Amphoras Bar, Villa D’Este and the Birthday Boy

"Prosciutto wrapped rabbit" "roasted chestnuts" "risotto cake" "Amphoras Bar & Villa D'Este" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Amphoras Bar Villa D'Este" "villa D'Este" "amphoras Bar" "tapas" "Italian" "West Perth" "wine bar" "Spreets" "Voucher deals" "Spanish"

It is always amazes me how quickly winter creeps up in Perth.  Maybe it’s because we’re a little spoilt here in this sunny city. We have long glorious summers and comparably short winters meaning we never really get acclimatised to the concept of being cold so when it does come it really hits us with a shock. Notoriously the Boy’s birthday always comes about at just that point in time when the very first cold snap arrives.  Not that we have ever let cold weather stand in the way of good fun mind you, in fact one year I remember he decided it a grand idea to jump in our pool with the bestie! So this year out we went in the freezing rain for some birthday celebrations.  As we left the house he excitedly reminded me again that the next time we celebrate our birthdays together we will be husband and wife! It still gives me goose bumps of joy saying that!

A number of weeks ago in an attempt to adhere to our wedding budget I had purchased a Spreets coupon for Villa D’Este. It was a very good deal: a three course meal for two for only $99.  Quite a few years ago our bank took us out for dinner here. We all had a wonderful meal back then so I figured that this place had some potential to be a much better coupon experience than our previous recent outings.

One thing that really drives the Boy crazy is feeling like he is being ripped off by cab drivers.  As soon as we climb into a taxi no matter where we are, he is as sharp as a tack in noticing any dodgy tactics they might use to make extra money. As I naïvely chatted away to him on our way over to West Perth, I could feel that something was really bothering him yet I couldn’t quite work out what. I continued to remain completely oblivious for long enough for him to become a little impatient and frustrated with me. Finally as I noticed what a long winded route we were taking the penny dropped and I nodded my head knowingly at him.

After our scenic route we eventually arrived at our pre-dinner destination Amphoras Bar.  The driver proceeded to slowly and deliberately remove our change coin by coin and placed it on the centre console.   He even stopped mid-counting coins a couple of times to fiddle with his phone, Navman and a few other knobs in his car.  The Boy was convinced that the driver was pretending to have difficulty hoping we would say not to worry and he could keep the change.  Being a very perceptive type he was probably right.

"La Parta Sur" "Larios Gin" "fresh mint leaf" "lime juice and gomme" "Alhambra beer" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Amphoras Bar Villa D'Este" "villa D'Este" "amphoras Bar" "tapas" "Italian" "West Perth" "wine bar" "Spreets" "Voucher deals" "Spanish"
La Parta Sur (Larios Gin, fresh mint leaf, lime juice and gomme, shaken and served) and Alhambra beer

After the tension in the taxi it was a relief to walk into the cosy and warm atmosphere of Amphoras.  I was literally freezing to my bones and I wanted a strong drink to defrost myself. I decided against ordering wine and chose a cocktail called La Parta Sur; it filled the spot wonderfully with no ice to chill me.

"Spanish queen olives" "wild ligurian olives" "kalamata marinated olives" "Amphoras Bar & Villa D'Este" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Amphoras Bar Villa D'Este" "villa D'Este" "amphoras Bar" "tapas" "Italian" "West Perth" "wine bar" "Spreets" "Voucher deals" "Spanish"
Spanish queen, wild ligurian & kalamata marinated olives

The mixed marinated olives contained a suitable mix of types and texture for variety; fleshy, firm Spanish olives, soft and flavoursome Kalamata and some little wild Ligurian olives. Not wanting too much food before we headed over to Villa D’Este, we selected a couple of little tapas dishes to keep us going until our late dinner reservation.

"Seared local scallops" "pickled cucumber" "corn relish" "seafood" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Amphoras Bar Villa D'Este" "villa D'Este" "amphoras Bar" "tapas" "Italian" "West Perth" "wine bar" "Spreets" "Voucher deals" "Spanish"
Seared local scallops, pickled cucumber, corn relish

The scallops were a buttery treat served with sweet pickled cucumber and a corn relish. The flavours balanced beautifully without drowning out the enjoyment of the brilliant little mouthfuls of tender scallops.  We also ordered some Pedro Ximenez glazed Rosa’s chorizo.  Unfortunately the lighting didn’t allow my photos to be viewable so dear readers, you miss out on checking out this dish but I’ll let you know it’s worth going back for.  The chorizo was literally bursting in meaty juiciness and had a slight caramelised surface due to the glaze. Thankfully this is my last post using my point-and-shoot so fuzzy photos will (hopefully) be a thing of Chompchomp’s past!

"Seared local scallops" "pickled cucumber" "corn relish" "seafood" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Amphoras Bar Villa D'Este" "villa D'Este" "amphoras Bar" "tapas" "Italian" "West Perth" "wine bar" "Spreets" "Voucher deals" "Spanish"
Seared local scallops, pickled cucumber, corn relish

After a few rounds of drinks my bones had sufficiently thawed out enough to briefly brave the cold once again and walk quickly around the corner to Villa D’Este. Despite it being a fairly late booking the restaurant was totally packed and alive with noisy atmosphere.  Our table wasn’t ready so we were shown to the bar to enjoy another round of drinks while we waited.

"Amphoras Bar & Villa D'Este" "Lumache alla Tellina" "escargot" "snails cooked in their shells" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Amphoras Bar Villa D'Este" "villa D'Este" "amphoras Bar" "tapas" "Italian" "West Perth" "wine bar" "Spreets" "Voucher deals" "Spanish"
Lumache alla Tellina (snails cooked in their shells)

The Boy loves snails.  You can be sure if they are on the menu he will order them guaranteed.  These ones were cooked in the shells and served with a mixture of red wine, butter, garlic and parsley. The little suckers didn’t disappoint him and were soft, succulent and oozing in garlicky flavours.

"Amphoras Bar & Villa D'Este" "tableside service' "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Amphoras Bar Villa D'Este" "villa D'Este" "amphoras Bar" "tapas" "Italian" "West Perth" "wine bar" "Spreets" "Voucher deals" "Spanish"

My beef carpaccio had a lot of potential as the meat was exquisitely sliced and had a rich deep colour to it.  Unfortunately I felt it was left a little drowned in the lemon dressing which overpowered any flavour or the meat leaving my mouth feeling pickled and sour.

"Piccata Tartufata" "Medallions of veal" "prosciutto" "soft cheese" "truffle flavoured barbera wine sauce" "Amphoras Bar & Villa D'Este" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Amphoras Bar Villa D'Este" "villa D'Este" "amphoras Bar" "tapas" "Italian" "West Perth" "wine bar" "Spreets" "Voucher deals" "Spanish"
Piccata Tartufata (Medallions of veal topped with a slice of prosciutto, soft cheese served with a truffle flavoured barbera wine sauce)

The Boy ordered the Piccata Tartufata: medallions of veal which was topped with a slice of prosciutto, soft cheese and served with a truffle flavoured barbera wine sauce.  He wasn’t very impressed with his choice, his meat was a little tough and the sauce lacked the rich flavours one would expect.  He also commented that he could barely taste any truffle flavour.

"Prosciutto wrapped rabbit" "roasted chestnuts" "risotto cake" "Amphoras Bar & Villa D'Este" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Amphoras Bar Villa D'Este" "villa D'Este" "amphoras Bar" "tapas" "Italian" "West Perth" "wine bar" "Spreets" "Voucher deals" "Spanish"
Special of the Day: Prosciutto wrapped rabbit with roasted chestnuts and risotto cake

I chose the Special of the Day which was prosciutto wrapped rabbit with roasted chestnuts and risotto cake.  I hadn’t eaten roasted chestnuts since walking along the streets of Paris many years ago where they are sold by street vendors in cones of newspaper. It brought back wonderful memories of our time backpacking through Europe and although the rabbit was ever so slightly overcooked I still really enjoyed this dish.

"desserts" "Duetto di Panna e Caramello" "Duet of panna cotta and cream caramel" "Baileys" "berry compote and orange tulle" "Amphoras Bar & Villa D'Este" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Amphoras Bar Villa D'Este" "villa D'Este" "amphoras Bar" "tapas" "Italian" "West Perth" "wine bar" "Spreets" "Voucher deals" "Spanish"
Duetto di Panna e Caramello (Duet of panna cotta and cream caramel flavoured with baileys, accompanied with berry compote and orange tulle)

For dessert I ordered the Duetto di Panna e Caramello which  was a match made in heaven: consisting of a layer of pannacotta topped with a layer of crème caramel and drizzled with tart berry compote. Combining these two standouts from Italian and French cuisine and was by far and by large one of the highlights of the evening for me. I was so full that I was nearly on the verge of nausea yet I still managed to gobble most of it.  In fact if it wasn’t the boy’s birthday, I would have been very reluctant to share any of it but seeing as it was meant to be his night to enjoy I meekly let his help me polish it off.

Of course I’m sure my regular dear readers could probably guess what he ordered for his own birthday dessert….yes you guess it, gelati! As expected in a fine dining Italian restaurant the gelati was smooth and towards the end I thought I spotted him nearly licking his bowl clean.

Happy Birthday my love, I hope you had a fabulous night out. Here’s to many more amazing birthdays together xx

"gelati" Gelato" "desserts" "icecream" "Amphoras Bar & Villa D'Este" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Amphoras Bar Villa D'Este" "villa D'Este" "amphoras Bar" "tapas" "Italian" "West Perth" "wine bar" "Spreets" "Voucher deals" "Spanish"

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Amphoras Bar
1303 Hay St, West Perth 6005 | (08) 9226 4666 | www.amphorasbar.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$ (Tapas dishes range from $7-39 per plate)
Food:                    4/5 (we only sampled a few dishes and must return to make a true judgment)
Service:                3/5 (waiter not very knowledgeable about the menu ingredients/details)
Ambience:           4/5 (warm, cosy & didn’t want to leave)
Drinks:                  4/5 (great wine list, fabulous cocktails)
Total:                     15/20
 

Amphoras Bar on Urbanspoon

Villa D’Este Restaurant
49 Outram St, West Perth 6005 | (08) 9322 6262 | www.villadeste.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$$ (Entrees $26-39, Mains $39-54. We bought a $99 Spreets voucher which gave us a
                                            three course meal for two)
Food:                    3/5 (a little hit and miss in its execution)
Service:                4.5/5 (brilliant, helpful & accommodating for my allergies)
Ambience:           4.5/5 (feels like I’m in Italy)
Drinks:                  4/5 (extensive list of Australian and Italian wines)
Total:                     16/20

Villa D'Este Restaurant on Urbanspoon

6 thoughts on “Amphoras Bar, Villa D’Este and the Birthday Boy”

  1. Hey Chomp! The beef medallions looks to tender and soft its crazy aye! Btw how good is that panna cotta? It looks/taste + your description = heaven.

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