With Christmas Day less than two weeks away, there’s inevitably some hard-to-buy-for people still on your Christmas shopping list. If they’re a foodie, gift them something a little bit different this year. A food tour or progressive dinner are always great for discovering a tasty new eatery. We checked out one of the most unique progressive dinners in town. The Leederville Food Safari is a progressive dinner, by rickshaw, to three of Leederville’s most popular eateries.
Leederville Food Safari – 1st Stop Ria
A foodie friend of mine, Jennie from Buggybuddys and I kick off the night at Ria Malay Kitchen, an Aladdin’s cave of rich murals and aromas. Malay cuisine is a melting pot of Malaysian, Indian, Chinese and even Portuguese foods.
We’re seated by the window, at what seems like the best seat in the house and order a couple of mojitos from their drinks menu as well as pre-order our mains for Kitsch.
We receive a plated entrée each of selection of Ria’s favourites. There’s crisp lotus chips, with a house made chili samba for dipping, two spring rolls, a generous chicken satay with traditional peanut sauce and more. I’m really impressed by the fried mushroom ball, a whole mushroom filled with spiced potato and mint and deep fried till crisp, it’s deliciously different.
After we finish our Malay inspired nibbles, our friendly driver and guide appears and escorts us outside to the rickshaw. We sit back in our rickshaw and our driver steers us up the Oxford Street strip. I’ve had some hairy rickshaw rides in Asia, but with Leederville’s 40Kmph zone and a bike lane for most of the journey, we feel very safe. It’s a lot of fun!
2nd Stop – Kitsch
Thanks to our driver’s pedal power we arrive at our second stop, Kitsch, in no time. We sit on miss matched furniture in the courtyard of the quirky bar, overlooked by a vibrant mural and frangipani tree adorned by fairy lights. It’s the perfect spot for a warm summer’s evening. The bar has a vibrant atmosphere without being too loud. We feel like we’ve been transported to somewhere a little more tropical than the inner suburbs of Perth.
The drinks list at Kitsch is extensive and has plenty of interesting wines and cocktails. It seems rude not to partake in something festive, so I choose a pineapple cinnamon margarita, $18. A delicious combination of tequila and Cointreau, shaken with pineapple and fresh lime juice. The refreshing drink is served in a short glass, on the rocks with a cinnamon sugar rim.
Here at Kitsch, the Asian menu is very “street”. Think robust hot, crisp, sweet, salty and sour flavours. For our mains we choose two street plates from the set menu and a side to share. All dishes are accompanied with coconut jasmine rice.
We share crispy skin pork belly. The moist meat is topped with crunchy crackle and a chilli caramel. On the side is a crisp apple salad.
Another share dish we relish is the barbeque Szechuan chicken. Its spiciness nicely warms the palate and is complimented by the fresh flavours of the corn salsa and coriander.
On the side we enjoy a Thai favourite, a spicy green papaya salad with tamarind dressing and crunchy peanuts.
3rd Stop – Foam
Night has fallen and we take the trip back down Oxford Street, past the bustling bars and restaurants to our last stop, Foam Coffee Bar. Previously, I have enjoyed a very tasty brunch at Foam.
At Foam we have the pick of the sweet treats and cakes in their cabinet and we enjoy an iced water infused with berries and mint as we make our difficult choice.
I choose a berry cheesecake which is to be devoured along with my choice of drink. I temped by a chili hot chocolate, though not wanting to overload on the sweets, I choose a chai tea. We stay and chat for a while about our exciting rickshaw ride, before walking off into the night, thoroughly full!
The Leederville Food Safari is available at $95 per person. Included with each course is sparking or still water, with an option to add wine and beer for an extra $48 per person. Jen and I couldn’t go past the cocktails though! The service at all venues is helpful and extremely organised. The progressive dinner is ideal for pairs or small groups and runs Friday and Saturday nights, weather permitting.