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Time with loved ones at Studio Bistro, Yallingup

Posted by  | Categories: Degustation/Fine dining, Featured, Margaret River, Regional WA, Restaurants, Travel

The Boy is the youngest in a family of three boys. His oldest brother still lives in Perth, but his other brother is a nuclear physicist who lives in Boston. His brother has lived in the US for over ten years and sadly is unlikely to ever return to Australia permanently. Every couple of years, his brother tries to return back to Perth with his lovely American wife to spend time with the family. Because American employees don’t receive as much annual leave as we do in Australia, they both struggle to get time off work and will save up their leave for a few years before being able to visit us.

This year was their first family visit to see us in over three years which was made even more special as it was also the first trip since the birth of their adorable daughter Noelle. The Boy and I had been busting to meet our little niece ever since she was born, especially after having to cancel our planned 2014 USA trip where we were going to go and stay with them in Boston.

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Image courtesy of www.jazzbythebay.com.au

To maximise quality time with his brother’s family, the Boy and his brother organised a family mini-break in Margaret River staying at the secluded Merribrook Retreat. While I already knew my brother-in-law enjoyed fine wine, I had never spent enough time with him to know if he was a foodie like us. You can imagine my pure delight when I discovered that both him and his wife were super keen to join us on a degustation for lunch while down south. I booked us in at Studio Bistro in Yallingup.

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Amuse bouche: Cape Grim beef tartare (GF)

I notified the chef in advance of my dietary requirements and they were more than happy to accommodate for me. Studio Bistro’s degustation offers six courses for $95 or $135 with matched wines. We had already been wine tasting at a number of vineyards earlier in the morning and were in the mood for a bit of fun so we all chose the matched wines.

We started off with an amuse bouche of exquisitely fresh steak tartare made with succulent, tender Cape Grim grass-fed beef. The steak tartare was served with an emulsion containing a subtle kick of tabasco.

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Asparagus gazpacho, blue cheese cream, Spanish ham (GF adapted)

Our first course was an asparagus gazpacho served with a thick blue cheese cream that was poured table side. I love interactive dishes, they always make for more interesting photography provided I’m quick enough!

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Asparagus gazpacho, blue cheese cream, Spanish ham (GF adapted)

The aromatic butteriness of the blue cheese cream made this one of those dishes that leaves you wanting to lick the bowl at the end. Crispy jamon iberico added wonderful textural contrasts to the dish.

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47 Tasmanian salmon, slow cooked hen’s egg, teriyaki, yuzu mayonnaise, crispy rice

Our next course sent me further spiraling into a state of heavenly bliss. Many of my regular readers will know how I am totally obsessed with slow cooked eggs. I would actually be happy to eat a degustation with them included in every course. My chunks of slow cooked silky salmon were arranged around a slow cooked free range hen’s egg and drizzled in syrupy teriyaki.

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My hen’s egg was picture perfect with a nearly translucent egg white and ooey gooey yolk porn centre. The salmon was topped with rice crisps that were made from scratch in house. The chef explained to me that to make them he boils the rice until all starch come out and then rolls the rice out between sheets of baking paper. He then dehydrates these sheets of squished rice at 50 degrees for 17 hours before being fried to serve. The rice crisps were puffy and light, dissolving like prawn crackers on my tongue.

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Twice cooked Big Red pork belly, cauliflower, pork cheek, confit garlic, vanilla dressing (GF adapted by omission of Kataifi pastry)

Our next dish was made using local, free range pork from Big Red Pork. Unlike many intensive pig farms, Big Red pigs are raised in family groups in a more natural environment of paddocks filled with woodlands, creek lines and pasture. This allows the pigs to forage for food like in the wild. Their natural diet gives the meat a darker colour when compared to intensive, less humanely farmed pork.

The pork was served in two ways; a cube of twice cooked pork belly paired with a soft mound of pork cheek and a generous amount of garlic confit and vanilla dressing.

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Palate cleanser: Thyme and raspberry sorbet (GF)

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Organic Blackwood Valley lamb rump, yellow curry whip, coconut, peas, coriander (GF adapted by omission of lamb gyoza)

I loved how not only does Studio Bistro focus strongly on using locally farmed and grown Western Australian produce, but that they also ensure to source their meat from organic free range farms where the animals live humanely and are ethically farmed.

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Organic Blackwood Valley lamb rump, yellow curry whip, lamb gyoza, coconut, peas, coriander (non-GF option)

Our final main course consisted of a delicately soft portion of slow cooked organic Blackwood Valley lamb rump served with a yellow curry whip and fried sweetbreads. Fresh cooked peas and shavings of coconut gave this dish an interesting fusion of flavours. The rump came accompanied by a lamb gyoza, which meant I couldn’t eat it due to the dumpling pastry. However the chef must have pre-empted my disappointment in advance and kindly plated some of the dumpling filling onto my dish so I didn’t feel like I missed out at all.

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GF adapted cheese course

The degustation dessert wasn’t gluten free so I chose to have the cheese course instead. There were three cheeses on the platter; Manchego, Heysen Blue and Wensleydale which were served with gluten free crackers, quince paste, walnuts and some fruit. Manchego is a hard Spanish cheese that is made from sheep’s milk and is one of my most favourite cheeses of all time. Heysen Blue is a mild, fruity blue cheese that is made in the Adelaide Hills with cow’s milk. Wensleydale is a classic, crumbly cows from Yorkshire in the UK.

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Jasmine tea cream, lychee gel, stone fruits, puff pastry (not GF)

As our lunch drew to an end, we were joined by the Boy’s parents and of course our gorgeous little niece. Upon seeing my little niece, I was surprisingly satisfied that I had eaten enough for the day and left the rest of the adults sitting at the table to join my niece in the gardens. Fueled by a number of glasses of wine I proceeded to leap about and dance with her to music on my iPhone before eventually we both tumbled on the grass puffed out and giggling madly. Such fun times, it is hard when distance separates you from those you love but hopefully we can get over to visit them in Boston soon.

Studio Bistro

7 Marrinup Drive, Yallingup, WA | (08) 9756 6164 | www.thestudiobistro.com.au

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Taste of Perth 2015 Sneak Preview and Ticket Giveaway

Posted by  | Categories: Attractions, Degustation/Fine dining, Events, Featured, Food and Wine Festivals, Perth, Restaurants

For those of you that missed out on experiencing the glorious feast at Taste of Perth last year, my best advice for you is not to miss out again. Taste Festivals are one of the world’s greatest restaurant festivals and are held in a number of locations all around the world including Paris, London, Sydney and Moscow.

Taste of Perth made its début last year attracting over 16,000 hungry punters over the three days. This year’s Taste festival will be held from the 15th to the 17th of May at Langley Park and it looks like 2015 is shaping up to be even better than last year.

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Photo courtesy of Jessica Wyld

At Taste of Perth, you will be able to create your own designer degustation as many of Perth’s top restaurants will be participating in the event. The 2015 line-up will include some of my favourite venues such as Lalla Rookh, Bistro Guillaume, Bib & Tucker, Nobu, Next Door at No4, Print Hall, El Público and more.

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Photo courtesy of Jessica Wyld

To give an insight into what to expect this year at Taste, I was invited to attend “Taste on Tour”; a fun-filled roving dinner where I joined a small group of bloggers to visit three of the participating restaurants and sample some dishes on the Taste of Perth ’15 menu.

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Pork Belly Taco (GF)

Our first venue for the evening was El Público in Highgate. El Público will have four dishes on offer at Taste, and I am happy to say all of them will be gluten free!

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Pork Belly Taco (GF)

We started off with tasting the pork belly taco served with charred pineapple, salsa picante and chicharon. The taco was topped with shreds of pork crackling giving it a wonderful play on textures with a lot of depth of flavour.

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Street Corn (GF)

The braised street corn dish will be a filling option for vegetarians and was served with cream, fresh cheese chill and lime.

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Lamb Ribs (GF)

For those festival goers needing something a bit meaty, El Público will also be serving their uber soft twice cooked lamb ribs with sesame, cucumber & lime.

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Fried crickets (image from Chompchomp’s Taste of Perth 14)

After it’s sell out popularity last year, El Público will be bringing back their icon dish called “Flavours of Mexico”. This dish consists of a serve of their renowned fried crickets alongside two shots of village mescal.

Photo courtesy of the Food Pornographer, thefoodpornographer.com

Photo courtesy of The Food Pornographer: thefoodpornographer.com

Our next stop was Lalla Rookh in the CBD and to everyone’s surprise and delight a tram pulls up in front of El Público to transport us to our next destination!! We piled into the tram filled with giggles while our tram driver proceeded to get some pop music cranking loudly. So much fun!

Before long we arrived at Lalla Rookh, my favourite Italian restaurant in Perth. I love how Head Chef Joel Valvasori has a strong focus on using West Australian produce and am grateful that he will always effortlessly cater for me despite my dietary requirements meaning I never feel like I miss out.

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Braised Lamb Shank (GF)

Lalla will be serving their braised lamb shank as their icon dish for Taste this year. This dish is available by pre-order from the restaurant and has a level of cult popularity amongst the regulars.

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Organic polenta and parmigiana, Nonna’s style (GF)

It will be served with organic polenta made in a more traditional way with a texture that is almost like a light bread. Perfect for dunking in all that luscious, sweet lamby sauce.

After nearly exploding with full stomachs, we were greeted by our chirpy tram driver out the front of Lalla Rookh to transport us onwards to our final Taste on Tour location; Next Door @ No4 in North Perth. Despite protests from many of us of being way too full to be able eat anymore, it never ceases to amaze me how food bloggers can continue to push the boat out and keep eating!

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Croquettes- Taleggio, Broccolini – smoked lardo, hazelnut marmalade (not GF)

No 4 Blake Street’s Head Chef Tom Randolph is passionate about using seasonal and local produce and will source many of his ingredients directly from the small-scale producers themselves.

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No4 Risotto (GF)

The two gluten free options on No4’s Taste of Perth menu this year will be their signature No4 risotto and a 45 day dry aged beef.  The risotto is a vegetarian option made with cauliflower, cocoa and topped with burnt rice crisps.

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45 Day Dry Aged Beef (GF)

The organic grass-fed beef was tender enough to cut with a fork and was served with a fried egg, crispy kale and sprinkling of dukkha.

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Valrhona Chocolate Garden (not GF)

No4 will also return one of their sell out dishes to the menu this year; their Valrhona Chocolate Garden. This pot of chocolate decadence contains salted caramel, chunks of chewy peanut dacquoise and sandalwood rocks but is sadly not gluten free due to the chocolate soil.

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My GF adapted Valhrona Chocolate Garden (no chocolate soil)

I think the chef may have seen a jealous glint in my eye as I watched everyone’s eyes roll in ecstasy devouring their Gardens. Before long I was presented with a gluten free adapted version, sans soil but topped with shards of salted caramel chocolate instead. Thank you chef!

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Photo courtesy of Jessica Wyld

I will be giving away TWO double passes to Taste of Perth on my Facebook page over the next week valued $72 each.

To enter simply tell me which is your favourite restaurant attending Taste of Perth this year and why they are your favourite. You can write your answer in the comments section below or alternatively head to my Facebook Page.

 The winners will be selected by the Boy and will be based on the most interesting and original answers.

Entries close Sunday 10th May 2015. This competition is open to residents of Australia only.

Disclaimer: Chompchomp attended Taste on Tour as a guest of Taste Festivals and 3am Thoughts.

el PÚBLICO | 511 Beaufort Street, Highgate WA 6003 | 0418 187 708 | www.elpublico.com.au

el PÚBLICO on Urbanspoon

Lalla Rookh Bar and Eating House | Lower Ground, 77 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000 | (08) 9325 7077 | www.lallarookh.com.au

Lalla Rookh Bar & Eating House on Urbanspoon

Next Door @ No 4 | 4 Blake St, North Perth, 6006 WA | (08) 9444 6678 | www.no4blakestreet.com.au

Next Door @ No4 on Urbanspoon

A dedicated gluten free menu at Piari & Co, Dunsborough

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

Accommodating for people with coeliac disease must feel like a daunting task for many chefs. The need to be aware of every single ingredient in every single dish is simply just not enough. Chefs must also be mindful of other difficult aspects like cross contamination. All cutlery, chopping boards and other cooking utensils must be cleaned carefully before preparing a gluten free meal. For some sufferers it can take only one microscopic grain of gluten to send them to the bathroom for the evening.

That is why I am so appreciative when a chef takes this challenge on board as I realise how much effort it requires. On our recent trip to Margaret River, we found such a restaurant named Piari & Co. Situated in Dunsborough and run by a husband and wife team, these guys have a dedicated gluten free menu making selecting dishes as easy as it gets.

It was a stormy night in the South-west, sadly not the weather I would have liked for our whirlwind weekender with the Boy, Mum and her other half. We were staying in a chalet about twenty minutes south of Dunsborough so in order to make our driving through the rain easier, I punched our destination into my Tomtom and sat back to let it do the hard work for me. This turned out to be a tremendous mistake and over forty-five minutes later we arrived at Piari & Co with everyone tired and grumpy with me at my error.

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Chilli caramel walnuts, goats curd ($9, GF bread available on request)

Starting a meal in a bad mood is never a good idea and to further add to the situation the restaurant was completely packed and full of noisy, rather drunk customers. One customer in particular had a laugh that resembled the whoop of a baboon. The Boy detests noisy venues, I refer to this as one of his Grandpa habits. Additionally, my stepdad wears a hearing aid in one ear which in these sort of situations relays deafening feedback down into his ear making listening to conversation impossible. I took the liberty of ordering some starters while they sat in silence reading over the menus.

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Oysters with blood orange granita (GF)

The lighting was romantically dim as is often the way which increased the pressure of the evening for me as photography is very challenging in such environments. I tried to get photos as quickly as possible so we could start to eat and lighten up. One of the specials of the day were freshly shucked oysters topped with blood orange granita. Slightly sweet and slightly tangy, we slurped these up quickly.

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Seared Esperance scallops, crispy duck, celeriac remoulade, compressed nashi, pear dressing ($20, GF)

I also ordered the seared Esperance scallops. Just seeing the name Esperance on paper brings a warm glow to my heart as this is where my darling Bestie lives. (***I miss you!***) Whilst small in size, these little morsels were seared to golden brown and served with celeriac remoulade, compressed nashi and crispy shreds of duck meat. I haven’t tried duck with scallops before and found with the sweetness of the pear it balanced well.

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Slow cooked “Big Red” pork belly, roast apple, pulled shoulder and cabbage salad ($35, GF)

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Mum is a pork lover and despite her claims of not wanting to eat too much so early in our feasting weekend, she still was brave enough to take on the pork main course. The slow cooked slab of free range Big Red pork belly was slightly over cooked making it a little too dry for her liking. She much preferred the accompanying pulled pork shoulder salad and found the meat in this to be moist and succulent.

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Mulloway (FOD), Jerusalem artichoke purée, charred corn, green pea and prawn vinaigrette ($38, GF)

I wanted to pace myself for the weekend ahead of us too and ordered the fish of the day for a lighter, healthy meal. The fish was a thick fillet of Mulloway. This is in my humble opinion is one of the finest tasting fish in Australia. The fish was served on a bed of smooth Jerusalem artichoke purée and topped with garden fresh charred corn and peas.

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South West grass fed beef cheek ($36, GF)

The Boy was having one of his unpredictable meat eating moments and ordered the grass-fed beef cheek. Like most of the ingredients used at Piari & Co, his beef was locally sourced from the South West and slow cooked to the point of meltable soft tenderness.

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Passionfruit curd Bombe Alaska, pistachio cake, passionfruit coulis $13, GF)

I had seen pictures of Piari & Co desserts on Instagram and wanted to be able to partake but after having eaten all day there was not a lot of room left. I wasn’t alone in feeling this way so the four of us ordered a single serve of the Bombe Alaska to share, complete with four spoons.

Under the spikey gooey dome of meringue was a chewy, syrupy slice of gluten free pistachio cake. Drizzles of tangy passionfruit coulis lifted the near overpowering sweetness making this a delectable choice. With the crafty work of four eager spoons flashing about quickly, the Bombe Alaska disappeared in a blink of a second.

It seemed that I was the only one at the table not bothered by the noise and sadly the high pitched cackles and racket tainted the experience somewhat for my loved ones. I am a person who loves the hustle and bustle of activity and noise makes me feel alive. Take the drunken whoops of the women at the table next to us out of the equation and I’m certain that we all would have had a fabulous evening. I guess this is a good reason to return…..hopefully not again on the same day as those locals!

Disclaimer: Chompchomp would like to disclose that on certain occasions when dining out she may in fact be just like one of those noisy customers as unfortunately she was born without any form of voice volume control. For neighbouring customers on these evenings she is honestly apologetic however cannot promise it won’t happen again. 
 
Piari & Co
5/54 Dunn Bay Road, Dunsborough WA 6281 | (08) 9756 7977 | www.piariandco.com.au

 Piari & Co. on Urbanspoon

Modern Indian with a twist at Tonka, Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Posted by  | Categories: Featured, Melbourne, Restaurants

Shortly after my relaxing weekend down south with Mum I flew over to Melbourne on a whirlwind business trip and managed to squeeze in time to hang with my Dad and Stepmum. The old saying that the apple never falls far from the tree rings true with me and my father with specific respect to our love for food. He is the sole person responsible for introducing me to a wide range of exotic foods as a child, some of which weren’t always easy to get hold of in Adelaide back in the 80’s. By the time I was ten, I had tried foods such as snails, foie gras and even raw sea urchin and we bonded over every one of those foodie moments. He always seemed to proud that I was open minded to eat new things as my sister was the total opposite being so finicky she wouldn’t even eat plain cooked fish.

Dad and Tess live in a modern apartment just off Flinders Lane so when I stay with them I never have to travel far for something good to eat. They eat out a lot, probably even more than the Boy and I do, and are well known regulars in most of the good restaurants in their area. For our night together Tess booked us in at one of their current favourites Tonka, a modern Indian-Asian restaurant run by the team behind the famous Coda.  We were warmly greeted as if we were family and after some air kisses and smiles we were shown to our table.

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Tuna tartare, rice pappadum, pomegranate, ginger and fresh wasabi ($22, GF)

The waitress informed me that catering for gluten free was no problem for them at all and they would bring out a succession of share plates for us all to enjoy. We started off with the tuna tartare mixed with tart pomegranate, ginger and fresh wasabi and served with rice pappadums. Whilst not the most generous serve, the tuna was fresh and succulent with each cube melting in your mouth.

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Smoked trout betel leaf with coconut, chilli, pomelo and kaffir lime ($7 each, GF)

Our second starter was the smoked trout. With flavours more likely found in Thailand than India, I appreciated that this was indeed Asian fusion. The soft shreds of trout mixed with pomelo, coconut and a hint of chill were served on a betel leaf making each one a perfect bite sized morsel.

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Chargrilled Western Plains pork belly, chickpea, pork crackling and pickled radish ($22, GF)

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Tempura zucchini flower, smoked paneer, urad dal, pickled white zucchini ($7.50 each, GF)

The zucchini flowers were prepared with a rice flour batter making them totally gluten free much to my delight. It isn’t often I get to enjoy tempura. The batter was a tad thicker than I would prefer, I like my tempura to be super light. They were stuffed with gooey smoked paneer and urad dal, a type of bean similar to mung beans.

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Hervey Bay scallop with sweet peppers, spiced cauliflower and pancetta ($7.80 each, GF)

The Hervey Bay scallops were small but plump served on a spiced cauliflower puree with sweet peppers and crispy fried pancetta. Although each serve was barely a mouthful, the flavours complemented each other beautifully leaving a rich creamy after-taste.

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Rajasthani duck, cucumber, mint and buffalo milk curd ($39, GF)

The final savoury dish of the night was the Rajasthani duck curry which stood out as the most exceptional dish for the evening although my stepmum informed me that the duck curry at Coda is even better. The meat slithered clean off the bone and the curry sauce was an interesting mix of sweet, tangy and spicy flavours. The waitress brought roti to the table for Dad and Tess in addition to some gluten free pappadums for me. This popular dish was featured as a recipe in Gourmet Traveller last year.

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Banana and jaggery parfait, chocolate mousse, lime sherbet and coconut sorbet ($18, GF)

Tonka’s gluten free dessert consisted of a play on banana, chocolate and coconut flavours. Banana parfait was made using jaggery, a traditional sweetener popular in Indian cuisine made from a concentrated product of sugarcane and date palms. This was paired with some rich chocolate mousse, coconut sorbet and sprinkled with zingy lime sherbet.

My Dad often claims that he is not a dessert person although I have busted him on several occasions devouring a whole bag of liquorice to himself in one sitting. Apparently this doesn’t count as dessert. Happy to take a hit for the team, Tess and I shared the dessert together leaving him to enjoy his late night espresso instead.

After spending a weekend relaxing with Mum down south and then another with my Dad in Melbourne I feel content to have reconnected with them both. It has pricked my guilt conscious and reminded me to be a better daughter and make more effort in the future to travel across our vast country to visit them.

Disclaimer: My father is well known for his generosity and gave me no option of paying for our dinner despite me offering. Also, it is important to note that the venue was made aware they had a food blogger in the house as my Dad took great pride in announcing this to our waitress as we were sat down at our table. Whilst I generally try to dine incognito so I can get a feel for what it is like for every customer, I cannot help but smile at his zeal for Chompchomp’s existence.
 
Tonka
20 Duckboard Place, Melbourne VIC 3000 | (03) 9650 3155 | tonkarestaurant.com.au

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Singapore Hawkers Food cooking class with Red Hot Spatula

Posted by  | Categories: Chinese, Events, Featured, Malaysian, Perth, Recipes, Singapore

If you live in Perth and have attended any food festivals or hawkers markets, you will probably will have heard of Red Hot Spatula. Lead by Yvonne Bleach with additional help from her family members, they have become one of my guaranteed sources of a gluten free dish when at a food festival as often, unfortunately, this can be a little lacking from other stall holders.

I first met Yvonne a couple of years ago at Perth’s famous Cake Club. Since then we have become great friends and will often cross paths at the various food events we both attend. In addition to feeding the market-loving masses, Red Hot Spatula also provides a catering service in addition to running a variety of cooking classes in their commercial kitchen located in Middle Swan. Topics of these classes range from Asian cuisines such as Chinese Dim Sum and Malaysian, to Spanish Tapas and making pasta.

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My last Red Hot Spatula class that I attended was about a year ago before she had her own kitchen to work in. I haven’t had the chance to attend one of her classes since, so when she kindly invited me and a guest to her Singapore Hawkers Food cooking class it was an offer that was too good to refuse. I invited Colleen who is one of my close friends from work to join me. Her parents lived in Singapore for years and she is a big fan of Hawkers food.

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The classes are conducted in small group sessions of no more than ten people. I recommend that you make sure to arrive with a big appetite as you will leave the cooking class feeling very full. For our Singapore hawkers food cooking class Yvonne and her mum demonstrated to us how to prepare five different dishes which were served up over the course of the evening. Our first course was grilled crisp tofu pockets (Tahu Bakar) with Rojak sauce.

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Grilled crisp tofu pockets (Tahu Bakar) with Rojak sauce (GF)

To prepare these the tofu puffs are cut in half and grilled over hot pan before being stuffed with a flavoursome filling made from roasted shrimp paste, chilli and tamarind along with some fresh bean sprouts, cucumber and then topped with roasted peanuts. These tasty morsels didn’t last long!

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Rolling up the Ngoh Hiang (GF)

Our second course was Ngoh Hiang, which I can basically describe as kind of a Hawkers version of a sausage roll, but much tastier! The meat stuffing is made from minced pork belly, dried shrimps, coarsely chopped prawns, water chestnuts, carrot and soy.

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Rolling up the Ngoh Hiang

The stuffing is wrapped in bean curd skin before being steamed and then deep fried. It was mesmerizing to see how neatly Yvonne’s mother could wrap each roll in succession with every roll matching the exact size of that before it.

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Our next course was one of my favourite South-east Asian street foods, otak otak. It is a snack that I know will always be gluten free and tastes amazing. For those not in the know, otak otak are a type of fish cake which wrapped in banana leaves and baked.

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Otak otak (GF)

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Otak otak (GF)

They are made using blended white fish combined with egg white, rice flour, coconut cream and a variety of spices including turmeric, candlenuts, kaffir lime, lemongrass, garlic, belacan (dried shrimp paste) and chilli.

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Having successfully worked our way through three entrées it was time to move onto our main course, Rochor mee or fried Hokkien prawn noodles. Being mindful of the risk of contamination with gluten for cooking Yvonne was very kind to make up a gluten free batch of noodles for me first by omitting the wheat noodles before going onto cook the more traditional style for the remaining guests.

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Gluten free adapted Fried Hokkien prawn noodles (Rochor mee)

I always thought noodles were just a quick, almost lazy dish made with a bunch of ingredients all thrown into a wok with a dash of soy and a splish of fish sauce. Maybe that’s why I was never really a big noodle eater. But these noodles were out of this world! I found out that the secret trick that makes these noodles so incredibly delicious was that they were cooked in a homemade prawn stock.

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Fried Hokkien prawn noodles (this is not the GF version)

Yvonne showed us how to prepare the stock before cooking up a big batch of noodles for the gluten eaters with both the rice noodles and the wheat noodles. She also tossed in bean sprouts, fish cake, fresh prawns, squid rings and pork belly. Despite serving up a huge plate, everyone managed to eat every last morsel.

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Ondeh ondeh (GF)

Despite groans around the table of fullness followed by a lot of belly patting, it didn’t take long for us to find some room for our final course, little bite size sweets called Ondeh ondeh. These are made from pandan flavoured glutinous rice flour and filled with liquid palm sugar which bursts into your mouth when you bite into them. Despite having already eaten so much, there were hard to resist.

As the night drew to an end I was thankful I had only eaten a small lunch as we had certainly worked our way through a lot of food. I was amazed at how easy it was to prepare Hawkers food gluten free. Each class participate received a full list of recipes from all the dishes so Colleen and I promised to each other that our next catch up will have to be trialling these recipes out for ourselves!

 
Disclaimer: Chompchomp and her companion Colleen were invited guests of Red Hot Spatula.
Red Hot Spatula Cooking Classes
Unit 5/5 Toodyay Road, Middle Swan, WA 6056 | www.redhotspatula.com.au

Red Hot Spatula on Urbanspoon

Losing my Volume Control at the Wild Duck, Nedlands

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

Being the only food blogger in the family means the decision on where to go for dinner is invariably left up to me. I am by no means complaining about this allocated role however it does mean that my choices are often somewhat biased towards what I want to eat. For the Boy’s birthday this year, I wanted to make sure it was somewhere HE wanted to go. Upon his request I gave him a short list of choices and left him to do his own research. His first choice was Chefz Table however at the last minute they called to inform us that the restaurant was unexpectantly closing for the weekend. With only two days to find somewhere to book, I was worried we would be stuck with nowhere to go but fortunately managed to grab a table at the Boy’s second choice the Wild Duck in Nedlands.

We have visited the Wild Duck a couple of times when they were located in Albany. On our most recent visit we even managed to wow my stepdad by giving him his first experience of a degustation meal complete with fancy foams and gels. The Boy has very fond memories of Albany and was happy to see how this creative restaurant has managed moving up to the big smoke.

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Amuse bouche (the Boy’s)

Our evening began with the chef’s amuse bouche, a Thai influenced fish cake with a herb aioli. This tasty morsel wasn’t gluten free. My gluten free replacement was a single but super fresh oyster from Franklin Harbour.

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My gluten free amuse bouche (GF)

These South Australian oysters are always so plump and creamy and never fail to excite me. I also chose to have the matched wines with our degustation however I couldn’t help myself from starting the meal with an additional glass of bubbles. In hindsight, I should remember that when doing a degustation with matched wines, I don’t NEED that extra glass of bubbles.

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Broccoli soup (GF, matched with Rickety Gate Riesling, Denmark)

Our first course was a cute little mug of broccoli soup. It was wintry cold and rainy outside and the warming soup was a perfect choice to ease us into an evening of eating and birthday celebrations. The thick creamy soup had a hint of sweet from the swirl of balsamic reduction and ended with a familiar tang from the crumbled Meredith Dairy goats cheese.

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Beef carpaccio (GF, matched with Thompsom Estate SBS, Margaret River)

Our second entrée was the beef carpaccio. The paper thin slices of brilliant, ruby red beef dissolved on my tongue in a second. Textural contrasts with some shaved fennel and watercress added layers of flavours which were accentuated by fresh horseradish and beetroot. The dish was finished with a sumptuous drizzle of slow cooked egg yolk. We had barely been there an hour and already we had enjoyed some of my favourites of all time; fresh oysters, champagne and slow cooked egg.

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Confit salmon (GF, matched with Anselmi San Vincenzo Dalphone, Italy)

Next up was the confit salmon. A perfect bite of salmon slow cooked at 42 degrees proved to be just as outstanding as our previous dishes. I loved how each dish contained elements of contrasting textures and flavours. Served with the salmon were pickled and charred cucumber and fresh samphire which added both crunchy and salty aspects to the palate. This was all smoothed out beautifully by some dollops of crème fraiche and drizzles of a dill infusion oil.

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Photo: 16 hour pork belly (non-GF version)

Unlike many of my fellow pork-obsessive bloggers, I don’t eat a lot of pork and I would rarely choose it unless it was part of a tasting menu. Consequently when I do eat it, it has to be pretty damn good for me to enjoy it. Wild Duck’s confit pork belly is prepared using slow cooking techniques over 16 hours resulting in a buttery soft texture and no greasy porky aftertaste. The crispy skin cracked exuberantly in my mouth making me giggle too loudly thanks my increasingly intoxicated state.

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16 hour pork belly (GF version, matched with Journeys End Cab Sav Coonawarra Station, South Australia)

The pork belly was served with a steamed pork bun which for me was adapted to be gluten free by leaving out the dumpling skin and serving me just the stuffing. Some grilled polenta, smooth sweetcorn purée, cubes of warm apple jellies and a crunchy apple and micro herb salad completed the dish.

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Optional extra course: Rabbit roulade, rabbit croquette, lentils (not GF)

Wild Duck offer a couple of optional extras with their degustation and in our usual state of gluttony we agreed to order both. The first optional course was a rabbit roulade with dates and pistachio alongside a red wine braised rabbit croquette. This dish was unable to be changed to be gluten free so the chef offered to make me something different.

"beef cheek" "sousvide" "charred black angus fillet" "fondont potato" "beetroot" "cauliflower crumble" "sousvide carrot" "honey thyme carrots" "braised onion" "cauliflower puree" "perth restaurant reviews" "perth restaurants" "perth gluten free" "perth fructose friendly" "perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food photos" "perth food blog" "food blog" "travel blog" "perth" "perth travel blog" "chompchomp" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "low fodmap diet" "fructose malabsorption" "gluten free cooking" "raw food cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "coeliacs" "coeliac disease" "wild duck" "wild duck nedlands" "nedlands restaurant reviews" "nedlands restaurants" "nedlands gluten free" "nedlands fructose friendly" "nedlands food reviews" "restaurants nedlands" "perth western suburbs" "wild duck albany" "degustation" "degustation perth" "perth fine dining" "andrew holmes" "clinton maclou" "gourmet traveller" "good food guide"

Gluten free Optional extra course: Beef cheek and fillet (GF)

My replacement dish was a duo of beef. Winter really is the time to get slow cooking and one of the best cuts of beef to slow cook is the cheek. My first time I tried cheek was moons ago prior to my blogging days at the Loose Box in Mundaring and I will never forget this memorable meal. Wild Duck’s dish was similarly heart-warming with wondrous soft shreds of beef cheek accompanying a charred nub of Black Angus fillet. It was served with a fondant potato, beetroot and cauliflower crumble, sousvide honey thyme carrots and a cauliflower purée.

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Sorbet palate cleanser (GF)

I had restrained from eating for most of the day to save room for dinner and it was becoming progressively obvious to the Boy that I was quite drunk. My voice volume was slowly increasing and my attention to detail to my photography had all but expired. The Boy reached across the table to grab my camera and flipped quickly through some of my shots whilst raising his eyebrows at me. I slurped up my sorbet noisily and returned his gaze with a coy smile.

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Crispy skin duck breast (GF, matched with Soumah Pinot Noir, Yarra Valley, Victoria)

Consequently details of our final main dish is a little foggier than I would prefer and the angling of my photo is somewhat clumsy. A fillet of crispy skinned duck breast was paired with cubes of grilled speck bacon, aniseed poached pears and braised honey carrots. Coloured smears of carrot purée and creamed peas made this dish quite a substantial one, this wasn’t a degustation where we went home hungry.

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Optional pre dessert: Lemon soufflé with coconut ice cream (GF)

Our second optional course was the pre-dessert; a picture perfect lemon soufflé with coconut ice cream. It was powder puff light and I could nearly hear the “poof” as I plunged my spoon in the ramekin. In fact I vaguely recall mimicking that “poof” noise as I tucked into it.

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Chocolate delice (GF, matched with Grant Burge Frizzante, Barossa Valley)

Our evening ended with the Wild Duck’s chocolate delice; a decadent mousse made from cream, eggs and chocolate. Scattered across my plate like Willy Wonka’s garden were wibbly-wobbly strawberry jellies, strawberry sponge and crunchy meringue kisses adorned with blobs of yoghurt parfait, fresh strawberries and bright pink strawberry powder. A bright and cheerful way to end a joyful evening together.

Happy Birthday to my best friend and my one true love. I love you and I love my life with you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

Chompchomp paid for this meal out of her own pocket however at the end of the night the Boy reminded her to use their digital version of the Entertainment card to receive a $40 discount of the total bill. 
 
Wild Duck
35 Hampden Road, Nedlands WA 6009 | http://www.wildduckrestaurant.com/
$$$$ (Seven course degustation $105, nine course degustation $130, $50 extra for matched wines)

Wild Duck on Urbanspoon

Pemberton Finger Lime tasting night at The Terrace Hotel

Posted by  | Categories: Events, Featured, Perth, Restaurants
Chompchomp was an invited guest to this event by Pemberton Finger Limes 
 

A couple of weeks ago the Boy bought me a surprise gift of some Pemberton Finger Limes from Scutti, our local greengrocer. Finger Limes are a native Australian plant that originate from our lowland, subtropical rain forests in Queensland and New South Wales. I am by no means a stranger to this curious “citrus caviar” having eaten it a number of times when we have been out at restaurants.  I have never really known how to use it in my own cooking however figuring there is never anything wrong with experimentation in the kitchen I decided to use it to garnish my vegan tortillas I made using Mexican masa flour.

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The finger limes added a whole new level of texture and flavour to my Mexican feast with each lime pearl popping in my mouth to give a short sharp burst of citrusy freshness. Within a week of posting my recipe I was contacted by Jacquie Baker from Pemberton Finger Limes to kindly invite me to the Pemberton Finger Lime Tasting night held at The Terrace Hotel. Keen to learn other ways to use these bizarrely shaped fruits, I eagerly accepted her invitation.

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Lime Margarita

I was joined by fellow bloggers Perth Munchkin and Perth Food Engineers along with a number of other foodies for a night of finger lime laced treats. We kicked off the evening with margaritas made using finger lime salt, citrus and caviar.

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Smoked chicken mousseline, avocado puree (not GF)

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Smoked chicken mousseline, avocado puree (adapted GF for me without pastry)

The first dish was a smoked chicken mousseline with avocado puree wrapped in a thin layer of pastry and therefore not gluten free. The chef happily made me one on request without the pastry so I could also try it. The mousse was smooth and light with a strong smoky after taste which was uplifted by the hint of citrus.

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Cured ocean trout, radish, crème fraiche (GF, left) and Jacquie Baker from Pemberton Finger Limes

Following on from the smoked chicken mousseline, we were served thinly sliced cured ocean trout with radish and crème fraiche, topped with micro herbs and finger limes. The trout was soft, tender and delicately flavoured. As more food slowly started to roll out of the kitchen, Jacquie spoke to us about how her parents’ retirement hobby has grown into a fully-fledged and successful business.

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Seared king fish, cucumber pearls, coriander oil, caviar

It all started back in 2006 when they planted two paddocks with finger lime plants on their Pemberton property and harvested their first crop in 2011. This crop sold out in just six weeks and the fruit were highly sought after by Perth’s top chefs including Hadleigh Troy from Restaurant Amuse.

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Master stock pork belly, apple salad

Now onto their fourth year of harvest, Pemberton Finger Limes have made their way into the retail market which means you don’t have to spend big bucks and visit a top end restaurant to try them.

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Oysters, ponzu dressing

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Oysters, ponzu dressing

Over the course of the evening the chef experimented with a number of different proteins to showcase the finger limes however my favourite dishes were those using seafood. Citrus caviar topped on oysters adds a burst of freshness that you simply cannot get with a squeeze of standard lime juice. Better still the sensation of popping “eggs” of juice in your mouth layers such a fabulous textural element that gives me flashbacks of some our molecular gastronomy experiences with their spheres, powders and other intriguing elements. I can understand why it is such a popular ingredient at Amuse!

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Vanilla cheese cake

The night ended with some vanilla cheese cake which was regrettably not gluten free however the chef did offer to serve me the top half without the biscuit base. I am always a little nervous when I am offered this as there is always the chance of cross contamination however I didn’t react to it later that night so obviously he took care in preparing it for me.

Pemberton Finger Limes are a seasonal fruit which are generally available from early April through to end of May depending on the weather conditions. They can be purchased from a few select locations around Perth, refer to their website for stockists.

Pemberton Finger Limes | www.pembertonfingerlimes.com.au
 
Chompchomp was an invited guest to this event thanks to Pemberton Finger Limes. 
 
The Terrace Hotel
237 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000 | (08) 9214 4444 | www.terracehotelperth.com.au

The Terrace Hotel on Urbanspoon

 

The First Feast – Eat Drink Perth’s Launch Party

Posted by  | Categories: Events, Featured, Food and Wine Festivals, Perth, Restaurants

Eat Drink Perth is celebrating its 10th year and their launch party The First Feast was held at Brookfield Place last Monday. The event attracted all the who’s who of the food industry as seven of the star venues from around Brookfield Place took the guests on a culinary journey complete with signature cocktails, entertainment and substantial amounts of food. As one of the team of four official bloggers for Eat Drink Perth I joined the festivities for a night of fun.

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Darling Buds of May

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Watermelon Moscow Mule

The evening commenced outdoors under the stars with pre-dinner cocktails served by Bar Lafayette and Choo Choo’s. A gorgeous Perth based swing band called the Darling Buds of May churned out some hip-swinging tunes under the eerie blue lighting whilst the mixologists at the bar vigorously shook, muddled and stirred up some of the prettiest cocktails in town.

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Watermelon Moscow Mule

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It was hard to know what our amuse bouche actually looked like under the deep blue hue of the lights but it certainly packed a bomb of flavour. It was created by the guest of honour Matt Golinski using a number of ingredients that are Western Australian grown. Bite sized spoonfuls of soft spanner crab mixed with crushed macadamia, ginger and coconut were piled neatly on a betel leaf and topped with pearls of finger lime. The heart-shaped leaf made it easy to roll up and eat somewhat delicately even for someone as uncoordinated as myself.

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Amuse bouche by Matt Golinski: Betel leaf with spanner crab, macadamia, finger lime and ginger

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After a few rounds of Moscow Mule cocktails we were all ushered into the foyer of Brookfield Place to what I can only describe as the longest long table I have ever seen. Seating 250 guests it spanned from one side of the vast foyer to the other. Our tables were already set with our entrées which were created by Sushia Izakaya; a Japanese restaurant who pride themselves on using fresh produce to prepare dishes that are a fusion of traditional and modern Japanese flavours.

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"Hamachi carpaccio Kingfish sashimi" "Hamachi carpaccio" "Kingfish sashimi" "Asian styled pesto" "yuzu soy" "wafu gelée" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "food event" "West Australia food festival" "launch event" "food festival" "wine festival" "Perth food festival" "eat drink Perth" "eat drink perth 2014" "City of Perth" "Perth city" "launch party" "First feast" "The First Feast" "Brookfield Place" "Bar Lafayette" "Choo Choo’s" "Darling Buds of May" "Matt Golinski" "Sushia Izakaya" "Trustee" "Heritage" "Print Hall" "The Trustee Bar and Bistro" "The Trustee Bar" "The Heritage Bar" "The Heritage Brasserie" "Bobeche"

Hamachi carpaccio Kingfish sashimi

The majority of the table received the Hamachi carpaccio of Kingfish sashimi in an Asian styled pesto with yuzu soy and wafu gelée. I was told that whilst the fish was very soft it tasted like it had been plated a little too soon in advance and had consequently been sitting at the table for some time before we were seated.

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Pork belly (GF option)

As I gazed up and down the longest long table I noticed that for once I wasn’t the only one with food allergies and there was in fact three of us in a row with alternate dishes to the Kingfish. My gluten free option of pork belly was served cold and each cube of meat had a near gelatinous texture that melted on contact with my tongue. It was topped with a ginger salsa and came with a mound of pickled daikon. I love my Japanese pickles and was overjoyed at the size of my heap on the plate.

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Gyu Tataki (no capsicum option)

Queen of Bad Timing’s Kristy cannot eat capsicum and so she was served gyu tataki, or seared beef. It was served with garlic chips, chives, momiji orosh, scallions and ponzu sauce.

"kinolo teriyaki sauce" "skewers" "Robatayaki Charcoal Grill "Gyu kushiyaki" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "food event" "West Australia food festival" "launch event" "food festival" "wine festival" "Perth food festival" "eat drink Perth" "eat drink perth 2014" "City of Perth" "Perth city" "launch party" "First feast" "The First Feast" "Brookfield Place" "Bar Lafayette" "Choo Choo’s" "Darling Buds of May" "Matt Golinski" "Sushia Izakaya" "Trustee" "Heritage" "Print Hall" "The Trustee Bar and Bistro" "The Trustee Bar" "The Heritage Bar" "The Heritage Brasserie" "Bobeche"

Gyu kushiyaki (no seafood/no raw option)

Michelle from Foodie Cravings needed something cooked as she has a little Junior Burger Boy in the oven. Whilst the staff didn’t get the memo of her pregnancy dietary requirements in advance  the kitchen were super quick on their feet to whip her up some gyu kushiyaki, or beef skewers.  Marinated in kinolo teriyaki sauce each morsel looked exquisitely soft. Gazing over at her plate I had a brief moment of carnivorous food envy and she tweaked each piece off the skewer and devoured it.

"Shredded confit lamb" "rosemary" "roast garlic mash" "Amuse bouche" "Matt Golinski" "Betel leaf" "spanner crab" "macadamia" "finger lime" "ginger" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "food event" "West Australia food festival" "launch event" "food festival" "wine festival" "Perth food festival" "eat drink Perth" "eat drink perth 2014" "City of Perth" "Perth city" "launch party" "First feast" "The First Feast" "Brookfield Place" "Bar Lafayette" "Choo Choo’s" "Darling Buds of May" "Matt Golinski" "Sushia Izakaya" "Trustee" "Heritage" "Print Hall" "The Trustee Bar and Bistro" "The Trustee Bar" "The Heritage Bar" "The Heritage Brasserie" "Bobeche"

Shredded confit of lamb on rosemary and roast garlic mash

 

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Warm salad of wild mushrooms, radicchio, snow peas, Italian coleslaw and Herb aioli

The mains were provided by The Trustee Bar and Bistro as a shared style of dining with the dishes being placed in the centre of the table. I was somewhat surprised that for such a high profile event the mains were not plated individually however shared dining does make the night more social and interactive by encouraging strangers to share stories.

"Cone Bay" "barramundi" "Cone Bay barramundi" "white truffle potato puree" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "food event" "West Australia food festival" "launch event" "food festival" "wine festival" "Perth food festival" "eat drink Perth" "eat drink perth 2014" "City of Perth" "Perth city" "launch party" "First feast" "The First Feast" "Brookfield Place" "Bar Lafayette" "Choo Choo’s" "Darling Buds of May" "Matt Golinski" "Sushia Izakaya" "Trustee" "Heritage" "Print Hall" "The Trustee Bar and Bistro" "The Trustee Bar" "The Heritage Bar" "The Heritage Brasserie" "Bobeche"

Cone Bay barramundi on white truffle potato purée

All the mains and sides were gluten free allowing me to try them all. The Cone Bay barramundi was by far my favourite, obviously in part due to the addition of truffle but also because it was such a quality piece of fish cooked faultlessly.

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Papillon Roquefort, cabernet poached pear (GF option)

The cheese platter created by The Heritage came in a variety of forms to suit everyone’s dietary requirements. The standard option consisted of some crumbled Papillon Roquefort with Roquefort foam, cabernet poached pear and a thyme salted doughnut. For my gluten free version the doughnut was omitted.

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Swiss Gruyère, Cabernet poached pear, thyme salted doughnut

Being pregnant, Foodie Cravings cannot eat soft cheese she received a wedge of Swiss Gruyère instead of the blue cheese.

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The “Whisky and Cigars” dessert was created by Print Hall. The jar of crème caramel embodied all the rich honey flavours of Lochen Ora whisky leaving subtle lingering hints of spice of the palate. The chocolate cigar wasn’t gluten free however I was told it had very distinct smoky tobacco flavours and was an acquired taste that not all enjoyed. I cannot deny it makes me happy to know my gluten free component was the best part! 😉

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Bobeche Iced Tea

Being a Monday evening many of us were holding ourselves back on our alcohol consumption knowing that we would have to drag ourselves out of bed to go work the following day. However as glasses of Bobeche’s famous Iced Tea were brought to the table I resigned myself to the fact that I would wake up in the morning to find myself in Struggletown. Made with Ketel One Vodka, Tanqueray gin, Pampero Blanco Rum, Cherry Heering, sweet spice tea, fresh lemon and lemonade this was one Long Island Iced Tea too good to pass on. It was also one that made me grateful I didn’t drive that night! Whilst the Tea wasn’t served in their signature tea cups being a small bar I can imagine they are unlikely to own 250 cups to be able to use on that single evening!

Chompchomp was invited to The First Feast as a guest and will be one of the official four bloggers for the Eat Drink Perth Festival 2014.
For the whole month of April there will be events, activities and discounts on food and beverages all across the city. Check out the Eat Drink Perth website for all the latest news.

Bar Lafayette on Urbanspoon    Choo Choo's on Urbanspoon

Sushia Izakaya & Bar on Urbanspoon    The Trustee Bar and Bistro on Urbanspoon

The Heritage Brasserie, Bar & Boardroom on Urbanspoon    Print Hall Bar and Dining Room on Urbanspoon

Bobèche on Urbanspoon

Jazz Apple's Taste the Crunch cocktail party ends in a dabble in the Rockpool

Posted by  | Categories: Events, Featured, Perth, Restaurants
Disclosure: Chompchomp was invited to attend Jazz Apple’s Taste the Crunch party as a guest

It is safe to presume that most people have been invited to a party for birthdays, engagements, Christmas and the like. Even food festivals get their own launch party these days. Cake clubs happen around the world on a daily basis and I am going to a blogger’s celebration of pork belly this week.

But have you ever heard of a party thrown specifically for an apple? Yes, that’s right. A party for a piece of fruit.

Well neither had I and when I received an invitation to Jazz Apple’s Taste the Crunch cocktail event at Bistro Guillaume I cannot deny that my first instinct was to politely decline. You see, although apples are gluten free and therefore entirely safe for me to eat, they are also full of fructose. Whilst fructose definitely won’t kill me I do get some rather unpleasant after-effects from indulging in it. The Boy does not suffer from fructose malabsorption and was conversely quite excited at the opportunity to attend. We grow apples in our own suburban backyard on cute little dwarf apple trees and he is a passionate green thumb. He was keen to see what sort of apple gets its own party. Being a loyal wife I agreed to attend the apple party with him.

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The Jazz apple is a relatively new variety of apple which experienced a sell-out season last year. This year they are looking at having the biggest bumper crop to date and their producers in WA wanted to celebrate in style. A number of Perth foodies were invited to join them for a night of apple enhanced food and beverages.

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"King Salmon tartare" "chicken liver "parfait" "King Salmon" "tartare" "chicken liver parfait" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "sponsored" "food event" "cocktail party" "Bistro Guillaume" "Rockpool" "Crown Perth" "Crown Casino" "macaron" "Jazz apple" "apple party"

King Salmon tartare (right) & chicken liver parfait (left) both with Jazz apple

The entire restaurant at Bistro Guillaume was adorned in hundreds of fresh Jazz apples while a groovy two piece jazz band beebopped away loudly.

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Jazz apple martini

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Knowing that I was going to eat apple I prepared myself by chowing down a handful of glucose tablets. Glucose can, to a degree, help my gut absorb some fructose however this is only to a point. The bartenders busily worked away make a variety of elegant apple cocktails of which the apple Martini was my favourite, of course! 😉

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Confit duck with pea puree & apple

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Berkshire Pork belly with pickled cabbage and apple

The kitchen staff churned out plate after plate of Jazz apple laced morsels such as pork belly, salmon tartare and duck with pea purée. Each delectable mouthful ended with the sweet aftertaste of Jazz apple. The chef even made some gluten free adapted, apple topped crème brûlée just for me!

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Jazz apple jelly

"crème brûlée" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "sponsored" "food event" "cocktail party" "Bistro Guillaume" "Rockpool" "Crown Perth" "Crown Casino" "macaron" "Jazz apple" "apple party"

Gluten free adapted vanilla crème brûlée (the original was in a pastry casing)

Although the amount of food provided was very generous I had to hold back somewhat as I knew if I got too carried away I was in for some serious fructose overload! At the end of the night on our way out we were given a show bag containing a six-pack of Jazz apples. I planned to take them into my work colleagues the following day to test them out.

"Steak tartare" "chips " "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "sponsored" "food event" "cocktail party" "Bistro Guillaume" "Rockpool" "Crown Perth" "Crown Casino" "macaron" "Jazz apple" "apple party"

Steak tartare with chips ($25, chips are not GF)

Before heading home the Boy and I dropped into Rockpool for a quick bite to eat. It was easy getting a table and the waitstaff were very quick and attentive. I ordered my favourite of steak tartare however I was informed that the fat chips are cooked in the same oil as gluten containing foods so they are regrettably not gluten free. The Boy was more than happy to oblige by eating them for me. The steak tartare was reliably amazing; I have ordered this umpteen times and never been disappointed. Soft, nearly creamy in texture I got to enjoy every meaty mouthful to myself.

"marron " "West Australian marron" "plum" "fennel" "olives" "mint" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "sponsored" "food event" "cocktail party" "Bistro Guillaume" "Rockpool" "Crown Perth" "Crown Casino" "macaron" "Jazz apple" "apple party"

West Australian marron ($35, GF)

The Boy ordered the marron which was served with lightly poached plum, fennel purée, olives and a mint gel. His dish was nearly sweet enough to pass off as dessert and although I was happy with my carnivorous choice I did look on in envy.

"creamed corn" "Wood fired grilled creamed corn" "chipotle chilli butter" "Manchego cheese" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "sponsored" "food event" "cocktail party" "Bistro Guillaume" "Rockpool" "Crown Perth" "Crown Casino" "macaron" "Jazz apple" "apple party"

Wood fired grilled creamed corn ($15, GF)

No visit to Rockpool is complete without an order of their wonderful sides and I noticed a new one had appeared on the menu that I hadn’t seen before. It was described as wood fired grilled creamed corn with chipotle chilli butter and Manchego cheese. To be honest, all I needed to see was the mention of Manchego cheese and I was sold. Add in the flavour profiles of subtle smoke and spicy chipotle and it effectively turned this simple dish of creamed corn into a taste sensation.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "sponsored" "food event" "cocktail party" "Bistro Guillaume" "Rockpool" "Crown Perth" "Crown Casino" "macaron" "Jazz apple" "apple party"

A very nosy fur-child must investigate all.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "Perth food reviews" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "gluten free" "fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "sponsored" "food event" "cocktail party" "Bistro Guillaume" "Rockpool" "Crown Perth" "Crown Casino" "macaron" "Jazz apple" "apple party"

On our way through the lobby to catch a taxi home we accidentally walked past the lobby lounge bar where there was a cake stand full of macarons on the counter. It stopped me dead in my tracks. Before I knew it I had bought one of every flavour as the Boy rolled his eyes at me. What a good man, he knows never to come between his wife and a macaron.

The next day at work I took in the Jazz apples and got the following verdict from my apple munching colleagues:

“It reaches every taste-bud in my mouth and makes them go pop-pop-pop.”
“It’s a party in my mouth”
“It has a good balance between tart and sweet and the skin is as much a part of the apple eating experience as the flesh”
 

Love my work mates…thanks guys! 😉

Chompchomp attended Bistro Guillaume as a guest of Jazz Apple. We paid for our meal at Rockpool in full.
 
Bistro Guillaume
Crown Perth, Great Eastern Highway, Burswood | (08) 9362 7551 | www.bistroguillaumeperth.com.au

Bistro Guillaume on Urbanspoon

 Rockpool Crown Perth
Crown Perth, Great Eastern Highway, Burswood WA 6100 | (08) 6252 1900 | www.rockpool.com/rockpool-bar-and-grill-perth

 Rockpool Bar & Grill on Urbanspoon

Lobby Lounge at Crown Metropol Perth
Crown Perth, Great Eastern Highway, Burswood WA 6100 | www.crownperth.com.au/bars/bars/lobby-lounge/about

 Lobby Lounge at Crown Metropol on Urbanspoon

Sharing more than just Bread in Common, Fremantle

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

I never anticipated that my blog would have any degree of measurable success. Blogging wasn’t something I planned to do, nor does creative writing or photography play any part in my real career. Despite being a complete self-confessed amateur I have relished in watching Chompchomp metamorphosize from an ugly duckling into something I’m proud of. Reflecting back on my first and comparatively horrendous post I can see the blog undergo constant improvement. When I recently researched to find out the Hottest 100 Food Blogs of Perth, I was blown away that my blog is at Number 5! I hope that I can remain motivated to keep it ever-evolving so that my readers stay entertained and keen to return back for more. I am always happy for feedback so let me know if you think there is something I could change or add to the blog to improve it.

Another more unexpected and even better aspect of being a blogger has been the friendships that I have made along the way. One of my closest blogging friends Michelle from Foodie Cravings had been trying for weeks on end to organise a catch up with me and after a couple of false starts we finally matched up our busy schedules. We were both happy to travel to Fremantle and agreed to meet at Bread In Common.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "Fructose malabsorption" "raw food cooking" "Fremantle" "Fremantle Restaurant Reviews" "Fremantle food blog" "Fremantle restaurants" "Fremantle gluten free" "Fremantle fructose friendly" "restaurants Fremantle" "Bread in Common" "Bread in Common Fremantle" "artisan Bakery" "bakery Fremantle"

I had heard much about Bread in Common but didn’t expect to be greeted by the wonderful airy modern open space of which it comprises. Situated in a renovated old Fremantle warehouse, it has lots of natural light flooding through at an angle onto large communal tables and they have a sociable menu designed for sharing.

"juicing" "Carrot juice" "orange juice" "ginger juice" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "Fructose malabsorption" "raw food cooking" "Fremantle" "Fremantle Restaurant Reviews" "Fremantle food blog" "Fremantle restaurants" "Fremantle gluten free" "Fremantle fructose friendly" "restaurants Fremantle" "Bread in Common" "Bread in Common Fremantle" "artisan Bakery" "bakery Fremantle"

Carrot, orange and ginger juice ($8)

In continuing my attempts at keeping my alcohol consumption as close to zero as humanly possible for sixty days, I was relieved that Michelle was also happy to abstain. It isn’t often that there are fructose friendly juices on the menu and looking on their menu I was happy to see I had options. It made it a lot easier to skip the wine when one of the juices I love making at home is up for grabs; a combination of carrot, orange and ginger juice. It makes such a refreshing drink for a hot summer’s day.

"Common loaf" "olive oil" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "Fructose malabsorption" "raw food cooking" "Fremantle" "Fremantle Restaurant Reviews" "Fremantle food blog" "Fremantle restaurants" "Fremantle gluten free" "Fremantle fructose friendly" "restaurants Fremantle" "Bread in Common" "Bread in Common Fremantle" "artisan Bakery" "bakery Fremantle"

Common loaf with olive oil ($2.50)

I was dismayed to learn that they do not have any gluten free bread to offer. The manager made kind apologies and indicated coyly that it could be possible if only I bought him a new oven. I initially wondered why they couldn’t at least temporarily source some from other local Fremantle bakeries such as Abhi’s until I realised their philosophy is to make everything in house where possible. Avoiding cross contamination of flours in one open plan kitchen would be very difficult.

"Roasted garlic" "Duck fat" "roasted potatoes" "Duck fat roasted potatoes" "rosemary" "ketchup" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "Fructose malabsorption" "raw food cooking" "Fremantle" "Fremantle Restaurant Reviews" "Fremantle food blog" "Fremantle restaurants" "Fremantle gluten free" "Fremantle fructose friendly" "restaurants Fremantle" "Bread in Common" "Bread in Common Fremantle" "artisan Bakery" "bakery Fremantle"

Michelle and I simultaneously chose the duck fat roasted potatoes as our first pick. My stepmother’s duck fat potatoes are yet to be rivalled and are consistently out of this world. Bread in Common’s version ended up coming in a fairly close second attaining all the right layers of textures; from crispy to chewy, ending in a super fluffy soft centre. They are served with rosemary, whole roasted garlic cloves and some ketchup.  Each garlic clove squeezed out like toothpaste onto my plate sealing the deal that no vampires would come near me that evening. Nor would my husband for that matter!

"fresh green" "tomato chutney" "pork belly" "Cured pork belly" "beans" "green tomato" "oregano" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "Fructose malabsorption" "raw food cooking" "Fremantle" "Fremantle Restaurant Reviews" "Fremantle food blog" "Fremantle restaurants" "Fremantle gluten free" "Fremantle fructose friendly" "restaurants Fremantle" "Bread in Common" "Bread in Common Fremantle" "artisan Bakery" "bakery Fremantle"

Cured pork belly, beans, green tomato, oregano ($24, GF)

Michelle’s dish choice was the pork belly which she raved about from her previous visit. Each piece was delicately gelatinous and sticky sweet. Topped with a sweet green tomato chutney and on a bed of crunchy, slippery greens it was far too easy to eat.

"fresh green" "tomato chutney" "pork belly" "Cured pork belly" "beans" "green tomato" "oregano" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "Fructose malabsorption" "raw food cooking" "Fremantle" "Fremantle Restaurant Reviews" "Fremantle food blog" "Fremantle restaurants" "Fremantle gluten free" "Fremantle fructose friendly" "restaurants Fremantle" "Bread in Common" "Bread in Common Fremantle" "artisan Bakery" "bakery Fremantle"

Cured pork belly, beans, green tomato, oregano ($24, GF)

"Fremantle octopus" "marinated octopus" "olive tapenade" "Octopus" "watermelon" "green olive" "lemon" "pork crackle" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "Fructose malabsorption" "raw food cooking" "Fremantle" "Fremantle Restaurant Reviews" "Fremantle food blog" "Fremantle restaurants" "Fremantle gluten free" "Fremantle fructose friendly" "restaurants Fremantle" "Bread in Common" "Bread in Common Fremantle" "artisan Bakery" "bakery Fremantle"

Octopus, watermelon, green olive, lemon, pork crackle ($24, GF)

Our lunch date was the first time I had eaten out without the Boy in tow for a while and it was refreshing to be able to order some non-vegetarian dishes without getting a high browed look from him! My choice was a dish of succulent Fremantle octopus served on a bed of green olive tapenade with cubes of fresh watermelon. It was topped with the unexpected treat of tiny shavings of crunchy hard pork crackling. Whilst I was happy to indulge in the crackling, I left the watermelon for Michelle to enjoy as it is high in fructose. In turn she was happy to leave any octopus pieces with suckers intact as she found the whole look of them disturbing.

"dessert" "desserts" "lemon curd" "toasted marshmallow" "caramelised banana" "Banana" "meringue" "rosemary" "marshmallow" "caramel" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "Fructose malabsorption" "raw food cooking" "Fremantle" "Fremantle Restaurant Reviews" "Fremantle food blog" "Fremantle restaurants" "Fremantle gluten free" "Fremantle fructose friendly" "restaurants Fremantle" "Bread in Common" "Bread in Common Fremantle" "artisan Bakery" "bakery Fremantle"

Banana, meringue, rosemary, marshmallow, caramel ($18, GF)

Michelle had forewarned me to save room for dessert as she recalls them being worth relishing. I was impressed; I rarely plan my meals with this level of strategy which probably explains why I often end up overeating. I was not prepared for the visually exquisite surprise that each of our desserts provided.

"dessert" "desserts" "lemon curd" "toasted marshmallow" "caramelised banana" "Banana" "meringue" "rosemary" "marshmallow" "caramel" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "Fructose malabsorption" "raw food cooking" "Fremantle" "Fremantle Restaurant Reviews" "Fremantle food blog" "Fremantle restaurants" "Fremantle gluten free" "Fremantle fructose friendly" "restaurants Fremantle" "Bread in Common" "Bread in Common Fremantle" "artisan Bakery" "bakery Fremantle"

Banana, meringue, rosemary, marshmallow, caramel ($18, GF)

My banana dessert contained all kinds of my favourite sweet things; caramelised bananas, cubes of torched marshmallow and blobs of softer meringue alternated with smaller dots of tart lemon curd. With such a variety of textures and flavours this dish played the risk of being too busy but each element complemented the other well and was perfectly orchestrated music to my mouth. I wanted more and quietly plotted in my mind how to get back before the menu is changed.

"raspberry" "raspberry gel" "dessert" "desserts" "Peanut mousse" "chocolate brownie iced cream" "raspberry" "oreo" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "Fructose malabsorption" "raw food cooking" "Fremantle" "Fremantle Restaurant Reviews" "Fremantle food blog" "Fremantle restaurants" "Fremantle gluten free" "Fremantle fructose friendly" "restaurants Fremantle" "Bread in Common" "Bread in Common Fremantle" "artisan Bakery" "bakery Fremantle"

Peanut mousse, chocolate brownie iced cream, raspberry, oreo ($18)

Michelle’s dessert was even more spectacular than mine with scoops of peanut mousse and chocolate brownie ice cream laying on a bed of Oreo “soil”. Dollops of brilliant red raspberry gel spotted about the plate with some sort of raspberry crumble tumbled over the top. It looked totally divine but alas is not gluten free for those wondering.

"coffee" "tea" "Peppermint tea" "flat white" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "Perth restaurants" "Perth gluten free" "Perth fructose friendly" "restaurants perth" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "food photos" "Gluten free" "Fructose friendly" "gluten free cooking" "gluten free recipes" "fructose friendly recipes" "gluten free raw food" "fructose friendly raw food" "Fructose malabsorption" "raw food cooking" "Fremantle" "Fremantle Restaurant Reviews" "Fremantle food blog" "Fremantle restaurants" "Fremantle gluten free" "Fremantle fructose friendly" "restaurants Fremantle" "Bread in Common" "Bread in Common Fremantle" "artisan Bakery" "bakery Fremantle"

As time ticked into the late afternoon I had to decline the offer of coffee and opted for a peppermint tea instead. The tea was fresh and uplifting without any of the unpleasant metallic aftertaste that poorer quality peppermint tea often has.

Whilst I cannot deny I was somewhat disappointed I didn’t actually eat bread at Bread in Common, there were plenty of other gluten free options on the menu to fill up on. The desserts were particularly mind-blowing it’s worth returning back just for them.

Bread in Common
43 Pakenham Street, Fremantle WA 6160 | (08) 9336 1032 | www.breadincommon.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$ (Share plates $12-28)
Food:                    4/5 (creative concepts using fresh, local produce)
Service:                4/5 (quick, efficient and well conversed with the menu)
Ambience:          3.5/5 (noisy but buzzing, communal tables)
Drinks:                  3/5 (interesting but small wine list but of course didn’t get to try any!)
Total:                     14.5/20 

 Bread In Common on Urbanspoon

Gluten Free Glory at The Gaya Applecross

Posted by  | Categories: Desserts, Featured, Korean, Perth, Restaurants
Disclosure: Chompchomp was invited to dine as a guest of The Gaya Applecross.
 

My past experience of Korean food has been limited to the typical BBQ style restaurants that have been spotted around Perth for years. As most of these places heavily marinate their meats in soy based sauces I have avoided them because I presumed my gluten free options would be limited. When I received an invitation from Head Chef Leo to dine at his new Korean restaurant The Gaya Applecross, I came very close to dismissing this offer as a waste of my time. Luckily before doing so, I had a quick look at their menu and was blown away to see not only were there many gluten free options but over 80% of the menu was in fact gluten free!

"Clairault" "Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot" "Clairault Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2010" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

The Gaya Applecross is tucked away in a cluster of restaurants on Kearns Crescent off Riseley Street in Ardross. We visited them on a week night and arrived to find the higgledy piggledy parking area packed to the brim. I would dread to see how busy it looks on the weekend. There was a surprising hive of activity about and on a brief glance into some of the other restaurants I noticed that they all looked relatively full of customers. The Gaya is BYO which allowed us to bring one of the many bottles of wine we recently splurged on during our recent two Margaret River trips. We chose a 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot from Clairault Winery as I figured its medium bodied flavour and subtle oak would be a fair match to the very beef orientated menu.

"Complementary" "rice pancake" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Complementary starter rice pancake

Before ordering we were given a complementary serve of rice pancake. I noticed that other tables around me also received this complementary dish so this freebie is standard for all customers. With a thin crisp exterior and a chewy soft centre these triangular nibbles were a perfect teaser for what was to come next.

"gin" "plum juice" "tobiko" "mayo" "capers" "wakame" "salmon gravlax" "Salmon"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Salmon ($14 GF)

After ordering a succession of starter dishes, our food soon began coming out one by one and was always presented with a warming smile. The salmon gravlax was an interesting fusion of Korean and European ingredients. Leo informed me they marinate the fish for at least 48 hours in a mixture of gin and plum juice. Topped with tobiko-laced mayo and capers and nestled between spoonfuls of wakame each mouthful was extremely rich in flavour.

"arancini" "Italian" "basil pesto" "risotto rice" "pan-fried kimchi" "kimchi" "berry sauce" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Arancini ($12 GF)

Being gluten free, it is not often that I get to enjoy arancini balls. The standard varieties of these Italian canapés are generally crumbed in wheat flour meaning it’s off the menu for me. Of the few I have had gluten free; it seems that it is hard to achieve the classic hard crunchy shell coupled with a creamy cheesy risotto centre. For these arancini, Chef Leo mastered getting the all-important textures right despite restricting himself to only using gluten free flours. I loved the unusual mix of Italian and Korean flavours of basil pesto risotto rice, pan-fried kimchi and dollops of sweet berry sauce. If we hadn’t already ordered so much food I could have eaten a couple more.

"cold beef roll salad" "beef" "asparagus" "capsicum" "cucumber" "enoki mushrooms" "cream cheese" "garlic chips" "Beef cream roll" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Beef cream roll ($14 GF)

Luckily I didn’t because I had already gotten a little carried away and ordered a LOT of the gluten free starters already. In my defence, I am not used to visiting Asian restaurants and being so spoilt for choice. The next starter we tried was the beef cream roll which was another Westernised version of a Korean cold beef roll salad.  Thinly sliced, marinated beef was wrapped carefully around spears of asparagus, capsicum, cucumber, enoki mushrooms and cream cheese and topped with crisp garlic chips.

"sweet potato noodles" "stir fried" "sesame oil" "vegetables" "beef" "carrot" "mushroom" "rice paper" "Japchae" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Japchae ($12 GF)

Japchae is a traditional Korean street food made of sweet potato noodles stir fired in sesame oil with various vegetables and sometimes also beef. The Gaya presented this dish a little differently by wrapping the noodles along with beef, carrot and mushroom in rice paper and then re-frying them to make them into some sort of fat dumpling.

"sweet potato noodles" "stir fried" "sesame oil" "vegetables" "beef" "carrot" "mushroom" "rice paper" "Japchae" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Japchae ($12 GF)

Despite their reasonable size they were still easy to eat and really tasty. This was one of my favourite starters.

"cod" "lightly battered" "glutinous rice flour" "soy mayo" "Fish jijimi" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Fish jijimi ($12 GF)

After the excitement of the previous starters, the fish jijimi was probably my least favourite entrée. This dish consisted of fillets of cod lightly battered in glutinous rice flour and served with soy mayo. The fish was light and fluffy but the dish lack the punchy originality that was present in all our previous offerings.

"spicy tomato" "pickled cabbage" "apple" "grated cooked sweet potato" "Palate cleanser" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Palate cleanser (complementary with a main meal)

I was nearly at full capacity by this point having shared no less than six starters and half a bottle of wine. I could have easily got away with squeezing in a shared main and dessert with the Boy but he had a keen appetite and insisted on ordering his own main. While agonising over our choices, we were given another complementary little dish as a palate cleanser. The items on this dish are changed regularly to keep it interesting so don’t expect to be served the same as me if you visit. We received some spicy tomato, pickled cabbage with apple and a ball of grated cooked sweet potato.

“whole pork belly” “sous-vide” “slow cooked” “sweet potato puree” “glazed apple” “fermented soy bean paste” “roasted garlic chips” “Korean chive salad” "36 Pork" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

36 Pork ($30 GF)

There weren’t any vegetarian main options for the Boy to choose from and as he isn’t a totally strict vegetarian he opted for the “36 Pork”. Rather than serving a pork crackling-encrusted style of porky dish that features on so many menus both Asian and Western; the Gaya do things a little different. The whole pork belly is marinated for 12 hours before being cooked sous-vide for a further 24 hours. The end result is near translucent, delicate pork flesh that is as soft as jelly. It was paired with sweet potato puree, glazed apple and smears of fermented soy bean paste. I hadn’t tried soy bean paste before however I have since learnt that it is one of the most commonly used condiments in authentic Korean cuisine.

“whole pork belly” “sous-vide” “slow cooked” “sweet potato puree” “glazed apple” “fermented soy bean paste” “roasted garlic chips” “Korean chive salad” "36 Pork" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

36 Pork ($30 GF)

The dish was topped with roasted garlic chips and a Korean chive salad. Korean chives are shorter and thicker than those found in Western dishes and are added to many Korean dishes for their claimed health properties. Traditional Korean herbal medicine will use chives for strengthening liver function, improving circulation, relieving back pain and treating colds and other ailments. Leo explained that he includes the chives in his dishes in order to provide his customers with these health benefits.

“TTeokgalbi” “Korean Royal court cuisine” “beef rib patties” “beef spare rib” “rice cakes” “yoghurt potato salad” “pickled oyster mushrooms” fried egg” “beef patty” "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

TTeokgalbi ($30 GF)

I ordered the “TTeokgalbi”, a dish taken from the Korean Royal court cuisine that is centred on beef rib patties. The meat from beef spare ribs is minced and marinated before being grilled on the hot plate. It was served with a variety of different yet interesting elements including some chewy, cinnamon dusted rice cakes that somewhat reminded me of the honey puffs we used to buy from the Greek stall as a child in the Adelaide Centre Markets.

“TTeokgalbi” “Korean Royal court cuisine” “beef rib patties” “beef spare rib” “rice cakes” “yoghurt potato salad” “pickled oyster mushrooms” fried egg” “beef patty” "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

TTeokgalbi ($30 GF)

Other elements in my TTeokgalbi included a scoop of smooth, creamy yoghurt potato salad and some rubbery pickled oyster mushrooms. The pickled mushrooms were stuffed with cucumber and capsicum and I nearly mistook them for some sort of dumpling. They had a strong sour taste that wasn’t entirely unpleasant and balanced the sweet and spicy elements nicely. The whole unusual creation was topped with a sunny side up fried egg. All the different components in my dish certainly kept me amused however I did feel the beef didn’t taste any more remarkable than any other well-made patty I’ve had.

"dessert" "desserts" "Asian dessert" "Korean dessert" "Korean street food" "Korean pancake" "brown sugar" "sunflower seeds" "peanuts" "pine nuts" "deep fried" "cinnamon" "sugar" "Gaya Ho-tuck" "Hotteok" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Gaya Ho-tuck ($8)

On the home straight and truly stretched at the seams we had another look at the menu to order one dessert each. This really was gluttony in its extreme. All the dessert options were gluten free so we were free to share each other’s selections.  I ordered the “Gaya Ho-Tuck” which was an elegant version of a type of pancake sold by street food vendors in Korea.

"dessert" "desserts" "Asian dessert" "Korean dessert" "Korean street food" "Korean pancake" "brown sugar" "sunflower seeds" "peanuts" "pine nuts" "deep fried" "cinnamon" "sugar" "Gaya Ho-tuck" "Hotteok" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Gaya Ho-tuck ($8)

These small round nuggets are stuffed with brown sugar, sunflower seeds, peanuts and pine nuts and then deep fried. Before serving they are dusted with cinnamon and more sugar and torched to caramelise the surface to a near black colour. Soft and fluffy on the outside yet chewy, nearly gooey on the inside these were right up my alley and got snuffled up pretty quickly.

"tiramisu" "fusion" chocolate soil" "dessert" "desserts" "Asian dessert" "Korean dessert" "red bean paste" "Red Misu" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Red Misu ($8)

I had already fallen in love with the look of the “Red Misu” thanks to a number of fellow blogger’s beautiful photos so I encouraged the Boy to order himself this instead of his usual ice cream. This curious little dish is Chef Leo’s take on tiramisu with a neat little Korean twist. The sponge was still deeply seeped in Baileys and coffee as one would expect for a tiramisu but there was the surprise element of added red bean paste. The dessert was carefully presented in a miniature pot complete with chocolate soil and pebbles. Some may say this dish was simply too adorable to eat but its cuteness didn’t stop either of us further stuffing our faces despite our bulging waistlines.

"tiramisu" "fusion" chocolate soil" "dessert" "desserts" "Asian dessert" "Korean dessert" "red bean paste" "Red Misu" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "Perth gluten free" “Korean gluten free” “Korean Perth” “Korean” “Korean fusion” “Gaya Applecross” “the Gaya” “The Gaya Applecross” “Applecross gluten free” “Asian gluten free Perth” “Riseley Street”

Red Misu ($8)

I am always suspicious to make a conclusion about a restaurant on the basis of a free meal as the chef knows in advance he is under scrutiny. However looking around the fairly busy dining room I could see plenty of happy customers enjoying their paid experience.

The Gaya offers something a bit different to your standard sizzling Korean restaurant with softly spoken, efficient service, oodles of gluten free options and creative, carefully presented food. Add to that it’s BYO licence and you can be sure I will be bringing my friends back here for a satisfying but inexpensive night out.

 The Gaya Applecross
Shop 3 & 4, 3 Kearns Crescent, Ardross WA | (08) 9364 8887 | www.the-gaya.com
 
Chompchomp dined as a guest of The Gaya Applecross. As it is too difficult to be 100% subjective with a complementary meal I will refrain from giving a review or score and this is purely just a documentation of my experience.

  The Gaya Applecross on Urbanspoon

Nine Fine Food is mighty fine!

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

At my business we run an externship with the veterinary students every year which gives us the opportunity to put them through their paces.  It provides a great way for them to gain further experience and confidence before they head out into the big wide world of employment.  It is often during these externships that certain individuals shine and a couple of years back one of these externships led to our decision to offer the student a job.

Since officially joining our team, she has continued to impress us all with her standard of knowledge and dedication to her career.  There have been many nights she has stayed back late with no complaints, come in on her days off and pitched in to help others without being asked.  She is a valued team member who appears to be fast tracking herself to success. As a token of our appreciation I took her out for dinner with a couple of my business partners.

"Salmon" "Tuna" "White Fish" "Prawn" "Squid" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "perth gluten free" "Japanese" "Nine Fine Food" "Highgate" "northbridge" "Modern Japanese" "gluten free japanese" "Bulwer" "sashimi" "sushi" "raw fish"

Fresh Sashimi (à la carte $27)

Thankfully she is also a foodie so I gave her a list of a couple of restaurants to let her choose the venue. She chose one of her favourites; Nine Fine Food. This was my second time returning to Nine Fine Food after visiting them earlier in the year with my dearest blogging friends. Most of my photos from this first visit didn’t turn out very well due to my excessive consumption of espresso martinis at an event prior. My shaking, caffeinated hands produced a number of quite interesting artefacts however very few of the resulting photos were what I would call “blog worthy”. I was keen for a second chance to get it right.

"Salmon" "Tuna" "White Fish" "Prawn" "Squid" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "perth gluten free" "Japanese" "Nine Fine Food" "Highgate" "northbridge" "Modern Japanese" "gluten free japanese" "Bulwer" "sashimi" "sushi" "raw fish"

Fresh Sashimi (part of $53 set menu)

In addition to their standard menu, Nine Fine Food offers two set menus: “Tokutoku” a three course meal for $53 per person or “Osusume” which is four courses for $63. We all chose the Tokutoku. I remembered from my last visit that Nine Fine Food provide gluten free soy and was chuffed that I didn’t need to bring along my own. It is these small things that make me happy. I had the fresh sashimi for my entrée and noticed that my serve was considerably smaller than when I had previously ordered it off the à la carte menu. This made sense as the à la carte version is $10 more expensive than the remainder of the entrée options. Each carefully sliced piece of fish was delicate enough to give that melt-in-the-mouth amazingness that will always elicit a moan of pleasure from me as it hits my tongue. Fresh sashimi is surely one of my favourite things.

"confit duck" "five-spice" "scallops" "sweet potato mash" "tempura onion" "pumpkin puree" "reduction" "red wine" "mirin wine" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "perth gluten free" "Japanese" "Nine Fine Food" "Highgate" "northbridge" "Modern Japanese" "gluten free japanese" "Bulwer" "sashimi" "sushi" "raw fish"

Confit Duck Leg ($34)

During my previous visit I ordered the confit duck leg and this dish is quite a treat so I was excited to see that Chris ordered it. It was a hard decision for me to not order it again as I know how good it is but I was determined to try something new. The duck is marinated in five-spice and served with lightly grilled scallops, sweet potato mash, a tempura onion ring and pumpkin purée. A ruby-red reduction made from red wine and mirin wine splashed contrasting colour against the mash across her plate. Jealous!

"tobiko caviar" "Yuzu mascarpone" "Salmon" "Scallop" "edamame" "pomegranate" "grapes" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "perth gluten free" "Japanese" "Nine Fine Food" "Highgate" "northbridge" "Modern Japanese" "gluten free japanese" "Bulwer" "sashimi" "sushi" "raw fish"

Salmon and Scallop ($34)

Gluten free mains choices are limited as many of the meats are pre-marinated in sauces containing gluten. The chef seemed more than obliging to adapt things for me however so I ordered the salmon and scallops. The Atlantic salmon was cooked in two ways; one piece was roasted and one was lightly fried. It was served with some grilled scallops topped with tobiko caviar on a bed of citrusy Yuzu mascarpone. The normal gluten version also contains a panko fried mixed seafood cake which was omitted for me. Vibrant edamame, pomegranate seeds and fresh grapes decorated the plate adding interesting little bombs of flavour and colour.

"twice cooked" "milk braised" "pork belly" "pork fillet" "tempura bacon" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "perth gluten free" "Japanese" "Nine Fine Food" "Highgate" "northbridge" "Modern Japanese" "gluten free japanese" "Bulwer" "sashimi" "sushi" "raw fish"

Pork and Pork ($18)

The “pork and pork” dish is not for the faint hearted and I would only recommend it for genuine pork lovers. The three different presentations of pork made this the perfect dish for my meat loving, veggie hating South African business partner. A sizable cube of twice cooked, milk braised pork belly accompanied slices of tender grilled pork fillet and some tempura bacon. Yes, you heard right, I said tempura bacon. Now I don’t really get into my pork but THAT was enough to make me swoon. The day I find somewhere that can make me gluten free tempura….it’s game on. Fry me some bacon!

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Chicken and Lamb ($34)

Our star team member of the night ordered the “chicken and lamb”. This was a dish containing multiple interesting elements including some marinated crunchy kara-age chicken, poached chicken breast, grilled lamb fillets and portions of vegetable cake. A sweet syrupy balsamic soy dressing was drizzled over the tender pieces of lamb to finish things off.

"Matcha Brûlée" "creme brulee" "dessert" "dessert" "matcha dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "perth gluten free" "Japanese" "Nine Fine Food" "Highgate" "northbridge" "Modern Japanese" "gluten free japanese" "Bulwer" "sashimi" "sushi" "raw fish"

Matcha Brûlée

I cannot go past any matcha flavoured desserts, they really are the bomb. Even just your run of the mill, matcha ice-cream will get me excited despite not being the biggest ice-cream fan. During my first visit to Nine Fine Food I was introduced to matcha brûlée and despite the food blogger within me chanting that I already HAD a good photo of this dessert meaning I should order something different to give you dear readers more food porn to drool over…..I ordered it again.

And it was so good!

And I’m not sorry.

"black sesame ice cream" "black sesame gelato" "Kuro Goma Gelato" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "perth gluten free" "Japanese" "Nine Fine Food" "Highgate" "northbridge" "Modern Japanese" "gluten free japanese" "Bulwer" "sashimi" "sushi" "raw fish"

Kuro Goma Gelato (black sesame)

The others all ordered the Kuro Goma gelato which is made from black sesame. Chris also opted for the additional chocolate banana roll which cost an extra $5. Her plate looked something like a dessert garden with fresh fruit scattered about for decoration.

"black sesame ice cream" "black sesame gelato" "Kuro Goma Gelato" "choco banana roll" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "gluten free blog" "perth gluten free" "Japanese" "Nine Fine Food" "Highgate" "northbridge" "Modern Japanese" "gluten free japanese" "Bulwer" "sashimi" "sushi" "raw fish"

Kuro Goma Gelato with additional choco banana roll

Nine Fine Food is exceedingly good value for both the quality of the food and service. Even better still, they are a BYO restaurant leaving you with the only drama being what wine to choose to match with your food. Unfortunately many of their beautiful dishes are not naturally gluten free and they require some degree of adaptation resulting in components being removed and not replaced. Hopefully as the chef has now made the move to offering gluten free soy to diners, he will soon move to offering more gluten free dishes that do not require changing to accommodate for people like us.

Nine Fine Food
227-229 Bulwer Street, Highgate WA 6003 | (08) 9227 9999 | www.ninefinefood.com.au
 
Price:                     $$ (Entrees $16-18, Mains $34, 3 course set $53)
Food:                    7/10 (would have scored higher if more GF options)
Service:                3.5/5 (discrete and unobtrusive, the let to food take the stage
Ambience:          3.5/5 (moody, dim-lit and quite romantic)
Drinks:                  BYO
Total:                     14/20 

 Nine Fine Food on Urbanspoon

The Precinct, Victoria Park Revisited

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

I have lived in the Vic Park area for nearly twenty years and have loved watching the neighbourhood develop and grow. It is a great place to live for numerous reasons but in my humble opinion one of the biggest selling factors is the variety of restaurants and cafes sitting right on our doorstep.  I’m certain we nearly have the “A to Z” of international cuisine and so we never seem to run out of options.  One of our regular haunts in the past has been The Precinct; a casual but funky eatery only a short fifteen minute stroll from our front door. The past few months my life has been exceedingly complicated and stressful and so when my Bestie proposed to me to catch up with another mutual close friend of ours Shannon I leaped at the opportunity to be able to switch off and relax. To make things even easier for me, Shannon was more than happy to travel over to our stompin’ ground and let us go local. Getting a booking at the last-minute on a Friday night can be tricky and after several phone calls to different restaurants I was starting to think we were out of luck. Finally we had success and managed to secure a table at the Precinct, seeing as we hadn’t been there for a several months we were happy to return.

"Tortilla crisps" "carrot dip" "cumin dip" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "breakfast" "casual dining" "vegetarian" "brunch" "wine bar" "Victoria Park" "The Precinct" "Vic Park" "Albany Highway" "vic park cafe"

Tortilla crisps, carrot and cumin dip

As we sat down to order I cringed at the fact that our table had such a constellation of specific dietary requirements; one of us was gluten free, fructose friendly (me), one was a vegetarian (the Boy) and finally there was a gluten free vegetarian (my Bestie). As we seemingly pounded our friendly waitress with 101 questions she proved to be totally unflappable and remained generously accommodating despite having to do a couple of round trips to the kitchen to check on ingredient details for us.

"Popcorn" "rosemary" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "breakfast" "casual dining" "vegetarian" "brunch" "wine bar" "Victoria Park" "The Precinct" "Vic Park" "Albany Highway" "vic park cafe"

Popcorn

I have a tendency to get a bit obsessed with certain food and popcorn is one of those. I have been known to devour a whole packet in one sitting and have loved that it has featured on the bar snack menu at The Precinct for some time. Theirs is strongly flavoured with rosemary and lemon pepper making it extremely addictive.  To feed my addiction further, it is sold in take home bags enabling me to grab a roadie on my way out.

"Split pea fritters" "roast garlic" "almond dip" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "breakfast" "casual dining" "vegetarian" "brunch" "wine bar" "Victoria Park" "The Precinct" "Vic Park" "Albany Highway" "vic park cafe"

Split pea fritters, roast garlic & almond dip

It is not often that fritters are gluten free but these were also vegan meaning we could all eat them. No animal was harmed in the making of these little crispy balls. Despite not containing any cheese or meat that would ordinarily make these delicious, the fritters were flavoursome with a crackly thin crumb and a piping hot soft centre.

"Tasmanian Salmon" "fennel coleslaw" "confit tomatoes" "rocket pesto" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "breakfast" "casual dining" "vegetarian" "brunch" "wine bar" "Victoria Park" "The Precinct" "Vic Park" "Albany Highway" "vic park cafe"

Tasmanian Salmon, fennel coleslaw, confit tomatoes, rocket pesto

It is unusual for me to have a small appetite and I guess this may be a reflection of the turmoil and stress in my life over recent weeks. Consequently I was happy to see the portion size for the Tasmanian salmon was fairly small. Accompanied by a fennel salad, confit tomatoes and a blob of rocket pesto it was just the light meal my wobbly stomach needed however in more jovial times I may have been left feeling a bit peckish. I prefer my salmon to be slightly rare and was dismayed to see this chunk was cooked all the way through. I consoled myself with the fact that at least the skin was brittle thin and crunchy.

"Pork belly" "potato puree" "pea" "mint" "cabbage salad" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "breakfast" "casual dining" "vegetarian" "brunch" "wine bar" "Victoria Park" "The Precinct" "Vic Park" "Albany Highway" "vic park cafe"

Pork belly, potato puree, pea, mint apple & cabbage salad

Shannon has recently undergone a very successful diet and life style change that has enabled her to improve both her health and well-being immensely. Being so well behaved with her eating habits for so long she decided to treat herself and ordered herself the pork belly. The crackling was snippety snap hard and browned to a delicious honey colour. The flesh was somewhat tender but I think the portion size was a bit overwhelmingly large for someone who has been eating an abundance of healthiness of late. It was served with a potato puree and a pea, mint, apple and cabbage salad.

"Vegetable spaghetti" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "breakfast" "casual dining" "vegetarian" "brunch" "wine bar" "Victoria Park" "The Precinct" "Vic Park" "Albany Highway" "vic park cafe"

Vegetable spaghetti

Earlier on this year I subjected the Boy to a six week Raw Food experiment. Instead of our usual vegetarian Meatless Monday, I turned it into a raw food and vegan version. I called it “The Raw Food Meatless Monday Man Challenge”! Some of my dishes included raw noodles and every time I made them his eyes would light up with glee. He was elated to see that vegetable spaghetti featured on The Precinct’s menu for the evening. Julienned zucchini and carrot sat atop thick wedges of pumpkin with raisins tossed through for more sweetness. I had to fight him for a mouthful to taste.

"Green Beans" "herb oil" "baked mushroom risotto" "truffle oil" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "breakfast" "casual dining" "vegetarian" "brunch" "wine bar" "Victoria Park" "The Precinct" "Vic Park" "Albany Highway" "vic park cafe"

Green Beans with herb oil and baked mushroom risotto, truffle oil

The Bestie is also vegetarian and ordered the baked mushroom risotto with truffle oil. To add some greenery to her choice she also ordered some green beans.

"dessert" "biscuit" "cake" "desserts" "ice cream" "chocolate" "Brownie" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "breakfast" "casual dining" "vegetarian" "brunch" "wine bar" "Victoria Park" "The Precinct" "Vic Park" "Albany Highway" "vic park cafe"

Brownie

Not wanting to end the evening with a savoury taste in our mouths, us girls agreed to share a gluten free brownie complete with ice cream. Whilst the brownie was gluten free, the ice cream was unfortunately not meaning Shannon got to enjoy the scoop all to herself. Our waiter ensured it was served separate from the brownie to avoid any contamination. It was a big wedge of a brownie and was more than ample for the three of us to share. I did find it a bit dry and wished I could enjoy some ice cream to wash it down.

"dessert" "biscuit" "cake" "desserts" "ice cream" "Ice cream sandwich" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "breakfast" "casual dining" "vegetarian" "brunch" "wine bar" "Victoria Park" "The Precinct" "Vic Park" "Albany Highway" "vic park cafe"

Ice cream sandwich

The Boy ordered the ice cream sandwich. These are made in house and I love how they mark The Precinct logo on the top. It reminds me of years long gone by where they were one of my favourite after dinner treats. I used to walk down to our local deli with our flat mate and we would buy an ice cream each for ourselves and one for the Boy who always stayed at home. And if it wasn’t an ice cream sandwich, it was a hazelnut roll. Happy days!

The Precinct remains one of my favourite locals on the Vic Park strip. Their service is always bubbly and energetic, their wine list is interesting, and although their food won’t blow your mind it is still creative, fresh and ever changing. They are happy to accommodate for all the tricky dietary needs; be it vego, vegan, fructose friendly or gluten free.

The Precinct
834 Albany Highway, East Victoria Park 6101 | (08) 9355 2880 | www.theprecinctvicpark.com.au/
 
Price:                     $$ (Entrees/snacks $7-19, Mains $22-29)
Food:                    3/5 (simple, interesting and fresh)
Service:                3.5/5 (these guys are always so enthusiastic)
Ambience:          3.5/5 (good to find somewhere without fluoro lights on the Vic Park strip)
Drinks:                  4.5/5 (great list, lots of European choices of wines and beers)
Total:                     14.5/20 

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A Baby Shower at Feral Brewing Company, Swan Valley

Posted by  | Categories: Featured, Modern Australian, Perth, Restaurants, Swan Valley, Winery

Although I’m not really a baby person it is hard not to get excited when a close friend falls pregnant. One of our long-term vets is nearly at the end of her first pregnancy and she is one of those gentle, nurturing types that just seems to be born to be a mother.  The joys of anticipation for the approaching arrival were very infectious amongst us women at work, so in a rather unconventional styled baby shower we all gathered together at Feral Brewing Company for a Sunday lunch to celebrate. It was the first sunny day in weeks and it was heavenly to be able to enjoy some country sunshine.

"Twice cooked pork belly" "creamed cauliflower" "crinkled courgettes" "sticky rum" "apple glace" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "hipster" "breakfast" "casual dining" "swan valley" "coffee roaster" "Middle swan" "microbrewery" "Feral Brewery" "Feral Brewing Company" "Australian International Beers Awards" “Best Medium Australian Brewery" "craft beers" "winery" "vineyards" "cupcakes" "Cook's cakes"

Twice cooked Feral pork belly

Quite a number of people at our table chose to order the pork belly. The pork was twice cooked and served on a bed of creamed cauliflower and “crinkled” courgettes.  To balance the flavours with some sweetness the dish was topped with a sticky rum & apple relish. I was fortunate enough to sit next to the expecting mum’s husband who ordered the pork belly but curiously doesn’t like crackling. It wasn’t hard to find volunteers on the table including myself that were willing to take said crackling off his hands. Aren’t we kind folk? The artery blocking crackling had a satisfying crunch that was loud enough to be heard on the other side of the table.

"grain fed Porterhouse" "beef steak"  "paprika potatoes" "buttered broccolini" "Danish feta" "stuffed field mushrooms" “karma citra jus"   "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "hipster" "breakfast" "casual dining" "swan valley" "coffee roaster" "Middle swan" "microbrewery" "Feral Brewery" "Feral Brewing Company" "Australian International Beers Awards" “Best Medium Australian Brewery" "craft beers" "winery" "vineyards" "cupcakes" "Cook's cakes"

300gm local grain fed Porterhouse

The Feral Brewing Company offers good value in the valley; I was impressed with the size of the meals in relation to the price. The plump grain fed Porterhouse steak was a decent 300 gm cut and came with paprika potatoes, buttered broccolini and a juicy feta stuffed field mushroom.

"Spanish chorizo" "prosciutto" "roasted beef sirloin" "Charcuterie meat board" "house cold cuts" "pickled vegetables" "marinated Persian feta" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "hipster" "breakfast" "casual dining" "swan valley" "coffee roaster" "Middle swan" "microbrewery" "Feral Brewery" "Feral Brewing Company" "Australian International Beers Awards" “Best Medium Australian Brewery" "craft beers" "winery" "vineyards" "cupcakes" "Cook's cakes"

Charcuterie meat board

I needed to preserve a bit of room in my stomach as we were heading out for dinner later that evening so I opted for the charcuterie meat board for something light. Creamy Persian feta, grilled Spanish chorizo, thinly shaved prosciutto and some roasted beef sirloin were served along with some locally pickled vegetables. The platter normally comes with crusty bread but I asked for it to be served gluten free. Some crackers arrived with it but I wasn’t sure whether they were gluten free or not so I left them. I wasn’t that bothered otherwise I would have asked. The chorizo was juicy and succulent and was my favourite component of this dish.

"toasted Turkish bread" "spicy Moroccan dhal" "spring onion" “funky mushroom" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "hipster" "breakfast" "casual dining" "swan valley" "coffee roaster" "Middle swan" "microbrewery" "Feral Brewery" "Feral Brewing Company" "Australian International Beers Awards" “Best Medium Australian Brewery" "craft beers" "winery" "vineyards" "cupcakes" "Cook's cakes"

Trio of exotic feral dips with toasted Turkish bread

My platter was designed to share but everyone had their own full plates to contend with resulting in little luck sharing it around. My head nurse sitting next to me helped marginally to make a dent on the proviso and I helped her with her trio of dips.  The dips of the days included spicy Moroccan dhal, creamy spring onion and “funky mushroom”. I smeared some of the dhal on my pickled vegetables as a bread substitute. It had a reasonable kicked to it and went well with the pickle!

 "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "hipster" "breakfast" "casual dining" "swan valley" "coffee roaster" "Middle swan" "microbrewery" "Feral Brewery" "Feral Brewing Company" "Australian International Beers Awards" “Best Medium Australian Brewery" "craft beers" "winery" "vineyards" "cupcakes" "Cook's cakes"

Baby cupcakes!

Our adorable cupcakes for the day were designed and made by Cooks Cakes. Each cupcake had a gorgeous baby themed decoration and the cakes were a mix of flavours; red velvet, chocolate and vanilla. Alas none were gluten free this time round.

Feral Brewing Company offers a very casual atmosphere nestled in the heart of the Swan Valley with hearty grub and a great range of craft beers. Not being able to drink most beer due to gluten intolerance I cannot tell you much about their hand-crafted beers, but they are currently title holders for the Australian International Beer Awards “Best Medium Australian Brewery”. Their food is simple pub styled food priced reasonably well with modest portion sizes.

Feral Brewing Company
152 Haddrill Road, Baskerville WA 6056 | (08) 9296 4657 | www.feralbrewing.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$ (Entrée$8.50-12, Mains $23-38          
Food:                    3.5/5 (simple, fresh, hearty meals)
Service:                3/5 (friendly, drinks service a little slow)
Ambience:          3.5/5 (country sunshine, rolling hills and vineyards)
Drinks:                  3/5 (I need the Boy to review the beers but I couldn’t convince him to come to a baby shower)
Total:                     13/20

 

Feral Brewing Company on Urbanspoon

Food Styling and Photography Workshops with Billy Law @ The Terrace Hotel

Posted by  | Categories: Accommodation, Events, Featured, Modern Australian, Perth, Restaurants

As I approach my blog’s second birthday in September this year, I have been reflecting back on what I have achieved in these past two years. Starting from humble and amateurish beginnings I have strived to improve both my writing and photography style and understand this will forever be a learning curve for me. This constant growth and development gives a great sense of achievement and satisfaction. Blogging is and always will be my hobby and finding enough time alongside my day job as a small animal vet can sometimes be a bit of a challenge!

"The rule of thirds" "pears" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

The “rule of thirds”

"Turkish Bread" "Hummus" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Turkish Bread & Hummus

One of the aspects of my blog that I want to improve is my food photography skills. I look at my hideously boring food styling and poor quality restaurant photos and dream wistfully that I had natural talent. Billy Law from A Table For Two is one of those people blessed with such a gift. His photos are always clean and crisp, enticing you to dive deeper and deeper into his blog. He was a finalist on Master Chef and has scored that all elusive book deal that so many bloggers dream of.

"Gourmet Tastes Platter" "Duck wontons" "San Daniele prosciutto" "chicken liver parfait" "pork rillettes" "squids cones" " "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Gourmet Tastes Platter: Duck wontons, San Daniele prosciutto, chicken liver parfait, pork rillettes, squids cones

"Gourmet Tastes Platter" "Duck wontons" "San Daniele prosciutto" "chicken liver parfait" "pork rillettes" "squids cones" " "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Ugh – square plates are so hard to shoot!

His food photography workshops are well known by foodies over east and generally sell out well in advance. So when he announced that he was planning to bring the workshop over West I took no hesitation in signing up. Held at The Terrace Hotel we were treated to a two day insight into his trade secrets paired with good food, wine and lots of laughter.

"Pan fried salmon" "Asian greens" "cucumber & coriander salad" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Pan fried salmon, Asian greens, cucumber & coriander salad (GF)

"Linley Valley pork belly" "chorizo" "broccoli salad" "Spanish black pudding" "Butternut pumpkin" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Slow cooked crispy Linley Valley pork belly, chorizo & broccoli salad, Spanish black pudding & Butternut pumpkin

"Amelia Park Lamb rack" "sweet potato fondant" "spinach puree" "confit shoulder" "white wine" "rosemary jus" "lamb" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Amelia Park Lamb rack, sweet potato fondant, spinach puree, confit shoulder, white wine & rosemary jus (GF)

The first day was aimed at a beginner’s level teaching us how to get the most of our cameras regardless of whether it was a point-and-shoot compact or a niftier DSLR. We went through the basics of composition, white balance and he provided some helpful post processing tips. Billy went around the table and individually looked at each of our cameras to help us familiar ourselves with the manual settings. I was able to put his suggestions straight to work as food was continuously being brought to us. We certainly didn’t go home hungry!

"dessert" "Creme caramel" "mango sorbet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Creme caramel with mango sorbet (GF)

"Bitter chocolate" "orange tart" "creme fraiche" "honeycomb" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Bitter chocolate & orange tart, creme fraiche & honeycomb

"dessert" "Sticky date pudding" "toffee ice cream" "vanilla ice cream" "toffee sauce" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

Sticky date pudding, toffee ice cream, vanilla ice cream, toffee sauce

The second day was aimed at a more intermediate level and Billy showed us how to utilise props and lighting to get the best out of our shots at home. The attendees at this day included a wide range of people from passionate foodies and bloggers to professional photographers. The atmosphere was very informal and friendly and many of us exchanged business cards and twitter handles at the end of each day.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Perth bars" "Perth restaurants" "Perth food reviews" "Perth Luxury Accommodation" "The Terrace Hotel" "Terrace Hotel" "billy Law" "Billy Law photography workshops" "Billy law food photography workshops" "A Table for two" "Master chef" "Perth City" "food photography"

The Terrace Hotel staff knew they were serving a roomful of bloggers so I have refrained from reviewing these meals as it would be impossible for me to give an accurate unbiased review. Throughout the day we were treated to very personalised and friendly service and I walked away impressed with the level of attention. I am keen to return for a meal incognito to discover whether this is true for all patrons.

A big thank you to Billy for making the trip over to Perth!

The Terrace Hotel
237 St Georges Terrace Perth WA 6000 | (08) 9214 4444 | http://www.terracehotelperth.com.au/

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The Karalee on Preston, Como

Posted by  | Categories: Featured, Hotels, Modern Australian, Perth, Pub, Restaurants

The Bestie’s birthday weekend fortunately coincided with her parent’s return from their month-long holiday in Vietnam.  Her parents live in southern Western Australian in a town called Esperance which is about a ten hour drive from Perth.  This means she doesn’t get to see them as often as she would like and having them in Perth for her birthday was a bit of a treat.  To make the most of the occasion, she agreed to stretch out her celebrations over two nights starting with her parents cooking up a storm for us at their friends’ house followed by a casual night out at the Karalee Tavern in Como.

During our time living in London, it was a common occurrence for the Bestie, the Boy and I to visit a number of run down English Pubs. Horrendous food and cheap drinks would be served well past the old fashioned pub curfew under the premise of a “lock out”.  These were crazy times and there is a little part of each of us that wistfully longs for those hedonistic days gone by.  I’m got the feeling that was part of the vibe she was going for by choosing The Karalee as especially since Chompchomp’s creation we have a tendency to go more popular or newly established venues.  Despite the fact the windows at Karalee face out onto the Como foreshore, it was near impossible to see through the smudgy cloudy glass and even with a recent revamp of their décor I still felt trapped in the nineties.

"Char-grilled calamari" "chickpeas" "kasundi" "seafood" "squid" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "pub food" "tavern" "modern australia" "pub restaurant" "como" "Karalee on Preston, Como" "South Perth" "sports bar" "Perth pubs" "perth hotels"

Char-grilled calamari

To my complete surprise there were a number of gluten free options marked on their menu.  Of course the Bestie had kindly thought ahead and made sure we were going somewhere where I could eat something.  I started with the char-grilled calamari served with tomato kasundi, warmed chick peas salad with a lemon dressing. The kasundi had none of the spiciness I would expect in this Indian relish and the chickpeas had that flavourless powderiness I can only expect came from a can.  The calamari was ever so slightly overcooked and chewy.  Not a good start.

"seafood" "turkish bread" "Chilli and garlic prawns"  "tiger prawns" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "pub food" "tavern" "modern australia" "pub restaurant" "como" "Karalee on Preston, Como" "South Perth" "sports bar" "Perth pubs" "perth hotels"

Chilli and garlic marinated tiger prawns

The Bestie ordered the grilled chilli and garlic tiger prawns.  Four small shelled Tiger prawns sat perched on a few triangles of cold toasted Turkish bread.  Although the prawns looked a little dry to me, I didn’t taste them so cannot pass a true judgement.

"Veal saltimbocca" "polenta" "prosciutto" "Veal medallions" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "pub food" "tavern" "modern australia" "pub restaurant" "como" "Karalee on Preston, Como" "South Perth" "sports bar" "Perth pubs" "perth hotels"

Veal saltimbocca

The Bestie and I both ordered the veal saltimbocca. The veal medallions tasted like overcooked cardboard and literally sucked all the moisture from out of my mouth. I’m sure it took me a good five minutes to chew each mouthful. I was thankful for the crunchy prosciutto topping to add some flavour into all that blandness.  The thick creamy mushroom sauce did nothing to improve the meal nor did the unseasoned gritty block of set polenta that was meant to be crispy.

"Slow cooked lamb shank" "sweet potato" "kumera" "broccolini" "lamb" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "pub food" "tavern" "modern australia" "pub restaurant" "como" "Karalee on Preston, Como" "South Perth" "sports bar" "Perth pubs" "perth hotels"

Slow cooked lamb shank

The Boy ordered the slow cooked lamb shank with sweet potato and maple syrup mash and roasted broccolini. The succulent lamb collapsed effortlessly off the bone and was accompanied by moans of approval and enjoyment. I often put a dash of maple syrup in my pumpkin and sweet potato mash when cooking at home.  As long as you only put a dash it serves to provide a subtle lingering to the already dulcet flavours of the vegetables.  Although the texture of this mash could have been creamier, they were cautious enough not to overdo it with the maple and its hint of flavour was balanced just right.  The broccolini was burnt to a crisp which completely sabotaged any sense of its flavour other than charcoal.

"Sticky glazed pork belly" "pork belly" "mash" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "pub food" "tavern" "modern australia" "pub restaurant" "como" "Karalee on Preston, Como" "South Perth" "sports bar" "Perth pubs" "perth hotels"

Sticky glazed pork belly

The Bestie’s Mum ordered the roasted sticky glazed pork belly. It was curiously paired with a mound of potato mash and sesame tossed Asian greens. The pork was buttery smooth with crunchy crackling and she was left feeling very full and satisfied.

The meal sizes at Karalee are generous meaning this is a good place to come if you want value for money.  If quality is more what you look for in a night out I suggest you look elsewhere.

The Karalee on Preston
25 Preston Street Como WA 6152 | (08) 9367 1848 | www.thekaralee.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$ (Entrée $12-16, Mains $23-38)           
Food:                    2/5 (very average, poor execution and odd combinations of ingredients)
Service:                3/5 (a little slow but friendly enough for a sports bar)
Ambience:          2.5/5 (despite the potential views, ambiance is definitely lacking)
Drinks:                  2.5/5 (average wine list, nothing exciting)
Total:                     10/20
 Karalee on Preston on Urbanspoon

Back to Cantina 663, Mount Lawley

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

Many of you may know I grew up in Adelaide, the City of Churches.  At the young and impressionable age of seventeen I left my family and friends behind in order to head west to study veterinary science.  Although initially moving to the opposite side of our great continent was not easy, Perth has given me amazing opportunities, plenty of sunshine and most importantly has found me the love of my life.

In my earlier years in Perth I remained in close contact with very few of my school companions. In fact in all honesty, until the creation of Facebook I only stayed in touch with just one school friend; Lenni.  Despite our homes being geographically separated by thousands of kilometres, over the years we have always managed to see each other at least once every twelve months or so.

When we were living in London she detoured to see me from Greece where she had attended a family wedding.  We lived in a poky little bed-sit in South-east London which was  situated upstairs from the 24 hour veterinary hospital in which I worked at.  We only had enough room to fit a single blow up mattress on the floor and by the end of every night it would ensure to deflate itself. Dear Lenni never uttered a complaint. No room for luxury during these times!

Another time she flew over for a whirlwind trip down to Margaret River and Pemberton.  Eager to show off my newly adopted home, I tried to squeeze everything into a tight 3 day schedule. For those who know these areas you will understand what a crazy schedule this was.  We covered a LOT of ground!

Whenever I was visiting Mum in Adelaide, Lenni would always manage to fit me into her hectic on-call schedule for some late night drinks and a bite to eat.  No matter how long between impromptu visits we would always manage to spend the whole time laughing and chattering late into the night. I would often wake up the next day with sore stomach muscles from too much giggling.

"pork belly" "cotechino" "potato hash" "crackling" "pork" "pickled onions" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Cantina 663, Mount Lawley" "Cantina 663" "Mount Lawley" "Beaufort Street" "Portuguese" "Spanish" "tapas" "Italian"

Crisp pork belly, cotechino, potato hash, pickled onions

Fate has a way for bringing good friends together and in recent years Lenni’s career has also brought her to this state of opportunity. Being well overdue to see each other we met up one weeknight at Cantina 663 in Mount Lawley to enjoy some good food, wine and conversation.

I love eating out with someone who really enjoys their food.  It is so much more pleasurable to take the time to savour all the flavours of a meal as opposed to quickly wolfing everything down. Better still, it allows you to analyse and really appreciate what you are devouring. Lenni is a gracefully slow eater and meals with her are always at an extended relaxed pace.  Cantina 663 is perfect for this style of eating as much of their dishes are designed to share.

There was initially much confusion from our waiter upon ordering our food.  At first, he gave me the impression that he was quite familiar with fructose malabsorption and advised me that there was only a couple of small nibbles I could have and nothing on the main menu.  He told me as a replacement the chef was happy to specially make me a risotto for my main instead.  As he walked away from our table I was left feeling a little bewildered as I have previously been able to eat a number of their menu items as much of it is gluten free.  What made things worse was I didn’t feel like a risotto at all yet didn’t want to seem like a complaining ungrateful customer!

"Salumi platter" "Chorizo" "Prosciutto" "Bresaola" "kofta" "salami" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Cantina 663, Mount Lawley" "Cantina 663" "Mount Lawley" "Beaufort Street" "Portuguese" "Spanish" "tapas" "Italian"

Salumi platter:Chorizo, Prosciutto, Bresaola, kofta and salami

On further questioning I discovered that my waiter had presumed that fructose malabsorption meant I had a fruit allergy and couldn’t eat anything with any fruit at all. As many of the dishes contained citrus or lemon juice he thought that they would all be unsuitable.  After giving him a brief run down on fructose malabsorption, he returned to the kitchen armed with a wealth of information on this frustrating condition and found out that there was indeed a lot more on the menu that I could eat.  What a relief.  I was starting to get a bit worried for a moment there!

"Smoked salmon rillettes" "preserved fennel" "seafood" "fish" "salmon" "rillettes" "charred bread" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Cantina 663, Mount Lawley" "Cantina 663" "Mount Lawley" "Beaufort Street" "Portuguese" "Spanish" "tapas" "Italian"

Smoked salmon rillettes, preserved fennel, charred bread

The buttery smooth smoked salmon rillettes had the consistency of creamy pâté and smeared elegantly over the crusty charred bread.  There was no gluten free bread available but when I booked the table a few days prior the waitress kindly advised me in advance and welcomed me to bring my own…which of course I forgot! Paired with crunchy liquoricy preserved fennel and a bottle of Grenache this was perfect dish to kick start our night.

"Port roasted mushrooms" "buffalo mozzarella" "vegetarian" "basil" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Cantina 663, Mount Lawley" "Cantina 663" "Mount Lawley" "Beaufort Street" "Portuguese" "Spanish" "tapas" "Italian"

Port roasted mushrooms, buffalo mozzarella, basil

The sauce for the roasted mushrooms contained onions so the chef served this on the side.  Despite omitting this potentially key ingredient, the earthy mushrooms were still bursting with rich port flavoured juices. Shreds of buffalo mozzarella cut through the acidity of the dish leaving a lingering creaminess on the palate.  A simple dish done well.

"pork belly" "cotechino" "potato hash" "crackling" "pork" "pickled onions" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Cantina 663, Mount Lawley" "Cantina 663" "Mount Lawley" "Beaufort Street" "Portuguese" "Spanish" "tapas" "Italian"

Crisp pork belly, cotechino, potato hash, pickled onions

Lenni had the crisp pork belly with cotechino, potato hash and pickled onions.  Nestled in amongst all these ingredients were finger like slivers of sweet Pink Lady apple.  The crackling was as hard as toffee and snapped satisfyingly in the mouth with an audible crack.  The meat lacked any unpleasant porky after-taste and the fat had emulsified to a custard-like texture. I was lucky enough to try a small sample denuded of any sauce and could see why she finished every morsel on her plate despite being very full!

"Pan fried barramundi" "almond" "green salad" "fish" "seafood" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Cantina 663, Mount Lawley" "Cantina 663" "Mount Lawley" "Beaufort Street" "Portuguese" "Spanish" "tapas" "Italian"

Pan fried barramundi, almond with green salad on side

I enjoyed the pan-fried barramundi served with an almond butter sauce laced with baby capers. The fish was normally accompanied with artichokes and asparagus which presumably wasn’t onion free so the chef made me a large garden salad instead. The fish had thin crispy skin yet the flesh remained flaky and delicate requiring minimal effort to reduce into bite size morsels.  The nearly sweet almond sauce made this ordinarily light meal much more satisfying and I was contentedly full by the end.

Fructose malabsorption is by no means an easy intolerance to understand, and to an untrained ear the requirements are complicated and difficult. I was impressed that although our waiter’s initial presumptions regarding my diet were incorrect he put in the effort to understand the facts and find me something I would enjoy. We will most definitely be back again.

More on Cantina 663: Birthday Dinner at Cantina 663, Mount Lawley (March, 2012)

Cantina 663
Astor Arcade, 663 Beaufort Street, Mount Lawley, 6050 | (08) 9370 4883 | www.cantina663.com
 
Price:                     $$$$ ($7-16 share plates/entrees, $25-35 mains)
Food:                    4.5/5 (they really need to consider stocking gluten free bread)
Service:                3.5/5 (bubbly, efficient, but a little confused with my food intolerances)
Ambience:          4/5 (warm and cosy inside on a cold rainy night)
Drinks:                  4/5 (Interesting Portuguese, Spanish & Italian wines. Perfectly matched to the food)
Total:                     16/20
 

 Cantina 663 on Urbanspoon

Celebrating my blogiversary at Duende, Leederville

Posted by  | Categories: Featured, Perth, Restaurants, Tapas Bar, Wine Bar

This year has been such a hectic and emotional one which has flown by with the speed of light.  It has been a whole year since the Boy finally managed to convince me after much persuasion to start writing a blog.  After an initial few quiet months while in its fledgling state, it has now grown to be something I am proud to call my own.  Many of my close friends are loyal regular readers and are always keen to be part of the Chompchomp phenomenon by joining me on my gastronomic expeditions around Perth.

My wedding expert friend Tara is one of these supportive people and she jumped at the opportunity of a night out with our respective others to Duende to celebrate my first blogiversary coupled with a bit of “wedding talk”.

It was one of those first glorious balmy spring days and I was drunk on the delightful sunshine and perhaps maybe also the bottle of Billecart the boy bought for us in the afternoon.  I donned a short summery frock, slipped on some killer Diavolina platforms and bared my winter legs.  Call it a stark rebuttal against any further threats of the dreaded cold weather!

We started at The Garden for a few rounds of drinks before heading over to Duende for dinner. Neither Tara nor her husband suffer from any dietary intolerance and were happy to order a selection of dishes that were suitable for me so we could all share. We started off with a bottle of gorgeously bright ruby coloured Pe Tinto Tempranillo, an organic and biodynamic wine from Portugal.   We then proceeded to work our way through most of the gluten free options on the menu.  Of which there were many!

"Marinated olives" "wine" "grilled chorizo" "Tempranillo" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Marinated olives, grilled chorizo, Tempranillo

The marinated olive selection contained over four different types with a broad range of textures and tastes to suit all of our palates. The chorizo had generous amount of heat in it and was thickly cut and juicy.

"Patatas bravas" "potato bravas" "potato" "fried potato" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Patatas bravas

Patatas bravas are one of my favourite Spanish dishes. Parboiled potatoes are deep fried before being coated with a variety of spices, vinegar and red pepper.  They can be served with a number of different types of sauces depending on the area of Spain and which can range from a tomato based sauce to more of an aioli style. These crispy slices of heaven had a generous paprika dusting and were seasoned with some lemony tasting vinegar.  The level of spiciness was fairly mild and I would have preferred a bit more of a punch however the Boy was relieved with the relatively low heat.

"Pork belly" "polenta" "roasted pear" "muscatel" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Pork belly, polenta, roasted pear, muscatel

The pork belly had a luscious creamy texture and literally melted into the polenta without any fatty aftertaste. The pear and plump muscatels gave a pleasant sweet note but I did my best to avoid these two fructose filled fruits.

"Lamb rump" "hummus" "feta" "fenugreek" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Lamb rump, hummus, feta, fenugreek

The lamb rump was quite a surprise.  I didn’t really read the menu carefully enough to be prepared for the enchanting sweet maple flavours from the fenugreek.  It actually took us all a few moments to work out where the flavours came from!  The rump was succulent and pink.

"Pickled beetroot" "goats cheese" "vegetarian" "hazelnuts" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Pickled beetroot, goats cheese, hazelnuts

The pickled beetroots were hidden under a loose pile of fresh rocket, goat cheese and hazelnuts. Hazelnuts are my favourite nut, in part due to my praline addiction but additionally it brings back indulgent teenage memories of eating Nutella by the jar full. Although an interesting dish this wasn’t one of the better ones.

"Beef cheek" "prunes" "pickled cauliflower" "almond sauce" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Beef cheek, prunes, pickled cauliflower, almond sauce

Initially we were a little reserved in ordering the beef cheeks after hearing negative feedback from a friend that found them to be dry.  Cheeks are a cheaper cut of meat with a higher proportion of fat, sinew, connective tissue and bone in them. Provided they are cooked correctly this generally means they are more delicious, though they do require a little time and care when cooking.

"Cruzcampo pilsner" "beer" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Cruzcampo pilsner

We were right in taking the gamble because our cheeks were incredibly flavoured, delicately tender and we really should have ordered two serves and maybe left out the beetroot.

"Smoked eggplant puree" "haloumi" "olives" "honey" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Smoked eggplant puree, haloumi, olives, honey

The sensation of squeaky haloumi always brings a smile to my face.   Coupled with rich smoky undertones of eggplant puree this simple dish was a crowd pleaser.

"Mushrooms" "vegetarian" "px vinegar" "gorgonzola" "walnuts" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Mushrooms, px vinegar, gorgonzola, walnuts

Px vinegar is made with the sweet Pedro Ximenez grapes and was the perfect combination with gorgonzola to top the earthy mushrooms. I know I’m a little biased as I have a mushroom addiction but these slippery little nuggets packed a powerful burst of flavour and I could have eaten many more had I not already stuffed my face with everything else!

"Cheese platter" "Sainte Maure" "French cheese" "Mahon" "Spanish cheese" "Roquefort" "cheese" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Cheese platter: Sainte Maure (France), Mahon (Spain), Roquefort (France) (left to right)

We chose 3 out of the selection of five available French and Spanish cheeses and it was quite a feat narrowing it down to three.  If I wasn’t already bursting at the seams I would have said one of each! Our choice included a semi-firm cow’s cheese Mahon from Spain and two French cheeses; Roquefort, a creamy blue sheep cheese and Sainte Maure, a soft buttery goat cheese.

"Cheese platter" "Sainte Maure" "French cheese" "Mahon" "Spanish cheese" "Roquefort" "cheese" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Cheese platter: Sainte Maure (France), Mahon (Spain), Roquefort (France) (top to bottom)

"Cheese platter" "Sainte Maure" "French cheese" "Mahon" "Spanish cheese" "Roquefort" "cheese" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Sainte Maure (France) (I know this isn’t the correct way to cut cheese….but I’m just the photographer!)

For sweets we ordered the doughnut balls with condensed milk ice cream.  Obviously these were not for me as they are full of all the gluten in the land; a fact my companions were very content with as it meant there was all the more for them!

"Doughnut balls" "Spanish doughnuts" "dessert" "condensed milk ice cream" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Duende" "Duende, Leederville" "Leederville" "The Garden, Leederville" "Spanish" "tapas" "wine bar" "late night" "Newcastle Street" "blogiversary"

Doughnut balls with condensed milk ice cream

After reading a multitude of positive reviews on Duende over the years I cannot believe it took me this long to try them for myself.  They more than exceeded my expectations and have to be the best tapas I have experienced in Perth by far.  We loved it so much that we actually headed back for a quick midweek bite later that following week!    And yes….we ordered more of those patatas bravas.

Duende
662 Newcastle Street, Leederville 6007 | (08) 9228 0123 | http://www.duende.com.au/
 
Price:                     $$$ (Tapas share dishes range from $4-25, we share 11 dishes/4 people = stuffed!)
Food:                    4.5/5 (if I had more room I would have tried more!)
Service:                4/5 (dishes didn’t come out too quickly, friendly and helpful)
Ambience:           4.5/5 (buzzing vibe, I could nearly imagine myself back in Spain…)
Drinks:                   4/5 (interesting wine list, plenty of by the glass options)
Total:                     17/20

 Duende on Urbanspoon

InContro, South Perth

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

I have very fond memories of my last time at Matilda Bay Restaurant with two of my favourite people in my life; the Boy and my dearest Mum.  It was Christmas Day lunch some years ago and it remains one of our most relaxing and stress-free Christmas’s to date.  So when the Boy invited me to join him there on a business dinner recently I didn’t have to hesitate in my response!

Being so food obsessed is proving to be my Achilles heel by hindering my success in achieving the svelte bride body that I want. I have a bad habit of over eating and seem to enjoy the feeling of being insanely full.  My solution is simply to focus on eating less for the last six months in the lead up to the big day.  This night out was to be the last night of uninhibited eating before the frustrations of restriction begun so I wanted to go out with a bang.

You can only imagine my disappointment when a few hours before we were to all meet for dinner, the Boy was informed by email that the invitation didn’t extend to partners.  Knowing how much I was looking forward to the evening and presuming the refusal was due to a strict budget, the Boy explained that we were not expecting a free meal and I was more than happy to pay my own way.  Unfortunately this wasn’t good enough for the agency and after receiving a fairly patronising reply the Boy’s blood started to boil.

"Perth city skyline" "Perth city" "Perth river views" "swan river" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "tapas" "piccolo" "InContro" "South Perth" "South Perth Restaurants" "Esplanade" "Mediterranean" "Italian" "French" "InContro, South Perth"

Even on a stormy night….Perth skyline is so beautiful

Not wanting to disappoint his food obsessed wife-to-be, he softened the blow of the bad news to me by offering to still take me out somewhere nice.  We toyed with the idea of getting a table right next to the one I got booted off at Matilda Bay purely for entertainment value. However after briefly thinking about this further we figured that probably wouldn’t gone down so well!  After a few unsuccessful calls to some favourite venues, he managed to secure us a reservation at InContro in South Perth.  We even managed to get a table with city and river views. (My apologies in advance for the photos…even Gordon didn’t cope in such low level lighting!)

"Campari" "bar" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "tapas" "piccolo" "InContro" "South Perth" "South Perth Restaurants" "Esplanade" "Mediterranean" "Italian" "French" "InContro, South Perth"

Tempting but once I started on the Billecart nothing else would do!

InContro offers a style of dining they call “piccolo dining” which is a bit like a Mediterranean version of tapas. They create small dishes for the entire table to share and it is brought to the table in a tiered rack reminding me of years gone by where I shared High Tea with my Dad and stepmum at Brown’s Hotel in London. After discussing my allergies with our waitress, she offered for the chef to select appropriate dishes to make up a two courses of a piccolo experience. Not being in the mood for anything specific, the Boy and I both smiled at each other and chose to go ahead with her recommendation.  I love surprises!

"Moroccan spiced cauliflower" "lamb cutlet" "Dorper lamb" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "tapas" "piccolo" "InContro" "South Perth" "South Perth Restaurants" "Esplanade" "Mediterranean" "Italian" "French" "InContro, South Perth"

Moroccan spiced cauliflower and Dorper lamb

Each course contained three carefully selected and quite interesting dishes using lots of fresh seasonal local produce.  The succulent frenched Dorper lamb cutlets were topped with Moroccan spiced cauliflower.  The sweet tasting cumin paired harmoniously with the tender lamb leaving me wishing we had more.

"Scallop" "seafood" "pea puree" "prosciutto" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "tapas" "piccolo" "InContro" "South Perth" "South Perth Restaurants" "Esplanade" "Mediterranean" "Italian" "French" "InContro, South Perth"

Scallop with pea puree and prosciutto

Our seared scallops were plump with a crisp browned surface and a nearly creamy centre of amazingness. On a bed of pea puree and topped with crispy shreds of prosciutto these little morsels were nearly as moreish as the cutlets.  I was pretty excited about what else was to come.

"Lobster salad" "seafood" "avocado" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "tapas" "piccolo" "InContro" "South Perth" "South Perth Restaurants" "Esplanade" "Mediterranean" "Italian" "French" "InContro, South Perth"

Lobster salad

Our third entrée was simply described as a lobster salad. A fairly decent serve of decadent lobster sat innocently hidden underneath a handful of shredded greens.  Further hiding below the lobster was bite sized chunks of thoroughly dressed avocado, tomato and fresh herbs.  Although this dish wasn’t much to look at, each mouthful was bursting with flavour.

"Sticky Black Angus short rib" "beef" "beef rib" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "tapas" "piccolo" "InContro" "South Perth" "South Perth Restaurants" "Esplanade" "Mediterranean" "Italian" "French" "InContro, South Perth"

Sticky Black Angus short rib – sorry about the blur!

The sticky Black Angus short rib was the “to die for” dish of the evening.  Unfortunately my photos didn’t turn out as well as I would have liked them to due to the beef sitting at the top of the three levelled tier.  Not being a very tall person I really struggled to steady my camera.  Of course my lack of hand stability that had nothing to do with the three glasses of Billecart I had drunk previously.  Not at all.

"Sticky Black Angus short rib" "beef" "beef rib" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "tapas" "piccolo" "InContro" "South Perth" "South Perth Restaurants" "Esplanade" "Mediterranean" "Italian" "French" "InContro, South Perth"

Gone!

The meat didn’t just fall off the bone it slivered off and dissolved in the mouth like cotton candy.  The marinade was thick, sticky and subtly sweet and neither of us could help ourselves as we scraped the remaining sauce off the board with our forks, trying to savour its flavour for as long as possible.

"Linley Valley Pork belly" "vanilla pear" "pomegranate" "pork" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "tapas" "piccolo" "InContro" "South Perth" "South Perth Restaurants" "Esplanade" "Mediterranean" "Italian" "French" "InContro, South Perth"

Linley Valley Pork belly, vanilla pear, pomegranate

In my excitement of this final night of excess I had not bothered to go through the nitty gritty of my fructose malabsorption with our waitress.  I had purely just requested no gluten or no onion.  Thus I did have to sift through our pork dish to avoid the little cubes of pear.  The pork belly had just the right balance of fat, meat and crackling and didn’t leave any unpleasant porkiness taste in my mouth. The crackling gave a satisfyingly loud crunch as I bit into it.

"Shaved fennel" "salad" "vegetarian" "pear" "candied walnut" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "tapas" "piccolo" "InContro" "South Perth" "South Perth Restaurants" "Esplanade" "Mediterranean" "Italian" "French" "InContro, South Perth"

Shaved fennel, pear, candied walnut

The salad to accompany our mains dishes contained shaved fennel, pear and candied walnut.  Again I had to dodge the pear (my own fault) which was easy enough to do. The salad was light and refreshing on the palate after the two heavier meat dishes.

"Trio of ice creams" "dessert" "ice cream" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "tapas" "piccolo" "InContro" "South Perth" "South Perth Restaurants" "Esplanade" "Mediterranean" "Italian" "French" "InContro, South Perth"

Trio of ice creams

For dessert the Boy ordered his ice cream as per usual; as you may already know it is fairly uncommon for him to ever order anything else for dessert.  I settled for the only gluten free dessert option which was the polenta cake with butterscotch ice cream.  It was moist and didn’t crumble apart but the butterscotch ice cream was a little sickly sweet for my liking.

"Polenta cake" "butterscotch ice cream" "Desserts" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "tapas" "piccolo" "InContro" "South Perth" "South Perth Restaurants" "Esplanade" "Mediterranean" "Italian" "French" "InContro, South Perth"

Polenta cake with butterscotch ice cream

InContro is a great local option if we feel like a night out with a bit more class than casual.  We have dined here on several occasions over the years and have never been disappointed with either the food or service and they take good diligence in catering to those with allergies. Of course we will be back.

InContro
79 South Perth Esplanade, South Perth 6151 | (08) 9474 5566 | www.incontro.com.au
 
Price:                     $$$$ (Piccolo $9-16/dish, Entrees $22-28, Mains $35-48)
Food:                    4.5/5 (sticky beef ribs were out of this world)
Service:                4/5 (attentive, efficient despite a full house)
Ambience:          5/5 (views of Perth city skyline, how can it get better?)
Drinks:                  4/5 (great wine list but I confess I stuck to my Billecart all night!)
Total:                     17.5/20

 InContro 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
 
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