Author Archives: foodvixen
Ocha Cha, Cairns
Last night I went to dinner at one of my old favourites in the city… Japanese restaurant Ocha Cha in Palm Court on Lake St. This place has been here for at least 10 years because I used to go to it with my family every Friday night. I took my friend LL who had never been before and didn’t even know that it existed. Since Blue Sky Brewery moved in down below it, Ocha Cha is quite tucked away and only those in the know would even know that its up there. As usual the girl at the counter (seems to change every few months) knows very little or no English at all but you can still get by with a bit of pointing and the good old ‘smile and nod’. It was actually quite empty for a Tuesday night since I regularly find it packed to the brim during the week with Japanese as well as locals.
I do have to say it is one of the most authentic Japanese places in town offering Bento Boxes and Noodles at very reasonable prices and if you have a local’s discount card like I do then they are even more reasonable. I went with my old favourite Chicken Teriyaki because it really is very good here while LL went for the Deep Fried Pork Fillet. With both of the dishes you get tofu, miso, rice and your main but I always get the Vinaigrette Seaweed on the side because its just so damn tasty! And you can’t beat the Barley Tea there also served in those little blue plastic cups and then you can take a seat on the elevated floor area around the tables and wait for your Bento Box to arrive. Don’t forget your second bowl of rice is free too! I can never help myself with that second bowl…
Tha Fish, Cairns
Last night I was lucky enough to have dinner with friends at local seafood restaurant Tha Fish. It was a last minute invite by my good friend HH but it turned into a three and a half hour, four course feast. Being the slight control freak that I am coupled with my love for food I usually pour over menus and don’t decide exactly what I want to order until the very last minute. However, last night HH took the liberty of ordering for the seven of us. It was something different for me but I went with it and was more than pleasantly surprised at the food that come out. The best part was not knowing what was coming next! Our first entree was oysters – natural and kilpatrick. ST almost couldn’t contain her excitement when she saw the two platters of oysters arrive at our table. The oysters were absolutely delicious! Lucky for us two of the girls at the table don’t eat seafood (wtf- why come to a seafood restaurant?) so that meant more for us!!! Second entree was Cajun Calamari with Orange, Fennel and Rocket salad. The squid was cooked perfectly! Its nice to see a restaurant using local squid! It’s often hard to find, even with dedicated seafood restaurants, since local squid is hard to source but its certainly worth the effort! Our mains followed… HH ordered a Seafood Paella that was accompanied by a white bait fritter, while the waiter chose dishes for the rest of us. ST was brought out fillet of coral trout on mash with sauteed asparagus. She claims it was some of the best fish she has ever eaten and almost licked the plate at the end!
Myself? I was ordered Atlantic Salmon, cooked medium rare (the way it should be) on a bed of hokkien noodles with Asian vegetables. It was cooked perfectly and absolutely devine!
Atlantic Salmon on a bed of hokkien noodles
Following our main, we were all pretty well satisfied but HH insisted that we have some dessert so he asked the waiter to choose a few dessert dishes for us to share. The waiter chose well! He chose us four dishes: Chocolate assiette, black rice puddings and lychee balls, the old classic creme brulee and a Frangipane and Honey Tart that ST and MT proceeded to fight over. ST won.
Chocolate assiette – chocolate salted caramel, white choc mousse, choc chip crunch, torta bestia nera, white choc truffles, chocolate sorbet, milk chocolate sorbet and raspberry gel
Ah thankyou Tha Fish and HH for a fantastic feast!
Tha Fish
On the Boardwalk, Pier Shopping, Cairns QLD 4870
Ph: (07) 40 415350
Opening Hours: Mon-Wed, Fri-Sun: 12pm-3pm, 6pm-11pm, Thu 12pm-3pm, 5pm-11pm
Website: www.thafish.com.au
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