Minipost: Loving our local's new menu at The Precinct, Victoria Park
Posted by | Categories: Bars, Modern Australian, Perth, Pub, Restaurants, Vegetarian, Wine Bar
The Precinct is one of my favourite locals; it only takes us about fifteen minutes to walk there from our house, it has an ever changing and interesting wine list and most importantly they are very gluten free and vegetarian focused. Whilst I have already written two full posts on our Precinct dining experiences, our recent visit to try their new menu warrants at least a little photographic mention on the blog. Please note this was eaten over two nights….;-)
Zucchini fritters, pickled beetroot, house made labne ($17, GF & vego)
Tomato medley, Italian buffalo mozzarella, basil ($18, GF & vego)
Their new summer menu has moved away from the traditional structure of entrées and mains onto the more modern way of dining; share plates. More than half the menu is gluten free and there are over half a dozen vegetarian options that branch out well beyond the common offerings.
Baked risotto, beetroot, mint, Meredith goats cheese ($16, GF & Vego)
Tasmanian salmon, Spanish white anchovies, caper berries, herbs ($27, GF)
Whey blanched broccoli, sugar snap peas, kale, green beans ($14, GF & vego)
Every dish was a winner in our opinion but the best dish of all came as a nice surprise; the roasted garlic and mustard mushrooms using a combination of King oyster, Shiitake, Oyster, Swiss Browns. We ordered this dish on each visit as it was too good to miss out a second time round.
Roasted garlic and mustard mushrooms (King oyster, Shiitake, Oyster, Swiss Brown) ($25, GF & vego)
Roasted garlic and mustard mushrooms (King oyster, Shiitake, Oyster, Swiss Brown) ($25, GF & vego)
Marinated Fremantle sardines, haricot beans, chilli, capsicum, dill ($20, GF)
Amelia Park lamb ribs, walnut spice yoghurt ($17, GF)
Their gluten free dessert options have had a total make over for which I am extremely grateful. Previously The Precinct’s gluten free desserts haven’t been anything I would rave about. Things have certainly changed for the better and upon reading the menu we struggled to choose one so we ordered both.
Orange and vanilla pannacotta, strawberry, rhubarb ($14, GF)
Orange and vanilla pannacotta, strawberry, rhubarb ($14, GF)
I would have been happy with either but we were both keen to share. My pavlova crumble was a pretty as a flower garden and I look forward to enjoying eating this on a regular basis!
Pavlova crumble, raspberry sorbet, fresh berries ($14, GF)
Three cheese platter: Blue de brabis, Delice de cremiries, Queso manchego ($33, GF on request)
Please note this was NOT a sponsored post. I just felt the urge to show off their new menu of my own accord!
The Precinct 834 Albany Highway, East Victoria Park 6101 | (08) 9355 2880 | www.theprecinctvicpark.com.au
Wedding band shopping, Subiaco Hotel and some Geláre gluten free waffles
Posted by | Categories: Desserts, Featured, Modern Australian, Perth, Pub, Restaurants, Wedding
It is finally getting close enough to our wedding to start to feel the buzz and excitement and relieved to say I think I am pretty well set. Well, at least for the important stuff!. I have found the perfect dress from Luci Di Bella, I am blessed with two of the most awesome bridesmaids who also have fabulous dresses, I have a choice of stunning Dior or Jimmy Choo bridal shoes and our wedding venue at Andara, Phuket is something dreams are made of. Best of all; I have found the most amazing man who I could have ever wished to marry. Naw, that’s enough gushing for one post I think!
My engagement ring was designed at Linneys; a well-known West Australian jeweller famous for their Broome pearls and Argyle diamonds and it seemed fitting to return there for our wedding bands. We both arrived wide-eyed and smiling as the reality of our big day approaching fast sunk in. We helped each other deliberate over all the beautiful wedding band designs and each ended up selecting ones we both loved.
It seemed ridiculous to go home straight away while on such a high so we strolled over hand in hand like newly found lovers over to the Subiaco Hotel to relax with a few drinks and a bite to eat.
Subiaco Hotel
It was still early in the evening and strangely neither of us had very big appetites. Maybe it was due to all the Slim Pasta we have eaten lately because it is quite an unusual occurrence for either of us. Perhaps the knowledge we didn’t have much time left to get our bride and groom bodies in fit shape played a factor. We both ordered some small dishes to share.
Quail breast kebabs with muscatels & eschalots
Our food took an exceedingly long time to arrive and our quick drinks started to drag out into the evening. The quail breasts served on kebabs were stringy and dry making them very hard to eat. I didn’t try the eschalots for obvious fructose reasons however the Boy felt that they greatly improved the dish and he didn’t feel it was as great a failure as I did.
BBQ’d lamb ribs, preserved lemon, pomegranate yoghurt
The barbecued lamb ribs were sticky and tender, slithering off the bone easily and leaving a sweet caramel after-taste in the mouth. The addition of sharp tangy pomegranate brought an exciting extra level of flavour and we were both thankful there was an even number of ribs because I’m sure we would have fought over the last one.
Balsamic poached chicken with peppers, spinach, Reggiano
The balsamic poached chicken salad was nothing spectacular but served its purpose to cleanse the palate after a taste overload from the ribs. Anything more complex may have been a bit much to eat all at the same time.
Chick pea salad with avocado
I didn’t think to ask if the chickpea dish contained onions and alas it was full of it so I didn’t try much of this one. The chick peas were lacking in flavour and had a very soft texture making me suspicious they may have come from a can. The addition of avocado saved this dish.
Gluten free waffles with cream and maple syrup
I have never been big fan of Geláre waffles; not even back in the day when I was oblivious to my gluten intolerance and could have eaten them to my heart’s content. But let’s be honest, you don’t have to be a fan of waffles to be stopped dead in your tracks by that sweet aroma that wafts out of their stores onto the facing street.
As we walked down Rokeby Road toward Geláre on our way back to car I recalled they recently started offering gluten free waffles. Once we were hit by the fragrance of maple dough, I turned to the Boy and suggested we try them.
He declined, not really being a dessert type of guy, so I ordered a small gluten free waffle with maple syrup and cream. I planned to just have a couple of mouthfuls then walk away. Wasteful I know but I need to fit into that wedding dress! It has been many years since I tried a normal waffle to compare but this one had all the layers of texture I vaguely recall makes a good waffle. It was crisp on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. I put my spoon down and stared into the distance daydreaming for a few minutes. Before I knew it the Boy had eaten the lot! So much for not wanting to share!
Subiaco Hotel 465 Hay Street, Subiaco 6008 | (08) 9381 3069 | www.subiacohotel.com.au Price: $$$ (Entrée $15-25, Mains $25-37) Food: 2.5/5 (interesting menu but hit and miss execution) Service: 2.5/5 (a long delay until our food was served despite an empty dining room) Ambience: 3.5/5 (relaxed, lots of natural light) Drinks: 3/5 (reasonable wine list) Total: 11.5/20
