Amano Restaurant, Perth

Our lunch at Amano was life-changing. Like 'Oh my god, where have you been all my life?!' I normally find pastas really insipid but every dish here was a flavour B-O-M-B. I told KW they must have added cream because it's incredibly rich and silky. I couldn't help but ask for their secret and to my surprise, the manager told us they don't add any cream because "real Italians don't add cream to their pastas." I'm not sure how true that is but I believe it. *Serious face*

The scallops were beautifully done and the aracinis were perfection.The pappardelle was comforting, but I was really taken with the seafood fettucini and tortellini, which were just brimming with flavour. What a fantastic way to end our trip in Perth!

Capesante mare e monti

Seared scallops with pea puree, basil tomato leaves, 

split noisette and lobster jus 

Arancini

Home made traditional mozzarella, 

parmesan and tomato arancini 

Tortelloni

Squid ink tortelloni stuffed with barramundi and scallop mousse 

served with bisque reduction, confit tomato, dill, chives, 

shellfish jus and roasted garlic crumb

Pappardelle

Lamb, wild mushrooms ragù and chives, 

finished with parmesan cheese

Fettuccine allo scoglio

Seafood home made fettuccine with mussels, 

barramundi, octopus, cherry tomatoes, tossed in a light white wine sauce

Yarri Restaurant and Bar, Dunsborough WA

Lunch at Yarri was perhaps our favourite meal at Margaret River. It was blisteringly cold and wet - very unusual for the area - so it was nice to seek refuge somewhere warm and in the company of good food. Definitely, a must-visit if you are in the area.

Crusty sourdough was the perfect way to kick off our meal. Paired with pine nuts and crackers, the emu tartare was excellent. The smoked trout croquettes were so-so as ratio of smoked trout to potatoes weighed in favour of the potatoes.

We normally don't order from the kids' menu but the burger was calling out to Russell and we thought they might be satiated with some carbs before feeding off our morsels. Russell polished off his burger effortlessly and Lucas - mon petit gourmand - did a great job with his pasta.

The pierce de resistance was probably the 600g dry-aged beef sirloin. Hit. The. Spot. The dollap of butter was excessive and indulgent but no-one seemed to mind it. On the side, the burnt cabbage almost stole the show - in fact, it was the inspiration to my burnt cabbage dish for Father's Day.

Wills Domain, Yallingup, WA

Quite frankly, we didn't know how well the boys would fare in a fine-dish dining establishment. Most  eateries we have been to are either kid-friendly or boisterous enough to accommodate a few loud boys. We made reservations at Wills Domain 'cause YOLO... I mean, what's the worst that could happen right... We get thrown out? Ah thankfully, that wasn't the case - the boys were well-entertained with their books and drawing paper before and after their meal, much to our relief.

The restaurant only opens at 12pm, which is late by our lunch standards. This also explains why we wolfed down the sourdough in minutes like a bunch of babarians. Fun fact: They charge for bread here Down Under, unlike in the US or Singapore which the cost is baked in.

Two out of three starters were pretty outstanding. The grilled octopus spoilt future octopus dishes that we would have. The chargrilled quail was finicky but delicious. Only the poached squid was a little ho-hum and I could do without that grassy sugar snaps.

To be honest, I don't quite remember exactly what we had for the mains but they were good. “A pork dish and a beef dish...” recalls my hippocampus. Not amazeballs but very well-executed. Oh yes, we ordered some fried chicken for the boys too and look at how well-presented it was!

We ended the meal with coffee and one helluva rich dessert, affectionately nicknamed “Snickers.” Smooth, creamy and downright decadent.

Magaret River

Margaret River was 50 shades of lovely. Even though we encountered one of their worst storms, windiest winters and skipped overly-touristy farms, there was plenty of charm to be found in their little towns and wineries. I did not expect Magaret river to be overflowing with Singapreans. In fact, I saw my neighbours, whos-who couple of Caldecott Hill there at Woolworths of all places. Hilarious!

On top of that, we even went whale-watching at Augusta! High recommended once-in-a-lifetime event! Well, it’s surely once in a lifetime for me as I had an unfortunate bout of motion sickness of the boat and retreated to lying down for two thirds of the 3-hour journey. Thankfully, I did see one playful whale and KW managed to capture some amazing footage of whales playing. We were really lucky to catch these whales.

Crappy shot HAHA

Koombana Beach, Bunbury

One of our favourite memories happened serendipitously at Koombana Beach, Bunbury. We drove past Bunbury Farmers Market and made an impromptu pitstop to check out their goodies. And goodies, they had!

Like Charlie in a chocolate factory, I went nuts buying spices and chocolates. Since they had some takeaway food, I suggested to KW that we have a beachside picnic at nearby Koombana Beach. Our picnic consisted of sushi, vietnamese rolls, cous cous, pies and chips plus baba ganoush dip. For dessert, we (well, i had 90% of it) had the most decadent berry yogurt granola. So good! I must admit i bought it for the bottle but the granola parfait exceeded my expectations.

After lunch, the boys had a great time at the playground and the beach. A carefree relaxing time amidst great weather. Can’t ask for more.