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Truffle Degustation at Darlington Estate Winery, Perth Hills

Posted by  | Categories: Degustation/Fine dining, Events, Featured, Modern Australian, Perth, Restaurants, Winery

I know, I know; I whinge about the winter chilliness a bit too much.  You see, I’m not normally that much of a whinger unless I’m sick or I’m cold.  However during winter I am generally both of those things more often than I am not.  This is why I am so thankful for the wondrous fungus Tuber melanosporum, or more commonly known as the black truffle.  Its short season coincides with the deepest part of winter here in Perth and is becoming a key element to my winter survival strategy.

Being right in the height of the truffle season I had already gone a bit giddy with my annual winter addiction at our truffled dinner at Divido and then even further at Clarke’s.  Although I knew the Mundaring Truffle Festival was only a few days away, I figured why not bury myself even deeper into truffle glory and enjoy it to its fullest!

Darlington Estate had kindly extended the invitation on Twitter to Perth bloggers to create a foodie table on their opening night of their Truffle Degustation.  I was joined by fellow bloggers Strawberry Thief, Red Hot Spatula and Perth Food Journal. Being relatively new to the blogging scene it was wonderful to be able to put faces to the blogs that I read each week.  Better still I knew that I would be dining with like-minded people who consider constantly photographing their food is a normal way of life.

Darlington Estate is one of the oldest wineries in the Perth Hills, and over the years they have won many awards both for their wines and for their restaurant. The vineyard is set on steep terraced slopes surrounded by bushland and is supposed to offer lovely views from the restaurant. Having only dined here at night, I have missed out on this part of the experience….poor me, I will have to come back again sometime! It can be hard work being a foodie!

"Amuse bouche" "scallop" "proscuitto" "salmon roe" "cauliflower puree" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Darlington Estate Winery" "truffle degustation" "degustation" "fine dining" "French" "winery" "Perth Hills" "Darlington" "Mundaring" "black truffle" "tuber melanosporum"

Amuse bouche

Prior to commencing I was informed that the chef was well aware of my allergies and that all the dishes were able to be served to me relatively unadulterated except for the truffle brioche.  I was assured that the chef would come up with something else for me for this course.  To get us in the mood out came our amuse bouche; a seared scallop wrapped in prosciutto on a bed of cauliflower purée with salmon roe and truffle. This was a beautiful blend of flavours and balanced nicely although my scallop was ever so slightly overcooked.

"Truffle brioche" "truffle butter" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Darlington Estate Winery" "truffle degustation" "degustation" "fine dining" "French" "winery" "Perth Hills" "Darlington" "Mundaring" "black truffle" "tuber melanosporum"

Truffle brioche, truffle butter

I cursed my wretched gluten intolerance as I watched everyone sink their teeth into the soft and buttery brioche.  The truffle flecked butter spread creamily over it like velvet and was definitely a hit.

"Truffle parsnip chips" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Darlington Estate Winery" "truffle degustation" "degustation" "fine dining" "French" "winery" "Perth Hills" "Darlington" "Mundaring" "black truffle" "tuber melanosporum"

Truffle parsnip chips

Just as my jealousy started to heighten our waiter came over with my special gluten free replacement dish; a very generous sized bowl of truffle parsnip chips.  They were crisp and perfectly seasoned and I had to fight off the Boy from trying to steal a few from me (which he did actually successfully manage twice before I gave him a cold steel look….”don’t steal MY truffles!”).

"Hervey Bay" "scallops" "barigoule potatoes" "truffle and cauliflower puree" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Darlington Estate Winery" "truffle degustation" "degustation" "fine dining" "French" "winery" "Perth Hills" "Darlington" "Mundaring" "black truffle" "tuber melanosporum"

Hervey Bay scallops, barigoule potatoes, truffle and cauliflower puree

Each dish that came out was so beautifully presented and the scallops were no exception. Again my scallops were cooked just slightly past that soft delicate point of perfection.  There was a hint of firmer chewiness but certainly not enough to be a significant detriment to the dish. The cauliflower purée and barigoule potatoes gave a hearty more wintery depth to this light dish making it a gorgeous entrée to kick off this cold night with.

"Linley Valley pork cheek" "truffled almond puree" "parsnip crisp" "red wine jus" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Darlington Estate Winery" "truffle degustation" "degustation" "fine dining" "French" "winery" "Perth Hills" "Darlington" "Mundaring" "black truffle" "tuber melanosporum"

Braised Linley Valley pork cheek, truffled almond puree, parsnip crisp, red wine jus

The braised Linley Valley pork cheek was also plated beautifully, if only I had better light for my photos to do this dish justice.  The meat was tender soft and the subtle sweetness of the truffled almond purée was delightful.  The jus was nearly good enough to lick the plate for.

"Tinder Creek" "confit duck leg" "wild mushroom risotto" "truffled gruyere" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Darlington Estate Winery" "truffle degustation" "degustation" "fine dining" "French" "winery" "Perth Hills" "Darlington" "Mundaring" "black truffle" "tuber melanosporum"

Tinder Creek confit duck leg, wild mushroom risotto, truffled gruyere and white wine sauce

The duck was most definitely my favourite dish of the evening.   The meat was richly flavoursome and simply fell apart under my fork. The truffled gruyere oozed through the meaty flavoured wild mushroom risotto forming fabulous strings of cheesiness joining every forkful.

"palate cleanser" "Lychee" "rosewater" "truffle sorbet" "sparkling shooter" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Darlington Estate Winery" "truffle degustation" "degustation" "fine dining" "French" "winery" "Perth Hills" "Darlington" "Mundaring" "black truffle" "tuber melanosporum"

Lychee, rosewater and truffle sorbet with sparkling shooter

The palate cleanser was very refreshing with the delicate flavours of lychee and rosewater with just a hint of truffliciousness in the backdrop.

"Coffee and truffle pannacotta" "truffle marshmallow" "desserts" "truffle foam" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Darlington Estate Winery" "truffle degustation" "degustation" "fine dining" "French" "winery" "Perth Hills" "Darlington" "Mundaring" "black truffle" "tuber melanosporum"

Coffee and truffle pannacotta, passionfruit and truffle marshmallow, truffle foam

"Coffee and truffle pannacotta" "truffle marshmallow" "desserts" "truffle foam""Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Darlington Estate Winery" "truffle degustation" "degustation" "fine dining" "French" "winery" "Perth Hills" "Darlington" "Mundaring" "black truffle" "tuber melanosporum"

Coffee and truffle pannacotta, passionfruit and truffle marshmallow, truffle foam

Pannacotta is on my list of favourite desserts of all time. This coffee and truffle version did not disappoint. It held perfect shape on the plate and was delicate and silky smooth.  The adorable little fluffy truffle passionfruit marshmallow gave the dish a twist of originality.

"Truffle infused double cream brie" "linguette" "candied walnuts" "quince" "muscatels" "cheese" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Darlington Estate Winery" "truffle degustation" "degustation" "fine dining" "French" "winery" "Perth Hills" "Darlington" "Mundaring" "black truffle" "tuber melanosporum"

Truffle infused double cream brie, linguette, candied walnuts, quince and muscatels

Unfortunately for me there were no gluten free crackers available for the cheese course.  Not that this ever stops me, I am more than happy to eat brie sans crackers! Especially if it’s been truffled!  The brie was soft and creamy and served at just the right temperature to allow the flavours to develop.

Truffle infused double cream brie" "linguette" "candied walnuts" "quince" "muscatels" "cheese" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Darlington Estate Winery" "truffle degustation" "degustation" "fine dining" "French" "winery" "Perth Hills" "Darlington" "Mundaring" "black truffle" "tuber melanosporum"

Truffle infused double cream brie, linguette, candied walnuts, quince and muscatels

The petit fours consisted of the cutest little miniature toffee apples.  I have never really been into toffee apples myself and personally I would have preferred something chocolaty but if you are indeed a fan, these candied morsels would have been right up your alley.  The apple inside was cooked until it was soft and the toffee was hardened to a thin crisp shell.

"Petit fours" "toffee apples" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Darlington Estate Winery" "truffle degustation" "degustation" "fine dining" "French" "winery" "Perth Hills" "Darlington" "Mundaring" "black truffle" "tuber melanosporum"

Petit fours

For a degustation meal I was impressed with our serving sizes and considering the added truffle in every single dish I also thought the full ticket price of $110 (excluding drinks) was extremely good value. The service was attentive and friendly and we look forward to returning to the hills to visit Darlington Estate again.

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Darlington Estate Winery
1495 Nelson Road, Darlington 6071 | (08) 9299 6268 | http://www.darlingtonestate.com/darlington/news.php
 
Price:                     $$$$ (Entrees $14-18, Mains $32-40)
Food:                    4/5 (accommodating for allergies, fresh produce, beautiful presentation)
Service:                3.5/5 (friendly positive attitudes but just a little slow on serving drinks)
Ambience:           4/5 (lovely setting up in the hills, I have to return for lunch as the view is apparently superb)
Drinks:                  3.5/5 (I only got to try their unwooded chardonnay 2010 so will need to come back to the cellar door for a proper tasting)
Total:                     15/20
 
Darlington Estate Winery on Urbanspoon

Bonsai Restaurant & Cafe Lounge, Northbridge

Posted by  | Categories: Featured, Japanese, Perth, Restaurants, Seafood

This winter I have had a terrible time with my allergies.  My knuckles are often cracked and bleeding and my face can just erupt into hives without any real warning. What has made it all even more upsetting and frustrating is that I cannot seem to identify my triggers.  I know very well I cannot touch gluten, but to complicate things I also seem to flare up if I have too much dairy or soy.  The problem with those allergens is I can actually have a small amount, says a small piece of cheese or a couple of splashes of soy sauce and I’ll be fine.  But if I have loads of cheese, or if I eat a gluten free muffin with soy flour…..scratch, scratch, scratch ALL night for days on end.

Eczema sufferers will empathise with this. When your skin is bad, you become overwhelmingly self-conscious of your appearance such that all you want to do is hide away in a dark cellar where no one can see you.  You are so sleep deprived, distracted and on edge because you just cannot stop that burning desire to scratch even though your damaged skin is weeping and sore. With my up and coming wedding, my anxiety levels heightened even more; I don’t want to be a blotchy scabby bride! My mind was in a dark and not so attractive place all week, and so it was a complete relief to learn the Bonsai Restaurant in Northbridge not only have gluten free soy available, but have much of their menu easily adaptable to accommodate for difficult people like myself. Praying for dim lighting I made a partially successful attempt at covering up my skin with some makeup and headed out with the Boy.

"Californian rolls" "prawn and avocado sushi" "tobiko" "caramel soy" "aioli" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp"

Californian rolls Blanched prawn and avocado sushi coated with tobiko, and finally dressed with caramel soy & aioli

To try and get myself in a better mood I started off with ordering some sparkling Yuki sake.  The waitress described this drink as Bonsai’s take on an alcoholic bubble tea.  In the brief time we sat waiting for our drinks, I envisioned a glass of amber coloured liquid with clear balls of jelly floating around curiously.  What arrived was not what I expected and looked like nothing more than some lemon soda in a wine glass.  I can’t deny I was initially disappointed by its appearance as it was, well, kind of boring. But upon sipping my drink I was taken by surprise as I felt various sized gloops of invisible jelly slurp into my mouth. I was hooked.

"Roast duck" "Shichimi" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp"

Roast duck slices

We started off with the roast duck slices dressed with garlic soy caramel and shichimi. Shichimi is a Japanese 7-spice blend typically containing ground red chili pepper (the main ingredient), roasted orange peel, yellow and black sesame seeds, Japanese pepper (sansho), ground ginger and nori. It gave an obvious heat to the tender duck breast yet the flavours were freshened by additional citrus notes and more oceanic layers from the nori.

"Shichimi salsa" "pork belly" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp"

Shichimi salsa on pork belly slices

I used to hate all things pork but recently I confess I have had some mouth-watering experience and I think my tastes are a turning.  But I have now learnt that cold pork belly however is not my thing.  Pale, fatty slices of blanched pork belly were topped with a shichimi flavoured salsa dressing of red onion, red capsicum, cucumber and olive oil.  I should have thought more carefully before ordering this one.

"seafood" "Tuna tataki" "shichimi" "avocado" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp"

Tuna tataki on avocado

The tuna tataki was seared and served on a bed of avocado wedges and thick teriyaki sauce.  The tuna had a wondrous rich dark pink colour and practically dissolved on the tongue.

"seafood" "Soft shelled crab" "wasabi mayo" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp"

Soft shelled crab served with wasabi mayo, salt and pepper

Of course once again the Boy had to order the soft shelled crab.  It is rare that I get to share this dish as it is deep fried and usually coated in a wheat flour batter.  This dish was no exception and although there were loads of gluten free options, all the fried dishes were off the menu for me. A big helping of crispy, meaty crab served with some wasabi mayonnaise quickly vanished off from his plate accompanied by much lip smacking and finger licking.  I was very jealous!

"shichimi" "Pan fried mushrooms" "mustard miso" "karashi-sumiso" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp"

Pan fried mushrooms with karashi-sumiso

What is a meal without mushrooms?  I am starting to wonder if I can actually survive for more than a few days without my mushroom fix.  Being involved in Mushroom Mania month earlier this year has only proved to make my addiction worse as I feel like I need to continue to “do my bit” to promote their awesomeness! The pan fried mushrooms came topped with a mustard miso dressing and a sprinkle of shichimi.

"Seared scallops" "seafood" "red pepper miso" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp"

Seared scallops with red pepper miso

The seared scallops were cooked perfectly with a small amount of bouncy firmness to the outside but soft tenderness on the inside.

"vegetarian" "goma miso" "sesame" "Eggplant and red capsicum namuru" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp"

Eggplant and red capsicum namuru

The eggplant and capsicum namura was unexpectantly one of my favourite dishes of the night. The eggplant had an amazing texture that was close to that of set custard, held together only by its soft but firmer skin.  The goma miso sauce was slightly sweet and salty with a nutty aftertaste. Goma miso is a thick sauce that is made with miso and sesame seeds.

"seaweed salad" "cabbage julienne" "Swiss chard leaf" "mizuna" "coral lettuce" "tat-soy" "red radish" "vegetarian" 'mustard miso" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp"

Seaweed salad

I have to admit I didn’t really read the description of the seaweed salad before ordering and I expected a standard small bowl of brilliant green seaweed.  Out came an enormous salad bowl filled with a variety of seaweeds in addition to cabbage julienne, Swiss chard leaf, mizuna, coral lettuce, tat-soy and red radish all coated well with a sweet mustard miso dressing.  It was really easy to eat and we both crunched and munched happily away like rabbits .

"Crème brûlée" "desserts" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp"

Crème brûlée

Although we had ordered a lot of food, neither of us were overly full and agreed there was a tinsy bit of room left to share dessert.  There was only one gluten free option; the crème brûlée. The surface of our dessert was hot to touch proving that it was indeed torched traditionally to get the burnt crust that makes crème brûlée such a treat.  With a gentle tap of the spoon the wafer thin caramelised shell cracked and broke into bite sized geographical shaped pieces. Underneath the custard was tasty but its texture wasn’t smooth enough and actually looked a little on the lumpy side.  It was still delicious however, and certainly didn’t go to waste.

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The Bonsai Restaurant and Café Lounge
30 -36 Roe Street, Northbridge 6003 | (08) 9227 5756 | www.the-bonsai.net/
 
Price:                     $$$ (Share dishes $7-20, Mains $17-29, accepts Entertainment Card)
Food:                    4.5/5 (must try the eggplant and the duck)
Service:                5/5 (impeccable, attentive without being obtrusive)
Ambience:           4.5/5 (funky, busy but can get quite noisy)
Drinks:                  4.5/5 (LOVED the sparkling Yuki saki!)
Total:                     17.5/20
 
 The Bonsai Restaurant Cafe & Lounge on Urbanspoon

Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach

Posted by  | Categories: Degustation/Fine dining, Featured, Modern Australian, Perth, Restaurants

My soon to be parents-in-law are always complaining that they never get to spend enough time with us.  Both the Boy and I have pretty hectic careers, so when we do actually have a bit of spare time, we want to spend it out and about enjoying good food and company.  So when Christmas approached us last year, instead of buying his parents a gift, we offered to take them out to a fancy meal all expenses paid.

Just as we managed to lock in a weekend for our dinner, we were blessed with our brand new little niece who was born on the other side of the world in Texas! The Boy’s parents jumped on the first plane out to the States and didn’t return back for three months! We were all so envious of them as they got to meet her and we cannot wait to eventually get over there ourselves.

Upon their return to Australia I was keen to book our outing as soon as possible.  This was meant to be their Christmas present after all!  The timing worked out quite well because we were in the thick of the truffle season and neither of them had ever had either degustation OR truffles before! I booked at Clarke’s of North Beach as it is local to their house.

"Amuse bouche" "beef shin" "cauliflower foam" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach" "Clarke's of North Beach" "North Beach" "degustation" "truffle" "modern australian"

Amuse bouche

Those who have met me you know I am a bit of a talker; however my dearest mother in-law gives me a run for my money in the talking stakes.  As a result my usual attentive listening skills were lost amongst all our animated gas bagging and I missed much of the descriptions of our dishes! I will do my best to remember. Forgive me if my distracted palate is incorrect.

"Amuse bouche" "beef shin" "cauliflower foam" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach" "Clarke's of North Beach" "North Beach" "degustation" "truffle" "modern australian"

Amuse bouche

The Amuse Bouche was a braised beef shin with cauliflower foam.  It contained very interesting combinations of textures; with shredded tender shin accompanied by barely existent foam and the crisp crunch of calamari.  It entertained our palates perfectly and we were ready for more.

"Linley Valley pork belly" "crackle dust" "apple textures" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach" "Clarke's of North Beach" "North Beach" "degustation" "truffle" "modern australian"

Linley Valley pork belly, crackle dust, apple textures

We opted for the truffle supplement which meant that once every dish was served, our waiter came over to our table donning white cotton gloves and shaved fresh black truffle over each of our dishes. The Linley Valley pork belly entrée was beautifully cooked; the fat was soft like custard and the surface of the crackling had a caramelised shimmer to it.  It was sprinkled with “crackle dust” and a variety of textures of apple decorated the plate.

"King George Whiting" "salmon" 'Seafood" "Scallop" "snapper mouse" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach" "Clarke's of North Beach" "North Beach" "degustation" "truffle" "modern australian"

King George Whiting, Scallop and snapper mouse

The next entrée was a sliver of King George Whiting, scallop and snapper mouse.  The whiting was pan-fried to give a subtle crisp to its surface which contrasted beautifully with the smooth mousse and succulent pillow of scallop.  Although not specified on the menu there was also some fresh salmon which added an oilier almost satiny element to this dish.  Shavings of fresh black truffle once again graced our plates. The Boy’s Dad swallowed this dish in a few quick mouthfuls, but his Mum deliberated in taking her time, differentiating out all the different flavours.  She was learning the art of degustation quickly!

"Slow cooked egg" "pulled ham hock cassoulet" "brioche" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach" "Clarke's of North Beach" "North Beach" "degustation" "truffle" "modern australian"

Slow cooked free range Hen’s egg, pulled ham hock cassoulet, brioche (supplement course)

Our next dish was an optional one and when I saw the words “slow cooked egg” on the menu my heart leaped with excitement.  My introduction to slow cooked eggs happened quite some time ago at Greenhouse and since then I insist on ordering them wherever I see them.  They are like the holy grail of poached eggs to me and I am so elated when I see them feature on menus other than just for breakfast!

"Slow cooked egg" "pulled ham hock cassoulet" "brioche" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach" "Clarke's of North Beach" "North Beach" "degustation" "truffle" "modern australian"

Slow cooked free range Hen’s egg, pulled ham hock cassoulet, brioche (supplement course)

In order to successfully cook a slow cooked egg, one must cook them at a much lower temperature of about 60 degrees for 1 hour. The end result is like an improved version of a perfectly poached egg.  The egg white has a nearly translucent appearance and the yolk is perfectly molten. Imagine this served over a pulled ham hock cassoulet! The cassoulet was wonderfully deep and rich in flavour but unfortunately there was no gluten free replacement for the brioche for me, considering the price of our meal this was a bit of a disappointment ($155 per person, not including BYO wines). I watched enviously as my family all mopped up the delicious juices pooling in the bottom of their plates.

Some may remember my most recent degustation at Petit Mort for the last in the series of Largesse dinners. For these amazing dinners the Head Chefs from six award-winning restaurants from around Perth donated their talents and time to each create one dish to contribute toward a six course extravaganza. All of the proceeds from the evenings went toward a charity of the host chef’s choosing. The head chef of Clarke’s Stephen Clarke was one of these six chefs and his braised Venison shin with Foie Gras Espuma was a definite show stopper for us all.

"Honey roasted duck breast" "boudin confit leg" "glazed beetroots" "Foie gras espuma" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach" "Clarke's of North Beach" "North Beach" "degustation" "truffle" "modern australian"

Honey roasted duck breast with boudin confit leg, glazed beetroots, Foie gras espuma (supplement course)

The foie gras espuma featured again in this dish but a much larger more generous glob was piped out this time round! The confit leg was encased in chicken mousse to make it into a boudin (sausage) and the buttery breast tasted nearly too soft to be duck! We were all so glad we chose to have these two supplement dishes as they were each outstanding and really completed the meal experience.

"lamb" "boulangerie potato" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach" "Clarke's of North Beach" "North Beach" "degustation" "truffle" "modern australian"

Once upon a time…New season lamb, boulangerie potato, Jerusalem artichoke puree

Where’s the lamb gone you ask?  When I returned from the bathroom, our next course had already been served and everyone had decided to start tucking in without me.  I sat down quickly and followed suit savouring every morsel on the plate.  It wasn’t until I started scraping the plate clean that I realised I had completely forgotten to take a photo!  It’s been a while since I’ve done that! Sorry dear readers! The new season lamb was incredibly delicate and tender.  The boulangère potatoes were just like my mum used to make with the chewy outer crust and inner discs of potato encased in slippery creaminess.

"Cheese" "Miguel" "Portugal" "Valdeón" "Spain" "Buche d'Affinois" "France" "Will Studd Brillat Savin" "Queso Manchego" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach" "Clarke's of North Beach" "North Beach" "degustation" "truffle" "modern australian"

Cheese course: Miguel (Portugal), Valdeón (Spain), Buche d’Affinois (France), Will Studd Brillat Savin (France), Queso Manchego (Spain)

I was in for some fortunate luck with our cheese course.  The plate included a massive FIVE different cheeses: Miguel (a semi-soft cow’s cheese from Portugal), Valdeón (a blue made with goat and cow’s milk from Spain), Buche d’Affinois (a beautifully smooth and buttery surface-ripened cheese made with cow’s milk in France), Will Studd Brillat Savarin (a classic French triple cream brie from France) and Queso Manchego (a hard sheep’s cheese from Spain).  Already a plate with five cheeses is pretty exciting but even better still amongst these portions were not just one but two of my favourite cheeses of all time!

Brillat Savarin is in my humble opinion one of the creaminess and most luscious of the French brie.  Thankfully it is a regular resident at my local greengrocer’s Scutti in South Perth so I can spoil myself whenever I wish. My waistline may tell you otherwise though! My other favourite cheese is the Spanish sheep’s cheese Manchego.  It is a firm compact cheese with a well-developed, slightly salty flavour and has that characteristic aftertaste of sheep’s cheese that I really enjoy. The cheese was accompanied by some crisp lavosh – once again there were no gluten free alternatives here.

"Strawberry espuma" "raspberry gel" "popping candy" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach" "Clarke's of North Beach" "North Beach" "degustation" "truffle" "modern australian"

Strawberry espuma, raspberry gel, popping candy

For our pre-dessert we were all in for a fun surprise.  My dish was a strawberry espuma with raspberry gel and the rest of my family received an Irish coffee espuma. Sprinkled over all of our dishes was something that took us back to our early childhood: popping candy! After such a decadent and luxurious meal, it was very entertaining for us all to sit there like amused school kids noisily cracking and popping away!

"Caramelised mandarin tart" "raspberry gel" "mandarin macaron" "sorbet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach" "Clarke's of North Beach" "North Beach" "degustation" "truffle" "modern australian"

Caramelised mandarin tart, raspberry gel, mandarin macaron and sorbet

I was amazed that for the whole ten course experience only the two courses that had to be significantly altered for my dietary requirements were the desserts.  Not being the odd one out greatly enhanced my evening as I didn’t feel like my dishes had key elements omitted (with the exception of a brioche alternative).  My family’s dessert course was described as caramelised mandarin tart, raspberry gel, mandarin macaron and sorbet.

"raspberry gel" "pistachio nougat" "chocolate ice cream" "mandarin jelly" "strawberry espuma" "popping candy" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Clarke's of North Beach, North Beach" "Clarke's of North Beach" "North Beach" "degustation" "truffle" "modern australian"

Gluten free dessert course

Before I had time to feel any macaron jealousy I discovered that scattered across my own plate was even more popping candy! Stretched across the plate was a colourful array of sumptuous morsels including raspberry gel, pistachio nougat, chocolate ice cream, mandarin jelly cubes and some more strawberry espuma. I wasn’t sure which element to savour the most as they were all so different yet so delicious.

As our evening drew to a close I was left with the feeling of complete satisfaction that we had thoroughly and deservedly spoilt our parents.  We drove them home in a comfortable silence full of so much trufflicious food.  Clarke’s is definitely a great choice for special occasions….it just might break the bank a little!

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Clarke’s of North Beach
97 Flora Terrace, North Beach 6020 | (08) 9246 7621 |  www.clarkesofnorthbeach.com.au/
 
Price:            $$$$$ (Basic degustation $120 including cheese course and Manjimup truffle,
                                   supplementary courses an additional   $15/20 each)
Food:           8.5/10  (exquisitely prepared, need to provide bread/crackers for us GF-ers)
Service:       4.5/5    (attentive without intrusion)
Ambience:  4/5       (don’t judge a book, enter to find a warm, unpretentious atmosphere)
Drinks:       N/A      (BYO – I tried to cater for the ranging wine palates of the group, starting with Perrier Jouët,
                                 then Millbrook Viognier 2009 and ending on Moss Wood Cab Sav 2009)
Total:          17/2
 
Clarke's of North Beach on Urbanspoon

Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn

Posted by  | Categories: Featured, Italian, Perth, Restaurants

This blog post is the second in my series for this year’s Mushroom Mania.  The month kicked off in full force commencing with my visit to the picturesque Millbrook Winery where we wined and dined until we nearly exploded.  We even managed to successfully forage some wild field mushrooms from their stunning property.  From there my madness for mushrooms continued and I posted my first recipe detailing how I cooked up these freshly picked delights.  Don’t forget you can also go a little mushroom mad as there are over 2000 participating restaurants all over Australia serving up a variety of mushroom themed recipes. You can even win a $150 dinner voucher; see the end of this post for more.

I cannot deny that for once in a blue moon neither one of us were up for a night out.  The Boy had been struggling to shake off a flu that had lingered all week.  He had resultantly dosed himself up on cold and flu which only served to give him a few hours of relief each time.  I had managed to only catch a very mild bout of his illness presumably because I had already been sick several times this year. However I had inadvertently poisoned myself with some gluten the night prior at the Good Food and Wine Show.  One hour before we were to leave the house my whole face randomly broke out in large welts and my eyes puffed up like those of a gold fish.  Not the makings for an attractive couple really, were we?

Refusing to be beaten, I prayed for dim lighting as the Boy chowed down on more cold and flu and out we headed to Divido in Mount Hawthorn.  The restaurant glowed with subdued soft lighting and although I knew the quality of my photos were going to suffer a little, I was much relieved to be able to hide under its cloak of poor visibility.

"Handmade sourdough" "olive oil" "balsamic" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Power of mushrooms" "mushroom mania" "Divido" "Italian" "Mount Hawthorn" "Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn"

Handmade sourdough, olive oil and balsamic

On the weekend Divido offer an option of either degustation for $95 or a three course meal for $80.  Neither of us felt like we had the room for a full dego so we opted to extend the three courses to four as an in-between compromise. Better still, this enabled me to select three wonderful mushroom dishes to enjoy! While we waited our waiter brought some handmade sourdough with olive oil and balsamic to our table.  It smelt absolutely amazing! Being unable to eat normal bread for many years now, I’m not ashamed to at least enjoy its smell.  The Boy gave me funny looks as I picked up a soft piece of bread and deeply inhaled its glorious aroma. Surely he must be used to my antics by now?

"Beef carpaccio" "porcini" "shaved parmesan" "rocket" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Power of mushrooms" "mushroom mania" "Divido" "Italian" "Mount Hawthorn" "Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn"

Beef carpaccio, porcini, shaved parmesan, rocket

My first entrée was the beef carpaccio.  I was crossing my fingers I wouldn’t get the same overly lemony acidic version I received at Villa D’Este recently.  Thankfully I wasn’t disappointed; soft elegantly thin slices of dark red beef were complimented with richly flavoured porcini mushrooms and topped with the freshest greenest rocket I have seen for a while.  Shavings of parmesan polished this dish off to perfection.

"Baked Cloudy Bay Clams" "Tomato, fennel seed, okra" "garlic bread crumbs" "seafood" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Power of mushrooms" "mushroom mania" "Divido" "Italian" "Mount Hawthorn" "Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn"

Baked Cloudy Bay Clams, Tomato, fennel seed, okra, garlic, bread crumbs

The Boy ordered the baked Cloudy Bay clams.  This was served in its clay pot and contained some interesting combinations of flavours with tomato, okra and fennel seeds.  It had a garlic breadcrumb crust adding in a crunchier texture to the softer elements underneath.

"Mushroom risotto with parmesan" "black truffle" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Power of mushrooms" "mushroom mania" "Divido" "Italian" "Mount Hawthorn" "Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn"

Mushroom risotto with parmesan and shaved truffle

I realise I have already made most of you drool over my fabulous mushroom risotto at Millbrook Winery last week, however I couldn’t go past ordering it again this time round after our waiter informed me it contained some Manjimup black truffle.  The inside of a truffle always amuses me as recall our pathology wet lab classes back in Vet School.  The intricate patterning of the black truffle reminds me somewhat of the cross-section of a brain.

"Mushroom risotto with parmesan" "black truffle" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Power of mushrooms" "mushroom mania" "Divido" "Italian" "Mount Hawthorn" "Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn"

Mushroom risotto with parmesan and shaved truffle

Luckily for me these thoughts have absolutely no effect on my appetite, it takes a lot more than that to put me off my food as many of my work companions can tell you! The rice wasn’t gluggy whatsoever and maintained its “al dente” texture while still having that creaminess of a good risotto.  I was delighted at the generosity of shavings of truffle despite this only being an entrée serve. The earthy flavours of the truffles lingered long on my palate and I was so pleased there would be more to come in my choice of main.

"Skordalia Pansotti" "Prawns" "local blue swimmer crab" "mussels" "saffron sauce" "seafood" "pasta" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Power of mushrooms" "mushroom mania" "Divido" "Italian" "Mount Hawthorn" "Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn"

Skordalia Pansotti, Prawns, local blue swimmer crab, mussels, saffron sauce

The Boy was obviously in the mood for some seafood and ordered the pansotti with prawns, local blue swimmer crab and mussels for his next dish. Pansotti are a type of triangular-shaped ravioli and these were filled with the Greek purée skordalia.  The poor guy had such a blocked nose he was unable to tell me what sort of skordalia was inside the soft folds of fresh pasta, but traditionally it is usually made from garlic, potatoes and some vinegar.

"Cartoccio of WA Pink Snapper" "Potato" "Radicchio" "Mushroom Varieties" "porcini" "field mushrooms" "shitake" "enoki" "Button mushrooms" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Power of mushrooms" "mushroom mania" "Divido" "Italian" "Mount Hawthorn" "Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn"

Cartoccio of WA Pink Snapper, Potato, Radicchio, Tomato, Mushroom Varieties (close up)

My main meal was the fish of the day, and gazing across the room I could see I wasn’t the only one who thought it sounded good.  A fresh flaky fillet of locally caught Pink Snapper was baked inside baking paper, a style the Italians like to call “al Cartoccio”. Cooking al Cartoccio helps to maintain the dish’s moisture and preserves the intensity of its natural flavours.  Inside my paper package was a multitude of mushrooms including porcini, field, shitake, enoki and button mushrooms.  They each had their own degree of potency in taste and texture.  Of course the highlight was more (yes more) shaving of black truffle.

"Cartoccio of WA Pink Snapper" "Potato" "Radicchio" "Mushroom Varieties" "porcini" "field mushrooms" "shitake" "enoki" "Button mushrooms" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Power of mushrooms" "mushroom mania" "Divido" "Italian" "Mount Hawthorn" "Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn"

Cartoccio of WA Pink Snapper, Potato, Radicchio, Tomato, Mushroom Varieties (close up)

The Boys’ main dish of wood roasted duck was served with buckwheat polenta and a porcini sauce with mustard fruits and spring onions.  The duck was moist and tender, falling off the bone easily and I had to beg him for a small mouthful to taste.  I’m not sure if his taste buds were a little dulled by his flu because he wasn’t as wowed by this dish as I would have expected given its mouth-watering appearance.  My single taste of it was divine so I going to consider that he just may not have been able to sense all the flavours properly through his snuffles and sickness.  Poor love.

"Wood roasted half duck" "organic buckwheat polenta" "mustard fruits" "porcini sauce" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Power of mushrooms" "mushroom mania" "Divido" "Italian" "Mount Hawthorn" "Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn"

Wood roasted half duck, organic buckwheat polenta, mustard fruits, spring onion, porcini sauce

For sides we ordered the spiced pumpkin with chick peas, mint and almonds.  This dish was surprisingly moreish and despite our bursting waistlines we managed to finish it all off.  The chickpeas tasted really fresh not quite like any I have tasted before, and the Moroccan style spices coated each piece of pumpkin perfectly.

"Spiced pumpkin" "chick peas mint almonds" "vegetarian" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Power of mushrooms" "mushroom mania" "Divido" "Italian" "Mount Hawthorn" "Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn"

Spiced pumpkin, chick peas, mint, almonds

At this point, we really didn’t have much room left for more food.  To be honest, in hindsight we really should have stuck to one entrée each not two!  Why do we always order too much food?  After a brief gaze over the dessert menu, I couldn’t really see anything that was obviously gluten free so I asked our waitress for some advice.  She went off to have a chat to the chef and soon returned to let me know that although nothing on their menu was gluten free, the chef was happy to make a gluten free alternative called zabaione especially for me.  I was told that the chef has done this many times before for gluten free customers. I really love chefs with this can-do attitude!

"Zabaione" "egg custard" "strawberry compote" strawberry sorbet" "pistachios" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Power of mushrooms" "mushroom mania" "Divido" "Italian" "Mount Hawthorn" "Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn"

Zabaione with strawberry compote, sorbet and pistachios

After a short wait, out comes the most gorgeous looking dessert for me to enjoy.  For once my dessert was the envy of all instead of the other way round! Zabaione is a dairy free, gluten free Italian egg custard made from egg yolks, sugar and Moscato.  It was accompanied by strawberry compote, scoops of soft icy sorbet and topped with some pistachios.  Heaven! Give me zabaione any day!

"Walnut Torta" "Date and Muscat Compote" "Cardamom Ice Cream" "Dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Power of mushrooms" "mushroom mania" "Divido" "Italian" "Mount Hawthorn" "Mushroom Mania: Divido, Mount Hawthorn"

Walnut Torta Date & Muscat Compote, Cardamom Ice Cream

Although the Boy’s walnut torta looked pretty good, but I can’t deny I felt it appeared a little lacklustre in comparison to my deliciousness!  It came with a scoop of cardamom ice cream and was drizzled in sticky Muscat compote.  He was way too full to finish it off but made a pretty good effort considering how unwell he was.  He had barely eaten anything the past few days so I was happy to see him eat a good hearty meal.  Fingers crossed this is the last of the winter ailments and we can both get back on track for some healthiness again.

This restaurant was reviewed as part of Mushroom Mania month which is happening all across Australia during July 2012. There are over 2000 participating restaurants including many all over Western Australia. The website also has some delicious mushroom recipes so make sure you check it out.

You don’t have to be a blogger to win either! Just write a short review on a mushroom dish you enjoyed during the Mushroom Mania Month of July and you could win a $150 Best Restaurants of Australia Gift Card.

Click here for details.

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Chompchomp dined at Divido with compliments of the Australian Mushroom Growers Association.

Divido
170 Scarborough Beach Rd, Mount Hawthorn 6016 | (08) 9443 7373 | www.divido.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$ (Three courses $85, Degustation $95 or $140 with matched wines)
Food:                    4.5/5 (flexible chef, hearty Italian dishes with a modern flair)
Service:                4/5 (occasionally a bit disjointed but very knowledgeable and friendly)
Ambience:          4/5 (cosy, inviting and relaxing)
Drinks:                  4.5/5 (lots of champagne to choose from. Very happy with this!)
Total:                     17/20

 Divido on Urbanspoon

Largesse Dinner #6 Petite Mort, Shenton Park

Posted by  | Categories: Degustation/Fine dining, European, Featured, Perth, Restaurants

I was lucky enough to secure three tickets to the last of the series of the Largesse dinners.  These fabulous degustation evenings have formed a near cult following in Perth and are known to sell out within minutes of going on sale.  So what on Earth is Largesse you ask?

Imagine the Head Chefs from six award-winning restaurants from around Perth donating their talents and time to each create one dish to contribute toward a six course extravaganza. Better still each course is then matched with exquisite wines and most importantly all of the proceeds from the evening go toward a charity of the host chef’s choosing.  This year the charity of choice was The Royal Flying Doctors Service.

The six chefs are Scott O’Sullivan from Red Cabbage Food and Wine, Kiren Mainwaring from Dear Friends, Jason Jujnovich from Divido, Stephen Clarke of Clarkes of North Beach, Todd Stuart from Petite Mort and last but most definitely not least Hadleigh Troy from Restaurant Amusé.

This year the night was hosted at Petit Mort which is located in Shenton Park where the popular Star Anise resided for many years.  The evening had such a buzz of excitement about it and as I gazed around the room I wondered which faces belonged to other fellow Perth bloggers I knew were attending.  I have only been a blogger for about nine months now and have been blown away by the sense of camaraderie and open friendship that exists in this small little community of foodies.  My eyes have only really been opened to this supportive side of blogging since joining Twitter last month. Weirdly despite this short space of time, I feel like I already know these people without even having met them.

"Air dried ham" "Swan Valley Yolk" "ajo blancho" "foraged herbs" "Kiren Mainwaring" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Largesse Dinner #6 at Petite Mort, Shenton Park" "Largesse dining" "Shenton Park" "Degustation" "Red Cabbage Food and Wine" "Dear Friends" "Divido" "Clarkes of North Beach" "Petite Mort" "Restaurant Amusé" "Event dining" "Royal Flying Doctors" "Fine dining" "French"

Air dried ham, Swan Valley Yolk, ajo blancho, foraged herbs (Kiren Mainwaring, Dear Friends Restaurant) matched with Simonnet Febvre, Cremant Brut, Bourgogne NV

We were informed that the first two courses were to be swapped in order because Chef Scott needed some extra time to prepare his dish.  We were told he apparently lost track of time due to watching a UFC final! This got a round of chuckles from the guests.

Our first dish was air dried ham with Swan Valley Yolk, ajo blancho and foraged herbs.  This dish had a number of textural elements which all tied in magically with the fresh gooey yolk.  Ajo blanco is a Spanish soup made with crushed almonds and garlic; it was delicately dolloped around the plate and added in a creamy nutty texture to the crunchy herbs and chewy ham.

"Smoked trout" "Chilli squid" "saffron" "Scott O’Sullivan" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Largesse Dinner #6 at Petite Mort, Shenton Park" "Largesse dining" "Shenton Park" "Degustation" "Red Cabbage Food and Wine" "Dear Friends" "Divido" "Clarkes of North Beach" "Petite Mort" "Restaurant Amusé" "Event dining" "Royal Flying Doctors" "Fine dining" "French"

Smoked trout, Chilli squid, saffron (Scott O’Sullivan from Red Cabbage Food and Wine) matched with Singlefile SBS, Denmark 2009

Our next dish was house-smoked trout, chilli squid and saffron.  I was dismayed to see my gluten free version had the squid completely omitted.  This meant I only really got half the dish which was quite disappointing considering that with small degustation courses each component is an important element for the overall experience of the dish.  I would have preferred if the chef could have perhaps prepared my version gluten free rather than just leaving the squid off completely. Nevertheless the smoked trout was exquisitely soft and buttery leaving no oily aftertaste on the palate. My dining companions who received the full version of the dish commented that the chilli was not a strong enough feature and was barely noticeable.

"Braised Rabbit" "Lentils" "Jason Jujnovich" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Largesse Dinner #6 at Petite Mort, Shenton Park" "Largesse dining" "Shenton Park" "Degustation" "Red Cabbage Food and Wine" "Dear Friends" "Divido" "Clarkes of North Beach" "Petite Mort" "Restaurant Amusé" "Event dining" "Royal Flying Doctors" "Fine dining" "French"

Braised Rabbit, Lentils (Jason Jujnovich from Divido)

The next dish was a pasta dish which is obviously not gluten free so Chef Jason from Divido kindly went to the effort of creating a completely different alternate option for me.  I received braised rabbit with lentils. The rabbit had obviously been nurtured and cared for in the cooking process because I have never had such tender rabbit before; it had the soft texture of high quality smoked ham.  So simple yet so well executed.

"Radicchio Tortellini" "Fontina Fonduta" "Jason Jujnovich" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Largesse Dinner #6 at Petite Mort, Shenton Park" "Largesse dining" "Shenton Park" "Degustation" "Red Cabbage Food and Wine" "Dear Friends" "Divido" "Clarkes of North Beach" "Petite Mort" "Restaurant Amusé" "Event dining" "Royal Flying Doctors" "Fine dining" "French"

Radicchio Tortellini, Fontina Fonduta (Jason Jujnovich from Divido) matched with Carpe Diem, Nebbilio, Margaret River 2011

The boys had Radicchio Tortellini served with melted Fontina drizzled over it.  I was informed that although you could clearly taste that the tortellini was freshly made, it was slightly undercooked and too firm; there was no slippery oyster textures between the teeth here!

"Braised Venison shin" "foam" "Foie Gras Espuma" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Largesse Dinner #6 at Petite Mort, Shenton Park" "Largesse dining" "Shenton Park" "Degustation" "Red Cabbage Food and Wine" "Dear Friends" "Divido" "Clarkes of North Beach" "Petite Mort" "Restaurant Amusé" "Event dining" "Royal Flying Doctors" "Fine dining" "French"

Braised Venison shin, Foie Gras Espuma (Clarkes of North Beach, Kitchen Team) matched with Batistide du Claux Cotes du Luberon “L’Orietale” 2008

The braised venison shin was my second favourite dish of the evening.  I simply could not fault it whatsoever.  It was accompanied by “Foie gras espuma” where we were told that the chef combined the decadent foie gras with Anglais sauce and piped it out of a canister like whipped cream.  The richly flavoured shin meat simply melted in my mouth and if I wasn’t seated at a communal table I might have been tempted to lick this plate clean.

There was a little interlude in the evening at this point allowing a few fellow foodies Perth Munchkin and Gastromony to pop over to our table to introduce themselves.  It was awesome to finally put some faces to the blogs that I have been following and I look forward to reading their posts on this fabulous night.

"palate cleanser" "beetroot water" "ginger water" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Largesse Dinner #6 at Petite Mort, Shenton Park" "Largesse dining" "Shenton Park" "Degustation" "Red Cabbage Food and Wine" "Dear Friends" "Divido" "Clarkes of North Beach" "Petite Mort" "Restaurant Amusé" "Event dining" "Royal Flying Doctors" "Fine dining" "French"

The palate cleanser consisted of ginger and beetroot water.  Although this could have been improved by serving at a colder temperature it was definitely uplifting and refreshing.

"Pressed Duck thigh" "wild mushrooms" Chanterelle" "Cepe" "Todd Stuart" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Largesse Dinner #6 at Petite Mort, Shenton Park" "Largesse dining" "Shenton Park" "Degustation" "Red Cabbage Food and Wine" "Dear Friends" "Divido" "Clarkes of North Beach" "Petite Mort" "Restaurant Amusé" "Event dining" "Royal Flying Doctors" "Fine dining" "French"

Pressed Duck thigh, Chanterelle, Cepe (Todd Stuart from Petite Mort) matched with Singlefile Syrah, Denmark 2009

Pressed duck is a very traditional French dish where the whole entire duck organs and all is partially roasted then put through a special “duck press” to squeeze out the juices which are then used for the sauce.  This duck was richly flavoured but in the aftermath of the delicate venison shin its texture felt a little chewy and dry by comparison. It was accompanied by two types of wild mushrooms: the funnel shaped chanterelle and the strong tasting cepe. These were the perfect accompaniment and gave more depth to the dish with their earthy tones.

"Hadleigh Troy" "Dessert" "chocolate" "sorrell" "meringue" "caramel" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Largesse Dinner #6 at Petite Mort, Shenton Park" "Largesse dining" "Shenton Park" "Degustation" "Red Cabbage Food and Wine" "Dear Friends" "Divido" "Clarkes of North Beach" "Petite Mort" "Restaurant Amusé" "Event dining" "Royal Flying Doctors" "Fine dining" "French"

Chocolate, Caramel, Sorrell (Hadleigh Troy from Restaurant Amusé) matched with Barbadillo Pedro Ximenez, Spain

The dessert was by far and by large the highlight of the evening for me.  It reaffirmed to me why Restaurant Amusé remains my most revered dining establishment in Perth.  Chef Hadleigh always manages to create food art that is not only visually stunning, but does incredible things to your palate. His dish “chocolate, caramel and sorrel” spanned across a wide range of exquisite textures, temperatures and flavours.  The dish started with crunchy, crisp sorrel meringue that completely dissolved on contact with your tongue, onto cool firm chocolate ice-cream that nearly had the chewy texture of a chocolate truffle, and finally ending of a bed of warmed gooey caramel. To finish off the decadence there were fine shavings of white chocolate crumbs over the top to introduce another layer of alternate texture and flavour.

"Chocolate" "macaron" "petit fours" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Largesse Dinner #6 at Petite Mort, Shenton Park" "Largesse dining" "Shenton Park" "Degustation" "Red Cabbage Food and Wine" "Dear Friends" "Divido" "Clarkes of North Beach" "Petite Mort" "Restaurant Amusé" "Event dining" "Royal Flying Doctors" "Fine dining" "French"

Petit fours

The last of the Largesse evenings was an experience I’m glad I didn’t miss; a night of talented chefs showcasing their abilities in the name of a worthy charitable cause.  Although I know the Chefs all said this is their last, surely they can start up something new and similar in concept?  The evening has inspired me to visit those restaurants out of the six that I haven’t been to yet and more importantly I want to get back to Amusé for what will be the fourth time! Last time we were we spent nearly six glorious hours overindulging ourselves in a night I will never forget.

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Red Cabbage Food + Wine
49/15 Labouchere Rd, South Perth 6151 | (08) 9367 5744 | redcabbagefoodandwine.com.au
Red Cabbage Food + Wine on Urbanspoon 
 
Dear Friends
100 Benara Rd, Caversham 6055 | (08) 9279 2815 | www.dearfriends.com.au
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Divido
170 Scarborough Beach Rd, Mount Hawthorn 6016 | (08) 9443 7373 | www.divido.com.au
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Clarkes of North Beach
97 Flora Terrace, North Beach 6020 | (08) 9246 7621 | www.clarkesofnorthbeach.com.au
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Petite Mort
225 Onslow Rd, Shenton Park 6008 | (08) 9388 0331 | www.petitemort.com.au
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Restaurant Amusé
64 Bronte St, East Perth 6004 | (08) 9325 4900 | www.restaurantamuse.com.au
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150 East Riverside Bar & Restaurant, Ascot

Posted by  | Categories: Modern Australian, Perth, Restaurants, Wine Bar

Late last year some of my workmates and I were lucky enough to be the winners of the annual Vetpath Quiz Night.  Our prize was a $250 dinner voucher for 150 East Riverside Bar and Restaurant.  Nearly six months came and went and we still hadn’t managed to coordinate a night where all six of us could come along.  Getting everyone to agree on a set date felt a bit like trying to herd cats but with only one month left on the voucher before it expired; I successfully locked down a night when all but one of our winning team members could all attend.  The member who couldn’t join us had recently moved to live in Queensland, so I figured that was a reasonable excuse!

150 East it is currently situated along a highway that appears to be undergoing something that is close to becoming the Greatest Road Works of the Decade here in Perth.  Great Eastern Highway is being widened from two lanes to three lanes each way and for those not familiar with this area it may sound like no big deal.  However the reality of it is that currently all telecommunications, power and gas lines lie under the existing footpaths which will soon be turned into highway roads.  So prior to widening the roads, all these need to be located, dug up and moved.  They are also adding bike lanes, bus lanes….the works. To complicate things even more the highway is the major gateway from the Eastern suburbs into the city thus making it a project of mammoth proportions which I believe is costing more than $225 million.  All along this stretch of highway peak hour traffic has been slowed down to mind numbing speeds of 30-40 km/hour.  I am lucky enough to get to travel along this every day to get to work!

As a result of these road works the access into 150 East is quite difficult as it is pretty much centred in the eye of the storm. Surprisingly despite this fact I found that the restaurant was relatively full.  They had a live musician playing some covers of Angus and Julia Stone giving a relaxed and chilled out ambience. Some of us met at the bar for a couple of pre-dinner drinks to settle into the mood before we were shown to our table.

Seared scallops, crispy pork belly, truffle emulsion, micro herbs

I shared a main sized entrée of seared scallops with crispy pork belly.  The scallops were cooked beautifully and were soft tender little pillows that nearly dissolved in my mouth.  The pork belly was a bit of a letdown.  Each mouthful left that lingering fatty aftertaste and the crackling wasn’t crunchy enough.  The dressing failed to tie these two ingredients together either and needed a little more sweetness to it to marry the flavours.

Fresh hand cut tagliatelle, prawns, crab, sun-dried tomatoes, Cajun cream sauce

A few at our table order the fresh hand cut tagliatelle with prawns and crab.  I was informed that the sauce clung beautifully to the strips of delicate pasta, the prawns were crunchy and fresh but the Cajun sauce lacked the punch they were looking for.

I ordered the fish of the day and I realise some of you may be a little weary of my incessant ordering of Barramundi.  I agreed that maybe I order it a little too frequently but when done correctly with crispy skin it is one of my favourite types of fish.  This time I was fairly disappointed to find my fish was slightly overcooked and didn’t flake apart under my fork.

Duo of duck, confit leg, duck, pear and cognac sausage, merlot and aniseed braised cabbage, Swiss chard, jus

The duo of duck was the most popular dish of the table and consisted of a confit leg with a duck and cognac sausage.  The sausage was juicy and bursting with flavour and the confit leg wasn’t dry at all.  The only negative feedback was the fresh pear garnish was a bit too hard.

Despite all being quite full, we all were really aiming to push the boat out for this rare occasion and make the most of the wonderful evening.  I shared the vanilla and mandarin crème brûlée which was a beautiful smooth consistency but could have done with a hint more citrus after notes. Needless to say I still nearly licked the bowl clean.

The gingerbread pudding was soft and fairly moist but apparently needed more caramel sauce and as a result my colleagues didn’t finished their serve as it became a bit too stodgy without any extra gooeyness.

The biggest flaw in our evening was the cheese platter.  It included a brie (Mon Sire Franche, Comte, France), a blue vein (La Traditional Du Bon Fourme D’Ambert, Auvergne, France), and a hard cheese (Gutshofer Schafskase, The Netherlands). So much potential was completely lost on our taste buds due to all three cheeses being served cold and seemingly straight out of the fridge.  The brie was the literally the hardest hit by this oversight as many dear readers can surely empathise making the resultant cheese tasteless and barely edible.

We waited quite some time for our bill to arrive until eventually our waitress came over to inform us their computer had broken down and it would be a long wait until they could reboot it.  It was getting quite late so we asked if we could just let her know what we ordered and pay.  We were met with reluctance to do this but after further waiting with no computer recovery in sight she allowed us to go through the menu with her. Lucky for us our winning voucher covered the majority of the bill and we had minimal remaining to split amongst us.  Given it being a near freebie meal, we all left very full and relatively content.  However I hope once the highway access improves for 150 East, so will the quality and attention to detail in their restaurant.

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150 East Riverside Bar Restaurant
150 Great Eastern Highway, Ascot 6104 | (08) 9479 0099 | www.assuredhotels.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$$ (Entrees $11.50-24.50, Mains $23.50-42)
Food:                    2/5 (porky aftertaste, overcooked fish and cold brie)
Service:                2.5/5 (average no major hiccups)
Ambience:          3.5/5 (loved the live music)
Drinks:                  3/5 (reasonable wine list, includes a lot a lovely Margaret River wines)
Total:                     11/20

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Cullen Winery, Margaret River

Posted by  | Categories: Featured, Margaret River, Regional WA, Restaurants, Travel, Winery

With the current Australian dollar being high coupled with overinflated prices in Perth, we have noticed that it is actually quite a bit cheaper to go on overseas holiday to a nearby Asian country than it is to holiday in Western Australia.  Consequently of late we have been neglecting our frequent visits “down south” and replacing them with visits to Bali and Thailand.

But despite this fact, nothing beats a quick local getaway for its ease and accessibility. It was our last day of our minibreak in Margaret River and reflecting back on our weekend we were both grateful for our location choice.  We hadn’t spent an hour trying to cram everything into our two suitcases nor was our little holiday concluding in a mad dash to the airport to catch a plane.  Yes, travelling locally still has its definite perks.  The car was chinking loudly due to all my wine purchases and our car eskie was jammed full of gourmet goodies; I was trying my hardest to make the most of having no limit on my baggage allowance!

I had made a booking for us at Cullen Wines for one last final meal before we drove back to the city to return to work.  Being Easter Sunday I was glad that I had planned ahead as the restaurant looked busy.  Upon arrival there was a little mix up where I got a vague jist from the staff that maybe our booking wasn’t recorded in their book.  After a brief hesitation we were shown to our seats which were indoors and away from the picturesque area on the deck overlooking the vineyards.  It was a bit of a shame we weren’t out there in the glorious sunshine as I had made the booking weeks prior and would have loved to have had one of these prime positions.  I guess it’s not like I requested to be seated outdoors so really who am I to complain?

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Cullen garden beetroot, carrot and tomato salad with chick pea cakes and soft goats cheese

The Cullen restaurant follows the same biodynamic philosophy of Cullens’ Winery using only fresh organic produce sourced from their own large kitchen garden and selected local producers. I knew this fact prior to our arrival and I wanted to see for myself if this reputation for amazingly fresh food was true.  We grow a lot of our own vegetables at home and nothing beats them in flavour when compared to commercially grown produce. I wasn’t disappointed – my salad was literally beyond fresh and bursting with flavour. Brightly coloured beets, tomatoes and carrots joined with soft leaves from the garden topped with tangy dollops of goat’s cheese.  Scattered throughout were tiny little buttons of chickpea cakes giving just enough substance to make this a meal. Such simple yet thoughtfully chosen ingredients made every mouth full a taste sensation.

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Crispy duck with mandarin pancakes, new season plum sauce, spring onion and Asian herbs

The Boy ordered the crispy duck with mandarin pancakes. The duck was richly flavoured and the pancakes were soft and light.  I couldn’t see any of the crispy part of the duck on his plate but he didn’t seem too bothered about this and enjoyed his meal.

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Grilled salmon with finger lime, potato mash and steamed greens

My main dish was described on the menu as grilled salmon with braised octopus, quinoa, Swiss chard and verjuice beurre blanc.  After my delightful introduction to quinoa at Xanadu the day before, I wanted to compare and contrast this new discovery with another chef’s interpretation. I was initially told on ordering that this dish would be suitable for me but unfortunately the waiter soon returned to let me know that much of this dishes accompaniment contained onions.  This didn’t seem to worry the chef as he offered to make an alternate option especially for me.  As a replacement I was served some creamy mash, steamed snow peas and my large serve of salmon was topped with some citrus dressing that looks a little like Pemberton finger lime.

To my complete surprise as I started tucking into my meal, our waiter also brought out a large bowl of salad filled with massive chunks of avocado and a variety of those wonderful gems from the kitchen garden as a complementary extra because my dish had to be altered so much. How thoughtful and kind of the chef – thank you!

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Beef sirloin with blue cheese soufflé, baked mushrooms, cauliflower cream, rocket and red wine jus

The boy’s main was a hearty man’s dish with a juicy sirloin beef steak, crunchy blue cheese soufflé, cauliflower cream and a red wine jus.  His steak was cooked rare to his liking and was a quality cut of meat.

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Gluten free brownie with berry ice cream

This was my first day of really feeling like I had recovered from my stomach bug so I had happily chugged down a far bit of Cullen’s lovely peachy Mangan Vineyard Sauvignon blanc Semillon.  This meant we both ordered dessert without me remembering to take a photo of the menu to remind me of the details! My gluten free dessert was described as a brownie of sort with berry ice-cream.  But let me tell you, this was no mere brownie.  The top layer consisted of a decadent mousse flavoured with a hint of hazelnut praline goodness.  The bottom half had more of a cake like texture and stopped the whole thing from being too overwhelmingly rich.

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Pecan pie

The Boy’s choice was the pecan pie, an unusual selection for him probably facilitated by the fact it came with ice cream.  Obviously I didn’t get to share any of his as it was in no way gluten free so I cannot give you much of a description other than it was good enough for him to finish in entirety.

We really had a fabulous time during our stay down in Margaret River this Easter.  Both Xanadu and Cullen were stand outs to us with both their customer service and food quality.  Cullen’s exceedingly fresh produce is something worth going back for again and again and I look forward to returning.

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Cullen Wines
Lot 4323 Caves Rd, Margaret River, 6284 | (08) 9755 5656 | http://www.cullenwines.com.au/our-restaurant
 
Price:                     $$$$ (Entrée $19-21, Mains $33-39)
Food:                    4.7/5 (fresh, succulent – nothing beats garden fresh)
Service:                4.7/5 (slight hiccup at the beginning but handled very discreetly)
Ambience:           3.2/5 (would get a much higher score if we sat outside in the sunshine)
Drinks:                  4/5 (only serve Cullen wines – not that that’s a bad thing!)
Total:                     16.6/20

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Xanadu Wines and some Chocolate, Margaret River

Posted by  | Categories: Featured, Margaret River, Regional WA, Restaurants, Travel, Winery

It was our first morning at Chandeliers on Abbey and we woke up to nothing but the soft twitter of birds.  The peace and quiet of the country coupled with an amazingly comfortable bed had allowed both of us to get the first uninterrupted night’s sleep since my evil gastro hit nearly a week ago.  Although I still wasn’t quite 100%, I definitely felt much more revived, refreshed and ready to eat again.  What perfect timing.

Our chalet had a fridge stocked with some fresh orange juice, milk, eggs and butter and a pantry stocked with tea and coffee.  I had presumed there would be nothing for us to eat in the chalet for breakfast, so I brought some gluten-free bread, avocado and tomatoes from our fridge at home. These fresh provisions were combined for a quick and satisfying cooked breakfast and feeling energised off we set on a self-guided tour.  I planned to stop in at a few old favourites mixed in with a couple of places we hadn’t visited before.

Our favourites included the picturesque Clairault Wines where I was delighted to see they had a special on their cases of Chardonnay – obviously I had to take advantage of this offer!  The Boy was so sweet and without complaint was my skipper for the day.  He knew what a horrid week I had and wanted me to enjoy myself too. So that he didn’t bore too much from winery upon winery, we stopped in at the Bootleg Brewery where he grabbed a mixed six-pack and some Pilsner to enjoy back at the chalet later.

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Assorted truffles at the Margaret River Chocolate Company

No visit to Margaret River is complete without a stop at the Margaret River Chocolate Company. I get so excited at their tubs of free choc buds – they contain white, dark and milk buds.  Kids line up at the tubs scooping out handfuls at a time (thankfully using the spoon not their bare hands!)

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We bought a sample of their truffles to enjoy for the drive down to Xanadu for lunch but as we journeyed further south we drove past another much newer chocolatey venue called Gabriel Chocolate. I recall reading a review of this place on Food Endeavours of the Blue Apocalypse and was intrigued to see how they compared to the mainstream MRCF.

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Gabriel’s sources of cocoa beans

Gabriel chocolate differs from many fine chocolatiers in that they import the actual cocoa beans (rather than chocolate) to make all their lovely treats.  This basically means that they can make chocolate from beans that have been obtained from only one part of the world or even just one plantation. Just like wine made from the same grapes but grown in different regions, the flavour from cocoa beans can vary depending on the climate they are grown in and we both found it fascinating comparing different textures, aromas and taste that each region imparted to its beans.

Gabriel Chocolate on Urbanspoon

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Being the Easter weekend, Xanadu Wines was fully booked and as we arrived a number of less organised people were being turned away due to a lack of a reservation.  All the staff were all so bubbly and welcoming, and within minutes of us being seated at our table the manager came over to acknowledge us and advised me he was fully aware of my allergy requirements.  I was advised that most items off the menu could be easily adapted and we were introduced to our waiter for the afternoon.

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Wild mushroom with quinoa, butternut pumpkin, salted ricotta, sage (no onion)

Of course I ordered the mushroom entrée.  My obsession with this vegetable continues.  Served with soft butternut pumpkin and quinoa I felt like I was being so good to my body while still enjoying such wonderful flavours.  This was my first time trying quinoa at a restaurant and I enjoyed the nutty texture.  Prior to my gluten-free days I was a big fan of couscous and it is one of the things I miss (along with buttery croissants).  I can see how this ancient grain could serve as a replacement to couscous in many of my old recipes!

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Masala prawns, curried lentils, carrot & yoghurt puree, coconut dressing

The Boy ordered the Marsala prawns with curried lentils, carrot and yoghurt purée topped with a coconut dressing.  A good indicator of the quality of his meal can always be measured by how quickly he devours it and trust me those prawns didn’t linger long on the plate!

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Grilled gold band snapper fillet, sweet corn and pickled mushrooms, pancetta, olive and green bean salad

As my stomach was still undersized from its usual capacity I stuck with ordering light meals and chose the fish of the day.  It was a Gold band snapper fillet and the chef kindly adapted the sides to accommodate for my allergies. The fish flaked away gently under my fork and I was surprised at the size of the portion.

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Confit duck leg, smoked duck breast & fig salad, orange braised witlof, quince vinaigrette

The Boy ordered the duck which came with zesty orange braised witlof and a fig salad.  It was drizzled in sweet, sticky quince vinaigrette.  The duck was tender and not overcooked or dry.

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Mandarin and almond cake, almond praline and olive oil ice cream

Despite feeling pretty full I was determined to have dessert.  There were a number of gluten-free options available which was quite exciting.  I chose the mandarin and almond cake with olive oil ice cream.  It was so moist and was warmed slightly. As I scooped a mouthful of ice cream and cake simultaneously onto my spoon I delighted that the ice cream melted perfectly into my mouth and not on my plate.

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Poached pear, smoked vanilla cream, oat cookie, caramel ice cream

The Boy wasn’t going to have any dessert as he was also feeling near capacity but I coaxed him into trying the poached pear on the fact that it came also with ice cream.  His addiction to ice cream parallels mine for mushrooms.  The caramel ice cream was nothing short of amazing and mixed in with the vanilla cream I had to stop myself from stealing all his dessert.  I will definitely be back!

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Xanadu Wines
Boodjidup Road, Margaret River 6285 | (08) 9758 9500 | www.xanaduwines.com
 
Price:                     $$$$ Accepts Entertainment Card (Entrees $18, Mains $36, 2 course special $49, 3 course special $65)
Food:                    4.8/5 (wonderful fresh, clean and locally sourced food))
Service:                5/5 (discreetly attentive, friendly, oozed great teamwork and positivity)
Ambience:          3.5/5 (would have been better with a bit of a view)
Drinks:                  4/5 (we shared a bottle of the lively fruity Xanadu Sauvignon blanc Semillion 2011)
Total:                    17.3/20
 

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Chez Gado Gado, Seminyak, Bali

Posted by  | Categories: Bali, French, Restaurants, Travel

Bearing in mind that our mini-break to Bali was a spontaneous and relatively unplanned trip the holiday’s budget was a little tighter than I am normally accustomed to.  It was our fourth night and we had already eaten at some very impressive restaurants such as Ku De Ta and La Lucciola.  These were wonderful meals but they came at prices that are comparable to those back in Perth. To add to the situation it is only a year before our wedding date (WOOT!) and the boy was getting justifiably concerned about our spending habits knowing full well that we still had our Sydney trip the following week!

Once again by recommendation, this time from one of our travelling companions who came with us last year in Phuket, we made the journey in the torrential monsoon rain to the more built up southern part of Seminyak to Chez Gado Gado. On entry into this opulent venue I started to worry that I had inadvertently chosen another pricy restaurant. Thankfully after scanning the menu I was relieved to see that things were all very reasonably priced despite the external appearance of the restaurant being quite fancy.

We were greeted promptly by the maître D who had been kindly informed in advance by our hotel reception of my dietary requirements.  She explained she would get the chef to come to our table so I could discuss the menu directly with him.  The executive chef is Quirijn Rademaker, a Dutchman who has been working at Gado Gado for the past 4 years having previously come from Shy restaurant in Jakarta.  He was keen and energetic and offered to adapt a number of options off his menu for me.  I was eyeing off the terrine of smoked and cured salmon with crab, pomelo and sour cream vinaigrette.  He said although the terrine is not suitable, he could make me a salmon carpaccio and accompany it with a dill mustard cream, fresh fennel and the pomelo.  I haven’t tried salmon with citrus before – it sounds like a pretty weird thing to combine, but surprisingly it really worked and I was suitably impressed.

Butter poached slipper lobster with crab ravioli, spinach and kaffir beurre blanc

The boy ordered the lobster ravioli which I obviously couldn’t taste but looked really flavoursome.  Having eaten out for a number of nights in a row, he was starting to get a little weary of my repeated and incessant questions regarding the taste of his meals so I didn’t get much of a description from him other than “delicious”.

Roasted duck breast with terrine of the leg, sweet and sour beetroot, potato gratin and Sichuan jus

After such fresh and saporous entrees, unfortunately our main meals were lacklustre by comparison.  The potato gratin was served lukewarm and tasted like it had been re-heated.  The jus contained onion so the chef made an alternate sauce for me that was too peppery and didn’t balance well with the sweetness of the beetroot and duck.  None of the dish was unpleasant by any stretch of the imagination, just mismatched and poorly combined.

We had also ordered some sides of sautéed mushrooms and zucchini with mint and garlic.  These sides were seemingly forgotten and I had to remind the waiter that we ordered them.  They didn’t come out until we had finished our mains completely.  The sautéed mushrooms were juicy and tasty but the zucchini was soggy with excessive oil and was intensely overloaded with garlic.  After overdosing on our garlic we had no room left for dessert and tried to make the most of the break in the rain and head back to the villa. As soon as we had paid the bill and were heading out the front door to hail ourselves a cab – the heavens opened up again and the tropical downpour continued!  We got thoroughly soaked!

Travelling to Bali?  Be sure to check out the Lonely Planet Bali and Lombok Travel Guide before you go!

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Chez Gado Gado
Jalan Camplung Tanduk, (Dhyanapura) 99, Seminyak, Bali, 80361 INDONESIA | (+62) 361 736966 | www.gadogadorestaurant.com
 
Price:                     $$ (Entrees 88-164K Rp/$9-17 AUD, Mains 146-295K Rp/$15-30 AU)
                                      (incl. tax & service charges)
Food:                    3/5 (has potential – overall not bad)
Service:                3/5 (slow on drinks service and forgot side dishes)
Ambience:          3/5 (would be awesome to watch the sunset on the deck weather permitting)
Drinks:                2.5/5 (cocktails were fairly average)
Total:                  11.5/20

La Lucciola, Seminyak, Bali

Posted by  | Categories: Bali, Featured, Italian, Restaurants, Travel

After our decadent meal at Ku De Ta there was some discussion amongst our friends on Facebook which lead to a number of alternate dining recommendations being given.  We decided to follow their advice and booked a table at La Lucciola which was conveniently in Seminyak where we were staying.  To the Boy’s satisfaction we also managed to book the hotel car in advance and dodge being over charged by local taxis.  He is not the biggest fan of the whole rorting system of taxis in Bali and this was cause of many complaints from him.

The restaurant is located right up on the beach but unfortunately we arrived just after sunset so we missed the view as the golden sun had already plunged into the sea.   Despite this, I was still amazed at what a stunning setting; the restaurant is surrounded by lush gardens and Koi ponds facing out directly onto the beach.  It faces towards an area of beach on the northern end of Seminyak beach which is much quieter and more peaceful than the main area.

We were greeted with beaming smiles from all the staff and found a distinct lack of pretention that we saw when at Ku De Ta.  Upon arrival I handed the waiter my allergy eating card and off it went to make its obligatory journey around the kitchen to be returned back some time later with the waiter who offered some recommendations off the menu.  I was also informed that although normal bread is complementary, they do have gluten-free bread available for a small extra charge.  Being the only place in Bali that offered me gluten-free bread, I was already feeling quite positive about our evening.

The bread had great texture and was not crumbly or stodgy and I was quite impressed as I haven’t had a lot of good gluten-free bread experiences when travelling in Asian countries.  It was served with freshly whipped butter and olive oil.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bali restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Seminyak restaurant reviews" "La Lucciola" Italian Seminyak "vitello tonnato" veal "tuna aioli" capers rocket olives

Vitello tonnato: poached veal, tuna aioli, Sicilian capers, wild rocket, black olives, Parmigiano Reggiano

I had recently been reading a review on My Kitchen Stories on Café Sopra in Sydney where she tried their vitello tonnato.  So when I saw it on the menu I was keen to try this classic and elegant Italian summer dish for the first time.  It truly was a taste sensation.  The veal was tender and subtly sweet and was topped with big dollops of creamy almost pungent tuna flavoured sauce which contained an astringent hint of capers.  The sauce was definitely the key to this dish’s success.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bali restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Seminyak restaurant reviews" "La Lucciola" Italian Seminyak "roast duck" beetroot watercress "pear crostata"

Roast duck breast, beetroot, watercress, pear crostata

The boy ordered the duck for his entrée which consisted of a moist, juicy duck breast on top of a crisp pear pastry.  It was accompanied with some crunchy peppery watercress, fresh pear and some sweet beetroot.  He was suitably very impressed with his choice.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bali restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Seminyak restaurant reviews" "La Lucciola" Italian Seminyak barramundi fish seafood "celeriac puree" prosciutto

Pan roasted barramundi with Prosciutto, celeriac puree, snow peas, red wine reduction

My main was not nearly as tasty as the veal.  The barramundi was slightly over cooked and lacked that flaky softness I passionately love about this fish. I also felt that wrapping such a delicate fish in prosciutto overpowered the flavours somewhat.  The celeriac purée helped to lift some of this heaviness making the dish still overall quite enjoyable.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bali restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Seminyak restaurant reviews" "La Lucciola" Italian Seminyak "seafood stew" scampi prawns snapper calamari chilli sourdough bruschetta

Seafood stew: scampi, prawns, snapper, calamari, chilli, sourdough bruschetta

According to the Boy this was a very filling dish. It was heartily seasoned and all the seafood was cooked to his liking.  We also ordered some sides: the wild rocket salad with Pecorino Toscano and some roasted golden pumpkin with sliced almonds and balsamic.  The rocket was crisp and fresh with generous shavings of the salty almost nutty flavoured cheese. The pumpkin had the skin removed prior to roasting which is a shame as I think that caramelised chewy part is the best bit!

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bali restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Seminyak restaurant reviews" "La Lucciola" Italian Seminyak dessert pannacotta "berry pannacotta"

Berry pannacotta

The berry pannacotta held good shape despite the heat and didn’t collapse on my plate.  It was delightfully light and silky and it filled the last little spot left in my stomach perfectly.  The Boy ordered the gelato which he felt was fairly standard and nothing to get too excited about.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Bali restaurant reviews" "travel blog" "Seminyak restaurant reviews" "La Lucciola" Italian Seminyak gelato dessert

Gelato: coconut, vanilla bean, strawberry

La Lucciola was our second favourite meal during this Bali trip (compared to Ku De Ta) but if you take into consideration the venue, the price and the service I would say this meal was actually the best.

Travelling to Bali?  Be sure to check out the Lonely Planet Bali and Lombok Travel Guide before you go!

Have you liked my Facebook page?

La Lucciola
Jl. Kayu Aya, Seminyak, Bali 80361, Indonesia | (+62) 361 730 838
  
Price:                     $$$ (Entrée 107-145K Rp, $11-15 AUD, Mains 215-325K Rp, $22-33 incl tax)
Food:                    4.5/5 (they have gluten-free bread!)
Service:                5/5 (faultless, attentive, not obtrusive)
Ambience:           4.5/5 (beautiful beachside setting)
Drinks:                  3/5 (cocktails could be improved)
Total:                     17/20

 

Blue Duck Cafe, Cottesloe

Posted by  | Categories: Breakfast/Brunch, Perth, Restaurants

Back when I first became a partner in my business over six years ago, I was lucky enough to come on board with two other amazing and inspiring people; Chris and Muzz.  Chris still remains in the business today, she is the talented surgeon who recently operated on our darling “son” Rollie the Burmese cat and saved his life. Muzz on the other hand sadly had to leave the partnership a few years ago in order to move overseas with the love of his life.  As fresh, new and super keen incoming partners, we both shared the same vision for the practice and our enthusiasm would infectiously feed off each other’s.  We would spend many of our spare moments and late shifts brain storming and business planning and achieved a lot of growth and development within the business during this time.   We both learnt so much from working together and his departure from the country was a hard knock for all who knew him.  But thankfully best friends are ones that you can go without seeing for many years and then when you eventually cross paths again, you can pick up right where you left off.

As you can imagine, I was so excited to hear that Muzz was making a brief trip back to Australia and couldn’t wait to catch up and share stories.  From the moment we left my house for lunch, until he dropped me back at my front door hours later we did not stop chattering; hearing of each other’s successes, trials and tribulations from over the past three years since we had last seen each other.

The sun was shining gloriously in a clear bright blue sky so in order take the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful Perth coastline we headed over to Cottesloe to the Blue Duck. The view from the restaurant is one I could easily enjoy day after day but having not been to the Blue Duck for a number of years I was surprised that such an iconic restaurant had allowed its interiors to outdate themselves so badly.  I almost got the feeling I was in a upmarket kiosk rather than a restaurant.

"Mixed marinated olives" "perth Restaurant review" "Perth food blog" "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "food blog" Chompchomp "Blue Duck Cafe" "Cotteloe beach" Cottesloe "Perth beaches" "Breakfast" Brunch" "Lunch restaurants"

Mixed marinated olives

Our service was prompt yet friendly and casual. Our waitress for lunch was very bubby and tried to crack little jokes as we placed our orders.  I advised her of my allergies to which she said there was no problems. We wanted to order a couple of nibbles before eating our mains but there were fairly limited gluten free options.   Despite the limited menu, the kitchen was happy to alter the salt and pepper calamari to exclude the flour dusting and coupled with some marinated olives there was ample food for us to start with.

"Salt and Pepper calamari" squid seafood "asian salad" "perth Restaurant review" "Perth food blog" "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "food blog" Chompchomp "Blue Duck Cafe" "Cottesloe beach" Cottesloe "Perth beaches" "Breakfast" Brunch" "Lunch restaurants"

Salt and pepper squid, Asian sprouts, lemongrass, chilli, coriander and lime dressing

The mixed marinated olives were fairly standard fare; in fact they were certainly not bad at all however they in no way could compare to the delicious olives I ate recently with Tara at Pata Negra.  Needless to say we are comparing two very different dining establishments here!  The salt and pepper squid was extremely tender and the Asian salad was sweet, light and quite moreish.

"Slow cooked duck" "duck curry" "Massaman curry" "Thai curry" "roasted peanuts" "kaffir lime scented rice" "perth Restaurant review" "Perth food blog" "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "food blog" Chompchomp "Blue Duck Cafe" "Cottesloe beach" Cottesloe "Perth beaches" "Breakfast" Brunch" "Lunch restaurants"

Slow cooked duck Massaman Thai curry, roasted peanuts, kaffir lime scented rice

I was quite surprised to be told the duck curry was gluten and onion free.  I don’t get to enjoy a lot of curries as they are usually neither of these so I eagerly ordered this one.  Massaman curries are really one of the kings of all Thai curries and manage to cover all those delicious quadrants of flavour you find in Thai food: spicy and sweet, coconuty and sour; all in one curry. It is a relatively easy curry to make taste amazing however although this was a very good it wasn’t quite spicy enough for my liking.  Given it was a stinking hot day outside that was probably a good thing.   Unfortunately I also noted that there was some onion contained in the rice, an oversight that gave me a bit of discomfort later that afternoon.

"Prawn linguini" "garlic tiger prawns" pasta Italian "perth Restaurant review" "Perth food blog" "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "food blog" Chompchomp "Blue Duck Cafe" "Cottesloe beach" Cottesloe "Perth beaches" "Breakfast" Brunch" "Lunch restaurants"

Prawn linguini with garlic tiger prawns, chilli, tomato flesh, wild roquette, organic lemon oil

Muzz’s linguine looked mouth-wateringly good and eyeing it across the table gave me a pang of food envy! I don’t often miss eating pasta on my gluten free diet but this dish sure made me jealous! The only negative feedback I got was that poor Muzz ended up wearing a lot of it on his shirt by the end of lunch!

Thanks to its fabulous ocean views and beach front location Blue Duck café is something of an institution in Perth and will always be somewhere I will return to from time to time.  Compared to some previous experiences, I had a very enjoyable lunch although would have appreciated more attention to detail with my meal so I didn’t suffer consequences from onion ingestion that night.

Blue Duck Café
151 Marine Parade, Cottesloe 6011 | (08) 9385 2499 | www.blueduck.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$ ($16-26 Entrée, $26-39 Mains)
Food:                    2.5/5 (fresh ingredients but need to be more careful with diners with allergies)
Service:                3/5 (friendly and casual)
Ambience:            2.5/5 (awesome view but interior needs urgent work)
Drinks:                  4/5 (WA focused wine list with good range of choices and some well-loved classics)
Total:                     12/20
 

Blue Duck Café on Urbanspoon

Marque, Surry Hills, Sydney

Posted by  | Categories: Degustation/Fine dining, French, Restaurants, Sydney

A very close friend of ours moved away from Perth to the central NSW coast nearly ten years ago to be with the love of her life.  Although Facebook has allowed us to both stay in nearly daily contact, we haven’t cast eyes on each other since she left many years ago.  She is one of those kindred souls that when you are lucky enough to cross paths in life you never want to let them go. There is just one thing about her that we both hate; she has cystic fibrosis.  Not that in the past that ever seemed to stop her living her life to the fullest. She is by far and by large the most positive, brave and strong willed person I know, occasionally to her detriment!  But there is only so much a pair of lungs can take and since the birth of her gorgeous doe-eyed daughter, her lungs have been on a slow and steady decline.  She has been on the transplant list for the better part of a year now and we are all crossing every finger and toe that some beautiful brand new shiny lungs will be on her doorstep soon.

My conference lectures were held at the Sydney University which is conveniently located right next door to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital where my dear friend was currently staying.  The luxury of being able to pop “next door” and see her after lectures was a privilege I didn’t want to waste so I tried to get over there as many times as possible.  After our initial tears of joy in seeing each other for the first time in so long, we easily slipped into our old habits as we joked and laughed the afternoons away. This wasn’t without receiving a few frowns from the surrounding patients in the ward as we are invariably very loud together.

The Boy arrived on the Friday ready for a short weekend city getaway and was able to join me for my last afternoon hangout with her the following day at the Hospital.  It was so sad to say farewell as I had been having such a fabulous time seeing her but I have vowed to myself to not leave it so long between visits.  What better reason to return to Sydney!?!

In a delayed Valentine’s celebration, I had made a reservation several months ago at Marque knowing it to be in San Pellegrino’s World’s 100 Best Restaurants.  Over the years, we have enjoyed visiting a wide range of fine dining establishments all over the world.  Much of this has been prior to the first seed of Chompchomp being planted.  There are some attentions to detail during these experiences that I have come to expect as standard, especially when consider the cost of your meal. One of these details is the execution of unfaultable and impeccable service.  The wait staff should literally gush over their guests and make them feel like royalty. Having this above and beyond approach to customers forms nearly as big a part of the wow factor as does the food and is a vital part of the whole experience.

Dessert "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" Glebe "Sydney food blog" Marque "Mark Best" Degustation "Fine Dining" "Sydney restaurant review" "Surry Hills" "Crown Street"

Upon arrival to Marque we were greeted with just a stern nod by a staff member that the Boy and I later named “The Matron”.  She left us standing in the doorway nearly on top of customer’s tables long enough to be a little uncomfortable.  We were ushered to our seats after a brief delay and started to take in the atmosphere, or lack of it.  The dining room felt fairly barren and clinical however I tried to look past this detail as I have found some incredible restaurants where the dining room is very simple and basic. For example Restaurant Amuse; where each of my three visits has left me completely awestruck with the fabulous experience.

I started the night off with the only type of Champagne available by the glass; some René Geoffroy Purete Brut which was quite vibrant and crisp with a dry finish.  The perfect way to start a meal! Our amuse bouche looked a bit like a clam shell and consisted of two truffled potato crisps with bonito and foie gras inside.  Unfortunately as I was trying to photograph it I was sternly told off by The Matron like a naughty little school child that there is to be no flash photography.  Consequently my photos for the evening are nothing short of horrendous – I am so sorry dear readers!  (For the full album see my Flickr account.)  Now I understand that some customers may find a flash disrupting to their meal and accept this request is totally reasonable.  However for the remaining duration of the evening on several occasions I caught “The Matron” giving me disapproving looks across the dining room.  This made for a fairly unpleasant vibe. To add to this the remainder of the wait staff were cold and almost snooty giving an air of pretension that in no way added to the experience.

The sommelier of the night was the only exception to the team and I was drawn to a heightened level of excitement for each wine he introduced as he described it and why it complements the food so eloquently.

"Almond jelly" "Blue swimmer crab" crab seafood "sweet corn" avruga "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" Glebe "Sydney food blog" Marque "Mark Best" Degustation "Fine Dining" "Sydney restaurant review" "Surry Hills" "Crown Street"

Almond Jelly with Blue Swimmer Crab, Almond Gazpacho, Sweet Corn and Avruga (Matched with 2010 Stift Goettweig ‘Goettweiger Berg’ Gruner Veltliner, Kremstal, Austria)

This first course dish was quite amazing having quite distinct separate layers of flavours almost like you get with some macarons! The initial strong flavours of the soft crab were lifted by a layer of light almond foam, progressing on the palate to the salty fresh sea taste of the avruga and ending with the sweeter butter popcorn aftertaste.  Magic!  The wine was matched beautifully (as were all the wines of the evening) and its oily aftertaste lingering on the palate with the corn flavours was divine.

Marron Seafood Degustation "Fine Dining" Tomato leaf "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" Glebe "Sydney food blog" Marque "Mark Best" "Sydney restaurant review" "Surry Hills" "Crown Street"

Marron with Tomato and Tomato Leaf (Matched with 2010 Wanted Man, Marsanne – Viognier, Heathcote, Vic)

The marron course was the Boys favourite.  The marron was so tender and was lightly dusted with tomato dust.  Each dollop of accompaniments on the plate were absolute delights in their own right and individually married with a morsel of marron to create its own little world of taste sensation spanning from dulcet sweet to buttery and ending with an acidic tomato flavour.

"Wagyu beef" "Dill cucumber" mustard Degustation "Fine Dining" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" Glebe "Sydney food blog" Marque "Mark Best" "Sydney restaurant review" "Surry Hills" "Crown Street"

Blackmore Grain Fed Wagyu with Dill Cucumber, Mustard, Garlic and Pickle Water (Matched with 2007 Zaccagnini ‘Chronicon’ Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Abruzzo, Italy)

The Wagyu was marbled perfectly and was accompanied with tiny little pencil thin dill cucumbers which were sliced into miniature little medallions packed with a zing.  Following on from the beef was the Dutch Cream Potatoes with Bone Marrow, Sea Urchin, and Coffee.  (It was matched with 2008 Heymann-Lӧwenstein ‘Schieferterrassen’ Riesling, Mosel, Germany.)   This was one of our waiter’s favourite dishes.  These potatoes were a hearty delight and made me wish the Boy’s mum (who is Dutch) would serve them at our next family dinner!  They were so smooth and delectable!

"Bass grouper" fish seafood "Brown butter" "Finger lime" lardo Degustation "Fine Dining" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" Glebe "Sydney food blog" Marque "Mark Best" "Sydney restaurant review" "Surry Hills" "Crown Street"

Bass Grouper with Brown Butter, Finger Lime, Spinach and Lardo (Matched with 2009 Jean Marc Burgaud Réserve ‘Cote du Py’ Gamay, Morgon, France)

In the aftermath of the delicious potatoes, the grouper didn’t excite either of us much at all.  Although it looked quite attractive on the plate, but it was fairly bland and was made even less inspiring by the following duck egg dish which was outstanding.

"duck egg" cherry "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" Glebe "Sydney food blog" Marque Degustation "Fine Dining" "Mark Best" "Sydney restaurant review" "Surry Hills" "Crown Street"

Smoked Duck Egg with Charred Cherry, Pepper without Leek ash (Matched with 2008 Bilancia, Syrah – Viognier, Hawke’s Bay, N.Z.)

Wow. This was my favourite dish of the night by far. The smokey duck egg combined with tart sour cherries was out of this world.  My egg wasn’t dusted in the leek ash due to my onion intolerance but the boy said this addition made it even more sumptuous.  This course was served with home-baked bread to lash smatterings of duck liver onto.

"Duck liver" "sea blight" quinoa "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" Glebe "Sydney food blog" Marque "Mark Best" Degustation "Fine Dining" "Sydney restaurant review" "Surry Hills" "Crown Street"

Duck Liver with Sea Blight and Quinoa

Unfortunately for me, despite making our dinner reservation no less than five months in advance there was no gluten-free bread option to offer me.  I think this would probably have to be one of the first fine dining establishments that this has happened to me since my diagnosis 3 years ago.  I couldn’t hide my disappointment watching the Boy eagerly smear his liver onto his own hot steaming bread.

Brunet cheese "goats cheese" mushroom "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" Glebe "Sydney food blog" Marque "Mark Best" Degustation "Fine Dining" "Sydney restaurant review" "Surry Hills" "Crown Street"

Brunet with Button Mushroom, Orange & Cocoa (optional course) (Matched with 2009 Laurent Tribut, Chardonnay, Chablis, France)

I had not tried Brunet before and given I love goat’s cheese I was excited to try it. Similar to many goats cheese, it was quite tangy and lemony, with sour cream notes, but also with some earthy depth to it.  It was topped with tiny slivers of raw velvety mushroom.

Beetberries dessert quark blueberries "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" Glebe "Sydney food blog" Marque "Mark Best" Degustation "Fine Dining" "Sydney restaurant review" "Surry Hills" "Crown Street"

Beetberries with Liquorice, Quark and blueberries (Matched with 2011 Fruits of the Vine ‘Le Grenahce et son Frère’ Grenache…, Barossa Valley)

The first dessert course was right up my alley of dessert styles; there is something about combining sweet yet piquant berry flavours with contrasting tangy yoghurt tastes that really hits the spot for me.

Chocolate malt banana coffee "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" Glebe "Sydney food blog" Marque "Mark Best" Degustation "Fine Dining" "Sydney restaurant review" "Surry Hills" "Crown Street"

Chocolate with Malt, Banana, Coffee and parsley Matched with Seppeltsfield ‘Tokay Cellar N6’ Muscadelle, Rutherglen, VIC

The second dessert course was different for us both and unfortunately I was only given a menu for the courses served to the whole restaurant not with my variations (unlike at Amber in Hong Kong where we each got our own copy ready printed in an embossed folder…..).  The Boy doesn’t recall much about his as by this point understandably, all the courses start to blur together a little for him.

"Sauternes Custard" dessert "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" Glebe "Sydney food blog" Marque "Mark Best" Degustation "Fine Dining" "Sydney restaurant review" "Surry Hills" "Crown Street"

Sauternes Custard

The night ended on Mark Best’s Signature Sauternes custard.  I had read a number of amazing recounts of this dessert and was keen to see if it lived up to the hype. Despite all the food in our bellies we both struggled to hold ourselves back from gobbling this down greedily.  It was served in an egg-shell with the top precisely cut off at a neat and sharp angle.  I almost thought it was a fake egg-shell until I saw the Boy accidentally crack his as he eagerly spooned out the delicious silky custard. Before I could even giggle and comment I broke mine too!

Unfortunately for Mark, visitors to his restaurant are going to continue walk away underwhelmed if he is unable to obtain staff with the right attitude to serve his customers in the front of house.  Despite most of the dishes being quite outstanding certainly not all were so, and when coupled with the lack of personalised service and cold attitudes Marque would not be somewhere I would be keen to return to in a hurry.  I have since spoken to two of my relatives who live in Sydney and after dining at Marque twice have formed similar impressions to me each time. Sadly, I walked away disappointed especially as I thought it would be the highlight of my time in Sydney.  On a much brighter note, it turns out hanging out with my pal in the Respiratory ward of RPA took first place as the most wonderful experience in a long time. By several miles. (Totes smoop, love ya Garnet Girl xx….)

Check out my other Sydney posts

Marque
355 Crown Street, Surry Hills, 2010 | (02) 9332 2225 | www.marquerestaurant.com.au
 
Price:               $$$$ (Degustation $150 excluding cheese course, extra $85 for matched wine)
Food:                4/5  (definitely some winners here but some that were just ok)
Service:           2/5    (for this calibre of restaurant I expect much more)
Ambience:      2.5/5 (stark and uninviting)
Drinks:           5/5    (my first 5 in some time – matched wines were exceptional – kudos to the sommellier)
Total:             13.5/20
 
 Marque on Urbanspoon

Mexican Madness II A tale of two restaurants: That Little Mexican Place

Posted by  | Categories: Desserts, Mexican, Perth, Restaurants

Part One | Part Two

My sister’s impromptu and random visit to Perth for New Year’s seemed to keep getting extended longer and longer.  Surely she has a job back in Melbourne to return to?  My sister and I had partied fairly hard and fast for five days straight leaving us both a bit scattered and sleep deprived.  At the end point of all this, both the boy and I had to return to work whilst my sis remained on her indefinite holiday.

The problem is when you are of one of the only poor souls who have to return to work whilst being surrounded by those still in holiday mood; you completely lose your chance to chip away at your own personal sleep debt.  Eventually you may find you get a second wind of energy (or be it a third wind, or in this case – I actually think I lost track of the number).  The boy had matters made even worse for him by missing out on most of it after contracting a gastro bug that floored him for over five days.

After my literally scorching experience at Pancho’s, I really wanted to redeem Mexican cuisine for myself. Remaining local, we strolled down to the Broken Hill Hotel for a few pre-dinner drinks before heading to That Little Mexican Place.  Immediately, the differences to the mainstream Pancho’s became glaringly apparent to me.  Although TLMP was similarly filled to capacity, there was no fluoro paint on blackboards, there were no glowing happy hour cocktails, and there was most definitely no cheesy 80’s music playing.  Instead we were greeted by a cosy and sublime vibe that left you feeling like you had stumbled upon one of Perth’s best kept little secrets.  TLMP’s humble beginnings started with their tiny restaurant opening over on Fitzgerald Street in North Perth and in more recent years they have expanded over to the south into Vic Park.  The owners have spent some time travelling around Mexico where they ate their way around the country to eventually return back to Perth bringing all the flavours and ideas back with them.

Being BYO, we stopped by the Broken Hill bottle shop and bought a bottle of West Cape Howe 2010 “Styx Gully” Chardonnay.  I thought this subtly oaked wine produced by one my favourite wineries from the Great Southern region was sure to satisfy my sister’s palate but I was informed it was too fruity for her liking.  I thought the citrus was as subtle as the oak but I’m no wine expert and everyone palate is different.

Service was bubbly and helpful with the waitress returning from the kitchen with a whole list of dishes suitable for our no gluten and no onion requirements.  I was actually quite impressed with the amount of choice we had with ordering as the waitress explained that they make most of their dishes fresh.

Their guacamole is made fresh “a la mesa” (at your tableside) and is served with house made tortilla chips.  Serving tableside always reminds me of Hell’s Kitchen – Chef Ramsey is a keen fan of this however our waitress looked much more relaxed in front of us compared to Ramsey’s contestants in his show!  This guacamole was exceedingly better than that at Pancho’s, the serving was about three times the size and it was seasoned perfectly.  Even better still, I received no oil burns or other injuries whilst eating it! (TLMP $16 compared to Pancho’s $15)

Pork Taquitos "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "That Little Mexican Place" "Victoria Park" Mexican

Taquitos de Puerco

For entrée we ordered three dishes to share amongst the four of us in addition to the guacamole.  The taquitos de Puerco was described as two crispy rolled tacos filled with shredded pork and topped with melted cheese and guacamole.  Rather than drenching the crunchy little rolls in cheese and making them soggy, there was just an elegant drizzle and the taco was as crispy as a corn chip but wafer thin.

Tamal Duck "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "That Little Mexican Place" "Victoria Park" Mexican

Tamal de pato

Tamales are a traditional Latin American dish made of “masa” which is a starchy type of dough that is steamed or boiled wrapped up in a leaf wrapper which is then discarded before eating.  Tamales are often filled with a variety of things such as meat, cheese, fruit or vegetables.  TLMP’s tamale was made with a duck confit dressed with an orange and chipotle salsa.  This dish had a lot of warm in it due to the chipotle salsa which was strengthened by the acidity of the citrus.  Very tasty.

Taco "nopal" "cactus tacos""Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "That Little Mexican Place" "Victoria Park" Mexican

Taco de nopal

We all got quite excited about the cactus tacos which escalated when we saw it was on the list of foods we could order!  Despite all of us having a fair amount of travel under our belts – none of us had tried cactus before.  These tacos were made using “nopales” which are from the fleshy pad like part of the prickly pear.  They are a common feature in Mexican cuisine where they are farmed commercially.  It was prepared with portabella mushrooms, a popular way to serve them, however I did find that the mushroom taste overpowered the flavour of the cactus.  Not that I’m complaining – I absolutely love mushrooms – but I would have liked to be able to identify the flavours of the cactus.  They are supposed to taste like a tarty version of green beans however our dish ended up with quite a mild and nutty flavour (possibly from the mushrooms).  I will have to go back and try them again!

Prawns "sizzling prawns" "Camarones al la diabla" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "That Little Mexican Place" "Victoria Park" Mexican

Camarones al la diabla (prawns cooked with achiote and cayenne, served sizzling)

Continuing in my desire to establish a fair comparison of TLMP to Pancho’s, we ordered the sizzling prawns.  Remember my experience back at Pancho’s?  Think soggy vegetables, stale oil and defrosted seafood dripping in slop?  Thankfully, as with rest of our dining experience at TLMP, this dish was a winner.  The vibrant colouring of the achiote paste also gave this dish a very distinct flavour.  The combination of spices produced a fair bit of heat which the boy doesn’t tolerate well and I looked over to see the familiar sight of him poking his tongue out in attempts to cool his mouth down!  (Sizzling prawns: TLMP $22, Pancho’s $27)

"That Little Mexican Place" Mexican "Lamb shank" "Victoria Park" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption"

Barbacoa de cordero vástago (Lamb shank smoked then braised with chipotle and tomato)

Lamb shank dishes are nearly invariably off the menu for a fructose malabsorber due to the presence of onion contained in most stocks.  So when we saw that the shanks also featured on our list of acceptable dishes – there was minimal discussion, it was a done deal. It was a very good choice.  The meat fell off the bone easily and was exceedingly tender.

"That Little Mexican Place" Mexican "Victoria Park" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "gluten free" "fructose malabsorption" "Enchilada de Queso" "Chevre cheese" "jack cheese" "feta cheese" "corn tortillas"

Enchilada de Queso (Chevre, jack and mild feta cheese, rolled into corn tortillas and baked with salsa asada)

The triple cheese enchiladas were a bit of a naughty treat ordered due to our interest in jack cheese as this was another thing we hadn’t tried.  Despite all the cheese, this dish was surprisingly not too oily or fatty.  Because all the cheese melted into one, once again I found it difficult to place the taste of the jack cheese alone.  Another excuse for a return visit I guess!

Fish "ceviche" mango "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "That Little Mexican Place" "Victoria Park" Mexican

Ceviche de pescado (fish cured in citrus with mango, tomato, red onion and coriander)

The ceviche was my least favourite dish of the evening.  After experiencing such amazing spices and flavours contained in the other dishes we had ordered, delicate fish with sweet mango was simply overpowered by all the other excitement on my palate.

"Berry pannacotta" dessert "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "That Little Mexican Place" "Victoria Park" Mexican

Berry pannacotta

All the authentic Mexican desserts on the menu were not gluten free so reluctantly I had to order the only option which was the berry pannacotta.  It was delicious but it wasn’t the right shape or texture for a pannacotta.  I wish churros were gluten free!

By contrasting my two dining experiences at Pancho’s and That Little Mexican Place, I appreciate that I may appear to some to be comparing apples with oranges, or chalk and cheese; but here is a little piece of advice for those who believe they are happily sacrificing quality in the manner of a cheap night out at Pancho’s, you may be very mistaken.   When comparing simple dishes like the guacamole and the sizzling prawns, TLMP won the fight hands down on both taste AND price.  I guarantee I won’t return to Pancho’s again, but I certain my curiosity will drag me back to That Little Mexican Place.  And probably more than once!

Price:           $$$     ($12-18 Entrée, $17-26 Mains)
Food:           4/5     (a distinct lack of slops and sour cream)
Service:       4/5      (very accommodating )
Ambience:  3.5/5  (a packed restaurant gives good vibe)
Drinks:        4/5    (you can BYO your tequila and they make margaritas for you!)
Total:          15.5/20
 
 
That Little Mexican Place | http://www.tlmp.com.au
279 Albany Highway, Victoria Park | (08) 9472 0767
382 Fitzgerald Street, North Perth | (08) 9227 5755

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Fraser's Restaurant, King's Park

Posted by  | Categories: Degustation/Fine dining, Perth, Restaurants

My sister has never been known for her punctuality.  That’s not to say I’m an expert in such matters myself however she does tend to take it to the next level.  I guess I wasn’t considering this fact when I decided it was a great idea to book an elegant dinner at Fraser’s for the boy and myself, my sister, Dad and our stepmum for the very next day after our Engagement party.  We had spent the bulk of the day nursing sore heads and rumbling tummies and feeling the foggy effects of overindulgence and sleep deprivation.  So when I saw it was only thirty minutes before our departure time and that she still had not started to get ready for our special dinner I prepared myself again for a late arrival.  Surprisingly she managed to get beautified in a whirlwind of hair straighteners and outfit changes for us to arrive an acceptable 20 minutes late.  A record for us as a team I’m sure and it makes me wonder why it normally takes her three and a half hours to get ready?!?

My stepmum has never been to Perth before so I wanted to show her the fabulous view of the city at night from King’s Park.  Fraser’s offers spectacular views from the restaurant and it seemed like a logical choice.  If you exclude a couple of veterinary functions sponsored by drug companies I haven’t actually eaten here in the restaurant before.  Such events generally involve far too much wine and networking for the food to even make a mention.

When we arrived at the Duxton for a few pre-dinner drinks, I was relieved to see the little blue bag containing our shiny gift from Tiffany’s had made the journey from The George where it was initially given to us both as our engagement gift, then returned back to their hotel room for the night only to be handed over to us a second time but in a much more sober fashion.  As I pulled it out of its box I couldn’t help but admire its shininess.  It is a classic Tiffany’s style silver frame which we shall be placing one of the many gorgeous shots of us as a newly engaged couple from the memorable night.

For the duration of our evening, we were all blown away with the high quality of service.  Our waiter for the evening named Justin went above and beyond his call of duty to ensure that our every whim was accommodated for.  This flexibility and can-do attitude carried right through to the kitchen where the chef Chris Taylor and his team were more than happy to alter dishes and suggest alternative options for us rather than just omitting sauces or key ingredients and serving us half of the intended dish. (See my next review on Clarence’s for a comparison!)

House made Gluten free bread $14 a serve!!

Justin informed us that the chef makes his own gluten-free bread on the premises and recommended we try a couple of serves.  It was accompanied by some Baba ghanoush topped with a sprinkling of Dukkah and some fresh butter.   It was grainy bread with good texture – poorly made gluten-free bread can turn out very crumbly like cake or worse still very heavy and stodgy like a rock.  This bread had just the right balance of flours to create normal bread-like consistency and was matched well with the Baba ghanoush.  The only downside which we discovered at the end of the meal was it cost $14 per serve!  We got two serves!!

For entrée my sister and I ordered the Grilled WA rock lobster which was served the only way lobster should be; simply with lemon butter.  Lobster is one of my favourite seafood creatures to eat, and its unique sweet flavour is often spoilt by complex creamy sauces and heavy cheese.  This time round it was fresh and cooked just to perfection, the meat easily tearing delicately away out of its shell and into my mouth!

Sashimi of Tasmanian salmon, Bluefin tuna, hiramasa kingfish, soy pickled ginger wasabi

The boy is a huge sashimi and sushi fan.  He has been known to journey over to Kailis Bros Fish Market in Leederville, bypass all the little packets of pre-prepared sashimi cuts of fish and buy a big chunk of tuna and an even bigger chunk of salmon and proudly carve it up at home for us to eat.  The sashimi he ordered was brightly coloured and soft and the size of his serve was reasonable given the location and the price.  I did think the Fraser’s card on the top of the dish was a little touristy and tacky however.

Crispy fried Soft shelled crab with cumin salt and ginger dipping sauce

My Dad wanted the “Soft crab shell” as he called it (we were all still a little exhausted from the night of fun last night) which was only available as part of the tasting plate of the day.   Once again the kitchen was very accommodating and was happy to offer this separately as an entrée sized meal.  Such an easy task for a kitchen to do yet this is often something that is refused to customers as chefs allow themselves to become nothing more than a line cook preparing meals without alterations.  Having eaten his way around the world hundreds of times over the past years, my French-born father is a natural food critic.  He was impressed with the amount of meat on the crab and seemed to enjoy it thoroughly.

Chilled asparagus soup with manna crab and asparagus salad

My stepmum ordered the crab soup which was vibrantly coloured, thick and creamy.   Despite all of us commenting our appetites were a little depressed from the evening prior we all managed to gobble up our entrees without complaint ready for our mains.

Roast duck breast and confit sausage with brandy butter jus (normally served with pistachio beetroot jus)

For mains I ordered the duck which is originally served with a beetroot jus.  As with most jus, there was onion contained in the stock so it was not suitable for me or my sister.  To our delight this was no problem to our chef who created delicious gluten-free, onion-free brandy butter jus to pour over the duck instead.  Both my sister and the boy also ordered the duck and commented to me that a few of their pieces were a little overcooked and dry.  I must have been the lucky one at the table as every piece of my duck was juicy and scrumptious and I could not complain.

Rocket pear and parmesan salad with chardonnay vinegar dressing, Salt roast potatoes, Local new season white and green asparagus, rocket parmesan and pinenuts

Our side dishes were fairly standard and unexciting except for the salt roasted potatoes which looked a little bit like the eggs from the movie Aliens but they tasted absolutely divine.  As we watched the smoke from a bushfire roll in over the city like a blanket we all started to infect each other with our yawns.  We realised just how exhausted we all were and skipped ordering dessert to head home for some well-earned rest.

In my sleepy content state I foolishly left the little blue bag behind at the restaurant and didn’t realise this until the boy shouted as we drove off in the cab: “The Tiffany’s present!!!”  My heart literally jumped into my throat and I was completely awake in a second!  Before the boy had even managed to jump out of the cab; lo and behold we see Justin our waiter running toward us clutching our treasure in his hand.  This gesture just clinched the deal that I’m happy to say this is the best customer service we have received in Perth for a long time!  My opinions of Fraser’s have been completely turned around from previously feeling it may be a bit of an overpriced tourist trap to now understanding that you simply get what you pay for.  I look forward to our return; we just might have to save up for a while!

Score Food 8.7/10 Service 9.5/10 Venue 8.6/10

Fraser’s Restaurant
Fraser Avenue, King’s Park, Perth 6005 | (08) 9481 7100 | frasersrestaurant.com.au
 
 

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Dusit Thai, Northbridge

Posted by  | Categories: Featured, Perth, Restaurants, Thai

The excitement for the upcoming engagement party is escalating.  The bubbling began at work with our girlie chitter chatter of our personal shopping expeditions for outfits of which some of us had success in our searches but for others it was still a work in progress.  As team work is such a vital element of a well-run veterinary practice we are all quite close friends and any social outing sparks a lot of enthusiasm and animated conversations among us all.  This level of excitement has further risen up a notch with the arrival of my darling mother early this week.  My Mum is the type of person you will immediately love from the first moment you meet her – even my beauty therapists go on about what a gorgeous person she is!  With the early arrival of my sister tomorrow, the three of us decided to pop out for a light meal and the perfect cuisine to fit the bill for this was some delicious Thai!

Dusit Thai is something of an institution in Perth and has been open since 1988.  The atmosphere in the restaurant is effortless and comfortable, and its spacious size means it’s never hard to get a table.  Having eaten here many times on business dinners I figured it would be a sure-fire way to have an enjoyable and quick meal with my love and my Mum. This would allow us to enjoy our last quiet evening together before the festivities really start to kick in.

Dusit Thai is not the cheapest of Thai restaurants in Perth but I have found they reliably serve delicious meals no matter what I choose to order.  They are very flexible with adapting their dishes and have always ensured to make an effort to avoid specific ingredients for me which reveals to me just how fresh each meal that is served is.  Prior to our travels to Thailand I created an eating card with my special dietary requirements for gluten-free and fructose friendly written clearly in Thai on one side of the card and in English on the other side.  Every time we dined out in Thailand I would show this cute little card to our waitress where it would then proceed to do the round trip from my hand via several waitresses to the kitchen and back to the table.  Often it would actually make two trips as all the staff would eagerly want to make sure that I have no problems with my meal.  Unfortunately I have to admit that back in Australia; even in Thai restaurants this well-travelled little card hasn’t received such glorified attention.  Consequently, it was to my delight that on this night I was reminded of its tour of duty in Thailand as it was escorted on a similar round trip around the restaurant to the kitchen before returning back to me.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Dusit Thai" Northbridge Thai "Tom Yum" soup seafood

Tom Yum Goong (with mixed seafood)

The waitresses were genuinely helpful in discussing our choice of dishes for the evening and the chef appeared very flexible in attempting to accommodate my requests whenever he could.  We started with my latest Thai favourite; some mixed seafood Tom Yum.  This delicious clear spicy and sour soup is such a refreshing way to begin a meal, and if you’re not actually that hungry is enough for a light meal on its own.  To my great disappointment, prior to the soup being served our lovely waitress came back to inform me that there actually is a lot of onion used in the stock for the soup.   I was recommended to order chicken satay instead.   I cannot deny my internal reaction to this was “how boring” but seeing as they had already gone to such great lengths to help me order the rest of the evening’s meals I decided I didn’t want to make any more fuss and just went along with her recommendation.

"Chicken satay" "cucumber relish" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Dusit Thai" Northbridge Thai "satay chicken"

Chicken satay with cucumber relish

The Tom Yum was requested to be served mild because both the boy and Mum have delicate palates when it comes to hot and spicy food.  Despite this request they both found the soup to be too spicy, so for those who do not like heat in their food I recommend that you make sure to emphasize to your waitress that you want your soup very mild.  I had a little taste of the seafood contained in the boy’s soup.  As I watched him struggle through the spiciness I became quite jealous as I really enjoyed its tangy sourness and wished I could finish it off for them both.   I did notice the soup lacked the rich colour I would expect for Tom Yum however the seafood was soft and not chewy or overcooked.   The satay was a delicious surprise.  The chicken was juicy and tender, the peanut sauce thick and creamy and the ajat (cucumber relish) took me back to Thailand!  Many restaurants here in Perth don’t serve their satay dishes with this traditional yet elegant condiment made from palm sauce, cucumber and coriander.  Yum!

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Dusit Thai" Northbridge Thai Duck "Duck larb" "Larb ped"

Larb ped (minced roast duck mixed with chilli powder, lemon juice and grounded herbs & roasted rice served with fresh vegetables

The duck larb was a tasty alternative to the more commonly served chicken and fortunately for me the kitchen had no issues omitting onion out of this dish.  The little pocket rockets of baby chillies packed a fierce punch, but if omitted they allowed this dish to be eaten by my two companions with comfort.  I must admit accidentally shovelling two of the crispy numbers into my mouth at once did temporarily take me out of my comfort range!

The stuffed squid is a dish I have eaten here before, unfortunately on this night I felt this wasn’t the dish served at its best.  There wasn’t anything overtly wrong with it, it was present beautifully, and the squid was not rubbery but the stuffing just didn’t quite have the flavour I recall enjoying so much in the past.

"Basil beef" "Phat ka-pow" "chilli beef basil" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Dusit Thai" Northbridge Thai

Phat ka-pow (chilli beef basil)

The beef basil was cooked medium rare leaving the meat tender and succulent.   It also contained large pieces of chillies meaning it could be spiced up or down depending on your preference.  I double dosed on these babies without much trouble.  The stir fried vegetables were the most uninteresting of the dishes and were cooked simply with some oyster sauce. The generous addition of enoki mushrooms saved this dish as some of the other vegetables were slightly undercooked.  I enjoy crunchy vegies but not quite that crunchy.

"Phat pak" "green vegetable" "enoki mushrooms" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Dusit Thai" Northbridge Thai

Phat pak (Stir fried mixed green vegetables with enoki mushrooms)

Overall, I never walk away from Dusit Thai disappointed and I know I’ll be back.

Score:  Food 7.8/10  Service 8.5/10  Venue 7/10

Dusit Thai
249 James Street, Northbridge, 6003 | (08) 9328 7647 | http://dusitthai.com.au/

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Phu Pho Vietnamese Rice and Noodle House, Victoria Park

Posted by  | Categories: Perth, Restaurants, Vietnamese

It’s only one week until our engagement party!  And even better still nearly everyone is coming!  My Mum is travelling over from Adelaide and my sister is flying in from Melbourne.   I am actually originally from the Eastern states but I have lived over here for seventeen years with a few years also in London.  During my time in sunny Perth my Dad and Step mum have not been able to attend any of my little life milestones – not my 18th, my 21st, my University graduation or even my 30th birthday.  So you can imagine my delight when they told me without hesitation that they are both flying over for our engagement party!  To top it all off; my estranged best friend who has lived up in Dongara for far too long has decided to take the plunge and move down to Perth to live with her boyfriend.  This means two of my gorgeous bridesmaids will both be in Perth for all the wedding planning and festivities!

To celebrate her arrival in Perth and also to celebrate her birthday which was earlier in the week, we all decided to have a little night out down on the local strip in Vic Park.  Unfortunately for me I had a busy day planned at work the next day so it wasn’t going to be a crazy night.  It was such a beautiful evening so the boy and I decided we would walk down instead of driving.  I work in a very busy Veterinary Hospital and I was still really wound up from an absolutely insane day.  The day had been a stressful yet very rewarding as we were flooded with a string of critical emergencies cases all of which we managed to save!  This left me on a bit of a giddy high so we held hands, talked and strolled in the setting sunlight down to Albany Highway.

We all met at The Publican for few pre-dinner drinks.  The crowd was a bit older than we normally expect to see on a Friday night and there was a one man band playing music that would have been better suited on the Love Boat.  Good company has a way of improving things so despite the horrendous tunes we stayed for a few rounds and chatted away about how she is settling into the city lifestyle and about the upcoming engagement party outfits.

We moved on from The Publican and started walking down Albany Highway looking for somewhere to eat.  We were drawn into the Vietnamese restaurant Phu Pho which unlike the other neighbouring bare and brightly lit Asian restaurants had inviting soft lighting and modern interiors.  Although my last visit to the Park was also for Vietnamese I figured maybe this may be a way to do a bit of a comparison of the popular To To’s versus Phu Pho.

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Beef fresh rice paper rolls

We were greeted with lots of smiles from all the staff – they were all lovely and very polite. I remember similar treatment when we ordered some take out from here recently.  Service was prompt although it took a little explaining for them to understand what gluten was which always makes me a little nervous.  We started with the obligatory Vietnamese fresh rice paper rolls.  I cannot imagine a Vietnamese meal without them.  We ordered grilled beef rolls and the combination rolls with prawn, pork and omelette.  The rolls were presented on their own on the plate – no fuss and no garnish.  They were made filled to capacity and were so fat it was nearly a struggle to open my mouth wide enough to fit them in.  The combination rolls were fairly standard fare, and I also felt the dipping sauce was a little too mild and bland.  The beef rolls were tastier than the combination rolls; the beef tasted like it had some marinade to improve flavour.

For mains we ordered four dishes all to share.  Learning from my bestie’s boyfriend that crispy duck is actually flourless therefore hopefully gluten-free, we ordered some duck accompanied with Chinese mushrooms.  The duck was very meaty and not covered in fat, but it wasn’t served hot enough and could do with some extra crisp in the skin.  The mushrooms were a delicious addition to the dish which would have been less enjoyable without them.

"Phu Pho" "Victoria Park" Vietnamese "sizzling beef" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption"

Sizzling Mongolian Beef

The sizzling Mongolian beef was quite tasty although once again I forgot to ask for no onions.  There was much less onions to negotiate compared to To To’s so it wasn’t really a problem for me.  Better still the dish wasn’t just meat and onions (like To To’s) and actually had a range of other crunchy vegetables included.  Again I felt this dish could have been made spicier – in hindsight I should have asked for some extra chilli on the side as the boy can’t tolerate too much chilli.

prawn tamarind "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" Chompchomp "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Phu Pho" Vietnamese "Victoria Park"

Tamarind King Prawn

The Tamarind king prawn was the best dish of the evening.  You are probably thinking I’m turning into a tamarind addict and you may very well be right.  I blame Thailand and all her delicious tamarind dishes we have enjoyed for creating this new obsession to add to my growing list.

Finally to add some green to our meal we had the Sambal with garlic and oyster sauce.  Although this dish was served with a lot of garlic, it wasn’t overpowering and made the perfect light addition to the rest of our more heavy dishes.

Overall in comparison to the other week at To To’s, I feel the food here was much more flavoursome.  I also preferred that their meat dishes included some vegetables other than just onions.  Only the rice paper rolls were not quite as good.  Nevertheless if I had to pick between the two restaurants I think would return to Phu Pho.

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

Phu Pho Vietnamese Rice and Noodle House
800 Albany Highway, East Victoria Park | (08) 9361 2139

 

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Andara Resort & Villas, Phuket & choosing our Wedding Venue

Posted by  | Categories: Accommodation, Featured, Hotels, Luxury, Resorts, Restaurants, Thai, Thailand, Travel, Wedding

I cannot believe we are back in Thailand already!  It was only about three months ago we arrived in Phuket for the first time to celebrate our dear friend’s wedding and yet here we are again.  But better still this time we are here to start planning our own wedding!  So exciting!  We were both so amped to start the hunt for our venue and after our interesting culinary experiences at the Patong night markets last night we were also pretty keen to enjoy some more traditional Thai food!

I am a bit of an organisational freak – I gain great pleasure in planning things down to the finite detail. So in my preparation for our wedding venue search I had spent hour upon hour back home in Perth trawling over the internet to ensuring we would to check out every perceivable suitable wedding location in Phuket.  After numerous emails I managed to whittle my ridiculously long list down to a much more manageable eight resorts.

Our first stop was Andara Resort in Kamala.  I was really attracted to the idea of staying in Kamala as there are a lot of little restaurants and bars all within walking distance from each other.  A full spectrum of accommodation options can be found ranging from the exquisite Andara Resort and Villas to the much more economical and family orientated Courtyard Marriott Resort that we were staying in this time round.  In addition to this it is much more family friendly than the madness of Patong and a fair bit cleaner as well!

Andara Resort sits up on the hillside towards the southern end of Kamala beach overlooking the blue expanse of the Andaman Sea.  Immediately upon entering their luxurious lobby we both felt a really good vibe and looking about the place it just felt very “us” which was very good start. We were promptly greeted by the resort wedding planner Mod.  She initially sat us down to show us some photos of a few weddings set up around the resort pool and also in their spectacular villas. Having seen many of these stunning photos previously in her emails I was impatient to view the property and was hoping that it wasn’t going to disappoint.

In some ways, it was kind of shame that we both fell in love with the very first venue that we looked at as over the course of the next week we found the majority of other locations we visited just simply didn’t compare.  Not even close!  There were only two other locations we saw that could begin to match up to Andara’s beauty – Trisara in the far north of the island, and the very expensive Amanpuri.

Andata Resort and Villas – photo courtesy of Mod at Andara

The villa that Mod recommended as her favourite for us to have our wedding ceremony sits high on the edge of the cliff and is built over three levels giving every room incredible views of the sea. No detail is left untouched throughout the villa with exquisitely appointed interior design using natural dark wood and warm Thai silks to create a beautiful wow factor throughout. She said they could arrange a platform to be placed in the infinity pool allowing us to say our vows with uninterrupted views of the bay as our backdrop!  Imagine that!  Saying our vows with views like this will be breathtaking!

Mod’s beaming pride as she watched us appreciate the beauty of the resort shone through as she took us on a detailed tour of the whole resort, showing us their world class, icy cool air-conditioned gym (which rivals my university gym back at home) and the enormous and elegantly appointed spa which included a whole level of rooms for the bridal party to beautify.  We then ended the tour in their popular restaurant Silk overlooking their spacious pool deck.

Tasting plate: fish cakes, prawns in noodle, chicken in pandanus leaves and fresh spring roll

After our detailed tour, we were then treated to a complimentary four course Thai lunch where the chef’s had carefully prepared Thai dishes taking into consideration both my fructose malabsorption and gluten intolerance. Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos of this lovely meal as Mod, the boy and I were busy engaged in lengthy conversation talking about further details in which Andara could provide us with an amazing wedding. Highlights of our lunch included Goong cinnamon (Cinnamon prawn – to die for!), Tom yam soup and absolutely huge Tiger prawns cooked in garlic and pepper and presented gorgeously.

To help us to make our decision we headed back to Andara for dinner on one of our final nights in Phuket. I thought seeing as I’m actually able to punish myself with gluten while on the prescribed gluten challenge I wouldn’t be quite so restrictive and let loose a little on the menu. For entrée we ordered a started platter which had some fish cakes, chicken wrapped Pandanus leaves and prawns. The chicken was soft and fell apart in the mouth and was sweetly scented with the Pandanus. The prawns were wrapped in noodles – similar to what we ate at Old Cathay, but less oily and easier to eat. After memories of our enjoyable meal at Old Cathay returning to my mind, I also ordered some satay tofu. This was not silky smooth this time round and definitely didn’t excite either of us.

Tamarind duck, soft shelled crab and stir-fried morning glory

To keep the boy happy for mains we ordered some soft shelled crab, one of his favourites, which were deliciously meaty and crispy, some tamarind duck and stir fried Morning Glory. Morning Glory is considered a weed in Australia however is very popular in a lot of parts of South-east Asia where it is often called “water spinach”. It is quite sweet in flavour, not bitter at all, and was cooked very simply with oyster sauce and garlic.

After all this delicious Thai food, I can’t help but wonder….I do hope all our wedding guests are happy to eat Thai at our reception? I just don’t feel right going to a country that has such wonderful culinary culture and eating “Western food”.

For more about our trips to Thailand click here

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….

Blackbird Restaurant East Perth

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

With only one hours’ notice to the kitchen for my no wheat/no onion requirements I was delighted to be greeted by our waitress as we were sat down at our table with an amended menu with suitable options and accompanying alterations. This attention to detail was seen throughout the night with attentive and friendly customer service.

"Confit duck" "pistachio terrine" "crisp bread" "food photos" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "East Perth" "Blackbird Restaurant" "Claisebrook" "European" "French"

Confit duck and pistachio terrine, crisp bread

Blackbird is a cosy little restaurant oozing charm and character and the atmosphere was perfect for us to both unwind after a long week over some delicious food. I started with the Special of the Day, a portion of smoked salmon served on a bed of fennel with cumquats and lime. This dish was very light and refreshing to the palate – quite uplifting. The boy had the confit of duck and pistachio terrine. The confit was flavoursome and not dry and balanced well by the more gentle flavours of the terrine.

"salmon" "fennel" "cumquats" "lime" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "food photos" "East Perth" "Blackbird Restaurant" "Claisebrook" "European" "French"

Special of the day: salmon with fennel and cumquats/lime

For main we both had the seared line caught ocean trout with quail eggs – mine accompanied by mash and his accompanied by a risotto cake. The trout was cooked perfectly; it flaked apart under my fork and melted in my mouth like butter. Definitely the highlight of the evening. We progressed onto the cheeses – quite a generous serve which we both struggled to finish. A good selection of Roquefort, hard Dutch goat’s cheese and my favourite of the three La buche d’affinois. There were no GF accompaniments for the platter but this did not matter as I came prepared with some GF crackers in my bag (I had already perused the cheese menu prior to arrival!)

"Cheese" "La bouche d’affinois" "Papillon Roquefort" "Midnight moon" "food photos" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "East Perth" "Blackbird Restaurant" "Claisebrook" "European" "French"

Cheeses: La buche d’affinois, Papillon Roquefort, Midnight moon

We ended the night with a pannecotta to share. This was the least enjoyable dish as it collapsed into a puddle of puree minutes after serving. It tasted like very sweet fruit puree – not entirely inedible, but certainly not what we felt like. Without either of us saying anything to the waitress, upon seeing our dish she apologised and told us she would take it off the bill for us as it was not acceptable. Like I said – their service was very attentive.

Service 9/10 Food 8.5/10 Venue 8/10

 
Blackbird Restaurant
Suite 4, 10 Eastbrook Terrace, East Perth, 6004 | (08) 9225 7880 | www.blackbirdrestaurant.com.au