unless that is second level, or a different spot..

Library finds a temporary home

26th Sep 2011

The Council has approved a central CBD site for the temporary relocation of the City of Perth Library.

From early next year the lending library will be housed on the first floor of the new Gordon Stephenson House at 140 William Street on the corner of Murray Street Mall.

It is expected that the library will operate from these premises for almost three years until the City’s new state-of-the-art library is completed in the St George’s Cathedral Heritage Precinct.

The library is currently located in the basement of the Law Chambers Building at 573 Hay Street.* That building will be demolished to ultimately make way for the new library.

Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi said the City had worked hard to find a suitable site for the library and that 140 William Street was ideal.

“It will be in the heart of the city, easily accessible to workers and close to all train routes,” Ms Scaffidi said. “Importantly, with more than 1200sqm of space available, the site will be able to accommodate the library facilities currently on offer.”

It is expected that the library will commence operating at the temporary site from February next year.* Construction of the new City of Perth Library is planned to commence in November 2012 (after demolition of the Law Chambers Building) with an estimated completion date of late 2014.

The City will enter a two-year, eleven-month, lease with CBus Property, the owner of the 140 William Street site.



Source (http://perth.wa.gov.au/web/Media-Centre/?article=646)


I can't really work out where they are talking about... Someone want to fb Lisa?? :P

I'm still not convinced that Herdsman is Zara's type of store, then again look where Apple opened, so it is a possibility. That 'watch this space' comment is very promising too...

Hopefully it does open in a quieter retail area - will be an attraction in its own right and extend retail.

went to la cholita with a friend at around 1am on sat night as he wasnt keen on azn food and we wanted to drink

the pork hock is awesome, definitely worth trying

i also think that they need to sort out some of their service issues, we were originally brought out someone elses pork hock (before we had ordered), i can imagine he wouldvve been a little upset if we ate it...

theyve got a new french girl who really struggles, nice enough girl but nice dont bring me food and drinks

ive also noticed a few people getting frustrated at some waits (a small % but it is def there) but apart from that i think most of the frustration is related to the no bookings policy

John Lethlean - the food and wine guy from The Australian tweeted a photo of the outside of La Chloita yesterday. Would be interesting if they were being reviewed this early on. This is the guy who tore The Sentinel a new one not long after they opened..

Speaking of.. if anyone has a subscription to The Aus. could you help me out with this..

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/lifestyle/the-best-new-restaurants-of-2011/story-e6frg8jo-1226216532603?sv=f8b421a8390ae38f51c55ad2e5953664

It's free to subscribe you know.

their security is shit, just immitate a search bot

http://www.google.com.au/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&site=&source=hp&q=%22The+best+new+restaurants+of+2011%22+site:theaustralian.com.au&pbx=1&oq=%22The+best+new+restaurants+of+2011%22+site:theaustralian.com.au&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=2055l6827l0l6860l41l24l2l0l0l5l1268l9939l2-7.2.6.4.1.1l24l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=440660d03c957758&biw=1920&bih=1070

click it from that link ;)

-edit- oh, this does not seem to work with the gallary.

went to modo mio for lunch, was quite impressed actually.

service could do with a bit of fine tuning but food was good and prices fair.

had:

-garlic bread to share (well worth trying, done like a gougere so extremely different to the usual and very tasty)
- jerusalem artichoke soup wuith gorgonzola mousse - very nice but a touch overpriced (not to the point of ridiculous though)
- involtini of eggplant with ricotta and tomato sauce - very "normal" sounding dish but it was superb. only had a bite but it really was very nice
- cuttlefish risotto with squid ink sauce - was a bit disappointed it wasnt cooked in squid ink but was still a very good dish. not great but i was still happy with it
- linguini with prawns, asparagus, tomato and brandy - one of the best pastas ive had this year, maybe the best actually

with 2 glasses of wine it was $128. portions were big too, all 3 of us were pretty full

Sounds nice, were there vegetarians involved or is the menu just light on meat?

I realise fish are sentient beings...

Went to Aviary for lunch today. Had Chorizo pizza with potato and rosemary. Was quite terrible, wasn't cooked properly and was so bland and had no flavour at all. Chorizo was tasy but looked demented. Potato slices were not cooked through either.

It was very busy but still, its not hard to cook a pizza properly. I could see as soon as it came out it wasn't cooked properly. Ate it anyway, friends lunch was fine so didn't say anything.

Will give it a go when its less busy.

So instead of sending it back to 'fix' the problem, you've decided to return just in case they improve. No wonder Perth is f**d.

I've got some really bad feedback about the Aviary from a few mates. I only had a beer there during the day on the weekend so can't comment. It was stinking hot though if you didn't manage to score a shady spot.

I think that is a little unfair. There are situations where you don't want to make an issue of something. Depends on who you are with/the occasion. The other persons food was good, so that is reason enough to give it another shot.

Also the fear of having spat on your food etc...

So instead of sending it back to 'fix' the problem, you've decided to return just in case they improve. No wonder Perth is f**d.

I've got some really bad feedback about the Aviary from a few mates. I only had a beer there during the day on the weekend so can't comment. It was stinking hot though if you didn't manage to score a shady spot.

I would normally but was there more to just hang with a mate so wasn't too bothered.

I wouldn't go out of my way but they aren't blacklisted - yet.

I take it we're talking about The Nest? I was up there Monday lunch, had the blue cheese/pear/rocket pizza. Flavors were ok but the texture was strange, the cheese was like a thick liquid and the base a little doughy. The rocket was blowing away in the high wind too. Service? Attentive.
Overall the jury's still out for me.

my friend called me today cos mondo's were doing whole lambs for $85.

i basically got half a lamb, butchered and vac packed for $42.50, will be picking up tomorrow. i cant help but feel there is a catch somewhere, will report back

also for you extravagant mofos, modo mio has a white truffle menu atm, i thought it was too pricey though. eg tagliatelle with white truffle - $130

no catch! we got a whole lamb for $85! pretty small so will be really tender, looks like it would be still milk fed despite it being quite late in the season for it.

an entire beautiful baby lamb, still on mothers milk, slaughtered just for my enjoyment. awesome

Phong Vinh was chosen for tomorrow night. Thanks for the suggestions!

I'm not sure about putting starchy things on pizza. Saw one tonight with pumpkin (goats cheese, rocket, caramelised onion). It isn't right somehow. Potato is even wronger, at least pumpkin has some sweetness/creaminess to it.

I'm not sure about putting starchy things on pizza. Saw one tonight with pumpkin (goats cheese, rocket, caramelised onion). It isn't right somehow. Potato is even wronger, at least pumpkin has some sweetness/creaminess to it.

I don't generally like pizza, but there have been a few with pumkin that have been really good. Potato however... hell no!

Nah I like potato on pizza if done right, like cooked.

Waiting at little willys for my breakfast burrito. Quite busy here, mocha is good

If anyone's interested in good bagels, I just discovered that Coles @ Dogswamp has a Kosher (freezer) section and store bagels from Glicks. I'd say it's the tastiest and most authentic I've had in Perth. Haven't seen it at any other Coles.

So that pizza I had yesterday made me fairly sick last night, seem to recovered fine this morning though.

Also, pretty sure I was sitting next to a bikie who'd been up on the gear all night at little Willys. Wasn't overly impressed with the breakfast burrito, nothing particularly wrong with it but just didn't suit my taste. Mocha was quite good though, nice strong coffee flavour coming through.

If anyone's interested in good bagels, I just discovered that Coles @ Dogswamp has a Kosher (freezer) section and store bagels from Glicks. I'd say it's the tastiest and most authentic I've had in Perth. Haven't seen it at any other Coles.

I want Chocolate Babka. Tried it in New York as a laugh because of Seinfeld but its actually bloody awesome. And yes, chocolate is better than the cinamon one. Black and white cookie was meh lol.

LOL I saw something similar to babka, I think it was called chullah.

live crays

kailis - $60/kg
boatshed - $70/kg
atlantic - $46/kg

god i love azn ppl. got 2 beautiful live crays for $75

where's the atlantic sanj?

atlantic seafood is in that little complex on william st where 4 seasons roasting duck is, just south of where the singing wog used to be. open til 5pm mon-sat

EXTREMELY cheap for whole fish, the other day i got 4 small whole fish, enough for 4 people to eat generously with rice etc. 4 really nice fish, extremely fresh, gutted and scaled for $6.10, ie $1.55 per fish.

will definitely have to check it out. I'm sure I've walked past a million times.

Went to Pho Vinh tonight. For the price the mains are pretty good. Entrees were so-so (ordered before I got there). And I definitely recommend not touching the desserts. The batter used in the fired ice-cream, banana, etc. was barely edible.

La Cholita. 45 min wait just to get to the waiting area then an hour wait to get food, so unfortunately couldn't eat there as had to be elsewhere later. The place was pumping and they offered to take ny name and put it on the list and call me when the waiting area became available so can't ask for more really.

Went to Biuovac instead. Service was great food was better than ok but not fantastic imho. Would I go there again, yes. Reasonable by Perth standards I think.

La Cholita. 45 min wait just to get to the waiting area then an hour wait to get food, so unfortunately couldn't eat there as had to be elsewhere later. The place was pumping and they offered to take ny name and put it on the list and call me when the waiting area became available so can't ask for more really.

Went to Biuovac instead. Service was great food was better than ok but not fantastic imho. Would I go there again, yes. Reasonable by Perth standards I think.

yeah that describes bivouac to a tee imo. im there fairly often but it is a place where the total is greater than the sum of its parts. i normally have a drink there and maybe a snack before having dinner elsewhere although i do have meals there once in a while.

what time did you go to la cholita? 2 hour wait is painful. was planning on taking some friends there who arrive from malaysia today but no way ill be doing that wait.

bart - what did you guiys have? i suspect phong vinh, like most viet places in perth, is best if everyone has individual dishes. even at tra vinh all the shared sdishes stuff are just whitey specials and nothing ive seen has ever grabbed me.

We got there at 7:30. The lady said that on Saturdays the total wait usually stretches to about 3 hours later on in the night. Just goes to show the pent up demand in Perth for that sort of thing. Was vey interesting that that whole strip now has a great vibe on a Sat night until later when it becomes more typical "Northbridge". Just imagine what some more of these sorts of venues will do to the street.

...speaking of, it was interesting to see the banner on the site where the Latin was going to be advertising the hospitality opportunity of the site. I don't know how they are going to convince anyone of that site's merit with its recent history. How will they convince anyone that it's worth the risk to do something there?

They should advertise it as 'In the PUBLIC Interest, lease this site'.

La Molita would be an instant success.

Yeah the EOI period for The Latin site as closed. I'm sure there would have been a lot of interest. It isn't going to be that hard to license. Just have to go about it the right way.

The right way and easy are mutually exclusive in this case.

I have been speaking with "a guy" who is trying to get a bar license on William.

They are really trying to help him out (even bending the regulations to allow him to reapply), but, it's looking like it just won't happen, due to silly things to do with where the toilets are located etc.

It's still really tough.

The good thing is both sides want some changes to the current legislation. this sort of thing is always a slow process though.

I have been speaking with "a guy" who is trying to get a bar license on William.

They are really trying to help him out (even bending the regulations to allow him to reapply), but, it's looking like it just won't happen, due to silly things to do with where the toilets are located etc.

It's still really tough.

oneup?

I thought Oneup was already serving alcohol? Might be mistaken though..

checked out dough pizza tonight.

open 7 days a week, 5.30-11.30 most nights and til 1.30am on friday and saturday

perth being the tiny place it is i recognised someone working there and turns out someone i know casually owns it.

had a "dough pizza", half provola and smoked ham calzone and half margherita

pretty good, nice base, nice tomato sauce, good cheese, properly cooked

gets a thumbs up from me, will be back to try more. crust was crispy but pizza still a bit soft in the middle which is how i like it.

The Senses building in Maylands where the WA Ballet is moving into, is advertising a bar/cafe/restaurant lease. I'm so pleased, if nothing else it's a pretext getting into that building! It's my favourite in Perth.

I want Chocolate Babka. Tried it in New York as a laugh because of Seinfeld but its actually bloody awesome. And yes, chocolate is better than the cinamon one. Black and white cookie was meh lol.

There are quite a few polish places that have good Babka , Rembrants on beauford (which i think has now closed down). The other being Chopin Patisserie , had one of there chocolate/vanilla babka's with chocolate ganache and roasted almonds , was amazing.

Oh Rembrandt has closed down? They'd deviated from their plan last time I went, never bothered going back, never tried their sweets.

Thanks for that Aerobat. Will try to get to Chopin this week.

Has anybody tried this pizza place?

http://crust.com.au/stores?state=WA

They are a nationwide chain whose website I stumbled across tonight. WA stores in Vic Park, Canningvale and Subi, with a Mt Lawley branch coming soon. Doesn't look promising when you actually look at the menu (I.e. they refer to Hawaiian as one of the traditional flavours), but I'd still be curious to see where it ranks on the "chain scale".

ive tried the subi store twice

not bad by any means but certainly not great. i enjoy pizza but it isnt at the top of the list of my favourites so i tend to be somewhat fussy about it

mt lawley branch is owned by a food blogger and her husband, met them a couple of months ago

to me it shows what is wrong with mt lawley though, when it comes to burgers, pizza and mexican:

NB - jus burgers, soon to be flipside, dough pizza and la cholita

ML - grilld, crust and zambrero, although a good mexican is on the way.

ML is definitely on the path to turning into subi where the high rents will kill a lot of the smaller places and encourage chains to open

The problem is that all of My Lawley essentially revolves around just one street. In general in Perth, so many of the great areas barely extend beyond the main high street. It would be great if through rezoning or something some of the other streets could become activated with lower rent, independent places.

La Cholita. 5 people, great food, comfortably full plus a few drinks each, for $60 per person. Go there and you will not be disappointed.

Also finally got to meet jackso in person :-)

Also went to 5 bar in Mt Lawley for lunch. great vibe, all of us had a light but filling lunch plus an alcoholic drink each for $30 each. Food was very tasty and service was beyond good. Really impressed.

samboy/sanj i'm looking at you...

i found these old doors 4x panels in guildford today... and anyway, i was really unprepared for questions and whatever else that i blurted straight out tha "what's tha best price?" line without any thought... they were tagged at $1100, but when he came out from his little room, he would only give me $100 off... grr.

sourced from a village in surajaya, i can't remember tha name, shop front door from an older style house and i think he mentioned what year tha place was built... i can't even research it... bad.

i think i messed this one up, but i wanna get another $200-$300 off... ideas?

my must have belated xmas present... :p
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/crave1980/IMAG0231.jpg

What are you going to do with them? Is that the fellow out the back?

Are you asking how to get a further discount after already paying for something? Return them and come back at a later date in disguise.

Just walk in and say, Im interested but it's an impulse purchase and i really cant afford more than x.. if i can get it at that price I'll take it. Be prepared to walk away.

Just walk in and say, Im interested but it's an impulse purchase and i really cant afford more than x.. if i can get it at that price I'll take it. Be prepared to walk away.

hmmm, i'll try $750, that's prolly pushing it... *grumble* about walking away... tha impulse buy thing is a good one... cheers.

kel: i'm planning on doing up my courtyard. i've been on tha lookout for bits and pieces... with tha door panels i wanna put them up above some bench seating, which doubles as a feature wall... other oriental door panels around all nearly all new, but i'd like something "aged" as tha materials used in tha area will be mostly recycled...

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/crave1980/383808_10151038642505507_821645506_21451180_1393986139_n-1.jpg

La Cholita. 5 people, great food, comfortably full plus a few drinks each, for $60 per person. Go there and you will not be disappointed.

Also finally got to meet jackso in person :-)



Yeah, it was a great night and nice to finally meet you and the other half.

That pork hock was great. Melt in your mouth.

DA for the microbrewery went through this week so should see movement on the site pretty soon.

Just walk in and say, Im interested but it's an impulse purchase and i really cant afford more than x.. if i can get it at that price I'll take it. Be prepared to walk away.

+1

only thing i would add to it is that if you do walk away give him your details and tell him to call you if he changes his mind but let him know you'll be buying something in the next couple of days

La Cholita. 5 people, great food, comfortably full plus a few drinks each, for $60 per person. Go there and you will not be disappointed.

Also finally got to meet jackso in person :-)

Also went to 5 bar in Mt Lawley for lunch. great vibe, all of us had a light but filling lunch plus an alcoholic drink each for $30 each. Food was very tasty and service was beyond good. Really impressed.

Oh fuck, I totally forgot about this! :bash::bash::bash:

Sorry manz!

you missed a pretty good night, popped into 399 after for a blood and sand as well

Blood and Sand was very nice. Sucks to be you DR!

At least I had the common courtesy to advise acc that I wouldn't be able to make it.

-1 DR

SHUT ALL OF YOUR MOUTHS

(Actually have no excuse.)

Pork Hock, Beef Cheeck, tequila. Mmmmm.

Omg pork hock was def the highlight.

porky goodness all around... i whipped some pork and chicken adobo... :D

with no bayleaves? doesn't make adobo :P

lol. watevs betch.

make me some Dinuguan next :P

i think i'd prefer to just eat it... i've helped out make it heaps of times before but tha prep work is too graphic for me... :p

I've never seen it being made... but eating it is just awesome!...

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/crave1980/383808_10151038642505507_821645506_21451180_1393986139_n-1.jpg

That looks good, I like the herb wall.

Four whiteys went to What The Pho tonight. It was great as usual. Hooray that place.

La Cholitas packed to the rafters again. :D

la cholita will be extending into the back area that is currently closed off. they couldnt tell me how long but said it wouldnt be long. apparently that section doesnt have a roof so it should be quite nice in summer

Yeah I noticed that bit tonight walking next door to pho, looked like it would make a real nice summertime warm evening drinky relaxy zone.

Hmmm Izakaya Sakura only open for dinner :(

Might try Kung Fu Kitchen, or What The Pho.

Do you do much of the work yourself Crave or get people in to do it?

I've just been lifting a whole lot of limestone for our backyard. So heavy and hot.

^^ i do nearly all tha work myself... tha only thing i'll avoid are jobs requiring certified trades for obvious reasons, tho i have changed power outlets and done basic re-plumbing...

i feel for ya about tha heavy work... i'm doing some paving in tha other house and that's been really back breaking... i hate road base. tha end.

ps. if anyone knows where to buy half wine barrels, please let me know... guy up in swan valley selling them for $60... hmm.

Do you do much of the work yourself Crave or get people in to do it?

I've just been lifting a whole lot of limestone for our backyard. So heavy and hot.

Probably not the best weather for that type of job.

one for samboy and the other scrooges - local garlic at boys n berries @ coventrys - $3.99/kg

i saw it somewhere else this week for 49.99/kg

had to dig thru it a little though

viet lady at the counter had a rant about another store in the complex ripping people off because they both bought it from the same grower @ $3.50/kg but other store was selling at $20

with competition like this i predict prices to remain pretty low here. another store had fresh local prawn flesh for $29/kg and lilydale chicken for something like $7 or 8/kg

Has anyone been to Shiro Izakaya in the city yet? It's got 85% approval on Urbanspoon and the reviews sound good. The place looks great too. Might check it out soon.

2 weeks or so ago i read the reviews, blog posts and checked out the website and im not all that keen to go there

izakaya for whiteys, there arent even heaps of izakaya dishes. it is also pretty expensive, i dont see why i should pay more there than say sakura or jun

thumbs down for sanj

i predict it to do quite well though, you people enjoy paying more for stuff

hahaha. Yeah fair enough. Will do well with the lunch/after work business crowd. One of the blog posts mentioned a sake bar upstairs which would be interesting.

there is also a sake joint opening on francis st next to harrys and across the road from hong kong bbq

Nice.

Some people associated with Connections are trying to open a gay oriented small bar down a laneway of James St. There is a survey if anyone wants to do it..

https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=327233600628920

does it have to be near connies.. can't it be away from all tha ferals? :p

I painted one of the walls of this warehouse for the Six Thousands party a few months ago, and they've been hiring it out for functions. It's a really great little space and feels entirely separate from Connections for the most part.

Crave, surely a bar for older gays located in China Town would be right up your alley, so to speak?

;)

maybe, dr... too close for tha drag queens to roll down into tho... perth drag queens traumatise me... :p

I thought it was the one you painted in DR. That was a good job you did.

one for samboy and the other scrooges - local garlic at boys n berries @ coventrys - $3.99/kg

i saw it somewhere else this week for 49.99/kg

had to dig thru it a little though

viet lady at the counter had a rant about another store in the complex ripping people off because they both bought it from the same grower @ $3.50/kg but other store was selling at $20

with competition like this i predict prices to remain pretty low here. another store had fresh local prawn flesh for $29/kg and lilydale chicken for something like $7 or 8/kg

Boys'n'Berries have some nice things too. Salas salt which I haven't been able to get anywhere for ages, nice mozzarella I've not tried before, Floridia 500g pear for $7.00, some locally made confectionery that my dad is a big fan of.

They're doing the same thing though, one day everyone else had Fuji apples $7.95 while theirs were $3.95. The next day theirs were put up to $7.95. But by then someone else had put theirs down to $3.95.

Last time I got some porterhouse steak for $15 kg, the nicest I've had for a while too.

Grocery shopping is suddenly such fun, no need to go anywhere else. They're all really friendly as well.

I'll have to check it out. Fair prices, good quality produce and good service. Sounds great.

Went to Mad Mex in Hillarys. Don't bother. It's essentially Old El Paso. Average Tex Mex at best. Actually, Old El Paso with good quality meat is better Tex Mex.

Went to gogos Indian in mt lawly on Friday.

Didn't like it.

Went to Mad Mex in Hillarys. Don't bother. It's essentially Old El Paso. Average Tex Mex at best. Actually, Old El Paso with good quality meat is better Tex Mex.

Madmex is a national chain .. does that change your expectations ?

Knew it was a chain, however was still hoping it would be ok. Was never expecting great.

I didn't think it was bad. Wasn't expecting a lot. Would go again, only because it is close. Wouldn't seek it out.

The meat was a shocker. Really dry. We tried chicken, beef and steak across 3 tacos.

I did the pork in a Quesadilla.

Melted cheese can both cause and hide a multitude of sins ;)

Went to gogos Indian in mt lawly on Friday.

Didn't like it.

Agree! Tried it a while back.

Mela is easily my fave indian place, the Briyani is awesommmme. And the Thali is always good. :D

Sounds like I need to take a trip up there to see what they have. (Coventry that is)

Nah I like potato on pizza if done right, like cooked.

I remember Domino's put Potato Wedges on a pizza once.
Then again, Domino's are the kings when it comes to putting unusual/wierd things on Pizza :)

I've had some very decent pizzas with potato. I can't remember which, but one of the Little Caesars Pizzas uses potato well. White Rocks maybe.

What are the best potato types for roasting?

That is what I was going to ask. Does anywhere at Coventry have a wide selection of Potaoes?

I like royal blue for roasting.

These are some photos of that new Sake Bar on Francis Street Sanj mentioned..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ayu452/sets/72157628673926995/with/6617301953/

Checked out Coventry. Definitely potential to be decent.

tried san churro for tha first time...

ping!

eeek. wonder if i'll crash after tha sugar high...

Shockingly overly sweet isn't it. They should use proper bitter chocolate and let the sugar on the churros themselves be the sweetener.

agree with balancing tha sweetness a bit more... tha mocha is too chocolatey also. :p

I've had some very decent pizzas with potato. I can't remember which, but one of the Little Caesars Pizzas uses potato well. White Rocks maybe.

there is a good one at dough pizza with sausage, potato and some cheese i cant remember the name of, on a bianca base

These are some photos of that new Sake Bar on Francis Street Sanj mentioned..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ayu452/sets/72157628673926995/with/6617301953/

thanks! looks a bit overpriced based on this post but ill definitely give it a go with an open mind especuially since jap is one of my favourites. http://www.myweyoflife.com/2011/12/dinner-sake-bar-northbridge.html

Speaking of eastern states chains that should move into WA, one interesting chain I spotted over on my QLD holiday is Bread Top. Anyone else think they should open up in WA or is it just me?

Speaking of eastern states chains that should move into WA, one interesting chain I spotted over on my QLD holiday is Bread Top. Anyone else think they should open up in WA or is it just me?

There are plenty of independent bakeries doing this style already, why does everyone want chains?

(nothing personal jonwil, just a general observation!)

Which ones?

Which ones?

There are two on William St in Northbridge, and another on Francis Street.

Prediction : they will be replaced by Bread Top / Bread Talk.

What I liked about Bread Top is that I didn't have to spend $4-$5 to get a snack. It was perfect for buying a nice snack sized savory item at a price that wasnt obscene.

If a bakery exists in the CBD (chain or otherwise) that offers similar products at a comparable portion size and price point, I would like to know about it.
Oh and Northbridge doesn't count, I dont want to have to walk all that way just to get a snack :)

Which ones?

esthers is on william st, they also have a small outlet in the winthrop shopping centre outside IGA. i recommend the kaya bun there, as far as i know theyre the only people that do it as well as japanese cheesecake

new world bakery or whatever it was called next to big bowl noodle house has moved to vic park to a bigger store. the people who own the azn shop in mt lawley across the road from the queens are opening in that location soon. this is the place that did the bbq pork puffs nate was a big fan of.

there is also regent cakes on francis st

oh yeah utopia in NB and vic park has some of the azn cakes and snacks too but not as good as the other option above

erdit - there appears to be a utopia on barrack st in the city

What I liked about Bread Top is that I didn't have to spend $4-$5 to get a snack. It was perfect for buying a nice snack sized savory item at a price that wasnt obscene.

If a bakery exists in the CBD (chain or otherwise) that offers similar products at a comparable portion size and price point, I would like to know about it.
Oh and Northbridge doesn't count, I dont want to have to walk all that way just to get a snack :)

considering how much you complain about there being only salsas and kebabs in the city im surprised by your reluctance to spend an extra 5-10 minutes going to NB

Hey, there are plenty of other food options in the CBD that I visit on a regular basis. There is not one but TWO KFC outlets and at least 5 Subway stores :)

new world bakery or whatever it was called next to big bowl noodle house has moved to vic park to a bigger store. the people who own the azn shop in mt lawley across the road from the queens are opening in that location soon. this is the place that did the bbq pork puffs nate was a big fan of

Wow, that slipped under my radar! New World closing down just makes it one day closer before Bread Top starts up in Northbridge.

azn shop opposite Queens = Capital Trading. Great little shop, has been at that location for at least twenty years.

there is a good one at dough pizza with sausage, potato and some cheese i cant remember the name of, on a bianca base


Cool, planning on checking it out tomorrow if I go into the city. Just had a look on Urbanspoon - people seem happy but overpriced?

i do agree it is overpriced BUT there is very little pizza in perth that i go out of my way for and this is one of them. they make pizza just the way i like it, every thing in it is good quality, in right proportions, not too much of anything and wood fired

i will say though ive only had 2 items - the dough pizza and i think the farmer so i cant comment for the entire menu

just read the review complaining about pricing, the guy is an idiot. from memory nothing was $25, also if he is comparing to stones and il padrino there is something wrong with him, completely different (admittedly il padrino could be similar but i havent been there since the william st store turned to shit around 2007 or 2008)

i am biased against stones though so that could be a factor, had some bad experiences there

The utopia on barrack has a half decent selection of Asian breads and cakes.

$25 for a Pizza, deep into William Street. $60 for Mexican with a couple of drinks.

People soooo doubted me when I said, some time ago, to "say goodbye to cheap meals in Northbridge".

I'd love a bread talk in Perth NOT for the Asian sweet breads though (plenty of those around), but some of their 'actual' breads are very nice. e.g I had one in Spore this week, proper bread with caramelised red beans (hokaido something rather). They also do some nice raisin and walnut stuff.

$25 for a Pizza, deep into William Street. $60 for Mexican with a couple of drinks.

People soooo doubted me when I said, some time ago, to "say goodbye to cheap meals in Northbridge".

Man youre a drama queen! The cheap azn is still there and it's not going anywhere.

im a bit nervous too, i dont think nates worries are entirely unfounded (they will take longer to happen than he is hinting at imo)

im a bit nervous too, i dont think nates worries are entirely unfounded (they will take longer to happen than he is hinting at imo)

Yes, it will take years, but within another couple of years it will be obvious even to ostriches like Dilaz.

Dilaz, it's already happening, there are two examples in the last few posts alone! (New World bakery / Sparrow).

I speak to asn owners in Northbridge almost daily, I could name 4 or 5 that are ACTIVELY seeking locations other than Northbridge.

Yes, there will be some great options for a while yet, but the trend is clearly that cheaper options are getting fewer each year, being replaced by more expensive options.

It's not good or bad, it is what it is.

to be fair re sparrow the owner had been trying to sell for at least 2 years that i knew of, possibly more. had nothing to do with NB prices going up

to be fair re sparrow the owner had been trying to sell for at least 2 years that i knew of, possibly more. had nothing to do with NB prices going up

fairy nuff

i'm hungry.

Not sure if anyone has seen their fbook page but Margaret River Chocolate Company and Providore will be opening where Pierucci is in March.

Did Perucci go bust? It was the same owners as the bar at the back right? Where cheeky sparrow is now.

i saw an article which stated he had sold the building to margaret river chocolate company, no idea if he went bust but there were other articles in the past re financial problems. arent u mates with the owner sean?

I bought something in their closing sale the other day, they said they were closing the store and the workshop in the basement and just keeping to menswear in Melbourne.

Shame, I only just found out they made things on site as it's closing. Would have supported something like that more if I'd realised earlier.

Has anyone tried the New Shima Restaurant on Murray Street? I went a few weeks ago and I was blown away by the quality of the food!! I had sushi and it was lovely. Surprisingly the reviews on the internet have been average at best. Sorry to take over the thread but I highly recommend it to anyone!!

This post not at all brought to you by New Shima Restaurant.

i saw an article which stated he had sold the building to margaret river chocolate company, no idea if he went bust but there were other articles in the past re financial problems. arent u mates with the owner sean?

correct. gingers and cheeky are staying. not sure RE details but pretty sure previous building owner needed to sell.

hahaha you cynic

havent been to new shima in years but used to go a while ago. enjoyed it but nothing extraodinary from memory. same menu a most whitey jap restaurants

tried the new sake bar in northbridge for lunch today

menu is ok, some interesting stuff but didnt blow me away. also overpriced imo

3 of us ate for $139 including desserts, a fair few dishes (including sushi and sashimi) but no booze

at this stage for me i see no reason to go back there instead of izakaya sakura or jun apart from the fact that the bar section is open late, she said around 11.30 weekdays and 1 or 2 on weekends depending on crowd. there will be some bar snacks later but at the moment food at bar stops when kitchen closes around 10

nice people running it, happy to cater for my mum who has a few allergies etc

Damn that is pretty steep. Do you know if it's a proper bar section, or more restaurant like (La Cholita), have to be seated etc?

here's some pics

http://www.myweyoflife.com/2011/12/dinner-sake-bar-northbridge.html

Damn that is pretty steep. Do you know if it's a proper bar section, or more restaurant like (La Cholita), have to be seated etc?

hard to tell as the place was empty but there certainly would be enough standiong room if the licence allowed. with la cholita i suspect their restaurant licence means they cant have people standing and drinking

i will say though that ill give it another go and try some other dishes. if still too expensive than ill just come there to drink and maybe have a couple of bar snacks. still a good option but like i said for a meal i would prob find it hard to justify over jun or sakura

also hoping daisuru sushi bar opening on william st ends up being good.

Is that the one on the corner of William & James? Taking ages, have they started the fit out yet?

yeah is taking ages, thats the one

I'm really hoping they would have something other than sushi ROLLS. May be that's what the market wants but the majority of sushi places in Perth don't do proper sushi and/or sashimi. May be the margins aren't that good.

So many cater for the take away crowd though. Being in Northbridge I would think there is more of an opportunity to keep people in the store so hopefully they will provide a wider range.

I'm really hoping they would have something other than sushi ROLLS. May be that's what the market wants but the majority of sushi places in Perth don't do proper sushi and/or sashimi. May be the margins aren't that good.

well theyre calling it a sushi bar which to the optimist in me means there will be bar/counter seating and sushi chef making stuff to order. that would be brilliant.

maybe the guy who used to be the chef at jaws mint and later opened up the sushi place where sakura now is will be there, he is a properly qualified sushi chef, made some excellent stuff int he past

agree entirely with you by the way, most sushi is rubbish here

I don't mind that $2.50 sushi roll stuff though. That's pretty great.

For the price.

Me neither, i just want the other stuff as well

Yup. I think sometimes people misinterpret what some of us want on here. It doesn't always have to authentic always. Sometimes a chicken katsu don or a Tex Mex hard shell taco is exactly what does the trick. What maters is that it's not sold as being authentic, and that it's done well.

Serious questions, since I've never been to Japan, is Chicken Katsu really not authentic Japanese?

It is Japanese Western fusion. I am paraphrasing here but it originated in Japan during the period when lots of contact with westerners was occurring before they closed up the country and Japanese chefs wanted to experiment with western cooking styles.

There is also "bulldog" sauce which you get on a lot of the western Japanese dishes which is actually based on Worcestershire sauce, hence the bulldog (British) name.

So while not traditional Japanese, I guess in a way it still is authentic Japanese depending on your definition of authentic.

Serious questions, since I've never been to Japan, is Chicken Katsu really not authentic Japanese?

This is my belief though I am not sure how accurate it is that many traditional Asian dishes will only have no or maybe 1 variation of meat. It is only when that dish is exported that the style of the dish is interchanged with different meats.

For example ..
Japanese Katsu has traditionally been pork. But here we take it to mean deep-fried meat.

Pad Thai has traditionally been seafood noodle dish, but here we associate it with any meat and thick, rice noodles.

Pho is traditionally been beef but here we associate it as any kind of Vietnamese soup.

I guess its because I saw a Japanese looking person order Chicken Katsu before but he could have been as Aussie as me.

Ah well I still rikey anyway.

Japanese also order Big Macs ;)

But seriously, I think we have a somewhat narrow description of Jap food is in the West, when I was there I realised just how vast and varied it is.

As for katsu, it doesn't matter, authentic or not, if it's good it's good.

Source (http://www.perthnow.com.au/business/business-old/once-its-gone-no-more-pierucci-in-perth-roberto-pierucci/story-e6frg2qu-1226236792770)


'Once it's gone, no more Pierucci in Perth' - Roberto Pierucci
by: Amy Wilson-Chapman From: PerthNow January 05, 2012 7:40AM

http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2012/01/04/1226236/790913-pierucci-closing-down.jpg
TIME TO SAY GOODBYE: Pierucci will no longer be available in Perth from next month. Picture: Kerris Berrington Source: PerthNow

http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2012/01/04/1226236/796275-robert-pierucci.jpg
FRESH START: Fashion designer Roberto Pierucci will be heading overseas after closing his operations in Australia. Picture: Theo Fakos Source: PerthNow


ONE of Perth's most exclusive brands and retailers, Pierucci, will be closed for business by the end of the month with no intention of re-opening.

Pierucci executive designer Roberto Pierucci yesterday revealed to PerthNow his Perth store would be closed by the end of the month once all the stock was cleared.

“Once it’s gone, it’s gone, no more Pierucci in Perth,” he said.

The company’s Murray Street home was recently sold for about $10 million to the Margaret River Chocolate Company, which plans to open a chocolate and provedore shop.

Initially there was a condition of the sale that he would retain the front section of the store, so the label could keep its west coast roots.

But the new owners decided to utilise the entire building for its chocolate and wares.

Faced with an opportunity to get out and having been in the industry for nearly 30 years, Mr Pierucci said it was time for a lifestyle change.

He was adamant the company hadn’t been suffering like other retailers, which are struggling to come to terms with a debt-advert customer, but did think it was a good time to be leaving Perth.

“It’s probably a good time to say goodbye for a little while and I think having sold the building, I think retail rents are at their peak and there has got to be a settling down period in retail in Perth,” he said.

“It sort of worked in my favour in that respect.”

But he has no intention of re-opening a “bricks and mortar” Pierucci store in Perth again, though one day his label may be available online.

Mr Pierucci said the retail industry was going through an “evolutionary change” due to the onslaught of online retailers.

“I really think the online avenue is probably going to be the way of the future,” he said.

Adding to retailers woes in the Perth CBD, he said the City of Perth needed to be “taken to task” over the blitz of construction and road works lately.

“Retailers are last in the list of people to think about when council and State Government do anything, it’s just ridiculous, and they give places like Claremont a free kick,” he said.

Mr Pierucci said the city had done an appalling job with road closures that resulted in a loss of business for many people.

“No other city in the world would do something like that,” he said.

The only other store left for the Pierucci family will be the Chapel Street store in Melbourne, having sold their Oxford Street site in Sydney earlier in the year.

But, even the Melbourne shopfront is having a sale: a “renovation sale”, before it closes and re-launches as a gentlemen outfitters that his son, Chris, will oversee.

“Well, I’ll still be involved, but I’ll be like the steady old hand,” he added.

All the company's clothes manufacturing will now be done overseas.

NO OTHER CITY WOULD HAVE ROAD CLOSURES RESULTING IN IMPROVEMENTS.

This guy is full of shit. I'VE CLOSED ALL MY STORES BUT I HAVE NO FINANCIAL PROBLEMS. TRUE!!

Lol. So many of London's retail roads and streets have been in a state of improvement and works for the whole time I lived there and continuing.

I think what he meant was 'No other city would take so long for so little improvement' ;)

I think the only one there has been problems with in William St. Everything else was relatively timely and made quite a difference.

I'm just trolling. He's laughing all the way to the bank anyway.

his clothes are so lame.

Some of them are nice! I'm actually going to have a look before it closes.

Speaking of Lame - If anyone's interested in a FREE $50 voucher from Tarocash, just sign up on their website and mark your birthday as being in the next few days.

They'll send you a $50 voucher (within approx 2 mths of your bday) which can be redeemed on anything, including specials. You can just buy something for less than $50.

You could also sign up several times under different names with multiple email addresses (single physical address ok).

No jokes about Tarcocash please. It's FREE!!

Isn't it just expensive Rivers? :P

lol. i signed up to that about 4 years ago and have redeemed on collar shirts... i still can't understand why they persist with tha pastel colours on long sleeve shirts...

Some of them are nice! I'm actually going to have a look before it closes.

I thought there were some really nice mens things there, it seemed like there were mostly smaller sizes left though.

^Not implying anything.

went back to kitchen inn in thornlie today, second visit there

highly recommend the sarawak laksa, had the small size which was perfect for lunch and only $7.90. slightly different style to normal curry laksa although still with coconut milk, bloody good

i'm tempted for a glut tonight... slow cook adobo - pork belly on bone until tender, retain gravy/liquid, deep fry to crisp... return to gravy, add chinese mushrooms and garlic chives... i may steam some token bok choy to stave off any "fat ass" comments...

^^ Just be careful it isn't the mushrooms that were in the recent story in (I think) Canberra.

I thought there were some really nice mens things there, it seemed like there were mostly smaller sizes left though.

Its a typical problem in Perth. Nothing but small sizes everywhere I go.

Legal threats over Perth CBD retail woes

ANOTHER iconic retailer is closing its doors in Perth's CBD and is threatening to sue the city over loss of turnover, blaming constant road works and construction.

Follow Me Menswear in the Trinity Arcade - originally started by Parker & Co 25 years ago - will close its doors in February.

“The road works have killed it,” Parker & Co owner Victor Tana said.

“There was no-one coming through the arcade, it was blocked.”

Mr Tana also runs a Parker & Co store on St George’s Terrace, which after five years had been “going 100 miles an hour”.

But, after road works began he suffered at least a 30 per cent drop in turnover.

The claim comes just one day after Pierucci designer and owner Roberto Pierucci told PerthNow retailers in Perth were struggling with high rents and “being the last on the last in the list of people to think about when council and State Government do anything.”

Similar to Mr Pierucci, Mr Tana was adamant that it wasn’t the downturn in spending affecting his sales.

“We sell top quality merchandise, the downturn doesn’t really affect us, the last downturn we went up 35 per cent, we increased our figures,” he said.

He said customers would rather go to shopping centres, such as Claremont, where they could park for free instead of heading to the city.

“The amount of people that come in (to the Claremont store) and say 'I’m glad you’re here because we do not go into the city anymore',” he said.

The high-end retailer said free parking, from 11am to 3pm, would be one way to encourage shoppers back to the CBD.

Parker & Co in the Trinity Arcade has been open for the last 84 years, but Mr Tana is so frustrated with the city, which he called “dead”, he considered closing the iconic men’s store.

“I said to my son: ‘Maybe we should get out of the city all together’,” he said.

Parker & Co is Australia's oldest gentlemen outfitters.

Meanwhile, at his St Georges Terrace shop, he’d be more than happy to have someone else take over his four-year lease - despite the fact he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars renovating the property.

After five years doing business on the terrace, and “going 100 miles an hour”, the retailer said he suffered at least a 30 per cent drop in turnover after road works began on the terrace.

Mr Tana had just taken over the lease next door, expanded its floor space to nearly 300 square metres, and renovated the property - a decision he now regrets.

Less than a month later, the high-end menswear retailer was caged in by fences, trucks and construction workers.

“When you barricade the streets and people can’t get to you, that makes it a bit awkward,” he said.

“I don’t mind what they’re doing, but you’ve got to put something in place for the retailer, we’re the ones who pay the rates and rents,” he said.

As PerthNow previously reported, it wasn’t just Mr Tana feeling the pinch as the city got a facelift, with a plethora of St Georges’ Terrace businesses also struggling.

While the construction work finished just before the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October, Mr Tana said people have changed their shopping habits and gone elsewhere.

“They might go once or twice, but then they think ‘oh it’s too hard’,” he said.

"Clients, they go elsewhere and it will take you two or three years to get them back.”

Having lost a “fortune” during the construction, Mr Tana has filed for compensation of his profit with the City of Perth and is considering taking the council to court over the matter.

Comments were sought from the Perth City Council but were not provided i time for publishing.

http://www.perthnow.com.au/business/business-old/legal-threats-over-perth-cbd-retail-woes/story-e6frg2qu-1226237660666

Its a typical problem in Perth. Nothing. but small sizes everywhere I go.

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Stay away from teenager shops. You won't have that problem at rivers ;)

Mr Tana had just taken over the lease next door, expanded its floor space to nearly 300 square metres, and renovated the property - a decision he now regrets.

Less than a month later, the high-end menswear retailer was caged in by fences, trucks and construction workers.

“When you barricade the streets and people can’t get to you, that makes it a bit awkward,” he said.

How could anyone commit to that sort of thing without doing the most rudimentary of checks on upcoming civic work or other factors which could impact on their business? The article makes it seem like the city snuck up on him with it, which clearly wasn't the case. Lack of awareness and discernment are not grounds for compensation.

i'm not really sure what to think of that article... i doubt very much parker & co have a lot of "walk in" customers... so for its customers to stop going there becos of roads works doesn't really wash with me... cos then he goes to say "oh my customers are so glad we're opened in claremont..." which then tells me, okay that might be right cos, if i knew you had another outlet somewhere else, i'd prolly go there and shop whilst tha works were being done in front of tha other store... that doesn't mean i stop shopping at your store...

sounds like another greedy retailer cvnt... i hope your business suffers from online clothing competion... : |

Just wants his voice heard. Ridiculous. Hope complaints like this doesn't discourage the Lord Mayor and CoP from trying to undertake further works.

I'd like to see St Georges Tce become more active outside of office hours. The presence of places like Greenhouse and Sentinel help but it needs more work before it's actually worth going down there.

I'd like to see St Georges Tce become more active outside of office hours. The presence of places like Greenhouse and Sentinel help but it needs more work before it's actually worth going down there.

City square will be a bit of a start.

The process has already started but these things happen over several years. Things that come straight to mind that have occured/are occuring are Greenhouse, The Sentintel, the herritage buildings at C2, The George, The Grand Central (at the base of Central Park), the places in Howard Street. It'll be a long process but it will happen.

Also LOL at Followme menswear being 'iconic'.

“The amount of people that come in (to the Claremont store) and say 'I’m glad you’re here because we do not go into the city anymore',” he said.

This isn't that uncommon. A lot of people have no reason to go into the city as it doesn't offer anything more than the burbs (for most).

I don't think this has that much to do with roadworks, although knowing the Perth mindset I wouldn't be surprised if your avg suburbanite is outraged by getting 'stuck' in traffic for a little longer compared to the tumble-weed era.

A lot of factors would have contributed to the Parker's downturn and I very much doubt that roadworks was a significant one. It's an easy excuse though as it's the only entity they can take legal action against (although I very much doubt that they will).

PS: +1 LOL and Follow Me iconic status. Then again it's all relative.

Perhaps that they sell things like Ted Baker shirts for triple what you can get them for online?

Food in Perth review: “Beluga”, “The Avairy” and “Sherbert” (http://reclog.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/food-in-perth-review-beluga-the-avairy-and-sherbert/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/6633443233_d87e8c257c_b.jpg

I went to The Aviary for the first time the other night. Only had a couple of drinks on the roof. Bogan. Cenral. Though that isn't unexpected. They have the grand rating of 32% on UrbanSpoon.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1615327/restaurant/Perth-CBD/The-Aviary-Perth

Glad it is there, done great things for the area. It would be nice if they picked up their game. Wait, if would be nice if they needed to pick up their game.

shame about that pork belly, looked really good on photo... i think if you're going that road for tender meat and super crisp skin, prepare it separately and serve a slab of tha crackling on top of tha dish...

I think the fact that most of the large suburban centers I have been to in the past few months have had almost no empty stores yet there continues to be many empty stores in the CBD shows that something is wrong with the rents charged in the CBD (that or what PCC is doing to attract shoppers to the area)

Re Aviary, I've heard the same thing.bb about it's began clientele, re rents, I've really noticed a lot of closed places in the CBD up to Mt Lawley. Shame really.

City, Mt Lawley/Inglewood, Subi littered with empty stores (and more to come)

That crumbful 'The Mezz' or whatver it was next to SOTO is being redone (probably new owners?)... it looks like they've hired the same design dude who does the branding work for clarences, so it will at least have the veneer of coolness the last iteration didn't.

thats the new mexican joint by guy who owns cantina and is part owner of clarences

Welllll, it appears this all wraps up neatly into a neat little package!

~suddenly worried about supporting a monopoly by frequenting their venues constantly~

Its a typical problem in Perth. Nothing but small sizes everywhere I go.

Where do you get your clothes then? I think sometimes the average/common sizes sell out really quickly, you'd think retailers would realise and get more of them. My stepmother has a clothes shop, she's really very good at that, knowing what sizes are more popular for her clientele and stocking appropriately. I don't think a lot of places do that, you see piles of size 6 and 16 on sale racks and nothing in between all the time.

Who was asking about potatoes at Coventry's? They had Royal Blue, Ruby Lou, Nadine, Kiphler (sp?), not that exciting, but they've got lots of them, not a few scungy kiphlers in a box like you get in Coles.

They've got these beautiful fat fleshy red chilli's, I've never seen them before, although they look like a giant jalapeno.

Where do you get your clothes then? I think sometimes the average/common sizes sell out really quickly, you'd think retailers would realise and get more of them. My stepmother has a clothes shop, she's really very good at that, knowing what sizes are more popular for her clientele and stocking appropriately. I don't think a lot of places do that, you see piles of size 6 and 16 on sale racks and nothing in between all the time.

Most of my clothes are from London (I need to go on a new shopping trip somewhere) or I buy online or some are American brands which I have no trouble finding a fit with.

But sizes are getting smaller and no its not just me getting bigger. I have some old clothes that are my size which fit fine, go to a shop and try the same size on and its way too small.

Plus its horrible finding clothes when you have big shoulders or big legs.

I want to go to Singapore for a shopping trip but worried I'll be wasting my time - they might only have small sizes.

Yes, i asked for size 32 pants in spore and the lady said 'ooph big size!'

Also spore isn't that cheap except for the exchange rate. Good range though.

32=big?!?! I must be a fucking giant then.

Did you find the sizes ok though? Can you remember if there were largers sizes?