Little Creatures Brewery

Little Creatures Brewery is listed in the Lonely Planet website as one of the attractions in Perth. Earlier on before making my way to Perth, I had sent a list of places that I would like to visit (according to Lonely Planet and various travel sites) to my gracious hosts and Little Creatures Brewery was one of them.



Little Creatures Brewery is located at Fremantle and it was the day's agenda that we visit Fremantle and drop by at the brewery for lunch. Coincidentally, the kangaroo satay that Fang has been raving about since I met her during CNY was at Little Creatures!



The brewery is quite a popular place for locals here as when we were there, there was already quite a full house and we were given a number (which was written on the green rubber dinosaur). Once it's your turn, they will write your number on a small black board and hold it up high and ring the bell. It is important to stay alert!







The brewery is rather big, so there are a few sections to it. The restaurant area where people can walk in to drink and dine, the bar area, where you can just hang around sipping your freshly brewed beer, the brewery itself with all the big metal tongs and pipes, and the souvenir area where you can pick up a carton of beer, some teeshirts and souvenirs.



Little Creatures also offer free bicycle hire with their signature red bikes. Ride through the lush greens with blue skies and cooling breeze from the sea AND a beer in hand gives u the PERFECT Australian experience!



We were seated soon after. The waitress handed us a menu which proudly claims that they reuse and recycle :) Not a bad looking menu though, simple and straight to the point though I would prefer my menus to be descriptive and with visuals!



As usual, always let the hosts do the ordering! When in Australia, eat as the Australians do! Ok, in this case, just eat whatever people say is good!


Marinated Kangaroo w Bush Tomato Chutney- $19

The much anticipated, raved and craved kangaroo meat!!!!!! Looks pretty damn yumm to me already!



So how does kangaroo meat taste like? Well it looks and taste pretty much like beef, slightly chewier but still soft and tender. The meat was done in medium rare which is how it should be done as I predict any more well done it would be like chewing on your japanese rubber slippers. FYI though, the kangaroo is not a protected animal in Australia as there are just too many, wild and running free. That's why we kill 'em and eat it.


Mushroom, Mozarella, Olive Pizza- $17

This was my first pizza in Perth. Also my first to the many pizzas I have eaten throughout my week-long trip. The pizza is wonderful, fresh from the oven. Crust was thin so you're actually eating real pizza rather than just dough like *ahem* Pizza *ahem* Hut. The mushroom toppings taste pretty good, oven roasted to perfection and it's not a pizza without the cheezzzze!


Lemon Lime Bitter

Lemon Lime Bitter is like the default drink for people who has to drive but still wants to go out drinking in Australia. It has very little traces of alcohol (vodka I think) and tastes pretty refreshing. In Australia, they take drink driving very seriously. So I think this may be a very good training ground for aspiring GOOD drivers (they put signals for every single freaking turning even if everyone knows that way is a turning way- quite annoying sometimes but hey it's good driving habits!).


Meet your friendly chefs at work!

Although we did not have the chance to tour the Brewery, we did bought 2 cartons of beer back home to sample. The brewery produces a range of beers to suit your palate, from Pale Ale to Pilsner to Rogers and Bright. Don't ask me what the differences are because I don't drink beer! IMHO, it's even harder to drink than hard liquor or whisky which some people say smells and taste like cockroaches for that matter!


A cutie for you!

~

My first day at this new job was pretty boring. But let me tell you the awesome cafeteria! It looks like a real cafe slash restaurant! There's the usual economy rice, mee goreng, kuey teow etc (but with nice setting!), western fares and sandwiches. The HR also informed us that on Fridays, sometimes they will get outside restaurants like Tony Roma's, Nando's and Manhattan Fish Market to cater in. Does that sound awesome or what! No, no not the bestest part yet.

Lunch is paid for :DDDDDD

Every employee gets an ID tag which is pre-credited with an amount every month to buy food from the cafeteria. Then there's also the provided nasi lemak breakfast and little teatime munches at the pantry. Oh and a Nescafe dispenser, woot! The toilets are very nice, sleek and clean too. So is the whole office...

Though parking's quite a bitch at the moment. And me having nothing to do on the first week, WITHOUT internet omg. So I can't reply to comments :(

Ok nvm think of the awesome lunches.


Little Creatures Brewery
40 Mews Rd,
Fremantle 6160,
Perth, Australia.
Tel: +(0061) 9430 5555
Business hours: Mon-Fri 10:00-24:00, Sat-Sun 09:00-24:00
www.littlecreatures.com.au

Fremantle

Fremantle (or also known as Freo) is one of the MUST visit place when you're in Perth, just like when you're in KL, you have to check out the Twin Towers.



Nearby the Fremantle Market is the stadium for the Fremantle Football Club. Oh note the orange bins? I think the whole of Australia uses that kinda bins, it's like a standard bin for everyone and eveywhere. What's even more amazing is their garbage trucks! Their garbage trucks don't have people standing behind holding on to the smelly handle and then picking up our trash from the bins to throw into the truck. Instead they have a state of the art truck which is manned by only one driver and has a mechanical arm which picks up the bins and the trash from the bins get unloaded into the back of the truck. And then the mechanical arm puts the bin back in place.

Well in a way, we create employment here. I think in Australia, the very usual phrase my mom used to say to us when we were younger for not studying, "Don't study and you grow up to tou lap sap (throw rubbish)!" can't quite apply here. And at least the mechanical arm won't ask you for ang pao when they collect trash on CNY.



The Fremantle Market is pretty famous for the diverse goods it offers. There is the vege and market area, the little shops offering various delicacies, stalls selling Australia products like leather goods and souvenirs, teeshirts, jewelleries, knick knacks, body art services, cutesy little things which are expensive nonetheless, and other than that just about the usual flea market fares.



Fang told me that when evening approaches, the vege and fruits sellers who comprise mainly of Asians will auction off their goods by screaming at the top of their lungs trying to outdo each other in terms of prices and loudness of their voice. Hmmm... sounds like a scene back home eh? Except their stalls are much cleaner :)


Very colorful stall selling kites, umbrellas, and other colorful plastic things


Liquorice sweets for the sweet tooth



Then there's this stall by the name of 'Crocodile Magnets' which I got conned by Fang that all the magnets are crocodile related to find that it's just a stupid name for a shop that sells nothing but, magnets.

Like these,





I know it gets abit boring when there's no food pictures right?



So here's some takoyaki balls to cheer you up! Fang was being so schweeet she bought a pack for me despite not liking seafood at all. There are bits of squid inside the tako balls and believe me when I say it's my favourite Jap street snack! Quite a bummer though that I didn't finish all 9 balls, I know I could have if not of the uneasiness I was feeling on the first day- I had a really bad flight :(



We exited the market area after walking for a round as there was nothing much to buy. There was a street performance with many people gathering to watch, nothing out of the ordinary though, just the usual magic tricks and juggling acts.



While we were on our way to Little Creatures Brewery (which deserves a whole post on its own), we passed by this park and people were just laying down absorbing the sun (it was scorching hot), having little picnics and/or admiring the beautiful blue sky that I told Fang and Hua we need to find a good (shady) spot to lie down and contemplate about life too!



Ok joking-lah! I just needed a place to lie down, maybe contemplate on life a little and surprisingly despite the scorching heat out there, the ground was relatively cooling. I swear it was the best thing that I did throughout the whole duration I was in Perth. I know, Malaysia cannot do this meh? Must come to Australia to lie on the grass? But, but... it's just so different. Number 1, the grass don't itch the hell out of you. Number 2, the ground was so clean and so cooling. Number 3, the sky is just too beautiful.



Allow me to introduce my two very hospitable hosts who assured me that it was an all-expense paid trip (except the air tickets) and won't let me pay for anything! On the foreground with flexible arms is Yi Fang, my best friend back from high school in Ipoh. It's amazing how we managed to keep in touch all these years even after I moved states and she moved countries after that- traditional pen & paper writing. It's only after the introduction of FB that we decided to get instant replies instead of waiting for the postman. In the background is her sister, Yi Hua who was so kind to drive me around all week despite being evil in her own way.



I would have just fell asleep at the park if not for the flock of birds (or seagulls) invading our territory (or maybe the other way round). The point of the picture above is to show you a crippled bird.







The scenery at the pier is to die for. How can anyone possibly not love the blue skies, the water, the boats, and the seafood! The famous Cicerello's is also located here, famed for being the Number 1 in Western Australia for its Fish & Chips. However, it wasn't in our agenda for the day as kangaroo meat was awaiting us at Little Creatures Brewery!



Stay tune for the next post- Little Creatures Brewery & kangaroo meat!

Bacon Burgers

That morning when I landed in Perth, Yi Fang, my best friend from high school and her sister Yi Hua picked me up from the airport. It was so early in the morning that the skies were still dark but notice the shades of blue from the sky? It's so beautiful, I love the skies in Perth!



Anyway, my gracious hosts asked what I would like for breakfast and I think it's a common practice to try out the fast food there albeit it's only McDonalds as different countries have different items on the menu (ie. pork burger in Thailand and China, prawn burger in Japan etc). They say McD's here serve bacon in its burgers :D



One Chicken Bacon Deluxe for me! Note the cheeze slice and bacon! Absolutely yummy!



The Law sisters had the Double Beef w Bacon to share and it looks yummy nonetheless.



We also had the 'World's Favourite Fries' to share.



On the 4th day, they brought me to Hungry Jack's for bacon burgers again. If you think the colors and logo of Hungry Jack's looks familiar, folks, this is the Australian Burger King. I don't know why they call it Hungry Jack's as opposed to the world famous Burger King name though.

p/s: Beautiful skies alert!



The fast food restaurants here (ie. McD, Hungry Jack's, KFC, Chicken Treat etc) are everywhere- every nook and corner of the streets. And they all offer the same drive-thru service. Prices of fast food in Perth is cheaper than in Malaysia's. For instance, AUD4.45 gets you a small set of cheeseburger, fries and a drink at Hungry Jack's while upgrades are at 55cents for Medium and $1.10 for Large.



I had the Bacon Deluxe set for $6.95. Double beef patties, double cheeze slices and bacon spells Y-U-M-M-Y!



Fang had the BK famous Whopper. Nothing out of the ordinary.



The World's Favourite Fries still beat 'em all FLATTTTT.

Bought from Australia

Greetings from Malaysia again! I arrived this morning at 11.30am with 2 heavy bags, all containing my loot (and dirty laundry) from Perth. I bought so much of jewelleries that it will please all the females at home. Some food stuff, clothings (I try not to buy so much as I'm hitting Bangkok end of the month), cookbooks for mom...

AND my favourite L'eau Par Kenzo Pour Homme for such a steal! Even after converting! It is in a coffret set, EDT 100ml + Shower Gel 100ml for only AUD55.80 (after conversion= RM134). The single 50ml is already retailing at RM180, Malaysia DF Price. Yes I know it's a male fragrance, but trust me it's the most unisex pour homme evarrrr. It was almost love at first sight when I went testing perfumes around the shop when I was still with my previous company. I also got two 20ml bottles of CK In2U at only AUD20 each.

I got most of my clothes from the factory outlet stores at Harbour Town. My most expensive purchase would be AUD 19.95. Given on a dollar-to-dollar comparison, the stuff here are so much cheaper! You'll find most of the shops with "Nothing over 9.95" corners. I got the colorful shawls at Cotton On for only AUD1 each, I bought all 4 colors :D The jewelleries I got was such a steal as well (again, the rule is don't convert...). You'll probably find some of them at Lings & Blings later :D



The most interesting steal however is these miniature bottles of famous liquor at AUD5.99 each from the duty free shop in Perth Airport. I wish I could buy all of them but liquor allowance for M'sians are only 3 bottles of these 200ml miniatures. I bought 3 when I arrived and another 3 when I departed.



The cutest has got to be the Absolut because I'm quite a biased like that, I love Absolut bottles! The picture above is a visual comparison- 1 litre, 20cl and 5cl. The 20cl looks too cuteeeee. Now someone must donate me a bottle of the Absolut Blue 5cl so that I can have a happy family :DDD



I don't have the litre size for Bailey's, so here's a visual comparison of the 20cl bottle and 5cl one. So cute right????

D'Fashion Cafe Value Set Lunch

Greetings from Perth! The weather is really hot (think: Malaysia with the heat but without the sweat). Anyway, it has been great so far... I'll blog about it with pictures when I get home.



I'll blog about this place behind my office which serves quite value for money set lunch. It thrives on a boutique-cafe concept, inspired by the likes of Zang Toi and Seed Cafe according to the owner and his gf. The front section of the shop is occupied by the boutique and the inner section is where the cafe is. The cafe sits about 20 pax, so it's small, nice and cozy.


Iced Ribena


Iced Mango

For every set lunch which is only available from 12-3pm, there is a drink, soup of the day, main course and dessert. All these for only RM9.90. Before you jump to the conclusion that the food they serve must be tasteless and substandard quality etc, this place serves yummy food at affordable price. Such a rarity these days...

Which is why I'm naming this Recession Food, awesome food at even awesomer price that anyone can afford in this 'economy cyclone' (learnt this from the Australian news, the term used to refer to the economic downturn/crisis in a nicer manner) times.


Nachos with Salsa Sauce- RM3.90


Soup of the Day

Starting off with a soup of the day...


Yu Shiang Eggplant Rice


Nasi Lemak

Proceeding with a main course of your choice... there's quite a number of variety, from Nasi Lemak (recommended) to Teriyaki Beef/Chicken Rice (recommended) to Chinese sounding dishes like Yu Shiang Eggplant Rice to more western fares like pastas.



And ending with either a scoop of ice cream, comes in few flavours such as Yam (I love yam!), Chocolate and Vanilla or their home made Rose Jelly (tried before but I prefer the ice cream).

And all these for only RM9.90! Guaranteed to fill you up and make you feel sleepy back at work!



It was my final meal at D'Fashion Cafe as my colleagues treated me for my farewell lunch. Already said recession mah....

Read here or here for more details.



D'Fashion Cafe
3-G, Jalan Ara 7/3a,
Bandar Sri Damansara, KL.
Business hours: 11am-9pm daily
Tel: 03-62753577

[disclaimer: the opinions expressed here are based on my personal views, tastebuds and preference and may vary for others. please dont sue me, i dont have money. kthxbye.]