Happy Mother's Day Mum xxxx Love you xxxx

Ok, so this blog is not really about food, although the restaurant this photo is taken in on the 23rd of January 1999, was at that time in my opinion one of the best Western Australia had to offer and so few people knew about it, which was great because I just about always got a table.

The restaurant was named after the owner and chef Nicola (surname unknown!), and it was located in Bunbury.  There is still a Nicola's restaurant in Bunbury, but it is no longer owned and run by Nic, he is running a catering firm, I know this, as I came across him at a wedding he recently catered for.  Nic's food and his enthusiasm to put the best possible food on the plate was second to none, I miss the special visits to Bunbury just to see Nic, and to eat his food!.

Anyway, enough about Nicola's, this is more about the little old lady in the photo, my precious Mum.  On this night we (45 or so family  members and friends), travelled the 170 kilometres to Bunbury to celebrate my 40th birthday @ Nicola's.  I had reserved the entire restaurant and Nic had prepared a special set menu of my favourite foods.

The restaurant at that time was BYO drinks and to help Mum celebrate with me, I brought her two bottles of her favourite Margaret River wine Amberley's "Chenin Blanc".  I had introduced her to this wine sometime before this event and it is one she still likes to requests, just as she did when I took her to Red Cabbage for dinner, a few weeks back!

Anyway, Mum is not a big drinker, she's more of a tea totterler really, but on this night she had a had a few more than usual and lo and behold, when it comes time for the speeches she jumps up and begins to entertain the floor, most unlike my Mother, whom is normally a lady of very few words.
As can be seen by the photo she had us in stitches with what she had to say, but none more so than when she finished her speech off by telling us all that she felt she had had too much to drink and was going back to the hotel to take a skinny dip before bed!!! Priceless, love you so much Mum, thanks for everything you have done for me over the years, thanks for the continuing belief that I would be alright, the faith and trust you bestowed onto me with every ounce of love you could muster, no wonder I love you so much XXXXX

This is an older photo, taken around 1988 at The Vic Hotel Northbridge

And earlier again 1984? @ Queens Gardens East Perth for Kev and Deb's wedding, Mum with Dad and their 12 children and of course new DIL

More recent photo, with three of her boys Jack, David and Kev

I have just now looked at the preview of this post and now realise it is a little bit about food, well probably even more than you'd think on first glimpse, there is the fact that the initial photo I started the post with was taken at a restaurant and we were there to eat, drink and be merry in celebration of my fortieth birthday, and what better what to do so?
But underlying that, what cannot be seen is the depth of respect and gratitude that I now realise for the beautiful lady in the photo above, it was she that brought me to love food in the first place, it was she that taught me the joy's that cooking with love for your family can bring, and she is a splendid cook herself, if there could only be more Mum's like her, so everyone could know what it is like to have such a wonderful, beautiful and caring soul to guide and nourish you in your early years!

Mum turns 88 on Sunday, so it is a double celebration for her being that it is Mother's Day, I hope she enjoys it, she really deserves nothing less, she has made every day of my life feel like it is Kid's Day!

Happy Birthday Mum

Thanks Mum, Love you so much xxxx

The tale of a fantastic lunch and a dinner to die for!

Dr Wes Soet @ Heathcote

I had a day off work today, and what a day it turned out to be, one of the best days I have had since my Wedding Day a little over two years ago.

I started the morning relaxing at home with a couple of cups of the best coffee, Nespresso of course!

Then after running a few little chores I headed into town to pick up a few mates from work, as one of them was to shout us all out to lunch to celebrate a recent promotion.

My good friend Dr Wes has been promoted to a middle management position, one he thoroughly deserved.

Wes is a doctor of mathematics and has been both a good friend and colleague for the better part of twelve years, we lunch most Fridays and over the twelve years we have developed some traditions, such as special lunches to celebrate such events as this latest promotion.  When he asked me for a suggestion as to where he may take us, I did not hesitate to nominate one of my favourite restaurants, in fact this is the favourite place to go for lunch and especially on a day like we had today, and it doesn’t get any better.

That aside, there was a more compelling reason for my suggestion, that being the fact that Dr Wes had once worked at the establishment some years back and at that time he was in fact a nurse, a Psychiatric Nurse to be more precise.

We dined of course at the beautiful Blue Water Grill on the banks of the Swan River in Applecross, formerly known as Heathcote Mental Hospital.  Today was in fact Wes’s first visit to the premises, since it was closed as a hospital in December of 1994, and whilst the business and cliental are dramatically different today, the views and wonderful surroundings have not changed, breath taking!

Each of us enjoyed a different meal, Wes decided on the Beef Eye Fillet with a mushroom and tarragon sauce, Shahe enjoyed the daily special, Barramundi Fillet with Grilled Prawns, Michael opted for the Beer Battered Gummy Shark with Chips and Tartare Sauce and I chose Grilled Lamb Loin with Braised Shoulder, Sweet and Sour Eggplant, Haloumi Fritter and Salmoriglio, we also shared a Rocket Leaf, Walnut and Blue Cheese salad and Green Beans and Broccoli with Virgin Olive Oil.  All this was washed down very nicely with a Clare Valley wine known as Take a walk on the wild side, a 2008 Shiraz Viognier blend by Claymore Wines and it was all delicious.

Mike, Wes and Jack, beautiful day in Perth

Whilst I drove home I was thinking about something Jo had said as she left for work, something along the lines “I guess I shouldn't expect too much for dinner tonight then!”  Which got me thinking, well why wouldn't I have a nice meal for you Darling?  So on arriving home I dug out a new cookbook I received as a Christmas gift from my eldest son and his family, it is a Neil Perry book titled “The Food I Love”, which has the sub title “Beautiful, simple food to cook at home”

The meal I prepared tonight, lived up to every word of that title, I can’t believe it is the first time I have cooked from this book, which is packed full of food preparation techniques and ideas, totally amazing, the guy that puts such beautiful food on so many plates, has put so much into this book it is worth its weight in gold, it will become the most used utensil in my kitchen, whether I am cooking a Neil Perry recipe or one I have found on the back of a noodle box, there is something in this book which is going to give whatever you cook a lift!

Tonight I decided on Roast Barramundi with Roast Tomato Sauce, Burnt Butter Scallops and Asparagus, with a Cherry Tomato, Pea and Potato side salad.  I got started a bit late as it had been a long lunch, so it was 4:45 by the time I jumped in the car to go to the shops to buy the ingredients, and it was not until I returned home and read the whole Roast Tomato recipe that I realised it was going to be a good two hours from starting before Jo sat for dinner.  As it turned out she had a few little jobs to tidy up so she welcomed the opportunity for a late dinner, and thankfully, even I will say it was worth the wait!

The flavours on the plate were unbelievably good, beautiful and really oh so simple.  Until about twelve months ago I was never a big fan of Barramundi, that view has changed somewhat and even more so from tonight, the fish was cooked in 9 minutes and more to the point cooked perfectly, the flesh was beautifully cooked, moist and succulent, the tomato sauce with it was also perfect.

I added the asparagus, which was steamed and then tossed in olive oil and lime sauce and to finish it off I pan fried some scallops finished in a sage and burnt butter sauce.

Jo managed to tell me no less than ten times how much she loved me whilst we cleaned up the kitchen, so there is no doubt about the way to win her heart is through her stomach!

Looking forward to a great weekend, dinner @ Red Cabbage tomorrow night and breakfast with my Mum for both her birthday and Mothers Day on Sunday at the Lo Quay Café Riverton Bridge, good thing I intend to get back to the gym come Monday!!!

Jo's choice, guess what?

Steak and three veg

It is not hard to tell who has been planning the meals the last couple of days, beef two nights running can only mean one thing, Jo has had something to do with it!

And quite surprisingly I have enjoyed both meals very much, both the preparation and the eating of them.  The spicy beef was originally to be a Chorizo in Cider sauce dish, only thing was the sausage I had was cacciatore and the apple cider, well I just did not have any in the house and I could not be fagged to race up to the shop.  It was around this time I thought I'd take some steak out of the freezer, only to find it was some beef strips I had put aside for a stir fry.  I already had peeled some potato so in the end thought I would just wing it and throw a few thinks in the pan and build from there.  What I ended up with was this amazing spicy beef with cacciatore and olives, the flavours were great and it went well with the creamy mash spuds, may have looked a bit like a train wreck on the plate, but at 7:30 on a Tuesday night I really was not to bothered I just wanted to eat, have a vino and relax, it did the job perfectly, judging by the amount of MMMM's I received in an email today around lunchtime it travelled alright to the next day too!

I don't know if we were later than usual tonight, or if the days have suddenly got shorter, but it was bloody dark driving home tonight, and I was faced with the same old problem when I got home, nothing much in the fridge and I felt like something more than chicken.  So I took a detour through Northbridge and swung into Coles in Beaufort St, this is a relatively new store and is a bit more upmarket than our local Coles in Northlands.  Jo had not been there before so it was a bot of a treat for her, especially given some of the inner city sights you get to see at time of night in Northbridge, it can be so educational!!! Once in the store, and without giving it too much thought I asked Jo what she would like, she as she so often does immediately said steak, even went so far to suggest Fillet Mignon.  I was sort of glad once I ate that she did, as the fillet steak was excellent, very tender and oh so juicy.   To go with it I did potato two ways , baked and mashed, steamed some sugar snap peas (or should I say over steamed!) and some fresh beetroot in a tangy mustard mayonnaise an idea Jo brought back from a recent trip to Melbourne.  One of the things I like most about that particular Coles store, is the freshly baked bread, and the fact you can buy beautiful little olive and feta panini loaves just right for two people, love em!

Spicy beef with  cacciatore and olives