Friday, September 26, 2014

My ongoing list of favorite Perth cheap restaurants

We quickly found out, after being in Perth for a day or so that it's not an inexpensive place to eat out.   Let me rephrase that: it's mind numbingly awestrikingly outrageously expensive.   But... there are exceptions to the rule. 

Here are my faves.   I'm going to keep adding to this list it as I find more.  I'll only add restaurants that I have tried and would appreciate any suggestions in the comments.

Sept 26 additions:

Trangs Cafe (Vietnamese/Pho): Girrawheen

This is a new find and I've now been 3 times as the food is cheap, fresh, high quality and with decent portion sizes.  Dishes run between 10-13 dollars.  So far I've tried a Spicy Noodle Soup, Fried rice noodles, Vermicelli Noodle bowl with spring roll and pork and the Rice paper rolls with prawn and pork.  Trangs has just renovated and looks great in the small premise.  It has been busy each time I've been in there.

I should mention that in the area of Trang's there are 6 or more Vietnamese restaurants, 2 of which are producing BMT (Banh mi thit) sandwhiches for ridiculously low prices (5 dollars cash at the one I went in to try)  It's not a destination area for scenery but it should be for great food. 

EB's Cafe:  Wangara

Wangara is apparently known for having great lunch bars and I now know why.  Every day EB's has a different offering of Chinese food served with their standard tasty fried rice (you can also ask for steamed rice but you'd be missing out).  I believe the rotation is Monday: Chicken and Veg in Black been sauce, Tuesday Egg Noodles and a separate chinese omelette, Wednesday: Chinese Curry with chicken and potato, Thursday: A spicey thin noodle dish and separately a Chicken satay dish that seems more like a green curry and is my personal favorite, Friday: Some sort of stew that I've yet to try.  They always have a pile of sweet honey chicken balls that you can add on. A medium order of chinese with fried rice is $6.....$7.50 for a large.

The other thing EB's is doing daily is a $6.50 Pork Gravy Roll.  Take roast pork chopped up, add some of the cracklin, put it on a fresh toasted bun and pour tasty gravy all over it.  It's consistently really good and my go to when I'm not feeling like having Chinese.  They do a number of other dishes but I just haven't got to them yet.

Original selections:
Ali Baba's takeaway (Turkish / Kebabs): Rivervale
There are a lot of kebab shops in Perth and most are reasonably priced.   Ali Baba's is by far my favorite and by far beats any Kebab shop (we called them donairs) back home in Edmonton.   They have a massive wood oven turning out fresh awesome turkish bread which you can buy.   This same fresh bread makes up the bread component of the kebabs.  Everyone I've brought here agrees the food is excellent and the family that runs it is very friendly.



When we first arrived in Perth we would go out for an evening drive until both kids fell asleep, then pull up right in front of Ali Baba's and have a cheap date at one of the small tables arms length from the car while keeping a watchfully eye on the kids.  

The Red Chair (Breakfast / Vietnamese) : Crossways Mall, Subiaco
I'm not sure how we found this place but it has quickly become a goto for a cheap healthy lunch.   They're open until mid afternoon every day and serve baked items, good coffee, and nice breakfasts.   The reason I go though is the fantastic Vietnamese vermicelli bowls which are so fresh tasting, good portions and around 12 dollars.  I also find the ambiance of eating in the middle of Crossways Mall quite enjoyable.



Ten Ten (chinese) : Albany Highway Victoria Park
My buddy Adam turned me on to this place a few months ago and it's become a weekly favorite.   For 9 dollars you get a healthy portion of killer good fried rice with your selection of protein and sauce.   All served to you at bullet train speed that would make Mcdonalds envious.   See below my Curried Beef with Fried Rice.  The curry has a nice spice and the beef is tender.


Sparrow (Indonesian): Lord Street, Mount Lawly

I fell in love with the flavors of Indonesian food on my first and only trip to Jakarta back in September.  Unfortunately my body wasn't nearly as fond of the food for a good week after the visit.  

Then I found Sparrow in Mount Lawly.  Sparrow encorporates the flavors of Indonesia with the MUCH higher quality ingredients of Australia, fast service, and no need to deal with Jakarta traffic.  The owner is a total character and offers 10% discount for first time customers.  Three mains, rice and 2 ice teas came to $30 AUD.  That's seriously cheap here.





Any suggestions for what else should make this list???



7 comments:

  1. Thanks for the advice. I hope we will taste them soon. For the moment we are still waiting for the visa, but the Case Officer finally has been assigned ;)

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    Replies
    1. I wish you the best of luck!

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    2. We got the visa!!!! We are permanent resident! Now job hunting and by the end of January we will move to Perth, with or without a job...we are happy but really really scared ;). Any suggestion? Thanks

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    3. Fantastic! A PR for Australia is a priceless thing.

      My suggestion is to just enjoy the process...it wont be without it's challenges but should be ultimately very rewarding.

      On job search, I highly suggest contacting as many recruiters in Perth as possible (far too many employers are relying on them now) and having a well developed LinkedIn profile. In both cases stating eligibility to work via permanent visa is a major advantage as many (like myself) are on sponsored visa and it must be transferred at cost to the employer.

      All the best and congrats!

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    4. Thanks a lot for your suggestions!

      We have started job hunting 10 days ago throught seek.com.au and contacting some recruiters. For the moment my husband (Project Manager in the oil&gas field) has received only some automatic replies. Do you know usually how long does it take the whole recruitment process? After how many weeks he could be contacted for an interview?
      Do companies consider only onshore applicants?

      In these day Italy is facing big problems with flloding. How is the situation in Perth? Is there
      any area where is better not to look for an apartment?

      Sorry for all these questions, but we are a bit agitated ;)

      Delete
  2. Thanks a lot for your suggestions!

    We have started job hunting 10 days ago throught seek.com.au and contacting some recruiters. For the moment my husband (Project Manager in the oil&gas field) has received only some automatic replies. Do you know usually how long does it take the whole recruitment process? After how many weeks he could be contacted for an interview?
    Do companies consider only onshore applicants?

    In these day Italy is facing big problems with flloding. How is the situation in Perth? Is there
    any area where is better not to look for an apartment?

    Sorry for all these questions, but we are a bit agitated ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The job market in Perth has softened quite a lot since I arrived in June of 2012 but there are always jobs for people with talent. The time to get through the interview process varies dramatically. I got my current job very quickly but that was an odd situation.

      Weather and especially flooding is really never an issue here. About the worst we get is high winds.
      All will be well.....good luck

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