Friday 29 April 2016

OzComicCon Perth 2016 (Part 2) - Bird edition

I headed back to the hotel for a short break before getting picked up by my friend Mia. I met Mia through blog comments and also we tested for some recipe books together, but this was my first time actually meeting in person. Mia doesn't have a blog of her own, but some of you may know her because she reads a lot of blogs. She very kindly picked me up from the hotel for us to spend the rest of the day together.

Unfortunately Perth's vegan restaurant, Cloud Nine, was closed on a Monday. So she took me out to The 'Pear'fect Pantry, an absolutely delightful little cafe that is hidden away from the world (you walk past a block of flats to get there, it is well back from the road). And it was such a great place with heaps of vegan options. We both had berry drinks, I had the milkshake (yay for soy, rather than coconut, ice cream) and she had the smoothie. Mia ordered the Satay Tempeh Roll. I had a little bit and it was great. I ordered the Vegan Quiche, which was some sort of delicious perfection. I don't even know what it was made out of... with think some sort of tofu/cashew cream combination. It was so good! They also had some beautiful vegan sweet treats there, though I didn't end up getting any (shocking, I know), because the milkshake was quite sweet and filling.

Berry Milkshake and Berry Smoothie at Pearfect Pantry


Satay Tempeh Roll at Pearfect Pantry


Vegan Quiche at Pearfect Pantry


Desserts at Pearfect Pantry


Afterwards we stopped by La Vida Vegan Grocery, Perth's own vegan grocery store. It was really cool, with some fun products, and the people were really nice.

La Vida Vegan Grocery at Pearfect Pantry


La Vida Vegan purchases


I happened to mention randomly that I would love to see a black swan (Western Australia is well known for these), and we happened to be right near a lake. Within thirty seconds of stopping, a majestic black beauty swam into view... and then came straight out to say hello! The swans were very curious and brave, and not shy about coming up to investigate you! There were so many of them, and they were just beautiful. We ended up walking all the way around the lake, and there were so many beautiful birds. My beloved Australian wood ducks, other ducks, geese, the ibis, pelicans, coots, swamphens, spoon bills, and a fascinating and beautiful bird I discovered was called a Darter. They swim completely submerged and just stick their heads up like a periscope on a submarine! Prepare for bird photos!

Black Swan


Ibis and Friends


Swamphen


Darter


Black Swan


Pelicans


I actually took so many photos, these are just a few! I love seeing animals when I travel, but in their natural environments. Maybe that means sometimes I don't get to see an animal that I would love to see when I am traveling (the otters and the beavers in Vancouver's Stanley Park refused to make an appearance), but I am OK with that. I know they are there. But getting to see so many beautiful birds all in one place was definitely a highlight! The only sad thing was as we were walking around the lake, we got to a part where it smelled awful. There was a little creek running next to the lake, and it was full of dead fish. Poor fish! I shudder to think what was going on there.

After our bird watching stroll, we went back to Mia's to meet her puppies and for a cup of tea and a black bean cookie that she had made, before heading off to a yoga class. Mia teaches a lovely yin/hatha blend, very different from my usual bikram, but it was fabulous and just what I needed! After yoga, we went to pick up her husband and headed out to Veggie Hut, and Indian restaurant with a lot of vegan options. We shared several dishes to maximise our eating experience! These included naan (vegan naan... so happy I could cry), potato and pumpkin masala, uttapam, daal, masala dosa (my first ever dose!), and white rice. It was so yummy, I especially loved the potato and pumpkin masala.

Naan at Veggie Hut


Potato and Pumpkin Masala at Veggie Hut


Uttapama at Veggie Hut


Daal at Veggie Hut


After this I was very full. I had such a lovely day with Mia, it is always great to meet up with online friends in real life! I hope I get to see her again if I go next year.

The next morning I just had a couple of hours before we were all flying off to Adelaide. I was keen to try Flora & Fauna, which had been recommended as well. It was a little walk from the hotel, but it was a lovely morning. This is another cute little laneway cafe, but with a little courtyard outside with tables and chairs as well as a small counter inside. They have some juices and smoothies, but I felt a little chilly so I wanted something warm. Their chai blend has unavoidable honey in it, so I had my first soy matcha latte, which was quite lovely. For breakfast I had the pumpkin and chickpea smash on toast, which also had tomatoes, pine nuts and avocados, and was very satisfying. They put a lot of edible flowers all over their food, and while they were OK I am not really sure they added much to the dish itself. They have a case full of mostly vegan sweets, and I picked up a peanut butter blondie and a ginger molasses cookie for my travels. If you go at lunch time they have a cashew-based vegan mac and cheese that sounds amazing.

Matcha Soy Latte at Flora and Fauna


Pumpkin Smash at Flora and Fauna


Dessert Case at Flora and Fauna


On the way back to the hotel, I stopped off at Henry Saw Cafe for a final delicious soy chai, and also popped into a Baker's Delight that I passed to pick up an apple scroll for morning tea at the airport. Then it was goodbye to Perth, and on our way to Adelaide!

I liked Perth. The city itself is very small, which made it good to explore on foot. I don't know how easy it is to get out and about, because I had Mia kindly driving me when I did go out of the CBD. One of the things I liked about Perth was that there were heaps of laneways or walk-throughs that you could explore when you were walking through the city. That was fun! And the food was pretty nice as well. My food highlights were definitely Henry Saw and 'Pear'fect Pantry.

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post

Sahara says feed me


While I was away my mum sent me this funny photo of Sahara. Do you think she wants something?

8 comments:

  1. Aah - s/he is a Darter - I have learnt something!
    I must try one of those soy matcha lattes next time I am in the vicinity of Flora & Fauna - it looks beautiful! On second thoughts, I might make a special trip this weekend... mmm matcha latte!
    Thank you for a lovely day. See you next year ;)

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    1. I would be interested to know what you think of the matcha! Please go and try their mac and cheese and report to me. ;)
      It was such a wonderful day! Thank you again.

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  2. What a great trip and how nice that you got to meet up with a friend you met through blogging!

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    1. I love being able to meet up with friends from the internet when I travel. It is so much fun.

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  3. How awesome that you got to see so many birds; the pelican photo is my favorite! :)

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    1. I love seeing them just out and about. It was an incredible variety and amount of birds for such a relatively small lake.

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  4. How nice you got to meet a friend you met over your blog!! Fun =)
    The vegan quiche looks good... oh my goodness how did you ever pass up on one of those cupcakes??
    Oh those Seed & Bean bars are soooo good! I picked some up last summer when I was in Switzerland, I can't find them here.
    The birds are beautiful. And wow - a black swan. What a gorgeous creature.
    The indian food looks so good!!! I guess I'm lucky as there is a dosateria in a whole foods near my place with vegan dosas.
    Perth sounds like a great place to visit - I love places that you can enjoy walking around and exploring.
    Very cute kitty pic =)

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    1. It is so great to get to meet an internet friend in real life!
      I am a bit sad in retrospect that I didn't have the cupcake, but at the time I was just too full. I should have got one for later.

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