Sunday, November 17, 2013

Dome Cafe, Fremantle

I ended up at Dome Cafe in Fremantle after unwisely saying, "I don't care what we eat; whatever you want to get". We subsequently walked into, and out of, a Vietnamese shop, a Japanese shop, an Asian food hall, a bakery, a chocolateria, and an Italian shop. At each place I got too attached too quickly to a particular dish, and then was wrenched away from it. After the umpteenth trauma I may have gone a bit doolally from the hunger. Fortunately salvation was right across the road.

When a picky eater is looking for a specific "something" which can't be quantified by any measure but will just be known when it is seen, something utterly generic is probably going to suffice. Dome to the rescue.

Dome Steak Sanga

The steak sanga came out on a large slightly-toasted, non-Turkish bun, with well-cooked chips on the side. The steak was pounded flat and thoroughly cooked. It was fairly tender apart from one bit of gristle requiring some wrestling. The salad was stock-standard lettuce and tomato. There was a stand-out to this sanga though-- the relish. The capsicum relish cut through the steak and bread with a sweet acidity that tied the entire dish together.

When it comes to chain restaurants, you could most certainly do worse than Dome. Dome is actually a fairly special chain, as it originated and is based in Perth, Australia. From my experience, the food is rarely amazing or surprising or special... but it does always hit the spot. Particularly for fussy eaters.

Steak Sanga Score: An acceptable steak sanga.
Price: <$20

Dome Fremantle
13 South Terrace
Fremantle
WA 6160

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Grass Espresso Bar, West Perth

 Finding a venue for a spontaneous birthday lunch for Dr S was always going to be challenging on Melbourne Cup day, but Grass Espresso Bar came to our rescue. We don’t normally venture further east than the West Perth Food Court, so coming across this welcoming cafe was a happy surprise. The menu had many enticing options on the menu, but my fate was sealed as soon as I saw the GrassSteak Sanga.

Steak Sanga

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about Grass Espresso. The setting on Hay st was lovely. The service was excellent. The French-accented waiter was charming, and we weren’t left waiting too long for our meals to be served despite the business of the afternoon. The steak sanga came out ‘medium’ between two halves of a lightly toasted Turkish bun, embellished with a light salad. Chips, salad, and a cute little jar of tomato sauce accompanied. The size of the meal was impressive and I tucked in with relish.

Unfortunately the steak sanga didn’t live up to its promise. I thought the steak, a medium-cooked minute cut, was rather salty, though tender enough. The salad consisted of two lonely slices of tomato and two of capsicum, plus a few greens. There may have been a light dressing, but I didn’t taste it. A great steak sanga is juicy and is a naughty, messy, affair. This steak sanga was dry, and even a schmear of the provided tomato sauce on the last quarter didn't do much to perk the sanga up.


Half-eaten steak sanga

I really wanted to like my sanga, as I loved the venue, the setting, the chips I had on the side, and the service. Unfortunately, while they did follow the recipe for a steak sanga and all of the components were there, the whole didn't transcend the sum of the parts. I might be back, but not for the sanga.

Steak Sanga Score: Not the best steak sanga (but lovely chips). 
Price: $18, with chips and salad.

Grass Espresso Bar
1238 Hay Street
West Perth, WA, 6005