Hi, I’m back! Been back for more than a week actually… still trying to recover from the bliss of a vacation and trying to get back into working reality here, hehe!
I’ll just blog about the FOOD aspect of Perth here. All other non-food related things will be posted in my other blog - Raynebows, so that there’ll be no double-blogging. So, if you wanna know about the places we went, where we stayed, the AirAsia experience etc, do drop by the other blog :-)
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OK…about the food… ahhh… what can I say about food in Perth? Put simply, let’s just say that Perth is really not a food destination, haha! Unlike Asians, I don’t think the Aussies are very creative in their food - mostly fried or grilled stuff with LOTS of potato chips! OMG - the way they eat chips there, it’s unbelievable! I could not even finish half of the portions served as a side-dish whereas those Aussies there actually ordered chips as another dish by itself! They really lurve their potatoes, man!
Swan Valley
We visited this renowned wine-producing area just north of Perth.
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One of the many vineyards we passed by... and the awesome jacaranda tree - lots of those around and they're absolutely beautiful!
Vineyards, small and big dotted the area… it was so refreshing driving along the long & winding road with lots of greens on both sides of the road. Weather was perfect too... sunny blue skies and oh-so-cooling!
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The 1st stop we made was the Margaret River Chocolate Factory because it was touted as a “must visit” in the brochures. We expected to see a real factory showing how chocolate is made.
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Free chocolates for tasting...
However, it turned out to be just a shop selling chocolates (of course lah), wines, jams & conserves and some other snacks.
Trays of beautifully hand-made chocolates![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUEcR1IUpre35yBOqMmXqeBOaoXpSFxaTN8DQWkEqai6TI3AkM7ZKMAod97RoPJkCBXs7EHLGbPqBiZOcuIFdXqUdLecR7H-XvKq0P2r4Exu96pwAPHU9GR8w3Hv2loa8h9dUW0aSbdHkD/s400/PC040402.JPG)
...and all gaily packed...
Some for your sweethearts too?![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-tQnITHeqDS-9Mjb48rVS9EBdVbVr3yuQV6x2AUvbc1_BCkn656KsvMJgHCITRBPjetVV0M4hRTedSeytRlkox0xEWn1I4TjDic9hXwD6CRE7JibuQqY8eFTBx3IvythJ0AcsP67_U3z/s400/PC040395.JPG)
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Wines, jams etc on sale too...
There was a café in the shop too… and as it was lunchtime, we decided to try some of their “specialities”.
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We had their Roast Pork Sandwich, Chocolate Carrot Cake, Hot Chocolate and a Chocolate Shake.
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Portions were quite big… so we shared the food among the 3 of us. Prices ranged from AUD7 (the cake) to AUD16 (the sandwich)… dollar to dollar, it’s reasonable - just don’t convert to RM, ok!
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Taste-wise, I would say it’s just decent, nothing outstanding.
Oh, we didn’t buy any of the chocolates either - they were on the expensive side and we’re not really chocolate fans, hehe!
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Next, we stopped by the Duckstein Brewery - a German brewery - yes, it’s beer and not wine, haha! Just look at the abundant colourful bougainvilla growing at the entrance - I love I love!
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Upon entering their café, which was set up pretty much in a German fashion, we decided to have our 2nd lunch for the day here, hehe!
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Browsing through their menu, we picked their
German Pork Chop & Sausage plate (with fried potatoes and sauerkrat at the sides...
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and had their
“Krystal” - a Bavarian-style filtered wheat beer. ![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1d8045qznrmjGkkYeKnilEckyApP0XYx_VFiIYcXKMiugmaT7fUKTtHERD9vbyZY3y5hEVt5v_DMNc-3mKxdK5oTJU5q3aa2WqMgIhhUbNLKrQCKIr8cvfTmZGMSOCLmkXLQ8Jl-yBVWX/s400/PC040447.JPG)
I must say the beer was very nice - smooth & refreshing.
The beer was AUD9 and the pork+sausage plate was about AUD20 - too salty for my taste and the sauerkrat was sooo sourrr!
I think the pork and sausage tasted just like the ones we bought at Coles supermarket and which we cooked in our apartment, haha! (much cheaper too!)
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After that, we went to Lancaster Winery as it seemed to be a popular spot with quite a crowd there tasting and buying their wines.
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The 2 cheerful guys manning the tasting counter were your typical cheerful-friendly-chatty Aussies and we had a great time testing their wines and cheese.
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We ended up buying 6 bottles (plus 1 free bottle) of their delicious dessert wines.
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And that was a slightly-tipsy end to our beautiful day in Swan Valley.