Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Time to hit the books again.

 
Whipping out a French-inspired design Christopher Vine notebook and my Waterman fountain pen, filled with French J Herbin ink, to put me in the zone. Not pretentious at all.
So I've been playing with the idea of sitting for the DELF A1 exam (Diplôme d'études en langue française, i.e. Diploma in French Studies) since our class was told about it earlier this year. The DELF and the DALF are internationally recognised official diplomas awarded by the French Ministry of Education to certify the competency of candidates from outside France in the French language. As well as looking nice on the resumé, some French Universities also recognise the certification for the French language requirements for entry (not that I'm planning to study in France any time soon). For me, this exam is just to assess myself to see where I'm at.
 
There's 6 levels in total, each of which assesses all of reading, writing, listening and speaking skills: DELF A1 and A2 (Basic), DELF B1 and B2 (Independent), and DALF C1 and C2 (Proficient). According to my French teacher, attainment of the B1 diploma already allows you to enrol at some French unis, although I think B2 is the standard requirement. I have actually sat for the Japanese equivalent of the test, the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test), which has a similar structure, but only assesses reading, writing and listening. It has Levels 1-4, 4 being the lowest, where level 2 proficiency means that you're good enough to be a teacher in the language. In fact, one of the Japanese teachers at my highschool actually failed her level 2 test. I sat for the level 3 at the end of grade 12 and passed it. I'm glad I decided to do it, because apart from the annual Christmas letter I write to my penpal's family, I don't utilise my Japanese language skills at all, so it's all but ebbing away with time. At least there is now a document in my certificate folder as proof of the peak of my learning in the language.
 
Before I knew it, the Sunday just gone by was the last day for registration for the November DELF exams, the last chance to do it for 2012, and there I was, the day before, still mulling over whether or not to do the A1, since the exam is in two weeks' time, and I haven't actually been studying. One of my French classmates actually decided to stop enrolling in our weekly group classes at the end of last semester, opting instead to have private lessons, in order to focus on passing this level. I asked my teacher for her opinion on the matter, but was not expecting her to tell me not to do it..."because I should be sitting for at least the A2 level or the B1." She reckons our class is already at the B1 level, but I don't know, because we're still at an A2 sublevel this term. I had all of 5 minutes to decide which level to register for, so I ended up choosing the happy medium of A2. Thinking about it now, and looking at my l'escargot studying rate (I only got through the preamble at the start of the first section in the DELF A2 prep book today), I think I've been thrown in the deep end.
 

Mocha: Yahava Romeo No. 5 coffee + Green and Black's Milk chocolate + Henry Langdon Cocoa powder
I think more coffee will be in order for the next two weeks. This feels like SWOTVAC all over again.



Monday, October 29, 2012

Eagle Farm Markets + Black Sheep Coffee

 
Brisbane Racing Ground, 230 Lancaster Rd, Ascot
Opening hours: 7.00am – 12.30pm
I love farmers markets. So when my friend asked me to go with her to the Eagle Farm Markets today, I enthusiastically agreed to. We planned to get there at around 8am, but, perhaps due to the cloudy, cool weather, we both ended up running late (sleeping in, in my case) and got to the markets almost an hour later. There were already heaps of eager shoppers there. Unlike some other Brisbane markets, here, there is an entry fee of $2 per person. I guess you could take it as payment for using their carpark.


I had never been to this market before, so it was an interesting experience. The market stalls here sell similar things to the ones at West End - freshly baked bread, herbs, fresh produce, fashion goods - but is much bigger, with a larger variety of food vendors. I was not expecting a vendor that stocks vanilla products by Broken Nose Vanilla (a review of this line can be found in one of my previous posts: http://knittingtearoom.blogspot.com.au/#!/2012/08/regional-flavours-2012.html), so that was a nice surprise. I think they were selling at a slightly higher price than the actual company does though.

A large variety of herbs were available for purchase at the markets
One of the food vendors that we came across was Lángos Hungarian Snacks and Food. As the name suggests, they sell the Hungarian fried flat bread, or Hungarian pizza, by the same name, as well as other things, such as Pretzels, Palacsinta (Transylvanian Herb Pancake), Lepény (Transylvanian stuffed pastry), and Fánk (Hungarian Star Doughnuts).
Lángos Hungarian Snacks and Food
After sampling a piece of their Lángos, my friend and I couldn't resist buying a plain garlic one to share. It was freshly made, hot, and delicious!

Garlic Lángos
Right after receiving our order, one of the stall helpers put out another tasting plate; this time for the the Lángos option with all the possible toppings of garlic, shredded cheese, sour cream, tomato sauce, and a tomato salsa (tomato, onion, parsley, basil). I instantly regretted not ordering that one instead. It looked fantastic on the plate, with all the vibrant colours of the fresh topping ingredients, and tasted amazing for street food. As you can see from the photo, it didn't take long at all to clear the plate. Yes, it is oily, but you wouldn't expect otherwise from fried food. We're allowed to have some naughty food once in a while shhhh.....

'The Lot'
We also made a new coffee discovery at the stall of Black Sheep Coffee. This Brisbane-based business started small at a farmer's market, but it has since expanded its horizons, and its coffee beans are now distributed to various cafés and restaurants around Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Furthermore, it is the supplier of the coffee beans for Gordon Ramsay's Melbourne restaurant, Maze. Impressive.

To create its unique blend, the 'Feeling Woolly Blend', Black Sheep Coffee sources its beans from different estates around the world, including Columbia, Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia, Guatemala and Ethiopia. The green beans among us would be glad to know that the business tries to source beans that are certified organic, Fair Trade and of Rain Forest Alliance origins, although this is not 100% guaranteed. The beans are then hand-roasted locally by Black Sheep Coffee to control the flavour they want to create.
 
 
Their market stall only sells the beans, grinding on purchase as well, if so desired, but they also have a coffee machine there, to make samples for shoppers to try before they buy. The coffee that the man there made was good, although not the best coffee I've ever had; however, it was this seller who swayed me into making a purchase. He was engaging, enthusiastic about the product, and had a good sense of humour. The business was smart to employ someone who could charm people into buying their product. The logo is cute too. I would have to say that the fun description at the back of the coffee pack was the first thing that made me want to try it out.

 

I ended up buying a 250g pack ($10) and had it coarse ground for use in a French Press. As you can see from the picture above, the beans were roasted only 4 days ago.
Cute Black Sheep Coffee bag + the freshly baked pumpkin and pepita sourdough bread that I bought from another stall (sounds nice, but really wasn't that tasty).
I know that the flavour is pretty much lost and continues to be lost after the beans are ground, so I tried it out straight away after I got home to make a cappuccino. It's not as strong and full-bodied as the Yahava Romeo No. 5 blend that I bought in Perth (review of that still to come), but it is still nice. The fruity, chocolatey, Shiraz-y notes that are described at the back? Hmm.. I wouldn't say that I could taste any of that until near the end, when the liquid is much obviously sweeter. I wonder if it would make a difference if I steam-extracted the coffee?

 
Ascot is a bit far to go to on a regular basis for me, but I would definitely recommend it to others. If I get the chance to go again, I'm definitely going to get one of the giant lamingtons that were sold out by the time we decided to head off!
 

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Perth: Louis Baxters

One of the places I had on my 'To go to' list in Perth was Louis Baxters Espresso Bar, which is a café jointly owned by Australian Olympic swimmer and Australia's Celebrity Masterchef of 2009, Eamon Sullivan, and a former Masterchef television producer, Laki Baker.

Being totally new to Perth, I had a bit of difficulty finding my way there. I hopped on a bus to Subiaco, and got off where the bus driver assumed was close to Subiaco Square, where the café is situated. Turned out the bus driver was way off the mark. The locals weren't very helpful, and even the staff at the Subiaco stores had no idea where the café was or that it even existed. I guess it only opened in August 2011, so it is still relatively new. I think I was more shocked that some people I asked didn't even know who Eamon Sullivan is, especially since Perth is his home town. People should seriously watch less football and start supporting other sports. I guess the public can't take the full blame for not being overly enthusiastic about swimming though, because the Australian Mens Swimming team did become weaker after Ian Thorpe called it quits 6 years ago. Still, qualifying for the Olympics team is an achievement in itself, and Eamon Sullivan, who has won Olympic silver medals and has previously held world records for the 50 and 100m freestyle, deserves more recognition. Of course - who am I kidding? - it is his passion for cooking and his stint on Celebrity Masterchef creating the Chocolate Delice that have won me over. Being young and handsome works in his favour too, obviously.

Anyway, back on track. After a long time of walking around the suburb, encountering some shopping distractions, and $110+ later, I finally found it (in hindsight, catching a cab would've been more economical afterall). Turns out it's right next to the train station. Must keep this in mind for next time.

Louis Baxters: Shop 2, 50 Subiaco Square, Subiaco WA 6008
www.louisbaxters.com.au
This end of Subi seems a lot more quiet, but there were still quite a few customers at the café when I arrived. The interior is quite small and simply furnished, but the two-tone colour blocking, the dangling light bulbs, and the low wooden tables and chairs give it an edgy, but relaxed, contemporary feel.

I think the lady sitting at the table on the left is the co-owner



Awesome wall art
For the coffee lovers out there, you will be glad to know that this café exclusively uses roasted coffee beans from Campos Coffee. For juice lovers like myself, you can rejoice in the knowledge that they stock Preshafruit juice - my favourite juice brand. For those of you who have yet to discover this product, it is produced by a 100% Australian owned juice company that utilises a high pressure processing technique to cold pasteurise their juices. Heat can destroy some nutrients, so the heat pasteurisation process that is carried out by most other juice companies would theoretically be less healthy and taste a bit less natural. Having consumed this product many times before, I can tell you that it tastes a lot lighter and fresher, and the apple juices are clear and have a crisp, refreshing taste. My favourites would be the Pink Lady apple juice and the Apple and Passionfruit juice. The company also claims to not add any preservatives, concentrates or other additives to their products. You can check out the range that they have at http://www.preshafood.com.au/.

All foodies will appreciate the fact that Louis Baxters uses free range chicken and eggs (according to their website). The menu is quite simple and unpretentious, with items you would expect to see at your local café, plus a few more interesting breakfast dishes, like porridge with quinoa, soy milk, figs, almonds and maple syrup, and Spanish eggs, which I really like when made well. I must admit that I expected Eamon Sullivan to prepare a more creative menu, having been on Masterchef and all, but I suppose he must want to show off the quality of the ingredients and perhaps the cooking techniques involved in the simple dishes. As far as price point goes, it's actually quite reasonably priced and ranges from $5-15.

The kitchen closes at 2pm, and I arrived past that time, so unfortunately, I was only left with the ready-made glass cabinet options, which were not many. I opted for a slice of the bacon, tomato and onion quiche, which comes with a side of garden salad.

House-made bacon, tomato and onion quiche with garden salad
I love quiches and this one was quite well-made and tasty. The garden salad was fine, but it caused me much embarrassment. Notice how it's served in a small bowl? I am used to eating salads with a knife and fork, so that I'm not smearing salad dressing all over my face with the salad leaves; however, listen well, learn from my mistake, and do not try doing this when the salad is in a bowl, because you will send salad flying off your plate, and make loud clinking noises against the bowl with your cutlery. So embarrassing.

Louis Baxters is a nice little café and I would definitely love to go back again - before 2pm - to try out the other menu offerings. Hopefully when I go there next time, I'll bump into the Eamon Sullivan himself as well! (and yes, I did ask about him while I was there, but the guy behind the counter said he was in Sydney :(. I guess it just wasn't my day!)

Louis Baxters Espresso Bar on Urbanspoon

Perth: Miss Maud, Zensaki, Presotea


Perth time is 2 hours behind Brisbane time, so even though the plane landed in Perth at 3pm Brisbane time, I still had pretty much a full afternoon to meander around the city.

My first food stop was at Miss Maud's bakery, which specialises in Swedish pastries. She also owns a Swedish hotel in Perth city, which is quite highly rated on Trip Advisor. I wanted to stay there after reading the reviews, but all the rooms were booked out already. Her pastry shop also had some good reviews, so I decided to pay it a little visit. 

One of the Miss Maud's pastry shops in the Perth CBD



I bought a mini hazelnut cake and a Bienenstich. I was expecting the cake to be like a mini sponge filled with flavoured cream, but it was nothing like that. It was extremely sweet and was basically a thick layer of buttercream sandwiched between two layers of sweet puff pastry, then topped with icing. I couldn't get further than a few bites. Not a fan of it. 



Miss Maud's Bienenstich is also different from the German Bienenstich, or Bee Sting Cake, that comes to mind. Instead of being a sweet yeast cake with a pastry cream filling, this one has a sweet shortbread-like base with the caramelised flaked almond topping, characteristic of the traditional Bienenstich, and half-dipped in chocolate. It reminds me somewhat of a florentine...but not as good. In fact, I don't think I've tasted any florentine better than the one I bought from a bakery in the Sydney CBD. Makes me feel like having one now actually. I hope I go past it when I'm in Sydney at the end of the week, so that I could buy some *drool*. All in all, I was a bit disappointed with my Miss Maud purchases.



For dinner, we went to a Japanese eatery called Zenzaki on Barrack Street, in the City. Again, I went by the recommendations on Urban Spoon.

This is one of those eateries where you have to order and pay at the counter before making your way to a table with your order number. I'm used to staff at Japanese restaurants being very friendly, but the girl at the register who took my order looked uninterested, was unsmiling, and brusque in speech. I can forgive that, since it's not a proper restaurant with table service, but it's still always nice to receive friendly customer service. I ordered a Combo Set C, which includes original ramen (tender sliced pork, fishcake, seaweed, beansprouts, spring onions) in a miso soup base (other choices included shoyu (soy sauce) and shio (garlic salt) soup), plus a salad and a side dish of takoyaki, for $15. For the price, it's pretty good for the amount of food you get; although tastewise, it could have been better. The soup base was quite salty, and I couldn't really taste any other flavours. It was a good thing that the salad was there, as it served as a reliever from the saltiness. The takoyaki was tasty, but I guess no different from anywhere else I've tried. 

Original Ramen + salad + takoyaki
 (Zensaki: 83 Barrack St, Perth WA 6000; www.zensaki.com)
My dad ordered a rice dish with teriyaki salmon, which is pan-fried salmon with teriyaki sauce, for $10-15. It also came with a little salad side and miso soup. I think this dish was lacking in presentation, and my dad said he didn't enjoy it. He didn't like the way the fish was cooked and he thought both the fish and the soup were way too salty. Overall, for me, the food wasn't totally intolerable, so I would possibly come back again on occasions when I'm not in a gourmet mood and only want something quick and average-priced to fill me up, and it just happens to be close-by. To be fair, they do have some other nice-looking options on their menu, so I can't blacklist them until I've at least sampled some other bits and pieces.  

Teriyaki salmon + rice + salad
Next door to Zensaki is a tea shop called Presotea. I think this is another Taiwanese franchise, but I'd never seen it before anywhere else in Australia. According to their website, they supposedly brew the tea fresh at time of order, which is a big tick for me. Being a pearl milk tea fan, of course I had to make a purchase after dinner. 

It looks pretty clean inside, and the drinks menu has some interesting options. I really like how they offer a variety of different tea leaves, such as my favourite, Darjeeling. 

Presotea81 Barrack St, Perth, 6000http://www.presotea.com.tw/eng/pro.asp
I ordered the Special Pearl Milk Tea for myself and the A-Li-Shan Iced tea for my dad. I really liked how it has a nice, strong tea taste, compared with a lot of other tea shops, which tastes more of milk and sugar. Dad didn't really enjoy his drink, but then again, he doesn't usually like drinking iced teas from Asian tea shops. I didn't appreciate how the guy who served me told me about the Panda Iced Milk tea, which has both black and white tapioca pearls in it (white being quite unusual), and got me all interested in it, before telling me that they had already run out of the white pearls for the day. I really, really want to try it now. If only they would open up a store along the east coast! It's definitely one of the better pearl milk tea shops, so do check it out if you come across it.


(Left) Special Pearl Milk Tea, (Right) A Li Shan Iced Tea
Zensaki on UrbanspoonPresotea on UrbanspoonMiss Maud Pastry House Cafe on Urbanspoon

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Knot Sleeve Blouse update


I was working on my knitting today and thought I'd take a picture to post on my blog, since it's been way too long since I've posted an update on its progress. Ta-dah!

So far it's been pretty cruisy, although the twisted rib is a new stitch for me. I also haven't worked with applied i-cords or used the three-needle bind off method before, so hopefully they won't be too hard to figure out. I hope to finish this up within the next week or so.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Herbal tea remedies: Chrysanthemum

So here I am sick, yet again, with bacterial tonsillitis, no thanks to the bipolar weather we have been experiencing in the last few days. Those residing in Australia who watch the news would have heard that it was unusually windy and cold last Friday in Brisbane and the surrounding areas, such that some regions actually experienced snow, like Stanthorpe, and others had rooves ripped off houses. Snow in Spring - another side effect of global warming, no doubt. To all the people who have, in the past, decided to not care about the hole in our ozone layer, or about carrying out green practices, with the rationale that they would not be alive to see the future damages anyway, thanks a lot. That inevitable future has arrived. A lot could be said about current practices as well, but I shall refrain myself from getting too political, and off-track, besides.

Thus, the medication cycle begins again, and, to speed up the process of recovery, the herbal teas also make an appearance again. I brewed some chrysanthemum tea last night, so I thought I'd share some information about this herbal infusion on my blog.


Chrysanthemum tea is a 'cooling' herbal beverage that has been consumed by the Chinese since the Song Dynasty. Traditionally, it's used to help treat conditions caused by 'excessive heat' in the body, such as sore throat (in traditional Chinese medicine, they have a hot/cold theory). These days, this tea can be found in popper form, bottled, or canned, in most Asian grocery stores. However, these mostly contain sugar and water, so, although they may taste good, they are unlikely to impart any health benefits. It's not hard to make your own, and I personally much prefer a homemade infusion. You can buy packets of dried chrysanthemum for this from most Asian grocery stores and at traditional Chinese medicinal stores. If you have fresh white chrysanthemums that you want to use instead, great, but take note that there are quite a few different species of this flower, and not all are for culinary use. Wikipedia tells me it's the C. morifolium species that is used, but I'd look into the references, if you're planning to go down this route.

Just like how you would brew normal tea, simply bring some water to the boil; take off the heat; add some dried white chrysanthemum flowers; and allow to steep. Sweeten with golden rock sugar, according to taste preferences, and sieve before serving. You can do this in a teapot, in a cup, or in a small saucepan, if making a larger quantity, like what I did. This tea can be served hot or chilled. I generally prefer the latter, but it's nice to have it hot when the weather is cool.

In the infusion pictured above, I actually also added a bit of dried Japanese honeysuckle flowers, which is another flower with 'cooling' properties. This can also be sourced from the abovementioned shops.


Don't you just love flowers that have practical uses? Ah, but make sure you are careful with who you give fresh white chrysanthemum flowers to. In Australia, and perhaps in other Western countries as well, the chrysanthemum is traditionally the Mother's Day flower; however, in some European countries and in most Asian countries, white chrysanthemums are only used during funerals and as offerings at burial sites, so giving them to people are as much of a mistake as giving someone a clock as a present.

Enjoy your new summer tea infusion!

Edit: 22-10-12 Please remember to sieve out the flowers before consuming! I was too lazy to, and I think I ended up with skin contact allergy from either the chrysanthemums, honeysuckle, or both. My neck and face were red and itchy, but went away after 2 days of taking an antihistamine. I'm not 100% sure it's definitely due to the flowers, since I've had this tea many times in the past without any problems, but I think to be on the safe side, I will sieve the solids out in the future. 

Monday, October 8, 2012

Perth Shenanigans


 
 
I just came back late last Sunday night from my 5 day Perth getaway, and I can't wait to share my experiences with all of my readers. 
 
The weather was cold, windy and rainy the first 2 days I was there, and continued to be windy and cold, until the last day. It's mid-Spring here in Australia, but it felt like Winter in Melbourne. Those who have been to Melbourne will know how frosty cold it gets in Winter. Luckily, the two tours I booked were at the end of the week.
 
The Accommodation:
 
I stayed in a serviced apartment at The Sebel Residence, in East Perth, which is a relatively new part of town. According to some locals, this used to be largely an industrial area, but recent years have seen it being built into a trendy residential area with expensive housing units. Situated next to the water, I could see the man-made (but still very pretty) Claisebrook Cove from my studio room window, which is connected to the Swan River (as you can see far right, past the bridge). The river was originally named the Black Swan River by the explorer who first discovered this part of Australia's west coast. As you can probably guess, this was because of the black swans he sighted along the river, which he hadn't seen before in his own homeland. Over time, the name was contracted to just 'Swan River', and sadly, the black swan population has also dwindled significantly since the days of first settlement. Apparently, a few years ago, the government took measures to create an optimised part of the river to support the black swan population, in a bid to help increase their numbers. This has somewhat been successful; however, they are still infrequent visitors to other parts of the river. I wasn't lucky enough to see any of these birds during my visit, despite staying at a riveride location. 
 

View from my apartment window: the beautiful Claisebrook Cove 
I don't want to write too much about the accommodation itself - I'll probably submit a more detailed review on it to a more suitable website, like Trip Advisor - but I will say that I quite enjoyed staying at the Sebel, mainly because of its location. It's close to the city, although I would not dream of getting there by foot (I'm told it's a 10-15 minute walk, but I'd say that's probably only true for a fit person with a wide stride), and the free Yellow CAT bus route includes a stop at the end of the street, which comes every 15 minutes. Take note, though, that on weekends, this bus service starts later in the morning and finishes earlier in the evening (I learned the hard way). For an inner city suburb, the area is relatively quiet, but has restaurants and cafes around the apartment block, as well as an IGA across the road. Below the apartment, in front of the cove, is a cool little cafe, called Toast, which serves all-day breakfast, from 7am-7pm. This is perfect for sleepy-heads like me, who still want to eat breakfast-style food, no matter what time of the day it is. I will post a full review on it later on.

I will briefly touch on the negatives of my experience at this hotel apartment:

a) I don't usually care for the TV set at a hotel, as I don't spend my holidays watching television, but I noticed that despite being a flat-screen TV, the image quality was not very good (a bit fuzzy with dots);

b) The studio room seemed like it had been recently renovated, but the airconditioning system was one of those old, long ones that are noisy and have an air chamber that sweeps the air current from side to side. I couldn't use it because it was directly facing the beds; was noisy; and it was too cold to use, no matter what temperature it was set at. The guests in the adjacent rooms used theirs though - I knew, because I could hear it. All night long. Thank goodness the temperature only started to climb into the thirties the day after I left, or I don't know how I would have survived the heat without air-conditioning in the apartment. It is beyond me why the hotel management would go to the bother of modernising the apartments but ruin the look and comfort of them, by leaving in these out-dated installations.

c) On one occasion, the doors to the elevator opened, and there was a trolley of used towels, the height of the elevator entrance and its width almost as wide, propped right in front of the doors, but the cleaner just stood there, expecting me to squeeze through between the 15cm gaps at the sides. I might be slim, but I am not going to rub myself against wall and trolley to get out, dragging out one shopping bag at a time. When I didn't make a move, she exclaimed, "Oh, do you need me to move this?", and then finally proceeded to slightly pull the trolley to the side. Definitely not my idea of customer service, especially at a 4.5 star accommodation.

d) 3rd daily housekeeping service: I have no problem with this - if they actually provide enough towels and bath products to last the 3 days. I was staying for 4 nights with my dad, but we were only provided with 2 bathtowels and 1 tube each of shampoo, conditioner and bath gel. Also, unlike at other hotels, the tubes of bath products didn't contain much product; I could use a whole tube of bath gel in a day by myself, and that's if used sparingly. At first, I thought that perhaps they had forgotten that two people were staying in the room, so the next day of my stay, I very politely explained the situation at the reception desk, and asked for more bath towels and bath gel to be supplied. The receptionist looked at me as though I had made an odd request and replied, "So, you actually want fresh towels everyday?". Isn't this a given? I was a bit confused, as this was never an issue at any other hotel or serviced apartment I've stayed at. Does this woman really expect us to be using the same damp towel for 3 days straight? There were no heated towel racks in the bathroom, like they do in some hotels in some countries, and even if they did, I cannot see this as being very hygienic practice. She complied with my request, but only brought up two towels, thus, we had the same problem the following day. It was the same receptionist that evening, and this time, when I asked for more towels, she had an obvious look of annoyance flicker across her face. "If you want new towels every day, you have to let reception know in the morning, so that this can be organised by the cleaners", she said. I knew she was annoyed, because she was the one who had to bring the towels up, since there only appears to be one staff member on duty in the evenings. Regardless, how can she make it out like I was being bothersome, when the hotel should be ensuring that these basic amenities are being provided to all guests? I shouldn't even have to ask for such things! At about $1200 for 4 nights (which is a special price, as part of the 'Picasso to Warhol' Exhibition Package), I didn't expect to have to deal with any of this nonsense.

e) This is possibly the thing that ticked me off the most: Check out time was 11am, so I had planned to wake up early and do a few things before returning to the hotel to check out. I returned shortly before 8am and found that the keycard to my studio room did not work. I had mainly been using dad's card, so I thought that maybe my own card had been deactivated by something in my handbag. This proved not to be the case, however, as my dad's card also did not work. I reported this to the girl at reception, who did not appear to be surprised by this. Apparently, "the cards just somehow cut out early". If she can supply a new set of keycards to work until check out time, I don't believe that the initial cards could not be set properly. Even if this was a system error that they can't get around, why not let the guests know beforehand? What if there was a baby in the room? What if I had a really bad bout of diarrhoea and really had to go there and then? I suspect that they do it purposely to remind guests to check out, and if this is true, it is really unacceptable. I decided to just check out immediately, in case I came back again later to find cleaners in the room disposing of my belongings.

Perth CBD:

My first impression of Perth is that it is very similar to Brisbane, except that it seems to be more culturally segregated, despite being quite multicultural, like the other Australian capital cities. I heard two racial slurs on the first day, one being directed at myself, and a few general comments on another day, which led me to this conclusion. Perhaps it's because Perth is one of the few metropolitan cities in Western Australia, which are quite far apart from each other; or maybe I just happened to have the misfortune of coming across unpleasant people...who knows?

I read on Trip Advisor that there is a street in the CBD called 'London Court', which is supposed to have architecture reminiscent of old London. Naturally, I had to go check it out.

Spotted: One end of London Court

It is so wonderful to see a bit of the old world in our modern society. I love the quote under the clockface. Too true, too true.

"No minute gone comes ever back again. Take heed and see ye nothing do in vain."
 
According to the plaques at the entrance, this 'Old Elizabethan Street was conceived by Mr Claude Albo de Bernales, designed by Mr Bernard Evans, and erected by the General Construction Guild during the years 1936-1937. The building was officially opened on the 26th June 1937 AD by the Lieutenant Governor of Western Australia, Sir James Mitchell KCMG (? writing carved in Old English calligraphy)'. What an incredible bit of living history. 
 
 
 
The cool carving on the ceiling 

The shops along London Court
Apart from London Court, there's nothing much else particularly different in the CBD, compared with those in other cities. Ah, I couldn't resist taking the following photo though:


Alannah Hill Boutique, Review, and Lorna Jane.
That's what I like to see - three of my favourite stores right next to each other!

Keep your eyes peeled for more posts about food and the tours I went on in Perth! :)