Comfort Inn Wenworth Plaza Hotel (Perth WA)

300 Hay St, Perth WA 6004
(08) 9338 5000
Bookings:1800 355 109
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I stayed in this hotel for a night during my last visit to Perth. There are two good things that this hotel is worth staying for. The first is its central location at the corner of William St with Murray St, surrounded by many shops, cafés, bars, and the Rayne Sq Shopping Mall. The train station is across the street as well. The second is that this a good value-for-money hotel taking into account that it is in Perth, a city with indecent prices for everything. These two things make it a winner if you intend staying overnight or want a couple of nights in the heart of the city without spending a fortune. This is also an upgrade from a backpacker hotel, cheap enough if you are sharing room and with more facilities and comfort that any backpacker place in Perth.

There is secure access to the rooms as you need your key card to access the lift. 

The Hotel is directly communicated with La Bohème Bar and Restaurant, where you can have breakfast (from 7am onwards) lunch, dinner or just a drink at night, when the place is very popular with locals for after-work drinks. The English pub Moon is next door as well.   

On the other hand, the hotel looks old and run down, outdated (1950s like) with ugly rooms and decoration. If you love the style, my apologies. Having said that I loved the style and colour scheme of the corridors.

 

My room was very basic and functional. I had everything I needed for my overnight stay, TV, clock, desk, complimentary coffee and tea facilities and a mini-bar. I loved the toilet with its retro look, and the set of toiletries was basic but good enough. Both the room and toilet were spotless clean

The mattress was medium hard, so not my cup of tea, as my back suffers with those, but not bad either. The main problem of the room is the the lack of natural light as the window faced an inner courtyard full of other windows. Also, the rattling of the ventilation system was noticeable during the night. 

 

The staff  member at Reception when I arrived was matter of fact, not specially welcoming. On the contrary, the girls in the morning shift were truly friendly. Yet, I asked something to one of them and I was misinformed, so another staff had to correct her. 

EXTRA KUDOS
>There are always taxis at the door, so no need to call one or wait for one.  

FUNNY MOMENT 1
In my booking online page, in the room information area, among the facilities in the room, the following are listed:
> Toilet
> Bathroom
> Towels
> Linen
Woohoo!!! I am impressed!!

FUNNY MOMENT 2
I organised a wakeup call for 630am just in case I missed my phone alarm and my connection. It was 6.19 a.m. according to my watch and to the room's clock when I heard the phone ringing. It was one of those pre-recorded wakeup calls, and said "this is your 6.30am wakeup call." WTF. There are many minutes from 6.19 to 6.30... just saying. It seems that the wakeup system is jet-lagged.  

FUNNY MOMENT 3
Well, guys, remember, just in case you come from the North Pole, or you have just left your hut in the jungle that the contents of the mini-bar are not complimentary. 

IF THIS WERE MY HOTEL
> I would revamp and change the colour palette used for bed covers, cushions and bed linen to make it more modern and pleasant to the eye. 
> I would fix the wakeup system.
> I would make sure that the staff, even trainees, are informed of the basics. Otherwise, well, let them have a trainee badge. 
> I would fix the power points that do not work. One of those in my room.
> I would make sure that sachets of creamer are added to the set, or just replaced. None in my room.

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WTF Foodie Moment 9: Strong Coffee

I order my coffee, a regular size that has two shots of coffee.
The barista prepares it.
> Do you want sugar?
> It depends, how strong is it?
> It has two shots.
My eyes roll around my head like  a Saturn satellite.
> Yes, but the strength depends on the beans used and the roasting so two shots can be strong or weak. (not to mention the size of the regular cup, that is not always the same or regular.)
She looks at me as if I am talking in Chinese.
>  I don't know at all, I don't drink coffee.
WTF!
Where? Two Brews Cafe

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Kungfu Kitchen (Northbridge WA)

Shop 3, 145 Newcastle St
Northbridge WA 6003
0413 908 997

Kung-Fu Kitchen is a little eatery serving authentic Szechwan Chinese food at cheap prices. The place is not glamorous, but is very luminous, functional and quiet.

The selection of dishes is varied, and you have them photographed on the wall with both their Chinese and English names. They have plenty of soups, and dishes using products that Australians are not that keen on: tongues, paws, and other animal body parts. Others, on the contrary are the sort of food that you find in Chinese-Western restaurants.

My spicy dry noodles were fresh and tasty, full of flavour, a nice mix of textures, a bit hot, and a large serving portion. The noodles were cold, so a bit of the joy dissipated when I tried them. Perhaps this is how they are originally served in China, I don't know. If this is the case, would be worth adding a "cold dish" sign to the photo. I do not want cold noodles in winter! 

The searing hot pot is so spicy hot that it was impossible for me to eat. A priory it was great. You choose four vegetables and two meats and they prepare your soup. When it arrived it looked great, fresh and yummy. However, the chilly was so strong that no flavour came out but that of the chilly. Two girls from Hong Kong  were eating the same soup and agreed that the soup was extremely hot. I was crying a river out of spiciness even though I eat very spicy hot food without a problem. I told the lady behind the counter to have it medium spicy, but I want to think that she did not understand me well.  
 
Some of the soups I saw looked yummy and were huge in size, and customers were positively commenting on them, so I will definitely return for those before summer kicks in. Their simplest of the simplest burgers are also in my to-try list.

They have free barley tea for customers. Free self-refilling makes me always happy.

 

The place is fully packed with Chinese people, which is always an indication that the place prepares authentic food. It is becoming increasingly popular with non-Chinese, but there is not much hype because the place is not glamorous and very simple, and because the Tuck Shop Cafe is just across the street.

The service is matter of fact and not especially welcoming. The lady behind the counter is very cold, I think out of shyness, and you feel that you have are being punished and given the the cold shoulder for something naughty you did in your past life. The girls attending to the tables were, on the contrary, quite friendly.

Pricing is very good, with most dishes under 15 bucks, and the serving portions are generous.

It is open every day, almost every hour of the day. It is perfect for a lunch escapade if you work in the Northbridge area. Yet, are you prepared for authentic Chinese food?

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Kailis Brothers Fish Café (Leederville, WA)

101 Oxford Street, Leederville, WA
(08) 9443 6300
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Opening hours:
   Mon-Sun: 7am-11 pm

The place is comfortable, and very functional in its decoration, but also crowded and noisy depending on the day and time you visit. The restaurant seems to attract large crows of +70yo on Sundays, and families, and +35y.o. couples and groups on Saturdays.

The staff are lovely, and they are very accommodating about everything. Service in general was fast, friendly, and attentive -- Very good.

 

As you can expect, the fish they use is super-fresh and yummy, but the food I tried was nice overall, nothing more. The fish and chips were average. The fries tasted of frozen ones. The fish was good, but very oily, and needed a bit of a dry-off. The creamy chowder was utterly disappointing and tasted more of corn flower than of fish. That is unforgivable! I have had a better chowder at Bivouac, and they aren't fish experts. The entrées of prawn croquettes and zucchini chips were the best thing I tried there, really flavoursome. 

They have a decently priced and varied chart of local and international wines, and a good selection of sweets. 

 

The place is utterly overpriced for the quality of the cooked food they offer. Example: 4 little croquettes, tapa size, 20 dollars. A rip-off. It made me want to swear the continental way. I swallowed a WTF instead!I have found better prices for croquettes in posh restaurants in Perth. Just saying.

The fish markets are great, but you will pay top dollar for the fresh fish and marinated goods they have for sale. Yet, this is Perth.

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Circa Bistro (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

676 Beaufort St
Mount Lawley, WA 6050
08 9371 9971
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Hours:
    Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 10:30 pm
    Sat 8 am - 11 pm
    Sun 8 am - 4 pm
 

I have tried almost everything at Circa, as I was a regular visitor when I lived in Mount Lawley.

THE PLACE
Occupying what once Diva was, Circa revamped and upgraded the space but kept the layout. They added a cushioned seating area, some Art-deco elements of decoration and turned the café into a simple elegant one.  I love all the Art-deco items of decoration (the starry mirror, the hand lamps, and the horny chandelier at the top area).  At night, the candlelights and the subdued lighting create a cozy, romantic and chic ambience.

The place is always clean and tidy and rarely crowded. The place attracts people from all ages looking for a quite place with nice food to catch up and relax. 

They have clean very nice toilets, as well.

THE FOOD
I have been there for breakfast, lunch and dinner, quite often, and this is so because they have a small but interesting menu. Sometimes the food has been delicious and done to perfection, while others (even for the same dish) the dish was just nice (aka mediocre). The fact remains that after so many visits, their food has never wowed me, but it has never let me down either;there is a lack of consistency in the quality of the dishes. Many times I told myself, this dish would be great just if.., only if the added... They have great ideas, but the realisation of some dishes lacks that j'ai ne sais quoi that brings any dish to a level up. There are a few dishes that I thought were great (the Roasted Root Vegetables, chorizo and manchego toasts, the beetroot ravioli, the beetroot infused salmon breakfast, and some of their pasta dishes), while others were average (Spanish eggs with pecorino, polenta chips, some of their breakfasts, some of their pasta dishes).

They have a really nice chart of wines, my favourit was the Calo Rioja Tempranillo, worth every cent of the 11 dollars per glass I paid. 

Portions are always on the small side for mains, something that bothers me a lot. If I am charged a lot of money for a main dish I want a decent serving portion, unless I am in a fine dine restaurant, which is not the case.    

COFFEE AND DESSERTS
They have always had a nice selection of desserts at Circa, but, like the food, they could have been great but they got aborted midway, lacking technique and authenticity at times. Yet, lovely overall. 

Regarding their coffee, they use Origins Coffee, which is not amongst my favourite beans, as it is lacks in flavour. However, they prepare a good coffee even though the quality varies from barista to barista. 

SERVICE
The staff are always lovely, some of them extremely friendly. The serving tempo is not bad, on the slow side at times, perfect others. The staff are often distracted (even when the place is half full) and their warmth and willingness to please gets blended with a lack of attention to the most important thing in the restaurant - customers. In the past I have seen people leaving the restaurant because they got tired of waiting a waiter approaching them to take their order despite the place being with few clients.

PRICING
Although the food is really nice, this cafe has always been overpriced for what they serve. My opinion. More expensive than Cantina 663 at times for dishes that do not match the quality of Cantina's kitchen.

 

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
>> I know that in these days using foreign names for the ingredients and dishes is the last new thing. I don't have a problem with that if what I get in the plate is  what it is supposed to be or it has the essence of the dish. For example, if you call something a "mousse" I expect something to have the consistency of a mousse, and to be fluffy and light. If you call something "pannacotta" I expect the consistency and texture of the pannacotta. That sort of thing. Please don't mislead.
 >> Their dinner menu has (or used to have) most of the things you find for lunch. Why not creating a complete different menu for dinner?
>> They didn't have specials for ages. Then they started offering some specials, but not regularly or changing them frequently. That is not good for them. You can cross the street and go to Cantina 663 that succeeds at keeping a huge amount of regulars by constantly renewing their menu.  
 >> They need to work on their music. There is a mismatch of tunes. If you want to create a certain atmosphere you need integrity and consistency in the music. The selection is better at night but, in general, music create ambience or destroys it, if you know what I am saying. 
>> I think the methacrylate chairs don't blend well with the Art-Deco woody style of the place. They feel odd to me. But this is just a personal preference.

IN SHORT
Overall Circa is a lovely place, with lovely food, high prices and nice staff. Some of their dishes and desserts will surprise you for good, and others will let you indifferent but with a big bill. The perfect place to catch up and great for night dates.

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Clarences (Highgate, Perth WA)

 566 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9228 9474
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Hours:
    Mon-Thu 16:00 - 0:00
    Fri-Sat 12:00 - 0:00
    Sun 12:00 - 22:00



My first visit to Clarences was good enough to made me return because of the nice ambience, relaxed vibe and good modern pub food. I love their backyard, which is very laid back and cool. The inner space is quite dark, very different in vibe, but great for dates or  cozy chats. I have visited both during the day and at night, and the place truly changes.

The pumpkin ravioli were divine. They were cooked in a similar style to the Autumn gnocchi at Bivouac. Pan-fried with a colourful mix of flavour and textures that really turn this vegetarian dish into be wow. I would have eaten two of those easily!

The octopus with "ajo blanco was an octopus salad with nuts. The octopus was very tender, and the mix of textures very pleasant; however the "ajo blanco" was not really "ajo blanco" but a strong garlic mayonnaise, too garlicky, so it overwhelmed the rest of the flavours in the plate.  

The cookies with ice-cream and peanut syrup dessert was OK in flavour, big serving, but hard and sticky, and impossible to to handle with your bare hands -which was my first intention- or with the spoon and/or knife as the cookies were very-very hard. I thought that this would make a perfect children dessert, so your child -if you have any- gets all sticky and smiley eating syrupy things.

The Booze, coffee and cigarettes dessert was truly creative and a great alcoholic dessert. It was nicely plated and had great textures. Superwow feeling. I had all the people in the backyard looking at my table (with envy).

I have had other dishes there, but this was long ago and I did not take notes. Yet, I left happy and satisfied. 

The music is great, although a bit loud at times, unnecessarily so if the place is not full during the day It must be needed at night-time. 

There is a lot of hipsters and hype about Clarences.

Service is very friendly and fast enough.  

Pricey place. 

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Zhiwa Ling Hotel (Paro, Bhutan)

Zhiwa Ling Hotel

Satsam Chorten, Paro

Kingdom of Bhutan

Ph: 975-8-271277

Email: info@zhiwaling.com

Website

The only Bhutan owned and operated 5-star  hotel, Zhiwa Ling is a dream come true, because of its traditional architecture and craftsmanship, its facilities, the friendliness and care of their staff, and the quality of the service.

Just entering the place is like being part of the royal family  because the hotel lobby is just like one of those palaces and temples that travellers visit in the country. A central inner courtyard with stunning (stunning with capitals) woodwork, paintwork, carving work, and the staff dressed in traditional costumes help you to realise that is a hotel like no other. Zhiwa Ling has a large wide garden area, with different blocks of grey stone where the rooms are located, tea and meditation houses, pond and seating areas around. 

THE ROOMS

The rooms where we were placed were fantastic. A block has only six rooms, so they are large and spacious. Wooden floors, Bhutanese decorative elements and classy sober facilities, with huge comfortable beds and marble bathroom.
 

My suit was very spacious, elegant and classy, with a rear balcony facing a tranquil part of the gardens and very luminous during the day. This spot was delightful, really pretty and cozy (see the photo above), and very conducive to relaxation and meditation. The room was spotless clean and kept that way during my stay. I also loved the small seating area in the room (leather armchair, a two-seater couch, coffee table and floor lamp), and coffee facilities; perfect to unwind, read or have a chat. Free fast wi-fi always makes me happy. 

RESTAURANT

The Hotel's Restaurant is spacious and very pleasant, not that imposing or posh, but the staff, the service and the food make for the rest. Their buffet breakfast is excellent. Everything there, even those things that seem to be very European or "imported", are locally produced, sourced and prepared. They are yummy, flavoursome and very fresh.  I personally loved their Danish pastries, the mini-glasses of fruit yoghurt, and their omelettes, but everything I tried was great. The restaurant opens for breakfast at 6am, but only cold dishes are served until 7am. You can have breakfast delivered in your room for no extra charge. The hotel staff will knock on your door at your preferred time on the clock.

Dinner and lunch are served in the same restaurant. Their dinner setting changes from day to night, and the mood is more intimate and classy. They have a mix of international dishes very well cooked, with several options for entrée, main and dessert. The local staff are working hard to bring an à-la-carte menu in the future (perhaps already have it, I don't know), but I really liked everything I had and they serve decent portion sizes, especially important if you are back from trekking. 

They had a good wine and spirits selection, but very expensive, more expensive than in Australia or UK. But hey, alcohol is not a necessity and if you cannot enjoy a dinner without a drink you probably have an alcohol problem :O.

SERVICE

If you want to experience what good service really is, go to Zhiwa Ling. I have been in many posh hotels in different countries, and this is the best service I have had so far. People seemed genuine, did not seem to be too pushy, too servant-like or too bothersome, they were very smiley and seemed to enjoy their job. Even the guys opening doors for you were lovely despite the task at hand, literally. I did not feel that, like in other hotels, things were done to get a tip. I hate that feeling and I get it often in many places, so it is great that these people made our stay so pleasant. 

The manager of the hotel (a Kiwi, by the way!) comes out to receive visitors personally at the lobby, no matter a couple or a group. How special is that?!

THE SPA

The Spa is not very big but very pleasant, well organised, comfortable and with very kind staff. They specialise in massage, Bhutanese hot-stone baths and facial treatments. The girls are really lovely and I absolutely loved the soothing massage and facial I had there. They are really excited that you are visiting your remote country and are keen to talk and know everything about you and your country if you feel like having a chat.

EXTRA KUDOS

>> Meditation and Yoga areas in the garden.

>> Golf cars to move you around if you need them, day and night.

>> Money exchange service at reception.

>> An oversized umbrella is placed in the veranda by your door if the weather is rainy. 

>> The boys opening the door were just gorgeous. They really look hot in the traditional dress. :O

MIND

# The hotel is a 25-minute drive from Paro city.

# Golf caddies are used to take your baggage in and out your room. The guys have to take the bags on their shoulders to the upper floors as there aren't lifts, so be mindful and don't carry too much stuff. If you do, you are visiting the wrong country. Also, think if you would like to carry that sort of weight on your own shoulders.

# Alcohol is very expensive in the bar and restaurant.
# All the floors are floorboards. So every time you walk they crack. That is specially noticeable when you have people staying in the room above yours. The movement of two wheeled suitcases might sound like the end of the world or a bunch of noisy neighbours dancing flamenco. No, it is not the case, it is the flooring system and people leaving for an early flight. 

IF THIS WERE MY HOTEL I WOULD....

>> Improve the lighting of the rooms, which is way too dim for people with poor sight, and not good for reading or opening the safe for example. I always carry a torch with me, but adding a more powerful  lamp would easily solve the problem. 

>> I couldn't  find the heating/cooling air-con. I might be disguised and operated by the staff. I don't know. The floorboards and the stone walls contribute to the overall coldness of the rooms. Bhutan is in the Himalayas, so even in spring it is cold at night. Perhaps having portable good-quality heaters or a clearly signed system would be great.

>> I would remove the small carpets from the room as they don't have stoppers and, despite being beautiful, they can be a nuisance. Bigger ones or no one. My opinion. 

>> The towel hanger and the bath were too high for me! I could not reach the hanger on my toes! This might be great for tall people, but for average sized women, is not! Perhaps I am not average :\

>> It would be great if the Spa offered a few more services for the ladies, like pedicure, manicure, and hairdressing.

>> It would be great having an ATM in the hotel

***

Visiting Zhiwa Ling is an experience in itself. This is not a luxury hotel in the strict sense of the word, but the luxury is being in that amazing country experiencing an eco-friendly sustainable hotel, the profits of which go to the locals. What is more, the hotel is stunningly beautiful and the staff really welcoming and warm. This is a kind of hotel you cannot visit elsewhere. Unique and unforgettable. 

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