just a little bit louder now

the stables bar…

justalittlebitloudernow — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:05:20 +0000

It’s the same old city, but yet it’s not. Perth has never been a place to flock to, never caused a ripple or a stir in the melting pot of ‘must see’ cities of the world & for a long time, I’m sorry to say – there weren’t too many great words used to describe it either. Perth – it is the same old word but it’s not the same old place. It’s changed, it’s busy & bustling & growing finally into the big brother of its former self. True, it might not yet be a city worth flocking to, but if you’re already a part of the herd – you can be pretty happy that after a long dry summer, the grass is finally growing.

This is The Stables Bar, a new venue in our city CBD…

It’s a long laneway that blazes a trail to The Stables Bar & courtyard. Turning in from the hectic lunch time stampede of Hay Street, you’ll be greeted with a calm landscaped oasis & surprisingly, for a city – space…

The downstairs bar is spacious, dark, stylish & rustic…

The serious business of lunch was taking place in the upstairs dining room, with which I am in love. In fact, I’m in love with the complete fit-out of this venue. Where the downstairs bar is dark & edgy, upstairs is bright, airy & classic, with views of the city from the outdoor garden terrace. The references to the venues history as one of Perth’s original horse stables & residences fuels the imagination. The old black & white canvas photographs lining the wall & the dark green studded bench seats complimented by lush green velvet chairs are all well thought out inclusions to this interior…

and then of course there’s my love of lights…

Of course you’ll want to know something of the food. We shared a few items from their all day grazing menu – freshly shucked oysters, eggplant chips & zucchini, pea, mint croquettes with cardamon yoghurt. For mains we tried chicken schnitzel, pan-fried ricotta gnocchi & a warm salad of beetroot, farro, goats curd & candied walnuts. All thoroughly enjoyed.

Where: The Stables Bar – 888 Hay Street – Perth

Any dirt to dish? The lunch portion sizes if you’re a big burly male might not fill you up – so graze a little longer if you feel the need.

banana cake…

justalittlebitloudernow — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:54:48 +0000

Too many bananas left in the fruit bowl? Grab yourself 3 of them & get baking. The icing is a simple lemon frosting & it’s yum…

Banana Cake

250g softened butter – 1 cup caster sugar – 2 tablespoons golden syrup – 3 eggs, lightly beaten – 3 ripe bananas mashed – 1/2 cup chopped walnuts – 2 cups self-raising flour.

Lemon Icing:

1 teaspoon softened butter – 2 cups icing sugar – 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice all mixed together.

Do this:

Preheat oven to 180-200C & grease & line a square baking tin – cream butter, sugar & golden syrup – add eggs & bananas – stir in the nuts & sifted flour – place mixture in prepared tin & bake for 40-50 minutes. When cool, ice with lemon icing.

It’s dense & moist. Be sure to share!

Recipe adapted from one my mum has made zillions of times, taken from the Country Women’s Association – of course!

Have a great weekend.

may madness…

justalittlebitloudernow — Mon, 13 May 2013 22:51:31 +0000

Hope all the mums out there had a beautiful Mothers Day. May is a hectic month for my family, with 4 birthdays & Mothers Day in the first 2 weeks, but as of tomorrow it all slows down & the cake baking can take a rest! But that’s tomorrow – first we have to get through today & today is my birthday – it’s a milestone one & although it’s crept up on me way too quickly, I’m trying to embrace it all the same because growing old is a privilege denied to many (thanks G) & growing older & having your health - more & more – these days seems like a reserve class gold ticket. I’m thankful for so much in my life, it is full with a big family & beautiful friends.

Thanks to my gorgeous family, all of you, for being so awesome & supportive. To all the people who have been stopping by this little blog spot & taking the time to hit the ‘like’ button or for taking even more time to comment, I want to say a massive thanks to you because I know I don’t say it enough. Your support is what keeps me blogging & keeps me photographing.

With that said I’m going to soak up every minute & memory of this day & remember it for as long as a geriatic can. I’m off for my very first birthday cuddles with my little guys, who for some strange reason, have slept in this morning – thank you birthday Gods!

Have a great week!

cool calm collected…

justalittlebitloudernow — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:46:48 +0000

If you take a stroll into Angove Street, North Perth you’ll be taken no doubt by this very quaint & decadent little store called Cool Calm Collected. It’s a small space filled to over flowing with gorgeous original pieces of pre-loved furniture finds, antiques, bric-a-brac, lighting, accessories & objects de art. It’s interior styling with quirk, giving great credence to the mix of old, new, vintage & icons of a by-gone era of furniture design. In short, it’s pretty cool & does owner Alex proud.

If there was ever a door handle worth pinching – this would be it…

Cool Calm Collected – 34 Angove Street – North Perth

Have a great weekend.

family of four…

justalittlebitloudernow — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:31:22 +0000

With the warm morning sun lighting up the day, we headed to a nice quiet beach for a little spot
of family time…

These kids are the cutest with big tresses of curly hair…

Sometimes you just need a little motivation! It’s not easy being a supermodel when you’re only 2…

A little pep talk from mum…

Some moral support from dad…

Then maybe a little advice from big sis aswell, even if he’s still a tad too young to really appreciate it yet…

Thanks to this gorgeous family for a fun morning!

carrot cake…

justalittlebitloudernow — Fri, 03 May 2013 00:05:59 +0000

Lots of baking has been going on these past couple of weeks & here’s a recipe that you most definitely need to try. It’s delicious & between the carrots, sultanas & walnuts (if you ignore the icing makeup) I dare say it’s also good for you. Back in the old school days our canteen lady used to bake the most amazing carrot cake ever & I reckon that this recipe is pretty darn close to how I remember it tasting – yum!

The Cake:

1 1/2 cups plain flour – 3 teaspoons baking powder – 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon – 1 1/3 cups grated carrot – 1 1/3 cups of soft brown sugar – 3 eggs – 1 cup sunflower oil – 1/2 cup sultanas (recipe calls for 3/4 cup but I’m not a big fan of too many sultanas so use less & chop them up really small) – 3/4 cup chopped walnuts – zest of 1 orange

The Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 cup (250g) cream cheese softened – 30g unsalted butter softened – 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – 1 cup icing sugar, sifted

Method:

Preheat your oven to 170 C & line & grease your cake tin – sift the flour, baking powder & cinnamon into a large bowl & stir in the carrot – whisk sugar & eggs in another bowl & slowly whisk in the oil – pour into the dry ingredients & mix until just combined – fold in the sultanas, walnuts & orange zest – pour into your prepared tin & bake for approx 1 -1 1/4 hours (check it after 50 minutes) – leave it in the tin for a few minutes before turning it out to cool on a wire rack.

For the frosting just beat all the ingredients until they’re silky smooth & slather it on generously…

Enjoy.

Recipe is from Bill Granger, Bill’s Basics -again!

Have a great weekend.

school’s out…

justalittlebitloudernow — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:24:39 +0000

School holidays have arrived so I’ll be taking a bloggy break for a couple of weeks. We’re staying home, spending lots of time doing as little as 2 boys will allow & I’m going to try really hard not to lose my shiz at ‘em! Really though, take a look – such cheek!

If you’ve got kids home on holidays, have fun & have a great weekend!