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Must Wine Bar Bistro Lunch for Two

Posted by  | Categories: Bistro, European, Featured, French, Perth, Restaurants, Wine Bar

There are a small handful of restaurants dotted around Perth that I have particularly soft spot for. The mention of their name will always bring a smile to my face and propositions to return will always be met with a resounding yes. Must Wine bar is one of these venues. I have enjoyed countless meals in this classic French bistro with friends and family alike and I feel that I can always depend upon them to deliver polished service and quality dishes. Of course this meant that upon receiving an invitation to return to sample their new Bistro lunch special I was quick to schedule this lunch date in.

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Fresh bagette (included in Bistro lunch deal, no GF bread available)

Whilst our bistro lunch was kindly on the house, the Boy and I wanted more than just two courses for no other reason than we are greedy. I am not sure what has overcome us both this winter but we have both been eating like there is no tomorrow. We started off with some freshly shucked oysters and Must’s famous chicken liver parfait.

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Fresh shucked oysters: natural and Rockefeller (additional charge $21 for 1/2 dozen)

I am a total purist when it comes to my oysters and will always be satisfied if they are served to me natural however the Boy wanted to try something different so we also ordered some Rockefeller oysters grilled with spinach, Pernod cream and Gruyère. Whilst the flavours of the rich cream and Gruyère were luscious, I remained a loyal fan to the naked oysters. Each one of my oysters still had a pool of fresh sea water revealing to me just how freshly shucked they were. Exquisite. A couple of slurps and it was all over.

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Chicken liver parfait, Riesling jelly, toasted brioche and gluten free rice crackers (additional charge $24)

I have had the pleasure of devouring Must’s chicken liver parfait on many occasions. It has the same smearable smoothness of my mother’s homemade version. Eating it conjures up comforting memories of my childhood at Christmas time when Mum would made enough parfait to feed an army yet there were only three of us. Mind you, it never went to waste.

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About one minute before my water disaster

The Boy was provided with soft slices of toasted brioche however as there was no gluten free equivalent I was happy enough to make do with the rice crackers provided. After sectioning off a non-contaminated gluten free portion for myself I proceeded to get quite excited by my feelings of nostalgia. It wasn’t long before my flying hands has sent the Boy’s water glass tumbling across the table onto his brioche and separate portion of parfait. Ooops! No more brioche for him now!

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Sirloin steak, Frites, salad, béarnaise sauce (GF, included in Bistro lunch deal)

After a weekend at the Truffle Kerfuffle festival my stomach was craving something simple. I ordered the Sirloin steak with frites and béarnaise sauce; a classic French dish that is one of my French-born father’s favourites. My steak was cooked rare exactly as I had requested and was ever so juicy and flavoursome. The béarnaise sauce was rich and buttery with a lovely sweet aniseed aroma from the fresh tarragon.

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Chargrilled Huon Tasmanian salmon, lemon risotto, caper salad (GF, included in Bistro lunch deal)

The Boy opted for the char-grilled Huon Tasmanian salmon served on a bed of creamy lemon risotto with a fennel and caper salad. His choice was also gluten free allowing me to be able to sneak a couple of mouthfuls as he reached over and simultaneously stole some of my frites. His fish was tender soft with a crispy skinned surface.

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Warm chocolate moelleux, white chocolate ice cream (included in Bistro lunch deal)

For dessert the Boy chose the warm chocolate moelleux with white chocolate ice cream. This wasn’t a gluten free option so I didn’t get to sample its oozing deliciousness. Unlike me, the Boy isn’t a big fan of cakes or puddings and as I crooned over the molten chocolate centre erupting out from the centre he didn’t even bat an eyelid.

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Despite being relatively un-fazed by the beauty of chocolate lava, he barely uttered a word as he scooped up spoonful after spoonful until his plate was empty. It was obviously not THAT bad! 😉

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Citrus and vanilla brulée, raspberry sorbet, sesame snap (included in Bistro lunch deal)

After taking all my food photos I proceeded to fall into a similarly silent food trance as I golloped up my own sweet treat. Trust a French bistro like Must to excel at making a stellar brulée.

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I loved the layering of textures commencing with a crisp sesame snap on top of smooth raspberry sorbet leading to a translucently thin coating of caramel and finally ending in the smoothest of custard base.

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After allowing ourselves to be blissfully ignorant to the world while we feasted in the warmth of the restaurant, it was hard to imagine that we had to return back to the real world of boring Saturday chores and errands. Knowing I still needed the energy to get through a big list before the day was over I ordered my usual coffee; a short macchiato. And of course I didn’t need to say to our waiter “not topped up”, these guys know what a REAL short mac is!

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Short macchiato, Vittoria coffee ($4)

Must Wine bar are offering an $80 bistro lunch for two special which includes two courses with a glass of wine for two people. The menu is changed daily and customers have the choice of ordering an entrée and main, or a main and dessert. This special will run 7 days a week until November this year. Booking are recommended.

Chompchomp was an invited guest of Must Wine bar and received the $80 bistro lunch for two as a gift. She was in no way obliged to write a favourable review in exchange for this free feed. Being the over-indulgent person she is, a two course lunch wasn’t sufficient enough for her large appetite and she was happy to pay for her additional dishes at the above indicated prices.
 
Must Wine bar
519 Beaufort Street, Highgate WA 6003 | (08) 9328 8255 | www.must.com.au

 Must Winebar on Urbanspoon

Bobeche and The Trustee Bar and Bistro, Perth City

Posted by  | Categories: Bars, Bistro, Degustation/Fine dining, Featured, Perth, Restaurants, Wine Bar

The Secret Cake Club is a Perth based group of of keen bakers that were originally known as the Perth Clandestine Cake Club. The Clandestine Cake Club is a worldwide phenomenon that was created two years ago by cake lover Lynn Hill in Leeds, UK. Her aim was to get people together in a relaxed social environment so they could “Bake, Eat and Talk about Cake”. Her concept is strictly for cake only and no cupcakes, brownies, pies or tarts are allowed. After received a scolding from Lynn Hill herself after not adhering to these rules the CCC organisers decided enough was enough and the Secret Cake Club was born. This new group prides themselves on having no rules and has reached considerable popularity with avid bakers from all around Perth. Their events are held every 4-6 weeks and places fill up fast.

One night when the SCC girls were out on a bar crawl, they got the inspiration to create a similar styled group but not to eat cake, to bar hop and drink! The new group was christened the Secret Bar Crawl and they had their first official event on the weekend of Eat Drink Blog Conference. Our planned bar crawl was to take us across the City of Perth starting at Bobeche in Brookfield Place then moving onto Wolf Lane before ending the night at The Stables Bar.

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Trilby ($18)

I joined the crew for the first half of the bar crawl at Bobeche’s, a cute little basement bar tucked away off St Georges Terrace. Earlier that afternoon at work, I had to go through the heart breaking experience of putting one of my long term patients to sleep. He was a gorgeous sixteen year old dog that had captured many of our hearts but after braving a long battle with illness we all knew it was his time. Knowing this sure doesn’t make it any easier however and a whole bunch of us ended up blubbering at work. RIP dear Boofa.

To liven up my mood and be sociable I knew I needed a strong drink with a short, sharp and throat burning kick. I asked the gurning bartender for advice and she suggested “The Trilby”. The Trilby has Tanqueray gin, Noilly Prat vermouth, crème Yvette and Fee Brothers orange bitters all shaken with a high amount of vigorous energy and served in a Martini glass. No frills, bells or whistles this was exactly what I needed to cast away my thoughts of death and disease.

The girls had organised our own cordoned off area complete with bowls of complementary popcorn on the tables. The popcorn had been cooked in coconut oil and had a subtle coconutty after-taste. It was great to see some familiar faces there but also to meet some people that I had been following on Twitter for some time but never actually met. This is a common problem for social media addicts like myself, friends are easily made on Twitter but many of them you don’t meet face to face for some time if ever. I continued on for a short while at our second venue Wolf Lane before I received a phone call from the Boy wanting to meet for dinner.

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After a five month hiatus from wearing my high heels due to the stupid broken toe, I have discovered that I am no longer accustomed to wearing them and I had to walk embarrassingly slow and carefully. It is a strange feeling being clumsy in heels. Having a shoe designer for a father meant that I worked out how to walk in heels from a young age. Being a bit of an unplanned night out we didn’t have any dinner reservations made so I suggested that we head over to Brookfield Place. Given how many restaurants they have in their complex I figured there was bound to be at least one that could fit us in.

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Tuna tartare ($24.5) with fat chips ($13)

After just a short wait at their bar we managed to score a table at the first restaurant we stumbled into; The Trustee. As I sunk myself into their Chesterfield-styled seating I gazed around the dining room and deduced that we were probably the most sober people in the room. And after several rounds of rocket fuelled cocktails we were definitely not THAT sober.  The group of men at the table next to us were so amped up like they were at a football match and kept making loud whooping noises that could be likened to one of our primate counterparts. In fact, in the dim lighting they may have even resembled them…

It was late and neither of us were that hungry so we decided to share an entrée and ordered the tuna tartare. Lightly tossed in sesame seeds, the tuna was a deep red colour and buttery fresh. It was served with a peach puree and some icy cold Campari sorbet. We also ordered a serve of their fat chips which for $13 were quite possibly some of the most expensive potatoes in town. Disappointingly they were a touch undercooked and were very firm to bite into. They sure looked better than they tasted.

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Barramundi ($41)

My main choice was the barramundi and the skin was cooked to a wonderful caramel colour whilst the flesh underneath remained smooth to the point of near creaminess. It sat on a bed of celeriac veloute and came with an apple, hazelnut and labna salad. Curiously, next to my fish two random fat chips sat innocently alongside for company. Maybe this was their rebuttal against my lack of acceptance.

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Prawn shiitake linguine ($35.50)

The Boy had the prawn shiitake linguine which was filled with vibrant colours of spring. Whilst as I’m sure you all know we are always more that happy to pay a premium for good food, the Boy thought this small serve of pasta with a few teeny prawns was over priced considering its size and quality.

If a restaurant chooses to price themselves in the higher price bracket I expect them to fulfil two simple conditions; awesome food AND awesome service. Simple. Our recent meal at Print Hall which is only metres away from The Trustee is the perfect example of this. Despite reading so many positive things about The Trustee from mainstream food critics, we were surprised how poor their service was throughout the whole evening. It was consistently slow, jolted and totally disorganised. On multiple occasions waitresses would walk past our empty plates, look down at them and then walk off empty handed. Once our plates were eventually cleared, we waited forever for the dessert menus and then when I enquired about what was gluten free, my waitress said she would be right back with my options but then never returned! After a half an hour wait we had finished our wine, got up and left. Not ordering dessert is an unusual occurrence for me indeed!

Bobeche
131 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000 | (08) 9226 5596 | www.bobeche.com.au

Bobeche on Urbanspoon

 
The Trustee Bar and Bistro
Brookfield Place, 125 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000 | (08) 6323 3000 | www.thetrustee.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$ (Entrees $20-26, Mains $38-50)
Food:                    3/5 (get the simple things right)
Service:                2/5 (inattentive, disorganised)
Ambience:          3/5 (subdued lighting, opulence and luxury)
Drinks:                  4.5/5 (allow yourself some time to peruse the 40 page wine list!)
Total:                     12.5/20

The Trustee Bar and Bistro on Urbanspoon

Breakfast at No 4 Blake Street, North Perth

Posted by  | Categories: Bistro, Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee, Featured, French, Perth, Restaurants

The downside of having a destination wedding is that you have to prepare yourself that there will be some of your friends and family that you really want to be there but for whatever reason they will be unable to attend.  The Boy and I understood this fact from the outset and were so incredibly grateful for all that were able to join us whilst remaining totally sympathetic to those who could not.  One of my dearest friends Fran whom I have known since my early University days was one of those guests who unfortunately were unable to come.  She only recently bought her own business and as a result of her dedication, hard work, blood, sweat and tears it was growing steadily at a rewarding rate.  Upon our return to Perth, we were both keen to tally up a lunch date to share our stories and fill her in on my wedding details.

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A delicious display but alas not for me.

I recently read a mouth-watering review on Foodie Cravings on a new restaurant opened up in North Perth called No 4 Blake Street. As Fran lived north of the River and was pushed for time; I thought it was the perfect half way point to meet up.  Located on a quiet road off Fitzgerald Street this recently opened venue is open for breakfast and lunch all week and dinner from Tuesday through to Saturday. They have a decent range of gluten free options including gluten free bread and are happy to alter dishes to suit food allergies. They have even recently started offering evening degustation.

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Croque Madame

Fran ordered the Croque-Madame; a classic French snack of a toasted ham and cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top.  Using Emmental Cheese and their house ham with a little béchamel sauce smeared in there these simple but delicious ingredients were made for each other.

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Mushrooms on GF toast

I realise that I tend to be a bit of a mushroom addict and do have a bad habit of over ordering them for my breakfast but this time I simply couldn’t resist. Medallions of juicy sautéed mushrooms were piled generously high with baby spinach, feta and Pedro vinegar on no less than three slices of fresh toasted grainy gluten free bread. Now that I’m off the bridal diet I found it so liberating to eat every last morsel on my enormous plate without any guilt that my dress wouldn’t fit me! The mushrooms oozed with flavour and the spinach salad was carefully dressed to maximise taste without being overbearing.

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Three little dickey birds all in a row…

Despite being quite full, I really wanted to check out more of their food and enquired which of the desserts were gluten free.  Unfortunately I was informed there were none suitable! What a shame, I was so impressed with their ability to cater for me up until this point. Us gluten free peeps love sweet too.  The waiter did feel bad for me and said he would head to the kitchen as see what they could find.  He returned fairly promptly with a selection of three chocolates: Cointreau, Elderberry and Pear.  If this didn’t happen to be my second breakfast for the day I would feel left a little sad on missing out but thankfully these luxurious bites were about all my stomach had room for.

No 4 Blake Street is definitely a place I have to come back and check out again, hopefully next time round there will even be some desserts so we can do their dego!

No 4 Blake Street
4 Blake St North Perth, 6006 WA | (08) 9444 6678 | http://www.no4blakestreet.com.au/
 
Price:                     $$ (Breakfast/Lunch $7-26, Dinner $70: 3 courses, $90: 5 courses, High Tea $42-62)
Food:                    3.5/5 (only had one dish so hard to assess plus there were no GF desserts)
Service:                4.5/5 (friendly, warm and welcoming)
Ambience:          4/5 (surprisingly funky and suave for a suburban joint)
Drinks:                  3.5/5 (I didn’t end up ordering a coffee as I had already had three that morning; another excuse to return)
Total:                     15.5/20
 
 No 4 Blake Street on Urbanspoon

Late night dinner at The French Brasserie, Melbourne CBD

Posted by  | Categories: Bistro, Degustation/Fine dining, European, Featured, French, Melbourne, Restaurants, Travel

It was the weekend before Christmas and I had flown into Melbourne a day earlier than the Boy in order to attend to some “secret wedding business”.  It was for my final dress fitting at Luci Di Bella and despite enduring a terrible flight with crying babies, vomiting toddlers and a delay on the tarmac for nearly an hour I remained hyped with excitement.

My Dad and Stepmum’s apartment is very conveniently located just off Flinders Lane; meaning with a short skip and a jump you can find yourself submerged in one of Melbourne’s hottest spots for restaurants; PM24, MoVida, Chin Chin, Cumulus Inc, Coda, Ezard…need I go on?

Despite their close proximity, I have not had the fortune to visit many of these fine establishments as my family are also star entertainers.  They are well known for throwing many fabulous dinner parties that often carry well on until the wee hours of the morning. As a result when I am in Melbourne, I rarely get the chance to check out the local eateries because there is too much good food to eat at home!

Arriving late on a Friday night we were all in agreeance that cooking would prove to be too much of a hassle and headed out to one of their favourites: The French Brasserie. We were greeted by the owner of the restaurant like we were family, which is not an uncommon occurrence when out with these two. They get a similar reception from many of the fresh produce sellers at the Prahran Markets which is something you wouldn’t expect in a big city like Melbourne. We were given some complimentary champagne to celebrate the beginning of the silly season with him and sat out in the alfresco dining area sipping away before being ushered to our table.

"Freshly Shucked Pacific oysters" 'Sydney Rock Oysters" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "French" "French Brasserie, Melbourne" "The French Brasserie" "Flinders Lane" "Melbourne restaurant reviews" "Melbourne food blog" "Melbourne CBD restaurants" "French restaurants"

Freshly Shucked Pacific and Sydney Rock Oysters

After enjoying some freshly shucked Sydney Rock and Pacific Oysters I started to feel the warmth of the champagne glow through my veins and all my stress from the crazy, hectic week slowly drained out of me. Living in separate cities makes it hard to keep my family up to date with all my wedding plans. As a result there was a lot of catching up for us to do! What made this moment even more special to me was that all my bridal babble was met with excitement and genuine interest. As not all my close family members have been by my side during this precious time, so their love and support has been worth its weight in gold. Or black truffle even 😉

"Filet de boeuf" "beef fillet" "beetroot puree" "duck fat potato" "potato salardaise" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "French" "French Brasserie, Melbourne" "The French Brasserie" "Flinders Lane" "Melbourne restaurant reviews" "Melbourne food blog" "Melbourne CBD restaurants" "French restaurants"

Filet de boeuf

Knowing there was a long weekend of Christmas feasting ahead of us we scanned the menu for something light. My Stepmum and I chose the filet de bouef.  My thickly cut tender yearling eye fillet was seared to a firm crust on its surface yet carved smoothly like pate under my knife.    An elegant smear of ruby red beetroot purée gave a hint of sweetness to the delicate meat.  It was exactly what I felt like. The dish is normally accompanied by a long block of potato salardaise; potatoes cooked in duck fat. I was unfortunately informed that the potato contained gluten or onion, I can’t quite remember, but basically it wasn’t suitable for me. They served us an extra dish of French fries to make up for this.

"Paillard de boeuf" "beef steak" "minute steak" Bone marrow" "bordelaise" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "French" "French Brasserie, Melbourne" "The French Brasserie" "Flinders Lane" "Melbourne restaurant reviews" "Melbourne food blog" "Melbourne CBD restaurants" "French restaurants"

Paillard de boeuf

Dad ordered the paillard de boeuf, a yearling beef minute steak served with marrow and bordelaise sauce. The decadent flavours of the bone marrow gave a richer and bolder flavour to the beef and if his dish wasn’t laden with onion I would have loved to have given it a try.  I cannot remember that last time I tried bone marrow, possibly it was at the family table as a child? What a perfect start to what was to prove an incredible Christmas weekend.  Let the eating begin!!

French Brassiere
2 Malthouse Lane, Melbourne CBD VIC 3000 | (03) 9662 1632 | http://www.thefrenchbrasserie.com.au/site/
 
Price:                     $$$$       (Entrée $16-20, Mains $34-43)
Food:                    4.5/5 (ultra-fresh cuts of meat, faultless preparation)
Service:                4/5 (I almost felt like family, I love that all the wait staff are French!)
Ambience:          4.5/5 (hidden down a little lane way, has a bistro vibe)
Drinks:                  4/5 (Dad picked the wine, it was something scrumptious from Bordeaux)
Total:                     17/20

 French Brasserie on Urbanspoon

Pre-Eat.Drink.Blog 3 meet-up at West End Deli, West Perth

Posted by  | Categories: Bistro, European, Featured, Perth, Restaurants

Having only just celebrated my first blogiversary last month, I consider myself somewhat of a newcomer to Perth’s food blogger ranks.  What has truly amazed me and touched my heart profoundly is the strong sense of community amongst fellow bloggers.  Despite my inexperience, I have been graciously greeted with open arms not just by other fresh(wo)men like myself, but by those with popular, well-established and recognised blogs.  It certainly does make a fresh change from the comparatively serious and introverted veterinary world.

Four bloggers from Perth including yours truly were selected to attend the third annual Eat.Drink.Blog conference this year in Adelaide. In preparation for our highly anticipated weekend away, we met up during the week prior for dinner to talk “blogger’s stuff” and of course to eat!

After a few restaurant options were toyed around, we ended up agreeing on West End Deli in West Perth.  Snuggled in the residential end of West Perth, West End Deli is a quaint little bistro owned by a husband and wife duo; Justin and Christine Peters.  I had been here once several years ago and confess my previous experience back then wasn’t very memorable.  I vaguely recall the kitchen appearing to have strong reluctance to adapt any dishes for me and that we waited well over 45 minutes for our breakfast meals only for them to forget our coffees. Twice. Having said that, this was quite some time ago and I know one should try to avoid forming a strong judgement from just one experience.

"amuse bouche" "wonton" "herb and goats cheese" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "West End Deli, West Perth" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "West Perth" "WED" "west End Deli" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Amuse Bouche

It’s incredible how the same dining room, with all the same interiors, can change its whole persona at night.  The casual, sunlit café I remember from previously had magically transformed into a sombre, intimate and classy bistro. It wasn’t long before we all arrived and with glasses of wine in hand we relaxed into the vibe.  Some unexpected amuse bouche were brought to our table; a crisp homemade wonton piped with creamy herb and goats cheese and sprinkled with black sesame seeds.

"amuse bouche" "herb and goats cheese" "pear" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "West End Deli, West Perth" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "West Perth" "WED" "west End Deli" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Gluten free amuse bouche herb and goats cheese on pear

Being unable to eat the wonton, a plump little ball of pear filled with the cheese was offered to me as a replacement. Not wanting to seem ungrateful or fussy, I quickly chowed down on a glucose tablet before I slipped my juicy treat into my mouth.  Being such a small amount of pear, it is easy to counteract the fructose with a small dose of glucose.  For times like these, I carry these tablets everywhere with me.

"Potato terrine" "crème fraiche" "yabby tail" "pickled sardine terrine" "West End Deli, West Perth" "'sauce vierge" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "West Perth" "WED" "west End Deli" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Potato and pickled sardine terrine, sauce vierge

Ai-Ling from Food Endeavours of the Blue Apocalypse started with the potato and pickled sardine terrine topped with a curl of crème fraîche and a poached yabby tail.

"Ricotta gnocchi" "sage" "garlic" "pasta" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "West End Deli, West Perth" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "West Perth" "WED" "west End Deli" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Ricotta gnocchi, sage, garlic

Michelle from Foodie Cravings was initially reluctant to order herself an entrée as we had already earmarked a couple of dishes on the dessert menu and she sensibly wanted to pace herself.  The ricotta gnocchi managed to twist her rubber arm when the waitress informed her it would be no trouble to omit the candied olives and replace with an alternate ingredient.  The gnocchi were light, mini sized pillows, tossed in fresh sage and garlic and tumbled over a thick smear of pesto sauce.

"slow cooked egg" "peas" "bacon" "truffle oil" "white anchovies" "Reggiano" "West End Deli, West Perth" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "West Perth" "WED" "west End Deli" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Slow cooked egg, peas, bacon, truffle oil, white anchovies, Reggiano

I chose the slow cooked egg for entrée as my obsession with these gelatinous beauties continues.  Perched on a nest of crumbled bacon it was accompanied a pea mash flavoured with white anchovies and lashings of truffle oil.  Weblike shavings of Reggiano cheese were sprinkled on top. I struggled to do this dish justice with my photography in the flickering candle light however suffice to say my palate was rewarded. This breakfast-esque spin on bacon and eggs was a winner.

"Charred octopus" "chermoula" "pears" "walnuts" "blood orange" "seafood" "West End Deli, West Perth" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "West Perth" "WED" "west End Deli" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Charred octopus, chermoula, pears, walnuts, blood orange (thanks for the shot Moni ;))

Moni from Gastromony chose the elegantly plated charred octopus. Coated with a thin chermoula crust it came with pear and walnut salad and a smear of blood orange.  Kudos to her assistance with taking a photo for me as my go-go gadget arms couldn’t reach across the table without losing some degree of decorum.  I still get a little embarrassed and feel awkward taking photos of people’s meals as deep in my heart I feel like a novice.

"Seared snapper" "seafood" "prawns" "mussels" "saffron" "tomato" "West End Deli, West Perth" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "West Perth" "WED" "west End Deli" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Seared snapper, prawns, mussels, saffron, tomato

Ideas of pork belly and spatchcock failed to get past the consideration stages for any of us and we all opted for the snapper for mains.  The fish was seared to a butter smooth consistency and balanced precariously over some prawns and mussels.  A thin saffron coloured broth gave a subtle perfumey bitterness to sharpen the softer flavours of this dish. Tarry coloured squid ink brandade was blobbed on top and gave a pleasant piquant aftertaste. Brandade is French sauce made from an emulsion of salt cod and olive oil.

The girls all ordered the potted cheesecake for dessert.  It was served in the same adorable little pots that I saw Rochelle Adonis’s salted caramel mousse recently. Apparently she imports them from France. What was much more curious about this dish was that next to the pot laid an innocent little tube labelled “Squeeze Me” containing salted dulche de leche.

"Potted vanilla cheesecake" "dessert" "salted dulche de leche" "West End Deli, West Perth" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "West Perth" "WED" "west End Deli" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Potted vanilla cheesecake & salted dulche de leche

Curiouser and curiouser.

I wondered if my new found friends would slowly start shrinking in their seats to become miniature pint-sized versions of their former selves.  Thankfully the only surprise to follow was the unexpected layer of popping candy on top of the cheesecake.  No one had any trouble finishing off their desserts which is always a good sign.

"honey vanilla Parfait" "caramelised banana" "dessert" "West End Deli, West Perth" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "West Perth" "WED" "west End Deli" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Parfait and caramelised banana

I was informed by our waitress that none of their desserts on the menu were gluten free however in complete contrast to my experience at West End Deli many moons ago, the chef kindly rose to the occasion and wasn’t going to let me miss out by any means. I was offered a honey vanilla parfait served with a caramelised warm banana.  Grateful for their efforts once more, I didn’t bother going through the finer details that fructose malabsorbers cannot have honey.  I presumed the amount would indeed be small anyway so I sneakily crunched on another couple of glucose tablets. My parfait was a little icy and hard for my liking but this was made up for by the dulcet banana.

I have to be honest; my recent experience at West End Deli has turned my opinion around for the better.  They were accommodating for our varied requests and their service was discrete yet warm and welcoming. As we left the kitchen staff bid us all farewell from the open plan kitchen; a nice touch.  I think I am going to have to give their breaky another try.

West End Deli
95 Carr Street, West Perth, WA 6005 | (08) 9328 3605 | www.westenddeli.net.au
 
Price:                     $$$ ($25-35 per meal, BYO)
Food:                    7.5/10 (flexible with requests, small menu executed well)
Service:                4/5 (attentive without being obtrusive, warm and friendly)
Ambience:           4/5 (very dark ambiance, would be romantic for couples)
Drinks:                  Unable to assess as BYO.
Total:                     15.5/20

 West End Deli on Urbanspoon

Finally......Bistro Guillaume, Crown Metropole Perth

Posted by  | Categories: Bistro, Featured, French, Perth, Restaurants

Things are definitely on the onwards and upwards for foodies living here in Perth.  This past year has seen a plethora of high quality dining establishments open their doors and it is certainly something to be proud of. We are fortunate enough to live only five minutes’ drive away from the Crown Metropol (formerly known as the Burswood Casino) where internationally famous chefs Neil Perry, Nobuyuki Matsuhisa and Guillaume Brahimi all have flagship restaurants residing there.  Now it is never too hard to have a fancy meal out.

I made an initial reservation for the two of us at Bistro Guillaume during their opening week however this had to be postponed as I had forgotten we had already made plans to go out with some friends to Duende.   After managing to secure a table on another weekend, the Boy informed me that I had booked on the same night as his High School Reunion and would have to cancel once again.  By this point I am sure the reservation desk had red flagged me as an annoying customer! Third time lucky, we successfully synced our busy schedules and locked in date night.

It was the first time we had been back to the Casino since their massive renovations and its fresh new face lift has successfully dragged it out of the eighties into current times! We walked past Linneys on our way to The Merrywell for some pre-dinner drinks and like an insect attracted to bright light I couldn’t help but feel the powerful drag towards their sparkling boutique. Linneys designed my engagement ring and seeing as we needed to start looking at wedding rings soon I figured now was as good a time as any to begin.

As we browsed all their beautiful pieces, the store assistant kindly offered to clean my ring for me as this is a complimentary service offered to all owners of Linneys jewellery.  Only minutes later “my precious” returned to me all glimmering and twinkling like it had never been worn! I was left torn between amazement at its shining beauty and shame on how dirty it had become! I need to visit Linneys more often!

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bistro Guillaume, Crown Metropole Perth" Bistro Guillaume" "Guillaume Brahimi" "Crown casino" "Crown Perth" "Burswood Casino" "Burswood" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Kitchen side!

Upon arrival to Bistro Guillaume we were shown to our booth which was perfectly located right in front of the kitchen.  It was like having a television with an action movie playing for us to watch while we chatted away and ate our meal. I was further impressed when some complimentary gluten free bread was brought to our table.  For once I wasn’t going to have to sit and watch the Boy eat his bread as I was too busy enjoying my own!

"Escargot en persillade" "snails" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bistro Guillaume, Crown Metropole Perth" Bistro Guillaume" "Guillaume Brahimi" "Crown casino" "Crown Perth" "Burswood Casino" "Burswood" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Escargot en persillade

We commenced with the escargot en persillade, served the classic way my father used to make for us when we were young.  Melted butter, herbs especially parsley and loads and loads of garlic formed a little pool in which each slippery morsel sat submerged.  Beneath the overwhelming garlickyness I could still detect their subtle earthy flavour.  Like calamari, if overcooked escargot becomes rubbery and inedible, these were cooked perfectly.

"Freshly shucked" "Sydney rock oysters" "shallot and red wine vinegar" "oysters" "seafood""Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bistro Guillaume, Crown Metropole Perth" Bistro Guillaume" "Guillaume Brahimi" "Crown casino" "Crown Perth" "Burswood Casino" "Burswood" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Freshly shucked Sydney rock oysters with shallot and red wine vinegar

I love all oysters and have been known to make a complete glutton of myself if allowed.  Following in the footsteps of my father, I could easily eat several dozen au natural in one sitting provided they are fresh.  One of my favourite types of oyster is the Sydney Rock; this species of oyster are smaller, have a more intense and distinct flavour than Pacific Oysters and apparently take 2-3 times longer to reach maturity. Knowing that I have a tendency to order too much food, the boy managed to intercept me attempting to order a full dozen in addition to our two entrees and convinced me of a compromise of a half dozen to share. Each mouthful was as fresh as the sea leaving that lingering sweet, creamy aftertaste.

"Steak tartare" "Dandaragan organic beef" "raw beef" "chips" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bistro Guillaume, Crown Metropole Perth" Bistro Guillaume" "Guillaume Brahimi" "Crown casino" "Crown Perth" "Burswood Casino" "Burswood" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Steak tartare

The recent heartbreaking news earlier this year on the horrific treatment of our cows in Bali slaughterhouses has struck very deep to both of our hearts.  As a result our red meat intake has reduced dramatically and now I try to source our produce only from organic farms that are passionate about animal welfare.  However seeing steak tartar on the menu, neither of us could resist, it’s up there with Sydney Rock oysters in awesomeness. I took some consolation that it was made with Dandaragan organic beef. For those not convinced about raw, finely diced beef you seriously have to give this a try. The meat was exceedingly fresh and literally dissolved in your mouth leaving no unpleasant meaty aftertaste. The serve was particularly huge and I would have preferred a few more of the crunchy potato crisps to scoop up all the deliciousness.

"Venison tenderloin" "beetroot" "parsnip" "horseradish" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bistro Guillaume, Crown Metropole Perth" Bistro Guillaume" "Guillaume Brahimi" "Crown casino" "Crown Perth" "Burswood Casino" "Burswood" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Venison tenderloin with beetroot, parsnip and horseradish

The venison tenderloin was out of this world. The rich nearly berry-like flavours of the venison melted beautifully into the beetroot sauce and this really was a match made in heaven. In my eagerness to devour it I accidentally splashed ruby red sauce about in a very unladylike fashion and was thankful to be wearing a dark coloured dress! I want to return to Bistro just to order this again.

"Veal sweetbreads" "fricassee" "mushroom" "truffle" "offal" "thymus gland" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bistro Guillaume, Crown Metropole Perth" Bistro Guillaume" "Guillaume Brahimi" "Crown casino" "Crown Perth" "Burswood Casino" "Burswood" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Veal sweetbreads with a fricassee of mushroom and truffle

The boy ordered the veal sweetbreads with a fricassee of mushroom and truffle.  The soft creamy pillows of glands were a little too fatty for him but this was circumvented somewhat by the hearty and flavoursome sauce.  There was a wide variety of mushrooms in his dish and you could clearly see the fairly generous servings of truffle buried in there.

"Cheese" "Mont D'or" "Sainte Maure" "Caprin" "Pyengana" "Roquefort" "blue cheese" "cheddar cheese" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bistro Guillaume, Crown Metropole Perth" Bistro Guillaume" "Guillaume Brahimi" "Crown casino" "Crown Perth" "Burswood Casino" "Burswood" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Cheese platter: Mont D’or, Sainte Maure, Caprin, Pyengana, Roquefort

Although I realise I am supposed to be limiting my calorie intake with our wedding day looming close, this is very difficult to achieve when you are approached by a handsome man with a thick French accent bearing a plate of cheeses. I confess I got a little lost on his cheese journey and may have accidentally ordered more than we really needed. Are you that surprised? I ordered Mont D’or, a soft but rich, washed rind cows cheese that just glooped onto the board; Roquefort, a well-loved blue sheep cheese; Sainte Maure, a classic raw soft goat cheese that we recently had at Duende; Caprin, a hard goat cheese with a distinct nutty taste that I often enjoy when visiting my dad; and Pyengana, an aged Tasmania cheddar.

"cheese" "muscatel" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bistro Guillaume, Crown Metropole Perth" Bistro Guillaume" "Guillaume Brahimi" "Crown casino" "Crown Perth" "Burswood Casino" "Burswood" "perth" "french" "bistro"

So lonely

As you can see, we had no trouble finding room for any of these cheese masterpieces.  They were served at the perfect temperature and were even accompanied by toasted gluten free bread.

"Mini pavlova" "meringue" "passionfruit cream" "mango sorbet" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bistro Guillaume, Crown Metropole Perth" Bistro Guillaume" "Guillaume Brahimi" "Crown casino" "Crown Perth" "Burswood Casino" "Burswood" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Mini pavlova with passionfruit cream and mango sorbet

I have heard many great things about Bistro Guillaume’s desserts however unfortunately for me the majority of them are not gluten free.  My only option other than the sorbet was the very un-French mini Pavlova with passionfruit cream and mango sorbet.  I am a little on the pedantic side when it comes to my Pavlova’s texture; in a similar vein to a macaron, there needs to be an external crunch, and spongy middle and a gooey centre.  This version exhibited a little too much crunch and not enough moist bounciness inside.

"Profiteroles" "vanilla bean ice cream" "warm chocolate sauce" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bistro Guillaume, Crown Metropole Perth" Bistro Guillaume" "Guillaume Brahimi" "Crown casino" "Crown Perth" "Burswood Casino" "Burswood" "perth" "french" "bistro"

Profiteroles with vanilla bean ice cream and warm chocolate sauce

Bearing in mind the Boy is not a big desserts person, I was super jealous to hear he thought the profiteroles were the bomb.  As our waiter poured thick molten chocolate sauce over the perfectly formed balls I figured if there was ever the temptation to poison myself with gluten then this was it.  He took no hesitation informing me the pastry was crackling crisp on the outside and flaky light on the inside.  Despite wanting a taste so desperately I resisted and was very thankful the following day.

Coming from a French background I may be a little biased in stating French cuisine is one of the best in the world and Guillaume has managed to capture its simple elegance without overindulgence.  Fresh local ingredients, traditional recipes and impeccable service…..Bravo!

Bistro Guillaume
Crown Perth, Great Eastern Highway, Burswood | (08) 9362 7551 | www.bistroguillaumeperth.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$$ (Entrees $18-28, Mains $30-45)
Food:                    4.8/5 (would have given a five if it wasn’t for the pav)
Service:                5/5 (highly attentive without being in your face)
Ambience:           4.5/5 (relaxed, comfortable bistro vibe)
Drinks:                  4/5 (lots of French options!)
Total:                     18.3/20

Bistro Guillaume on Urbanspoon

A long awaited reunion at Must Wine Bar, Highgate

Posted by  | Categories: Bistro, Degustation/Fine dining, Featured, French, Perth, Restaurants, Wine Bar

“The most beautiful discovery that true friends can make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.” Elizabeth Foley

As a child I attended a school in Adelaide that started from pre-primary right through to Year 12. As a result there were a handful of us students who graduated from high school after spending 13 full years of schooling together. To add to that amazingness, a reasonable proportion of us who lived locally also went to the same kindergarten meaning we have known each other since we were only 4 years old!

I had planned to take a year off from study after matriculation therefore I felt no urgency to say goodbye to my lifelong friends at our valedictory dinner.  To my shock my university deferral request was declined at the thirteenth hour and I had just a mere weeks’ notice to pack up my life and move to the other side of Australia where I knew nobody.

Cut to more recent times and thanks to social media I have reconnected with a lot of these friends of yesteryear and have delighted in catching up on nearly twenty lost years of contact. As most of us have dispersed ourselves around Australia and the wider world much of our contact with each other has been purely internet based.  Consequently I’m sure you can imagine my total excitement when one of my childhood besties from this group informed me she was coming to Perth for the weekend on conference. She planned to stay with another close school friend of ours who has recently moved over here to Perth.  Despite this other friend’s relocation, I have unfortunately only managed to catch up with her once since she settled here. I was so happy to be able to see them both; it looked like we were in for a great night out!

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Must Wine Bar, Highgate" "Five Bar" "Highgate" "Beaufort Street" "Mount Lawley" "French" "wine bar" "bistro" "late night"

Five Bar

Of course I was nominated to select the venue so I suggested starting with a couple of rounds of drinks at Five Bar after which we would head across the road to Must Wine Bar, one of my favourite restaurants in Perth by far.

A lot can change in 18 years, and although we were extremely close for most of our childhood I wondered if we would easily reconnect or would there be some pauses of uncomfortable silence?  I was almost a little nervous with anticipation that afternoon but immediately upon seeing her, my heart melt and there were no barriers or awkwardness.  We embraced in a loving hug and I felt my eyes go a little hot with joy!

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Must Wine Bar (Photo courtesy of Must)

Over an hour zoomed by in the space of what felt like minutes as we all chattered away about old times; both good and bad.  We finished our drinks and headed over to Must.  I wasn’t the only one with food allergies this time round and I had chosen Must not only because they have amazing food, but because their ability to cater for people like me has never posed a problem.

"salad" "cured meat" "Prosciutto di Parma" "Beetroot" "Parmesan" "Radicchio" "Aged Balsamic" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Must Wine Bar, Highgate" "Highgate" "Beaufort Street" "Mount Lawley" "French" "wine bar" "bistro" "late night"

Prosciutto di Parma, Beetroot, Parmesan, Radicchio and Aged Balsamic

All three of us girls ordered the prosciutto di Parma and beetroot salad for entrée. Soft, thin folds of sweet but salty prosciutto flopped gently on the plate with crisp radicchio. The flavours matched seamlessly with the dulcet beetroot and more briny parmesan.

"Chicken liver" "Manjimup Black Truffle" "Parfait" "Toasted Brioche" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Must Wine Bar, Highgate" "Highgate" "Beaufort Street" "Mount Lawley" "French" "wine bar" "bistro" "late night"

Chicken liver and Manjimup Black Truffle Parfait, Toasted Brioche

The Boy’s eyes lit up when he saw the chicken liver parfait was truffled.  I am so chuffed we both share this addiction. He received a reasonable sized serve for one but probably could have done with a touch more thick fluffy brioche to lovingly smear his parfait on.

"Confit Duck leg" "parsnip puree" "sautéed Brussel sprouts" "black pig bacon" "Madeira jus" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Must Wine Bar, Highgate" "Highgate" "Beaufort Street" "Mount Lawley" "French" "wine bar" "bistro" "late night"

Confit Duck leg, parsnip puree, sautéed Brussel sprouts, black pig bacon, Madeira jus

For mains one of my friends and I both ordered the confit duck leg which was served with a parsnip purée, sautéed Brussel sprouts, black pig bacon and a Madeira jus.  The duck was meltingly tender yet robust with the flavours further enriched by the black pig bacon.  Black pig bacon comes from the Berkshire breed of pig which has a different proportion of intramuscular fat giving the meat a more flavoursome and moist texture compared to standard bacon. The Madeira jus gave a subtly sweet end on the palate.

"Pork Sausages" "Confit fennel" "Sweet potato Puree" "herb salad" "jus" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Must Wine Bar, Highgate" "Highgate" "Beaufort Street" "Mount Lawley" "French" "wine bar" "bistro" "late night"

“Must” Pork Sausages, Confit fennel, Sweet potato Puree, herb salad, jus

The Boy and my other friend ordered the Must pork sausages.  Two thick juicy sausages sat perched atop of a creamy sweet potato purée. Some confit fennel and herb salad completed this simple yet extremely tasty dish.

The night seemed to go by so quickly and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked at the time and it was creeping close to midnight! “Time flies when you’re having fun” as my Mum loves to say! We all agreed we were satisfyingly full and skipped dessert in favour of just tea and coffee. I was proud of Perth’s gastronomic capabilities to suitably impress my dear friends; I have a foodie reputation to uphold after all! I can always rely on Must to deliver from all angles: the food, the wine, the service, the ambience and most importantly an ability to accommodate allergies. An absolute must on everyone’s bucket list!

Must Wine Bar
519 Beaufort Street, Highgate 6003 | (08) 9328 8255 | www.must.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$$ (Entrée $24-30, Mains $39-46)                        
Food:                    5/5 (After enjoying numerous meals here I cannot remember a bad one.)
Service:                4.5/5 (Attentive without intrusion)
Ambience:           4.5/5 (Sublime, classy and very French)
Drinks:                 4.5/5 (Extensive quality wine list, knowledgeable staff. Well, they are a wine bar.)
Total:                     18.5/20

 Must Winebar on Urbanspoon

The Sentinel Bar and Grill, Perth CBD

Posted by  | Categories: Bistro, Featured, French, Perth, Restaurants

I hadn’t seen my Bestie since our last outing together a few weeks ago when we went hunting for my wedding dress.  Once we finally did manage to meet up, we had so much to catch up on that it was hard to know where to start.  I was excited to hear all about her new yoga business venture that she was embarking upon.  I have never seen her so inspired and passionate about something before and it makes me so happy that she has found her calling in life. Not everyone gets to experience such satisfaction.

Late last year during the whole post-Engagement party debacle we stopped in at The Sentinel for a couple of drinks while we were waiting for The George’s manager to get back to us with the whereabouts of my iPod. In sharp contrast to the abrupt, unfriendly service we had received only minutes before at The George; the Sentinel staff all greeted us cheerily as we entered.  This jovial attitude left a lasting impression on our memories.

Recalling our previous experience, we decided to return back for a quick lunch in between errands in the city.  The Sentinel is owned by Stephen Scaffidi who also owns the popular Bar One.  Sentinel’s dining areas are stunning, sophisticated and oh so suave – I simply love all that dark polished wood and massively high ceilings. Initially when the restaurant first opened early 2011 they received a scathing review by The Australian’s veteran food critic John Lethlean.  John scored them a measly 1 out of 5. Luckily for them since then it appears they have picked up their game  receiving much better recent reports in local restaurant reviews  and blog posts.

We bubbled in to the swanky restaurant chitty chatting away like only besties can.  Over the moon to be having some quality “bestie-time” as we like to call it we were determined to make the most of this quick and impromptu catch up.  I hadn’t called in advance to notify the chef of my allergies and so I was prepared to be given limited choices off their menu.  To my surprise, our waiter and the kitchen worked together to provide us with a number of options to choose from and were not bothered at the potential nuisance of my requests.

As we waited for our food to arrive, our waiter brought to the table some complimentary, freshly toasted gluten free bread with whipped butter.  This is not something that happens often and I was suitably impressed.  As it was only a Monday afternoon, we both initially hesitated as we gazed over the wine list until we saw some champagne and from then on our rubber arms didn’t need any twisting. Glasses of Mumm champagne in hand we settled in quickly and managed to cover a lot of conversational ground in a short space of time, spanning from weddings to people management through to newsletter writing and coconut water! (Which by the way I am totally addicted to at the moment.)

"Beetroot" "smoked goat’s cheese" "quinoa" "chardonnay vinaigrette" "salad" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth CBD" "St Georges Terrace" "Sentinel Bar and Grill" "French" "Steakhouse" "Bistro" "Wine bar" "Sentinel" "Stephen Scaffidi" "Bar One" "Alto" "lunch"

Beetroot, smoked goat’s cheese, quinoa, chardonnay vinaigrette

Kate and I planned to share a few entrees together and seeing as I didn’t get the quinoa dish I wanted recently at Cullen Wines I was keen to try The Sentinel’s version.  Kate has been a fan of quinoa for years and has been trying to convince me how awesome it is for some time.  It was served with roasted beetroot and dollops of tangy smoked goat’s cheese perched on top of some pickled radish.  I am starting to understand what she has been going on about – if prepared with the right foods it is a lovely treat. I did however struggle to taste the smoky notes of the goat’s cheese, they were too subtle.

"Marinated Octopus" "lemon" "chilli" "fresh herbs" "seafood" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth CBD" "St Georges Terrace" "Sentinel Bar and Grill" "French" "Steakhouse" "Bistro" "Wine bar" "Sentinel" "Stephen Scaffidi" "Bar One" "Alto" "lunch"

Marinated Octopus, lemon, chilli, fresh herbs

We also ordered the marinated octopus served with julienned carrot and fennel with a fresh lemony chilli dressing.  The octopus was lovely and soft without any chewiness. My only gripe was the serving size – way too small for something this tasty (and for the price I guess)!

"raw beef mince" "potato crisps" "Steak tartare" "fresh horseradish" "potato chips" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth CBD" "St Georges Terrace" "Sentinel Bar and Grill" "French" "Steakhouse" "Bistro" "Wine bar" "Sentinel" "Stephen Scaffidi" "Bar One" "Alto" "lunch"

Steak tartare, fresh horseradish, potato chips

For our third dish we chose the steak tartare.  This is something I have enjoyed a number of times at Rockpool and been blown away every time with its buttery texture and gentle flavours. Recently the Boy and I have been part-time vegetarians so it actually felt a little odd if not a bit scary to eat this dish once again.  To make matter less palatable the meat wasn’t quite as fresh as I would prefer if raw.  The crisp and peppery watercress helped somewhat to disguise the tainted flavour of the meat.

The potato chips served with this dish were nothing like what we were expecting.  I was anticipating some frites, something I consider a classic combination with steak tartare.  Instead there were a neat stack of potato crisps.  They were cut incredibly paper-thin to the point of being translucent but unfortunately they tasted like stale oil and not much else.  This potentially amazing but simple dish was very poorly executed.

Overall our lunch was enjoyable but with a few hits and misses and I would be keen to go back to sample a greater selection of their food in order get a better idea on their overall quality.  The service was friendly and efficient and I look optimistically to my next visit.

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Sentinel Bar and Grill
111 St Georges Terrace, Perth 6000 | (08) 6103 0507 | http://www.sentinelbar.com.au/
 
Price:                     $$$$ (Entrees/snacks $4.50-21.50, Mains $26.5-45)
Food:                    2.5/5 (raw meat has got to be fresh)
Service:                3.8/5 (brilliant and enthusiastic)
Ambience:           4.5/5 (lovely warm décor, very swanky feel to it)
Drinks:                  4.5/5 (extensive and interesting wine list)
Total:                     15.3/20
 

Sentinel Bar and Grill on Urbanspoon

Bistro Felix, Subiaco

Posted by  | Categories: Bistro, Featured, French, Perth, Restaurants

I really need to start looking for a wedding dress!  Or at least I need to start to have some sort of vision on what I am looking for!  It all seems like a bit of an overwhelming task to begin so thankfully my bridesmaid Amber took the lead and knowing my style she kindly booked an appointment for me with Donna Tobin.  The task of co-ordinating all three of us (Kate, Amber and I) proved more difficult than we thought as on the day each of us ran late for our own individual reasons.  This resulted in us arriving nearly 45 minutes late for our appointment.  We sheepishly entered the old bungalow style house in Subiaco apologising profusely all hot and sticky from the rush.

After browsing through her collection I chose four different styles to try on and in nearly a blink of an eye our time was up! I had officially entered this weird world of bridal and was starting to really enjoy myself! We walked away with some valuable ideas on things to look for in our next dress expedition and chatted excitedly about them as we headed down to Rokeby Road in search of a thirst quencher!

After a short few steps we arrived out the front of Bistro Felix – a familiar favourite of mine.  I have dined here a number of times and always been impressed with whole package – great service, food and prices.  They have a “petit lunch” menu which you can enjoy two courses for $40 or three courses for $45 including a glass of house wine.  Excellent value right in the heart of Subiaco! We relaxed into the bistro feel of the place while we cooled our parched throats with some buttery sparkling wine (which I cannot recall the name!).

"Home cured gravlax" salmon "smoked salmon" "fish" "seafood" "caramelised lemon cheek" "sauce gribiche ""perth Restaurant review" "Perth food blog" "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "food blog" Chompchomp "Bistro Felix" Subiaco French bistro lunch "wedding dress"

Home cured gravlax, caramelised lemon cheek, sauce gribiche

The Boy and I have recently been on a bit of a vegan detox which has left me craving fish, fish and more fish.  Consequently I went a bit overboard and ordered fish for both my entrée and my main.  Very unconventional but so satisfying! The home cured gravlax was tender and slightly sweet however could have done with a touch more creamy sauce gribiche.

"Wild game terrine" "pork terrine" "port" "apple chutney" "perth Restaurant review" "Perth food blog" "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "food blog" Chompchomp "Bistro Felix" Subiaco French bistro lunch "wedding dress"

Wild game terrine with port & apple chutney

Amber ordered the “wild game” terrine which was made from pork and had pistachios speckled through it.  It was topped with some port and apple chutney and served with some toasted brioche.  It looked so meaty and she was very happy with her choice.

"Buffalo mozzarella" "artichoke" "sun-dried tomato" "aubergine salad" "vegetarian" "perth Restaurant review" "Perth food blog" "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "food blog" Chompchomp "Bistro Felix" Subiaco French bistro lunch "wedding dress"

Buffalo mozzarella, artichoke, sun-dried tomato & aubergine salad

Kate decided to go vegetarian and ordered the buffalo mozzarella salad with artichoke, sun-dried tomato and aubergine.  Her dish was beautifully balanced and she was delighted to note that every component of her salad was served at the perfect cool temperature with no pockets of tepid food to mar any of the flavours.

"Pan roasted Garfish" "mixed leaves salad" "seafood" "fish" "perth Restaurant review" "Perth food blog" "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "food blog" Chompchomp "Bistro Felix" Subiaco French bistro lunch "wedding dress"

Pan roasted Garfish and mixed leaves salad

My main was so simple but executed perfectly, two fillets of garfish with a lightly dressed salad and some fresh lemon.  It complemented my entrée just how I wanted it to and I was left satisfied with my fish fix.

"Wild forest Mushroom risotto" "mushroom" "perth Restaurant review" "Perth food blog" "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "food blog" Chompchomp "Bistro Felix" Subiaco French bistro lunch "wedding dress"

Wild forest Mushroom risotto

Amber had the wild mushroom risotto which was packed full of meaty mushrooms of all types and topped with shaving of parmesan.  I was very envious of this dish!

"Toulouse sausage" "pork sausage" "Paris mash" "perth Restaurant review" "Perth food blog" "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "food blog" Chompchomp "Bistro Felix" Subiaco French bistro lunch "wedding dress"

Toulouse sausage with Paris mash

Kate had the Toulouse sausage which is a traditional pork sausage from the South-western part of France. Her meal was a decent size with a fat juicy pork sausage sitting atop of some creamy Paris mash.  It was garnished with a colourful array of flowers that she shared around for all of us to nibble on for fun.

"Melange of mushrooms" "shiitake" "oyster" "button mushrooms" "Swiss brown mushrooms" "beurre noisette" "Paris mash" "chives""perth Restaurant review" "Perth food blog" "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "food blog" Chompchomp "Bistro Felix" Subiaco French bistro lunch "wedding dress"

Melange of shiitake, oyster, button & Swiss brown mushrooms, beurre noisette with Paris mash, chives

Of course I had to order the mushroom sides.  As many of your dear readers will know I have a strong affinity for mushrooms and seeing as I couldn’t have the risotto this was the next best thing!  They were served in the cutest little Scanpan pot and were so succulent.  Hidden in the pot amongst the mushrooms were also some little gems of whole roasted garlic cloves which oozed out their pasty contents into the pan giving even more flavour!

"Lemon crème brûlée" "cinnamon crème brûlée" "perth Restaurant review" "Perth food blog" "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "food blog" Chompchomp "Bistro Felix" Subiaco French bistro lunch "wedding dress"

Lemon & cinnamon crème brûlée

The girls had the chocolate and caramel tart which was so decadent and rich.  Both of them struggled to finish their dessert after their decent sized mains.  I ordered the crème brûlée (which I had NO trouble eating by the way!).  After my previous lumpy experience of this dish at Celyta’s where instead of caramelising the surface they poured blobs of toffee on top, this was a wonderful and much more traditional reprieve to my taste buds.  Always a favourite, I will look forward to continuing to return to Bistro Felix for more long lazy lunches in the future.

Bistro Felix
118-120 Rokeby Road, Subiaco 6008 | (08) 9388 3077 | www.bistrofelix.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$$ (Petit lunch menu 2/3 courses $40/$45, Dinner entrees $22-26, Mains $37-41)
Food:                    4.8/5 (excellent value, would go back just for the mushrooms!)
Service:                4/5 (fairly attentive, occasionally needed prompting for topping up our wine)
Ambience:           3.7/5 (great bistro vibe – love the artwork on the walls)
Drinks:                  4/5 (big wine list – lots of options)
Total:                     16.5/20
 
 Bistro Felix on Urbanspoon

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P'tite Ardoise Bistro, Highgate

Posted by  | Categories: Bistro, French, Perth, Restaurants

To assist the chef in planning for my meal alterations and adjustments, I always try to ensure to inform the kitchen of my allergy requirements in advance when I book the table. Unfortunately despite giving the restaurant 3 days’ notice about this, when I was trying to order my entrees I was informed by the wait staff that all the sauces in all the dishes contained onions. Despite our lovely waiter Sebastian going out of his way to help me, going back and forth from the kitchen with options, the response from the chef was a resounding “no” for even the slightest alteration. Not even melting some garlic butter was possible. Maybe I’ve been spoilt recently eating out – but this reinforces to me how I appreciate a good chef is one that can accommodate and adjust dishes rather than churn out the standard meals.

I also question whether the reason the meals cannot be altered because they are already pre-prepared? So despite all the entrees looking delectable, the only dish I was able to have was the Asparagus, cherry tomato and radicchio salad with Ravigote dressing. This was a small portion, dressed nicely but not satisfying when you look at the rest of our table’s meals!

"Asparagus" "cherry tomato" "radicchio salad" "Ravigote dressing" "vegetarian" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "P'tite Ardoise Bistro" "Highgate" "Mount Lawley" "Beaufort Street" "French" "bistro"

Asparagus, cherry tomato and radicchio salad with Ravigote dressing - no gluten and no onion!

Others ordered the Escargot a ma façon (Snails cooked my way), Pan fried duck liver with pea puree and Scallop and truffle filo torte with fennel salad and balsamic dressing. Thankfully the rest of the meals were able to be ordered without a hitch.

"Escargot" "snails" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "P'tite Ardoise Bistro" "Highgate" "Mount Lawley" "Beaufort Street" "French" "bistro"

Escargot a ma façon (Snails cooked my way)

"Pan fried duck liver" "pea puree" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "P'tite Ardoise Bistro" "Highgate" "Mount Lawley" "Beaufort Street" "French" "bistro"

Pan fried duck liver with pea puree

For mains I had the Tournedo Rossini: WA Beef tenderloin, foie gras, mushroom duxelle, served on mashed potato (without the jus). The cut of meat was of reasonable quality and cooked correctly. I did however notice that my portion of foie gras was twice as generous when compared my non-allergic partner’s so perhaps this was the chef’s way of making it up to us!

"Tournedo Rossini" "Beef tenderloin" mash "foie gras" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "P'tite Ardoise Bistro" "Highgate" "Mount Lawley" "Beaufort Street" "French" "bistro"

Tournedo Rossini with foie gras

Another ordered the Margaret River Wagyu Beef Rump served with mash potato and green peppercorn sauce. The Wagyu was soft and delicate as it should be although cooked slightly under the request of rare. Another ordered the Pork trotter stuffed with chicken and wild mushroom, mash potato and a Shiraz jus. For desserts we shared the Ile Flottante and again we were given a larger serve – we asked for one to share and they brought us out two and said it was an extra sized single portion. We were only charged for one. Once again a big thumbs up to the wait staff who really tried to make it up to us for the problem with the entrees. Overall it was an enjoyable night and we all walked away with satisfied full bellies.

Service 9/10 Food 7.5/10 Venue 7/10

P’tite Ardoise Bistro
283 Beaufort St, Highgate, 6003 | (08) 9228 2008
www.ptiteardoisebistro.com.au

 

In continuation of my previous review I would like to let my readers know that the chef has contacted me regarding our meal last night. We accidently left one of our bottles of wine at the restaurant and he wanted to let me know so that I could return to collect it. He also apologised that our dining experience was not up to scratch and extended an invitation for a repeat visit with advance notice of my menu choices so he could be better prepared with appropriate stocks and sauces. He mentioned he did not know of my dietary requests until the day and therefore did not have time to discuss with me prior. I have to say in receiving the call; I was very impressed to see such passion and dedication to customer service and a true effort to redeem a reputation. I shall most definitely be returning …. watch this space….