Billy Lee's Chinese Restaurant

So no doubt you'll hear the whole of Perth's population, nag and complain and nag and complain and nag and complain some more about how boring the city is. I quite disagree.

Yeah, it becomes dead and dull and like a graveyard when the sun has gone down for a few hours, and yeah, there seems to be nothing to do here and yeah... it may all seem grim and really bad... but...I guess it really is pretty bad :S

And I just found out the fact that Perth is even the most isolated city in the world.
How's that for excitement! I live in a desert.

Though I do still enjoy the lifestyle here. So no complaints from me. But one thing that does irk me is the lack of food places that are still open late, BESIDES McDonalds. You don't get much choice after around 9pm, so after getting rejected by several closing/closed restaurants, that is how we ended up here.

Billy Lees always welcomes you with open arms, until about 4am anyway.

This was the feed between 4 hungry people. I am quite surprised how small our appetites were. Mine definitely shrunk a s#itload after a very nice, forgiving exam earlier on.

Snow Peas & LaLa in XO Sauce

Yes, that's right, before you think I made a typo, no it is not a typo, yes, this suggestion was plastered on the wall as LaLa. We were so intrigued by this mysterious thing. And what do you do to cure your curiousity? You order it of course! Told you I was adventurous with my food.

We waited in anticipation for this unknown dish that we ordered, expecting something pretty good because its price was relatively higher than the other standard dishes. What can LaLa possibly be?!

But I guess I killed the mystery already as you can already see in the photo above. We nearly spewed on our decision to order this when we saw it. Sucha joke, cause these were merely clam meat, the exact same kind that we have at home for breakfast lunch and dinner. Nearly!

Ah well. The flavour of the dish was intense though, and aromatic with the XO sauce, chilli and garlic. Clams, LaLa, if I may, with sliced champignons, crunchy snow peas, and a few baby corns here and there.

This worked absolute wonders on my sore throat...

Sizzling Japanese Tofu with Chilli Beef Mince

This came out bubbling its life away on its hissing hot plate. The redness of it was vivid and firey, as it name suggests. I didn't really want this but someone else did so we ended up with it. And this is number 24 on the menu, if you ever want to try it. I just need to get it out of my head.

Personally I prefer the sizzling Japanese tofu with chicken mince and salted fish. This was ok I guess, but as you can see, the sauce wasn't distributed properly. Yeah I know, I can smother it myself but the tofu wasn't as hot in the inside or outside as a consequence.

The tofu is always smooth ASS though, like a baby's bottom :) It's got a custard like texture and burns your throat if you get too excited downing it. The tofu, the minced pork and the lava is piled on top of fried eggs on the hot plate, which sits on top of a wooden board.

Smart thing to do, otherwise you'd probably get a hole in the table, but that's still not as bad as someone I know who apparently accidently set a table on fire.

Salted Chicken

This is an Asian style dish. And I know that sounds stupid, because all the other dishes are Asian style, and we are in an Asian restaurant after all. DUH?! But there's a Chinese name for this, and that literally translates to Salt baked Chicken. To my understanding, the chicken is rubbed all over and scrubbed over with salt and various other seasonings. Main ingredient being salt though.

And after being cooked, the tenderness of the meat is retained, as well as the saltiness thanks to the condiment of salt affectionately being massaged thoroughly through its flesh and joints and every other part of its body one can get their fingers into. Every bite and mouthful is nice and salty. On this occasion, it came served with a dish of oil and minced ginger mixture.

I LOATHE ginger with a passion but this was surprisingly edible.
Sometimes I still eat foods that I want to regurgitate back up, simply because they're good for you. Because I'm good like that.
I mean, in life you've gotta give everything a chance, right?

...

I think Billy Lees have established themselves well to become the place to fall back on for late night dining options. Most diners are Asian but it would probably be hard to find someone who hasn't heard of Billy Lees, Asian or not. Sure, the staff aren't exactly friendly and you're probably not going to fancy being treated like dirt, but you're there for food and that's what you get. In fact, that's all you'll get.
Nothing else is present, manners or smiles or whatnot. But you gotta give them a break, cause they'll be working til 4am, and they DO work their ass off. And you won't give a crap either, cause you just want to eat.

This restaurant caters largely for late night punters still out in the wee hours of morning, and offers an extensive menu of choices. You know its got to be good, judging by the volume of customer turnover here. And the best thing is there is no one to impress here, so if you have a liking to get down on your hands and knees to eat, then you get down on your hands and knees to eat. No one really gives a damn.

All my eating utensils were chipped in one way or another; my bowl, my plate, my cup, the teapot. But that's something I've grown soo used to, in fact, its odd if you see brand spanking new unchipped utensils in a hustling bustling Asian eatery. So ahh well. I've probably eaten a whole porcelain bowl in my lifetime so far. Give it a few more decades and I've probably consumed a whole dinnerset.

Most Asian restaurants are typically no-fuss-eateries where you go in, scoff down your meal, and back out in a matter of seconds. Hahaha, ok that's a bit of exaggeration, but that does give you an idea of what you'll see in Asian countries where everybody's way of life is rushed, pressures building constantly and will give you death stares if you waste any precious time.
Time is money, and with restaurants, tables and chairs are also money, meaning it'd probably be best if you don't linger around after a meal.

There's even a saying for it that I love, it goes something like (vague translation): Stop holding back the world from spinning. So if you waste time and cause traffic, you're intruding on the world and where it wants to get to. Asians have a way with words, all so witty, but so harsh, and oh so blunt.
Just a practical and real bunch.
Blunt for sure, but boy can it still sting you.