As a thoughtful engagement present to us from one of our friends we were given a dinner voucher from Our Deal at Celyta’s Cuisine in Midland. Our friend had done her research and chosen this restaurant based on a great Urbanspoon rating and a wide range of gluten free options on their menu. Having just returned from Bali and a little on the broke side it was so good to be able to go out for a meal where everything was already paid for!
In keeping with our usual tradition of eating out, we like to visit another venue before dinner for some pre-dinner drinks so off we headed to The Principal Brewing Company. Our voucher at Celyta’s included a two course meal for two; either entrée and main, or main and dessert. So upon arriving to the pub we decided it would be a great idea to have some pre-dinner snacks to accompany our drinks.
Beer battered chips with aioli and tomato sauce
We ordered some salt and pepper calamari which the kitchen was happy to grill without the flour dusting to make them gluten-free for us. The Boy also ordered some beer battered chips. The calamari was disappointingly tough and chewy but was a decent sized serve for an entrée. The chilli aioli reminded me of Nando’s Perinaise– which isn’t actually such a bad thing as I LOVE that stuff!
The beer battered chips were really crispy and the serve was huge considering we both had another two courses to get through. As they were beer battered I have to presume they were not gluten-free so I tried to resist eating any while I watched the Boy eagerly devouring his way through them. I was absolutely starving and hearing each crunch felt like torture so I ended up caving and helped him finish off the bowl. This was a stupid mistake because on the way home later that night I was in agony!! If you are not gluten intolerant however I highly recommend these chips – they were really good!
After we polished off our “snacks” we headed off in the direction of Celyta’s on foot. Just as we set off the rain started to speckle onto us but lucky for us it didn’t start a summer downpour until just after we arrived at the restaurant. The restaurant is BYO so I had stopped at the Bottle shop on the way and bought a bottle of Chapman Grove Chardonnay. This wine is from the Margaret River region and was quite light and fruity with a hint of oak.
“Portuguese style steak” with pepper sauce and prosciutto
I had pre-warned the staff about my dietary requirements a few weeks prior when I called up to make our reservation. I reminded the waiter as we were ordering to which he replied that nearly all the dishes are gluten free but there are only a couple that are onion free. He recommended that I order the Portuguese style steak. I was keen to try this as I vaguely recalled a Portuguese steak traditionally having an egg cracked on top of it while it’s on the grill? Being a big egg fan, this idea quite excited me although I didn’t see any mention of egg on the menu.
My steak came out not quite like I expected. The fatty cut of sirloin was drowned in a thick pepper sauce and there were paperweight sized chunks of prosciutto balancing on top. I had never seen such thick slices of prosciutto and they were extremely tough to eat. The steak was cooked rare as I had requested. The steak was surrounded like a clock face with medallions of potato that tasted like they had been frozen and reheated. Some of the slices had a leathery brown discolouration I can only presume was due to freezer burn.
Surf and turf
The Boy ordered surf and turf – not exactly a traditional Portuguese dish either. His steak was also cooked rare to his liking but it was fattier than mine. It was served with some plain boiled rice, a small handful of chips and a pile of coleslaw. I always thought coleslaw was more of a Dutch dish? His chips also had some freezer burn on them.
Crème brûlée
Our dessert was a curious combination of a crème brûlée and a crème caramel all kind of rolled into one dessert. Seeing as these two desserts are particular favourites of mine I wasn’t really one to complain. Instead of caramelising the surface of the dish with a flame, it appeared that the chef had made some toffee and poured it on top of the custard. This resulted in a near tooth chipping layer of rock hard sugar to crack through. Underneath the custard was a little on the lumpy side and at the bottom of the glass was the runny layer of caramel pooling at the bottom. Totally edible but certainly not mind-blowing.
We still had a great night out regardless and are grateful for this gift, however it is very unlikely we will return to Celyta’s again. As I am frequently in the Midland area for business meetings, I will continue to return to the Principal as they are by far and by large the best pub in the area.
Follow Me on Facebook! The Principal Brewing Company 23 Cale Street, Midland 6056 | (08) 9250 2995 | www.theprincipal.com.au Price: $$$$ (Light menu $9-27, Mains $24-34) Food: 2.5/5 (generally average food but better than other pubs in the area) Service: 3/5 (relaxed and friendly) Ambience: 2.5/5 (not very inviting, cold and stark) Drinks: 2.5/5 (small wine list) Total: 10.5/20
Celyta’s Cuisine
30 The Crescent, Midland 6056 | (08) 9274 8318 | celytascuisine.drupalgardens.com
Price: $$$$ (Entrees $14, Mains $17-40)
Food: 2/5 (very average considering menu prices)
Service: 3/5 (a little slow but friendly enough)
Ambience: 2/5 (brightly lit)
Drinks: 2.5/5 (BYO, serves hot coffee)
Total: 9.5/20
When I saw the creme brulee creme caramel I was a little curious because as you say it doesn’t look like your regular one of either. And they both look different too (or is that just me?).
They are both meant to be the same dish! The layer of toffee on one covered the whole top but on the other was just droplets. The base was the same on both. It was definitely an interesting dish!
We are all able to comment on different types of foods that we try but that don’t mean we are experts but this chap seems to think he is.
I know plenty of people who have had food at Ceyta’s and enjoyed it very much and returned again and again, I also have had many beautiful meals at Celyta’s in Midland and have never ever been disapointed.
Why is it some people go out their way to rubbish someone or someones business when they really don’t know what they are talking about.
Hi David, thank you for your feedback. I like to encourage all comments on my blog both positive and negative. It is never my ambition to “rubbish” anyone and I do try my best to present the facts as I experience them on my dining adventures. To stray away from doing this would devalue the point of why I write this blog in the first place. Unfortunately from time to time my dining experiences are not entirely positive and it is my hope that business owners may take heed of my words. Rather than ignoring or disparaging my review they can use it to their advantage as an opportunity to improve their restaurant and its success.
On some occasions my blog posts will be in response to a single visit and others I will write after a number of repeated visits. I make this clear in my writing so the readers can decide for themselves whether I am perhaps catching a venue on a bad night or whether there appears to be some consistency in what I’m saying. I also have never proclaimed to be an expert in any sort of food, this is a blog not a formally published review, and I humbly apologise if this is how you have interpreted my words. There is no doubt in my mind that Celyta’s Cuisine is enjoyed by many as seen by the nearly full capacity on the night we were there.
With a little more attention to detail Celyta’s could easily improve the quality of their food and encourage people like myself to return. They are fortunate that this is something that is relatively easy to fix – much easier than a staffing or service problem – which they did not have. Bearing in mind that only a fraction of unhappy customers ever complain taking action on every customer complaint is crucial to success. It would be wise for any business owner who is presented with a review such as this to take is seriously as it would be foolhardy to ignore or deny that the problems, at least to some degree, actually exist.
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