Karratha International

Ok so know I've been slack. I have lots of reviews to post. SO - in the interest of not adding to my backlog, here's one live. And by live, I mean I am literally at the restuarant now.
Accommodation at the Karratha International (KI as the locals know it) is actually of a great standard. The rooms are modern, well appointed, clean!!!! and decently sized. I would give them a 9/10 for the rooms.

Food. Now there's a seperate issue.

I'm currently enjoying the local 'chicken parm'... why have such a standard meal? I hear others ask. "its so mundane, EVERYONE does a chicken parm!" ... which they do. No disagreement here. But that's my point... oooh hangon, bug on my lappie... wait, gone .. ok. So, as I was saying...

EVERYONE does a chicken parm. Its a basic dish. Therefore - can't everyone be judged on this? I mean, if you muck up a Chicken Parm ... what hope do you have with a COMPLICATED dish??

 

(PS I should be doing Pics but I always start eating before I think of that ... sorry)

SO- the KI's Chicken Parm.
Decent size. You can opt for vegies or salad .. I chose 'leaf salad' ... and believe me it is a leaf salad. Literally bits n pieces of leafs of things.  Nothing else.
Chicken Schnitzel - OK. Not huge - which is actually a good thing! but not tiny either.  And cooked well. Probably deep-fried - who am I to judge? It tastes good!
'Parmagiana' on the schnitzel?  WOEFUL... Seriously, it tastes terrible. Obviously used sliced cheese - its not melted properly, so you can see the slices! and the tomato saucy bit is ... well, to call it a  jar sauce would be overstating its' worth. Its more like ... frozen parmagiana sauce. Egh. Its not great. I mean, its not vomit worthy ... but its definitely amongst the worst I've had.

So - if you frick up the chicken parm ... what does that say about you, KI? ?  ??

If you're coming to stay in Karratha - I can say two things:
Book early
Book in at the KI - but don't expect a culinary delight.

Karratha is coming up in the world of food - but they aren't there yet!

OK. Best go - other emails to attend to. Promise I will review the following soon:'

• Buckingham International (Melbourne)
• Quest Ipswich (Ipswich)
• Rydges Kalgoorlie
• The Craftsman (Cannington)
• The Queens (Perth)

Talk soon eaters!

Point Samson WA

One of the poshest places to stay in this tiny seaside village is the Point Samson Resort.

Its not a huge resort at all, and is about a 5 minute walk from the beach, which was disappointing! Much better to be right on the beach - but at least its walkable.

The rooms are beautifully appointed - tiled floors which help with the heat, gorgeous bathrooms and a little  kitchenette (this is in the standard room).  There is a decent 4 person table which is great for eating and doing work if you need which I found very handy!  Bed is large and comfortable - not like home but still gives a good night sleep.

Only drawback of some of the rooms - there is only one window and its tiny.  I'm a big fan of natural light, and you just can't get it in these rooms.

There is a restaurant on site - Tata's - which has both inside and outside seating.  The food is excellent if a little fancy?  Tata's distinguishes itself from its local competition by the calibre of the dishes... they are definitely not your average steak & three veg!  So - after a long day at work - it can be hard to choose between the duck and the seafood pasta with a few fancy bits n pieces just thrown in to confuse you.  But once you do decipher what they're offering - it actually tastes pretty bloody nice. 

The serves are generous too - big points from me for that one!!  Fairly extensive drink list.. though I'm not too fussy on that side.  I like good wine but am definitely NOT a connoisseur!!

Breakfast was the only let down apart from the window size .... Restaurant is not open for brekkie til 8am - no good for workers!  So I ordered a basic room service breakfast (eggs on toast) and even though there are a total of probably 12-13 rooms, my breakfast arrived late-ish.  The toast was cold, the eggs were cold and burnt.  Not great.  After that disaster, I ordered their 'cereal pack', boxed cereal and a little jug of milk, delivered the night before. 

Prices: $300+ for the room, main meals $35+ so its definitely at the higher end of the pay scale - 6/10
Staff: friendly for the most part - 7/10
Food: dinner was great, breakfast was terrible - 6/10
Room: really good apart from the window - 9/10
Location: disappointingly not on the coast in a tiny seaside village - 4/10

Overall - 6.4/10