Spencer Village; How we love thee!

Ahhh, now on to one of my favourite things about Thornlie! Yep- you guessed it, the delicious, the thrifty, the aromatic...... Spencer Village!

Hands down, it must be one of the best places to eat in Perth. If you like your asian food- there is no finer dining hall than Spencer!

Located on Spencer Road opposite the Thornlie train station, it is an absolute gem for the culinary enthusiasts with no fear of the spicy eastern flavours! With fresh meals, lots of cheap dishes and variety to boot- you really cant go wrong! If the atmosphere is any indication, you will be buzzing from the excitement and the crowds of people out on a Thursday.

Tonight we started with the 'must have' pork buns from Fook Kee. At only $1.60 for the small or $4.00 for the large, they are an affordable and highly desirable treat! Unfortunately my picture was too late for the glory of the fresh fluffy warm bun, gorgeously cracking and fresh from the steamer. The sweet bread and the delicious pork filling make for an absolute delight! Whilst waiting for our buns, I stood with some chinese girls. We looked at eachother and laughed with excitement but never spoke a word!

The husband was recommended a chicken egg noodle soup from Miss Saigon (hands down my favourite stall, but I reserve the right to change my mind!) The dish comes either dry or with soup with optional chilli strength. I'm told the broth is 'the best in town' - so soup version it was tonight! At $9.50 its more than enough to fill a hungry man!

I got a little bit greedy and went for another share plate.... this one is a malayan curry sauce with roti from Izyan. They do a delicious selection of Malaysian Kosher dishes and while I was extremely tempted to go for the Nasi Lemak- I decided on something new!

 Ahh, now for my "new dish"... the Har Mee prawn noodle dish again from Izyan! While I was initially tempted by the coriander in the display pictures, I was mildly disappointed that there was none on the plate. But really- who's complaining? The first thing I noticed was that I could actually taste the noodles- thats a change from the overpowering sauces I've doused my noodles with at home. Delicious and fragrant with some fresh chopped chilli- I was not disappointed :)

When all plates are empty, and we were sipping the last of our iced tea, there wasn't much left to say. The smiles on our faces said it well enough.

We'll be back again soon- sooner than we know!

Forever 6108!

Thornlie Square; no ordinary shopping complex!

Today I'm looking into the history and development of the local shops, Thornlie Square.

Original Signage, 1970s

To us modern day Thornlie folk, its just another place to grab your milk and bread with a few novelty stores. Its an easy place ot grab some take away or pop into the IGA which is open until 11pm. There is a gym and a TAB not far away, a bottle shop, a newsagent, a patisserie and a chemist. Coles and IGA have all the grocery essentials and you can easily get a haircut or do your washing at the laundromat.

Frontage in the late 1990s-Early 2000s

I was very lucky to find some photos from 1972 on the State Library of WA's trove heritage database. The photos are retrieved from a brochure designed to advertise the new mall, which according to the City Of Gosnells 'History Of Suburb Names' document was the first air conditioned mall in the state!  

Back in the early 1970s, it was a new shopping development opened before Garden City. Women were excited about the prospects of fashion and textiles available in the suburbs.

Boutique Flair, 1972

With the Crestwood estate being at the forefront of contemporary resident friendly estate design in the 1970's, the two went hand in hand to give Thornlie a suave feeling of opulence. 

Childrens amusement ride 1970s

While the IGA and Coles have come a long way to modernise the shopping experience, there is still a small bakery, Goreys Butchers, the fruit and vegetable shop as well as asian grocers selling a huge range of imported groceries. This is a huge indication on the changing demographic of Thornlie and the multicultural suburb that it has become.

Grocery store(s) 1970s

There Thornlie Square is still very much a family friendly shopping complex with 'The Nearest Cafe', a skate park nearby and small stalls that pop up in the halls selling novelty items and crafts. Occasionally local artitsts and fundraisers will hold a stall for specified causes and it creates an atmosphere where you stop and browse rather than dash in for the shopping.

Thornlie Square 2010's

When you next pop down to pick up that pizza or a late night grocery run, spare a thought for the 40 year history of the "local shops" - seems they've been "the local" for the generations before us!

Forever 6108!

State Library of WA

http://innopac.slwa.wa.gov.au/record=b2418538#

City of Gosnells
www.gosnells.wa.gov.au/

Young Thornlie Couple buy the "Gidge Gourmet Fudge" business!

Ohhhhh Fudge!

Local Thornlie couple Lucy Owen and Hugh Campbell have purchased "Gidge Gourmet Fudge" and joined the market rounds in Perth and the South West of WA.

I ran into the young couple at the Mundaring Markets this morning as they sampled their fudge to young and old and to my surprise, seemed to be one of the busier stalls.

I'm told they will be keeping the original business name despite the business being based in Perth's southern suburb of Thornlie. Some changes will be made to the flavor offerings and a large emphasis on the traditional fudge making methods.

"Production is definitely the heart and soul of the business. As any fudge chef will tell you, fudge can be tricky and is a labor of love!"

We laugh as Lucy tells me that Hugh, her partner in life and in business, is the critiquing sampler and rarely complains! While we talk, Hugh is busy chatting with customers and offering samples and appears to be very much in his element, welcoming the groups of people that stop by to taste and purchase.

Lucy tells me, "I'm really excited to play with flavour combinations. Culinary Lavender is on my 'to try' list of ingredients."

Salted caramel, Maple and Walnut and Rum & Raisin are also mentioned as well as some truffle infusions specially made for the Manjimup 'Truffle Kerfuffle' that they will be participating in later in June 2013.

 I tried the Vanilla Bean and Double Choc and I was so surprised by the soft and smooth texture.

The standout for me though was the "traditional" fudge (or Ugly Fudge as I've come to think of it!)
Yes - those are teeth marks in my block of traditional! There is something gorgeous and simple about the caramelised buttery flavour. It is crumbly and sweet and reminds me of fudge I ate when I was a child.

The Lemon flavour tastes almost like a Sorbet and Lucy tells me they pick up their lemons from "whomever has a tree with some going!"

There is something warm and welcoming about the couple and their stall. Whether its the polka dots and bunting, the generous samples or the warmth that radiates from the owners.... it's hard to say.

Perhaps I'm just romanced by the sweet fudgey flavours! :)

Its great to see a young Thornlie couple bringing a smile to the faces of so many. Seems the 'good old fashioned way' of making fudge is still alive and well! 

Forever 6108!

Online @
www.gidgegourmetfudge.com.au/

On Facebook @
www.facebook.com/GidgeGourmetFudge?fref=ts

Truffle Kerfuffle
www.trufflekerfuffle.com.au/