Jean Pierre Sancho, Hay Street Perth

Pain au chocolat

I used to live down the road from a really good french pâtisserie along Nedlands. Of course, I fell in love with it - and since I now live in Perth city, I figure why not give Jean Pierre Sancho a try? It was after all, recently named Australia's best bakery on Sunrise News. So I took a 1.6km walk there (hey, it was a beautiful Saturday morning). 

Tucked in the corner of Hay Street and Shafto Lane,  I almost missed this unassuming cafe. 

I had to deliberate what to order... everything looked so good! I ended up settling for their famous Pain au chocolat with a soy latte set ($8.00). Since it was somewhat nice and empty, I settled into a sofa chair with my Kindle while waiting for my brunch to arrive. Joy! :D

To the amusement of the table next to me, I spent the next couple of minutes snapping photos of my food when it arrived. But look at that croissant! It deserves to be immortalized in pictures, if not in memory. Cos we all know the ultimate fate of food in one's tummies... anyway.

A minor gripe I had was that I wasn't offered the choice of having it toasted. And I was pretty sure the staff didn't toast it before bringing it to my table.

Buttery pain au chocolat

As you can see, the pastry is circled by a buttery shell that literally 'cracked' off the croissant with a nudge from my fork. In one intact piece too! Reminded me of a snake shedding its' skin. I found the pastry to be rather doughy. Could be quite bit heavy later in the day, in fact. The chocolate wasn't bad at all, but it just lacked a slight 'wow' factor.

Soy Latte

La! The coffee! When I took a sip of the coffee I just... sat there. And quivered. And sat there. And quivered some more. So smooth! So delightful! Just like silk! I can conclusively claim that Jean Pierre Sancho serves possibly the best coffee in Perth that I've had in a long while. The blending of flavors are very subtle as well, and OH YOU JUST HAVE TO GO TASTE THIS YOURSELF. I didn't care very much for the biscuit accompanying the coffee - it tastes like shortbread of some sort but it was much too chewy... I just left it uneaten.

Either way: GO THERE FOR THE COFFEE. Oh, and they sell macarons for $2, which is the cheapest I've seen in Perth so far. Not that I tried the macarons there, but probably worth going there for tea some day!

Recommended for Cozy tête à têtes, Work Lunches, Brunch, Lazy weekends

View Larger Map

Jean Pierre Sancho
878 Hay Street
(Cnr Hay Street & Shafto Lane)
Perth, WA 6000
Tel: (08) 9226 2434

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 7 AM - 6 PM
Saturday - Sunday: 8 AM  - 5 PM *** Now open Sundays!

NB. A second branch exists at 111 St George's Terrace and that has a higher rating than the one at Hay Street

Suanthai Restaurant, Killiney

Suanthai Restaurant was awarded Singapore's Top Restaurant in 2008 and 2009. I hadn't heard of this place before - so when my friend Pooh Bear Girl discovered that Suanthai offered an a la carte buffet (as described here), we decided to give it a go.  We visited Suanthai for dinner on a Friday night - although the tables on the inside were unoccupied, we ended up having to sit outside al fresco style since all the tables had been reserved. Definitely not a plus when temperatures are sweltering and you are seated right next to the busy, smoky road.

We (Pooh Bear Girl, Choir Boy and I) paid $19.90 per pax and added $1.99 for free flow of Ice Lemon Tea. For the price, you get a full selection of the 28 items on the standard menu (although some items may only be ordered once). 

Green Mango Salad - I found this offering to be somewhat mediocre. Texture wise this was a very crunchy salad, with tangs of sweetness hidden underneath the otherwise bland, cucumber-like greens (not a fan of cucumber here). This dish was a favourite of Pooh Bear Girl's however.

Deep Fried Egg Beancurd with Special Sauce - If you like the traditional Egg Tofu you get with combination mixed rice, you should love this dish! Think of it like Super Egg Tofu! The beancurd is deep fried to perfection, with a crunchy exterior and tofu that melts in your mouth. Yes, I made it sound like an M&M commercial. The sweet thai chilli with herbs complemented the beancurd to perfection, adding an extra kick to the taste.

Thai Papaya Salad - Really good salad :) Pictured on the top right of the introductory picture, this salad was crunchy and satisfying. The blending of fish sauce, sweet chilli and cashew nuts went very well with the papaya. It ended up acting as a palate cleanser between dishes because of its refreshing nature! I found the long beans to be slightly out of place but then again, that was easily solved.

Thai Spring Roll & Thai Fish Cake - Did Not Like; give these so called 'staples' a miss, in my opinion. The Thai Fishcake was overcooked and rubbery - I gave up on eating it after two bites.

Tom Yum Soup - One of the nicest Tom Yum Soups I've had in a while! This soup was authentic, if rather simple. We ordered the chicken Tom Yum soup - my only regret is that we didn't have sufficient storage space to order the prawn version of this as well. The chicken was nice and tender and the ingredients were well cooked. The soup was the perfect balance of sour & spice... I'm glad to say I didn't cry after finishing a bowl!

Green Chicken Curry - (bottom left of introductory picture) Nothing special, just your standard green curry. The green curry at Suanthai is sweeter and thicker than most places; definitely more coconut milk in this version. 

Boneless Stuffed Chicken Wing - These juicy chicken wings were practically bursting with flavour. The savory seasoning and stuffing could give KFC's 11 secret herbs and spices a run for their money. A Thai delicacy, I'd say this is a must try.

Chicken Wrapped in Pandan Leaf - Hmm. I have mixed feelings about this one. The pandan leaves lent a very nice flavor to the chicken. However, the chicken was too dry - It would have been much better if the chicken was steamed rather than fried. Plus, this dish was literally bite size.... think of a KFC popcorn chicken. Or two popcorn chicken(s?) fused together (I don't know what is with these KFC analogies). 

Thai Style Chicken Satay - Definitely a must try as well. The chicken pieces are larger than the Singaporean style satay. Well seasoned with peanut sauce and sweet chilli, the thai style chicken satay reminds me of a kebab stick sans vegetables. 

Dessert - We tried all 3 desserts (Thai Red Ruby, Steamed Tapioca & Mixed Fruits). The steamed tapioca was a hit, the Thai Red Ruby a miss and the Mixed Fruits was definitely a welcome refresher after a heavy meal like this one.

Recommended For: Romantic Dates (get an inside table!), Intimate Groups, Boys/ Girls Night out

View Larger Map

Suanthai Restaurant
101 Killiney Road
S(239544)
Tel: 6235 4126

Opening Hours
Mon - Fri: 11.30 AM - 2.30 PM, 6 PM - 10 PM
Weekends: 12 PM - 2.30 PM, 6 PM - 10 PM

Wild Honey, Mandarin Gallery

During the time I've been away from Singapore, a spate of All-Day Breakfast cafes have been springing up- such as Hatched, Strictly Pancakes and Wild Honey. While this concept is nothing new in Perth (where I live most of the time), it seems that this craze has caught the attention of many Singaporeans, in particular the yuppie and twenty-something crowd. Wild Honey is an all-breakfast cafe located on the third floor of Mandarin Gallery: be warned, they have a no-reservation policy so be prepared to wait. Some reviews I've read of this place have mentioned up to 1.5 hour waits during busy periods (I only had to wait 10 minutes, yay!). The interior of the cafe is vintage-styled and filled with sofas set around small circular tables. Dim lighting and plump cushions complete the look, lending the cafe a distinctive coziness. 

I ordered the European Breakfast ($18), which is Wild Honey's interpretation of Eggs Benedict (I did mention that I'm a fan of Eggs Benedict in my earlier post, didn't I?).  I have to admit I found the price rather steep for Breakfast ($18 for breakfast, really!? And this is coming from me, living in Perth!). I also ordered an Iced Coffee and my breakfast partner decided on the English Breakfast ($22) with OJ. 

The Eggs Benedict  was made of sautéed mushrooms and poached eggs wrapped in prosciutto (cured uncooked ham) that sat on toasted brioche, topped with hollandaise sauce. The eggs were poached to perfection and unlike Aussie poached eggs, they didn't literally explode when you cut into them (always a positive to remain a neat eater). The proscuitto added a smoky savory taste that went very well with the brioche, eggs and hollandaise sauce in my opinion (this is a first having Eggs Benedict with brioche, but I quite enjoyed it!). Although I loved the mushrooms, I felt that they didn't add much to the dish. Fresh spinach(!!) would have been a much better option, so I thought.

I also have to say that I was rather disappointed with the Iced Coffee ($7). It was mediocre and like most places in Singapore, I was literally served with a glass of black Coffee with ice and sugar syrup. Where is my iced-latte style coffee?! For $7 I would have expected something like that at the very least.

My friend ordered the English breakfast, which he swears is Legendary. Apparently he's already tried it but simply NEEDED to have it again after seeing the menu (which is on an iPad). The breakfast classic contains scrambled eggs, sausages, sautéed mushrooms, baked beans, fried bacon, tomato, a side of potatoes and toast. He didn't want to eat his tomato so I did the honors - and boy, was that tomato fresh. BEST TOMATO EVER (and I don't normally like tomatoes).

While I still think that Wild Honey is overpriced, I might return - if only to try their Tunisian or Mexican breakfast.

Recommended for: Cozy tête à têtes, Couples, Small gatherings


View Larger Map

Wild Honey
333A Mandarin Gallery 
#03-02 Orchard Road
Singapore 238897
Tel: 6235 3900

Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 9 AM - 10.30 PM
Saturday & Sunday: 8 AM - 10.30 PM