Brunch @ Stella's Kitchen & Bakery, Billings, Montana, US

We randomly spotted this place when we were in downtown Billings looking for brunch before we headed to Yellowstone. We knew we found the right place from the number of people inside considering it was a weekday :))

The do live up to their name:)

Impressive bakery at door front with dining area at the sides and back.

Extensive menu. Everything sounded good

Unknown to us, they were actually voted the best breakfast in Billings. However, since it was already lunch time, none of us felt like having anything 'breakfast-y'; though we actually had a hard time deciding what to have. I settled for the lunch special which was grilled chicken burger  ( must be good right since its a special ? ;P). We didn't know that the special also came with a complimentary dessert; one of their famous pies with ice cream as topping. I was soo full after the burger and fries ( because it was soo good ) that I didn't really get to enjoy the dessert. For $7.95, it was totally worth it!

Jen adding lots of sugar into her iced tea ! lols.

Lunch special : Grilled chicken burger with freshly cut fries and pickle ! Super good !

Fish and chips

Frisco melt and chips : Steak sandwich with grilled cheese and Frisco sauce

Complimentary dessert (rhubarb berry pie, I think) that came with the lunch special. 

We didn't wanna miss the opportunity to try one of their famous cream cinnamon roll. It was so good.

Overall, service was little bit slow; probably it was peak lunch time. Price-wise on a normal range while lunch special was totally worth it since it also came with the complimentary dessert in a generous portion. Loved the ambience and also the bakery section at the restaurant. This was also one of the better meals we had during our road trip to Yellowstone. We also bought one of their famous cinnamon roll to have for breakfast the next day. A little bit on the hard side but would definitely be good if you warm it up abit and served with butter ;P. Definitely a good place to try out if you are in Billings !

Address : 2525 1st Avenue North Billings, MT 59101

Chinese food @ Summer Palace, Saskatoon

I am quite impressed by the number of Chinese restaurants in a small town like Saskatoon. Of course, some are good and some are just..mehh….Summer Palace is one of the better ones which I only found out recently from my Chinese friend. Apparently, her friends seem to like this place alot (which means….the food is probably good right?) Anyways, since then I've visited here twice; so I'm combining both visits in this blog!

During my first visit with Bambi ( my Chinese friend), we headed here after our day trip to Moose Jaw. Good thing was this restaurant closes late (9.30pm) since most restaurants (apart from bars) closes early in Saskatoon @__@. She recommended some of the good dishes she had before ; Kung Pao Chicken with peanuts which is spicy stir-fry chicken with peanuts and dried chilli with green onion as garnishing. The thick sauce used to cook this dish basically consist of soy, sesame and dried chilli. This dish was pretty tasty; it has the 'wok-hei' where most westernized Chinese restaurants lack. Taste awesomely good with rice. In Malaysia, the Chinese restaurants cook this dish with cashew nuts rather than peanuts and with lots of dried chilli.

Kung Pao Chicken with Peanuts ($9.95)

Tired face after our long fun day at Moose Jaw's spa

Another dish we had was the Szechuan boiled fish with pickled Chinese cabbage. I've never had this dish before and the closest version I used to have in Malaysia is steamed fish with pickled vegetables. This sour-salty dish however has a tinge of spiciness (due to the dried chillies) which really add a kick to the dish. Fish was fresh and soup / gravy (not sure is which ;P) was pipping hot. It tasted so good with rice. This dish however was a bit too salty ( maybe that is the way they cook it , I'm not sure), and I am pretty sure they have MSG inside because I was so thirsty the whole night. This dish has to go with rice and not to be eaten by itself.

Szechuan boiled fish with pickled Chinese cabbage ($14.95)

During my recent visit again, we had the Szechuan stir-fried slice pork which I believe is the pork belly which came with generous layer of fats. But don't stop there..because the fat layers were the one that actually gave the juiciness and taste to this dish. I like how Szechuan dishes are; either sour or with a slight spiciness to it :). We also ordered the special deep-fried diced chicken with dried chilli. Again, I'm pretty impressed with the taste of the meat; yes, its deep fried but the small pieces of chicken were definitely well-marinated beforehand. The only downside was I thought this dish was a little bit of a cheat because it is covered with so much of dried chilli that I felt the amount of meat was actually not much. 

Szechuan stir-fried slice pork ($10.95)

Special deep fried diced chicken with dried chilli ($10.95)

Overall, I think Summer Palace is definitely worth going. I like how they cook it with the Chinese 'wok-hei' and that the dishes themselves are quite tasty. Apart from the saltiness of the dishes (which might be a normal standard for them), everything else is good. 

Address : 3A 3602 Taylor St E Saskatoon, SK S7H5H9

Opening hours : Monday - Sunday (11.30am - 9.30pm) ; Closed on Tuesdays

*They have a separate menu for take-out as well

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Thai food @ Corner Cafe, Perth CBD, Western Australia

During our trip to Perth, we stayed a couple of night at Perth CBD's Criterion Hotel which was one of the oldest hotel establishment in the city. Since we did not have a car and had to rely on public transportation, we chose to stay exactly at downtown. After a day trip to Fremantle, we were quite exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel. After resting for a bit, we headed out for a late night dinner. Nothing much in downtown as it was a weekday, so we decided to have Asian food at Corner Cafe which was just a few shops away from our hotel. What is nice is that they open till late and also offer outdoor seating. We sat outside as the weather was not too chilly and road was quite peaceful. 

Outdoor seating late night:)

We had Thai seafood tom yum, Pad Thai and Thai fried rice. We were hungry by then and was so sure we could finish everything ( just normal amount for two right ??). Food was served pretty quick since they were hardly any patrons by then. First up was the tom yum soup. It was quite a disappointment as the soup was not pipping hot and…it had bamboo shoots ( something I despise soo much because it over-dominates the taste of the food @__@). However, seafood was generous and fresh so no complains on that :)

Thai Curry

Our main meal was the Pad Thai and fried rice. I had the Pad Thai and it was pretty good with generous portion of seafood. Loved it so much but the portion was soo huge ( for Malaysian standard, yeah, its pretty huge) and since it was already late, my tummy just didn't want to accept more than half of the plate. Panda had the fried rice which smelled so good when it was served. The portion was huge as well and with generous amount of seafood. We had a bit of both and we thought they were pretty tasty; if only we had asked them to make it more spice. We ended up having to packed the unfinished meal and brought them back to our rooms. 

Pad Thai - Fried glass noodle

Thai seafood fried rice

Overall, food was acceptable; not the best Thai meal I have but considering the combination of late night, outdoor seating, Perth CBD and price, I thought it was pretty good. The place is really convenient for those who are staying at CBD especially at Criterion.

Address : 546 Hay St Perth, WA 6000

Seafood & Beer @ Fremantle, Western Australia

Fremantle is a port city located at Western Australia. It is about 30 minutes drive from Perth. During our trip to WA, we took a half day tour with Australian Pinnacle Tours which covered Kings Park Botanical Gardens, Perth City, Cottesloe Beach and Fremantle. Totally worth it especially if you don't have a means of transport. The last stop was Fremantle, so we did not follow the tour group back to Perth city. Instead, we spent some time exploring this quiant little port city and then took a train ride back to Perth. We were there on a weekday, so the place was peaceful and quiet with not many tourists around.

Self-shots with tripod before lunch ! Love the serenity of the place:)

So, since it is a port city, expect lots of seafood restaurants. A couple of famous ones include Kailis and Cisserellos. We decided on Kailis' since the positive reviews on this place outweighed the latter. You've gotta be a seafood lover to come to this place! They have a wide variety of seafood on their menu. Since we had only a light breakfast earlier, we decided to have the seafood platter which came with fish fillets, shrimp, squid, chilli mussels, fries and salad. You can choose between deep-fried, grill or seafood bbq version. Since it was a weekday, we did not meet with any crowds or long queues as opposed to what some reviewers have mentioned.

Fish N Chips at Kailis'

Waterfront Fremantle : Impressive and with a perfect spring weather !

We'll see whether they are the best….

Seafood Platter 

Chilli mussels

Super huge scallops ! Satisfaction guaranteed !

Overall, we really enjoyed the seafood platter ! Seafood were fresh, crispy and not greasy. Portion was huge and definitely enough for 2 ( tam-chiak, big-eaters like us ;P ) or 3 people. Only downside was that we had to pay for the extra sauces like thai chilli sauce ( the only version of chilli sauce they have! ) Kailis' may not be THE ULTIMATE fish and chip place in Australia but they do lived up to their name as being the best in town !

Address : Fishing Boat Harbour, 46 Mews Road, PO Box 800, Fremantle 6959, Western Australia

Website : Kailis Fremantle Seafood Cafe

After a satisfying lunch, we hung around the harbour front, enjoying the breeze, seagulls and the sunny-not-too-hot weather ! We were walking at some small alley between buildings when we smelled something aromatic and malt-y. We couldn't help ourselves (even though we were not a fan of beer) but to enter this brewery due to the smell and the heat ( since we were busy snapping photos for quite some time!). Fascinating place that produces their own beer and also serves pub food.

Light ale

Sweaty sweaty…cooling down with a cold beer!

Address : 40 Mews Rd Fremantle, WA 6160
Website : Litte Creatures Brewery Brew House