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Love is in the Air at Rochelle Adonis's Valentine's Day Dessert Degustation

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

After nearly sixteen years of togetherness, the Boy and I still manage to find ways to surprise each other. Gestures of love can be as small as grabbing an unrequested favourite snack at the local deli right through to spontaneous bouquets of flowers, presents and most excitingly degustations! The Boy has always claimed to not be a dessert person however over recent months I realise this is not actually the case. He certainly doesn’t like your more traditional stodgy cakes and puddings but he is more than happy to fight me spoon for spoon for something fancier and somewhat de-constructed.

For Valentine’s Day this year I thought I would take a punt and secretly book us a table at Rochelle Adonis for their sensuous aphrodisiac laced dessert degustation. Having already blogged about Rochelle Adonis several times, I didn’t want to ruin the mood of our romantic evening with a series of photo shoots and although I brought my camera with me I didn’t really take my photography seriously. Our evening turned out to be such a beautiful experience that despite the poor quality of my images I am happy to swallow my pride and share it with you. You may notice that the quality of photos deteriorates further more as the night goes on and my attention gets dragged away.

"strawberry" "slow gin" "mango" "triple sec" "clove" "honey" "apple" "whisky" "champagne" "Mumm" "cocktail" "molecular gastronomy" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

Every course was careful created to enhance the love in the air using ingredients designed to tantalise the senses. We had our own private table out in the courtyard surrounded by fairy lights and scented candles. It felt like we were in our own little world and let all our cares and worries of the week wash away as we soaked up the romantic atmosphere.

"strawberry" "slow gin" "mango" "triple sec" "clove" "honey" "apple" "whisky" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

“A letter to Cupid with Love potion number #9”

Our first course started off with glasses of Mumm champagne paired with spoons of dreamy coloured spheres. Each sphere was flavoured differently and burst in the mouth to reveal three flavours; strawberry and slow gin, mango and triple sec, and clove, honey apple and whisky.

"strawberry" "slow gin" "mango" "triple sec" "clove" "honey" "apple" "whisky" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

It felt like a boozy version of bubble tea which many of you know I absolutely love. In fact any food or drink that involves little burstable spheres excites me!

"strawberry" "slow gin" "mango" "triple sec" "clove" "honey" "apple" "whisky" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

The second component to this course was hidden in two bright red envelopes. Inside each envelope was a square of paper thin Rochelle Adonis nougat and a pen with edible ink.

"nougat" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

We wrote little love notes to each other and exchanged before eating them. The nougat was softly flavoured with clove and nutmeg.

"malted almond crumbs" "poached peach" "honey" "cinnamon" "ginger" "peach" "cognac gel" "peach meringue" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

Orange flower honey, peach and almond

As the sun set, we were left with only the flickering light of the candles and soft glow of the fairy lights so we inched our chairs closer together ready for the next course. It was titled “Orange flower honey, peach and almond”. As pretty as I would always expect from this team, this dish contained a soft crumbled base of malted almond crumbs, poached peach slivers, honey, cinnamon and ginger. It was finished with a smooth peach and cognac gel and garnished with shards of peach meringue.

"lamington" "yuzu curd" "raspberry gel" "raspberry cloud” "lychee parfait" "mango puree" "mandarin snow" "blueberries" "lychees" "raspberries" "lovingtons" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

Lovingtons

The third course was one of my favourites; lovingtons. It was no problem for the chef to convert this gorgeousness to be gluten free and I was thankful for their efforts. A lovable heart-shaped lamington played centre stage for this dish and it was filled with yuzu curd and dipped in raspberry gel. It lay innocently on a raspberry “cloud” that contained a surprise of lychee parfait inside it. Mango puree and mandarin snow added sweet and citrusy notes to the dish. It was garnished with blueberries, lychee and raspberries. This had a serious wow factor!

"Fourme d’Ambert" "cannoli" "fig" "salsa verd" "gruyere stuffed zucchini flower" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

Cheese course: Fourme d’Ambert filled cannoli, fig and salsa verd, gruyere stuffed zucchini flower (not GF)

To break the dessert degustation into two, our next course was a savoury course; cheese. Well cheese IS part of a proper dessert isn’t it? This was the only course that the gluten free option looked any different from the Boy’s. For everything else the chef managed to make our dishes appear the same. There was no missing out for me on this dego! The Boy received Fourme d’Ambert filled cannoli with a fig and salsa verd, whipped triple cream goats cheese infused with caraway and porcini with a beetroot sponge, and his favourite a gruyere stuffed zucchini flower.

"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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

THE best cheese toasty (all GF)

The highlight of my gluten free cheese course was humbly described by our waitress as a gruyere cheese toasty. It was a small, wafer thin rectangle of gluten free bread topped with cheese that in all honesty initially made me think … “Really?”

That was until I bit into it.

How could something so thin and little still contain all the vital aspects of texture and flavour of a perfect cheese toasty? The outside was crunchy crisp, the inside oozed gooey, cheesy goodness and there was enough flavour to knock my socks off.

"quinoa croutons" "golden beets" "Lingot triple cream goats 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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

Lingot triple cream goats cheese

There were two other components on my cheese course. Creamy blobs of Cashel blue contrasted wondrously with the sweetness of fresh figs and salsa verd. The Lingot triple cream goats cheese was served deconstructed with gluten free quinoa croutons and golden baby beets.

"borage snow" "strawberry" "orange" "palate cleanser" "Pimms sorbet" "cucumber" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

Pimms #1 sorbet with cucumber

To move our palates back to the realm of sweets we were provided with one of Rochelle’s signature styled sorbets. Everywhere we go recently we have been drinking Pimm’s cocktails laced with fresh fruit and it was a lovely coincidence to see it feature in the sorbet.

"borage snow" "strawberry" "orange" "palate cleanser" "Pimms sorbet" "cucumber""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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

Perfectly light and nearly fizzy, the sorbet was made with strawberry and orange and coated with borage snow. Cleansed and refreshed we were ready for more dessert!

"salted caramels" "Stella Bella" "pink muscat" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

While waiting for our next course we couldn’t help ourselves from opening our salted caramels and devouring them. Unlike a lot of chewy hard caramels these were buttery soft and dissolved in the mouth. They were a perfect match with the Stella Bella Pink Muscat I had sneakily stashed in my handbag in case we drank our way through the provided champagne.

"compote" "rosemary white chocolate mousse" "green apple gel" "apricot fluff" "fruit leather" "Blood plum" "apricot" "rosemary" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

Blood plum, apricot and rosemary

Our pre-dessert was made from blood plums, apricot and rosemary. A tart strap of blood plum “leather” and compote was paired with a creamy rosemary white chocolate mousse, green apple gel and apricot “fluff”. It was a gentle transition to take us to the last but not least course.

"Valrhona"’ "64% Ariguani" "chocolate" "shattered mousse" "rose petals" "Rochelle Adonis signature chocolate cake" "chocolate cake" "strawberry powder" "rose water" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

“Roses and red and violets are blue, once I had a shattered heart and now I’m with you”

As our final dish arrived I was amazed that despite enjoying six courses of dessert, I was left just as satisfied as if it were a “normal” degustation. Each plate had brought with it a mini-journey for the senses and I was excited to see how it all would end. Regrettably for you dear readers, my mind was taken far away from focusing on obtaining you some beautiful photos, in fact it seemed far away from focus altogether! I was too lost in enjoying the emotions and happiness we both felt for each other and in the sheer enjoyment of this last scrumptious finale. The last dish was titled “Roses and red and violets are blue, once I had a shattered heart and now I’m with you.”

"Valrhona"’ "64% Ariguani" "chocolate" "shattered mousse" "rose petals" "Rochelle Adonis signature chocolate cake" "chocolate cake" "strawberry powder" "rose water" "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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

Using Valrhona’s 64% Ariguani chocolate the chef created an incredible “shattered mousse” adorned with rose petals. It was sided by a chunk of Rochelle Adonis’s signature chocolate cake blushed with brilliant coloured strawberry powder. Next to these delicacies sat a tear drop shaped ampoule that was filled with rose water. The idea was to shatter the ampoule over the dessert enhancing it with gentle flavour.

"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" "Fructose malabsorption" "degustation" "dessert degustation" "Rochelle Adonis" "Beaufort Street" "Mt Lawley" "Mount Lawley" "Highgate" "fine dining" "valentines day" "romantic Perth"

I have been told by others that have previously done a dessert degustation that it isn’t for the light hearted. However after sharing this experience with someone who claims to not even be into desserts I can safely say this is not the case. Our evening was one of the best nights out we have had in a long time and couldn’t have come at a better time for us.

Happy Valentine’s to the best husband in the world.
You are my best friend and my one true love.  
I love you and I love my life with you.
 
Rochelle Adonis’s dessert degustation was $338 per couple and included a bottle of Mumm champagne. We would both like to extend a massive thank you to the whole team at Rochelle Adonis for making this one of our best Valentines to date; you have excelled yourselves once again.
 
For more on Rochelle Adonis head over to my previous posts:
High Tea at Rochelle Adonis October 2011
Returning to Rochelle Adonis for High Tea September 2012
Rochelle Adonis’s House Warming Party July 2013
 
Rochelle Adonis | (08) 9227 0007 | 2 St Albans Avenue, Highgate WA 6003 | rochelleadonis.com
 
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Rochelle Adonis House Warming Party, Beaufort Street, Highgate

Posted by  | Categories: Degustation/Fine dining, Events, Featured, High Tea

Many of you know I’m a big Rochelle Adonis fan, even Rochelle herself! So I was delighted to be invited to her “house warming” party on a blustery winter night at her new premises on Beaufort Street, Highgate. Located in a gorgeous character home and decorated with her exquisitely fine taste there was free flowing Mumm champagne for all and a gorgeous spread of all things sweet and adorable.

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

 

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street" “Beaufort street” “Highgate” “mount Lawley”

For more on Rochelle Adonis head over to my High Tea reviews:

High Tea at Rochelle Adonis October 2011

Returning to Rochelle Adonis for High Tea September 2012

Rochelle Adonis | (08) 9227 0007 | 2 St Albans Avenue, Highgate WA 6003 | rochelleadonis.com

Returning to Rochelle Adonis for High tea

Posted by  | Categories: Degustation/Fine dining, Desserts, Featured, High Tea, Restaurants

It never ceases to amaze me how welcoming and friendly the food blogging community is. Here in Perth it is no exception and friendship is made easy through sharing two passions: food and blogging.  We all immediately have something to connect over; so when Carolanne from Carol Anne’s Kitchen informed us all that she was moving to South Africa, plans for foodie farewells got well underway.

The first in our series of gatherings brought me back to the lovely Rochelle Adonis for High Tea. It has been nearly a year since I have indulged in her exquisite delights yet the experience remains relatively fresh in my memory.  The attention to detail with every single morsel is one you cannot forget easily and she is more than happy to accommodate for us gluten free people.  Additionally my ‘no onion’ request due to my fructose malabsorption posed absolutely no problems either.

"Seventh Duchess Tea" "artisan tea" Herbal tea" "Vanilla Berry" “Queen of Hearts" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

Seventh Duchess Tea: Vanilla Berry “Queen of Hearts”

Rochelle now serves the stunning Seventh Duchess Teas to accompany her High Tea.  These artisan teas are “individually sourced from the finest tea gardens“. All teas are hand-picked and are free from anything artificial. I chose the Queen of Hearts herbal tea which is an exclusive blend made just for Rochelle.  It contained lemongrass, vanilla beans, juniper, raspberry leaf, rosehips, blueberries, elderberries, pomegranate flowers and hibiscus. It was light, sweet and left no bitter after taste.

"Thai salad" "tamarind" "son-in-law quail egg" "Ashed goats cheese pannacotta" "cheese" "Poached prawns" "seafood" "cream of corn" "Beetroot salad" "Danish feta" "Fish and chips" "aged cabernet vinegar" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

Gluten free Savoury Course: Focused in background Thai salad with son-in-law quail egg

For my savoury course I received five delightful little dishes.  A refreshing Thai salad was served in a glass cup topped with a son-in-law egg or “khai luuk kheuy”. This traditional Thai dish contains deep-fried hard boiled eggs topped with a sweet and sour tamarind dressing.  In this version a cute pint-sized quail egg was used instead of the usual chicken egg. The sweet and sour taste of the tamarind was subtle enough to not be overpowering and left a clean sensation on the palate.

"Ashed goats cheese pannacotta" "cheese" "Poached prawns" "seafood" "cream of corn" "Beetroot salad" "Danish feta" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

Ashed goats cheese pannacotta (background)

The ashed goat’s cheese pannacotta was a curious liquorice colour and it was a surprise to my senses as I was expecting something with such a bold colour to have a similarly strong flavour.  Instead my palate was entertained with a soft tangy creaminess and I was left desperately wanting to lick every last portion off the spoon.  I was informed the colouring was achieved using a black bamboo charcoal powder that is flavourless and allows the goat cheese to remain its wonderful unadulterated self. Rochelle sourced this herself when in Singapore recently.

"Fish and chips" "aged cabernet vinegar" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

Fish and chips with aged cabernet vinegar

“Fish and chips” were served as a perfectly shaped ball of wafer thin potato chips encasing a soft flaky portion of fish in the centre.  It was like a savoury truffle! It was accompanied by aged balsamic vinegar made from an 8 year old Spanish cabernet called Forvm. This vinegar had a gentle berry-like flavour and you could easily smell the oak.

"Ashed goats cheese pannacotta" "cheese" "Poached prawns" "seafood" "cream of corn" "Beetroot salad" "Danish feta" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

Poached prawns with cream of corn and Beetroot salad with Danish feta

My remaining two dishes were poached prawns with cream of corn and a beetroot salad with Danish feta. The prawns had a distinct crunch to them to signify freshness and the cream corn was very mild in flavour so as not to take anything away from my enjoyment of the prawns themselves.  The beetroot salad was a little fibrous for my liking so the creaminess of the Danish fetta was a welcomed addition.

"Palate cleanser" "sorbet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

Palate cleanser

To cleanse our palates we were given some lemon sorbet served on a cute little paddlepop.  It had a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness refreshing us all ready for our dessert courses.

"Berry sundae" "raspberry dressing" "Apple cloud" "cider icecream" "pink lady" "apple gel" "Corn curd" "meringue" "caramel popcorn" "eton mess" "Milk chocolate" "milk sorbet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

Gluten free dessert course

My gluten free dessert course was so pretty I didn’t quite know where to start.  Everything looked so adorable and almost too good to eat.  Don’t worry, that feeling didn’t last long and after a little photo-shoot my little gluten free beauties didn’t hang around for much longer!

"Berry sundae" "raspberry dressing" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

Berry sundae with raspberry dressing

The raspberry and coconut cake sundae was topped with crunchy corn crumbles and a tart raspberry dressing.  The ice cream was buttery soft and just at the point that it melted on contact with my tongue.

"Milk chocolate" "milk sorbet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

Milk chocolate namelaka with milk sorbet

Namelaka is a Japanese term for “creamy texture” and this technique is commonly used in the Valrhona chocolate kitchens. Rochelle has been a big fan of Valrhona chocolate for many years and once you have tasted their chocolate you will understand why.  The soft ganache-like milk chocolate namelaka was smeared elegantly and topped with a delicate scoop of milk sorbet.  I thanked my lucky stars that I can eat dairy as this was the epitome of dairy milk goodness.

"Berry sundae" "raspberry dressing" "Apple cloud" "cider icecream" "pink lady" "apple gel" "Corn curd" "meringue" "caramel popcorn" "eton mess" "Milk chocolate" "milk sorbet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

In the foreground: Apple cloud with cider ice cream and pink lady apple gel

The apple cloud with cider ice cream and pink lady apple gel delved a little into banned territory for my fructose malabsorption. I figured that surely there would be enough glucose in all these treats to counteract any fructose. The fragrant apple flavours were so gentle yet long lasting.

"Berry sundae" "raspberry dressing" "Apple cloud" "cider icecream" "pink lady" "apple gel" "Corn curd" "meringue" "caramel popcorn" "eton mess" "Milk chocolate" "milk sorbet" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

Milk chocolate namelaka with milk sorbet (left) and Corn curd in a meringue shell and caramel popcorn (right)

The pièce de résistance of my collection of goodies was Rochelle’s take on Eton mess.  A crisp meringue shell dressed with caramel popcorn and one of the freshest blueberries around was filled with a dulcet gooey corn curd with a hint of lemony goodness.  The standard non-gluten free course missed out on this darling and I’m sure I saw the glint of food envy in a few of the girl’s eyes! That’s not to say I wasn’t suffering from envy right back at their gorgeous churros and walnut baklava with orange blossom buttercream!

"Corn curd" "meringue shell" "caramel popcorn" "eton mess" "blueberry" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

Ooh-la-laa!

Yes, a year later Rochelle has done it again. I have suitably been wowed by her awesomeness and am desperate to return for a dessert degustation.  After hearing a mouth-watering description from some of my companions over High Tea, I realise that I probably should wait until after the wedding for such calorific indulgence.  Another thing to look forward to in my married life!

"Berry sundae" "raspberry dressing" "Apple cloud" "cider icecream" "pink lady" "apple gel" "orange blossom buttercream" "walnut baklava" "churros" "chocolate caramel sauce" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Desserts" "Fine dining" "Degustation" "Northbridge" "Brisbane street"

The standard non-gluten free dessert course

Rochelle Adonis
193 Brisbane St, Northbridge, 6003 | (08) 9227 0007 |  www.rochelleadonis.com
 
Price:                     $$$ (High tea $45 for two courses and a palate cleanser, two pots of tea or coffee)
Food:                     5/5 (honestly this IS perfection)
Service:                 4/5 (although Rochelle admitted herself she has taken some time to warm to food bloggers,
                                        she was very open friendly and courteous)
Ambience:             4/5 (bright, light and airy)
Drinks:                   4.5/5 (7th Duchess Teas are divine, we also BYO-ed French Champagne)
Total:                     18.5/20

 Rochelle Adonis on Urbanspoon

Snags and Sons, Leederville

Posted by  | Categories: Burgers & Snags, Fast Food, Perth, Restaurants

The Boy had been given a corporate box ticket for the Western Derby game by some work mates and although he is not the hugest follower of AFL he was still pretty excited with his score. There was only one ticket on offer meaning I missed out and so off he headed into Subiaco solo. In order to try and compensate for leaving me home alone, he was kind enough to send me photos of all the delicious food on offer and update me regularly on the game progress. (Not that I’m any more of a footy fan than he is.) Presumably the beer was freely flowing because after the game had finished I receive yet another text message:

“How do I get home? :(“

Considering he was one amongst another 40,000 fans trying to get home, I didn’t like his chances of hailing a cab, nor did I like MY chances of getting through the traffic anytime soon either.  After initially considering walking home (so the beer was definitely flowing fast) he offered to meet me over in Leederville where we could stop for a bite to eat before driving home.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Leederville" "Newcastle street" "dude food" "snags and sons" "sausages" "hot dogs" "gourmet hot dogs" "western australia" "Justin Bell" "Jus burgers" "Snags and Sons, Leederville"

At this point in time I was devoid of any makeup, in my track pants and snuggled on the couch with the boys (our two kitties Rollie and Eddie).  Any normal person would probably decline an offer of a night out especially considering how cold and wet it was outside and how warm and cosy it was in.  But I am never one to turn down a spontaneous night out to eat something other than hum-drum home-made bride food.

"Marinated olives" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Leederville" "Newcastle street" "dude food" "snags and sons" "sausages" "hot dogs" "gourmet hot dogs" "western australia" "Justin Bell" "Jus burgers" "Snags and Sons, Leederville"

Marinated olives

After a fairly pricey foodie month of July which included two nights of degustation at Clarke’s of North Beach and Darlington Estate Winery, we opted for a cheap dinner and headed into Justin Bell’s new(ish) venture Snags and Sons.  I found out recently at the Mundaring Truffle Festival that they now stock gluten free buns and have a variety of gluten free sausage choices. Many of you are familiar with Justin Bell; several years ago he was one of the first to open up a gourmet burger bar here in Perth namely Jus Burgers. Promoting use of locally sourced produce he has now expanded to include restaurants in Subiaco, Fremantle, Northbridge and now on Chapel Street in South Yarra. S&S is the next chapter for his casual eating empire. As with Jus burgers, the menu is filled with WA produce right down to the desserts. (More on this later!)

"WA Chapman Valley grilled Capretto Chorizo" "goat chorizo" "quince" "rocket" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Leederville" "Newcastle street" "dude food" "snags and sons" "sausages" "hot dogs" "gourmet hot dogs" "western australia" "Justin Bell" "Jus burgers" "Snags and Sons, Leederville"

WA Chapman Valley grilled Capretto Chorizo, quince, lemon, rocket (gluten free)

Having trekked on foot in the rain from Subiaco, the Boy was keen to order more than just a sausage in a bun so we ordered some marinated olives and some grilled goat chorizo to start.  The chorizo was juicy with a subtle hint of chilli heat.  The olives were fairly standard and nothing too spectacular.

"Beef Boerwors" "South African peach chutney" "smoked Dutch cheese" "baguette" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Leederville" "Newcastle street" "dude food" "snags and sons" "sausages" "hot dogs" "gourmet hot dogs" "western australia" "Justin Bell" "Jus burgers" "Snags and Sons, Leederville"

Beef Boerwors, South African peach chutney, smoked Dutch cheese and baguette (not gluten free)

The Boy ordered the beef Boerwors with smoked Dutch cheese and peach chutney.  Although tasty, he wasn’t wowed by his choice at all and felt after the succulent chorizo his sausage was a little dry and lacklustre.

"Chittering Valley Venison snag" "venison sausage" "horseradish cream" "beetroot" "gluten free bun" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Leederville" "Newcastle street" "dude food" "snags and sons" "sausages" "hot dogs" "gourmet hot dogs" "western australia" "Justin Bell" "Jus burgers" "Snags and Sons, Leederville"

Chittering Valley Venison snag, horseradish cream, beetroot, gluten free bun

My venison sausage was very succulent and the gamey taint of the meat matched well with the sweet beetroot.  The horseradish was barely noticeable through these flavours and a more generous helping inside would have gone down treat.  My gluten free bun looked similar to that you find in Jus Burgers, I have to presume the same supplier, and it held its shape well despite all the delicious juiciness contained inside.

"Chittering Valley Venison snag" "venison sausage" "horseradish cream" "beetroot" "gluten free bun" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Leederville" "Newcastle street" "dude food" "snags and sons" "sausages" "hot dogs" "gourmet hot dogs" "western australia" "Justin Bell" "Jus burgers" "Snags and Sons, Leederville"

Chittering Valley Venison snag, horseradish cream, beetroot, gluten free bun

A meal ended on a savoury note just doesn’t make any sense. At least that’s what I keep telling everyone. I shimmied out of my corner to wander over and investigate the sweets cabinet.  There wasn’t any gluten free cake options however amongst the minitarts and brownies I did notice some vaguely familiar looking nougat chopped up into bite site pieces.

"Rochelle Adonis nougat" "Rochelle Adonis" "nougat" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "food photos" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Leederville" "Newcastle street" "dude food" "snags and sons" "sausages" "hot dogs" "gourmet hot dogs" "western australia" "Justin Bell" "Jus burgers" "Snags and Sons, Leederville"

Rochelle Adonis nougat

I enquired if it was gluten free upon which I was told they did not know as they buy it straight from Rochelle’s café.  “Rochelle Adonis?” I ask. To which I received an affirmative reply.  Having feasted on her nougat many times I know for certain that it is indeed gluten free and bought a piece for us both to share. It was perfection as all her creations usually are.

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Snag and Sons
749 Newcastle Street
 Leederville, 6007 | (08) 9228 3008 | www.snagsandsons.com.au/
 
Price:                     $ (Under $15 per meal)
Food:                    7/10 (may be gourmet, but they are just hot dogs! Keen to try a few more tho)
Service:                2.5/5 (our waitress seemed a little distracted but still served us promptly)
Ambience:           3.5/5 (funky, vibrant & fresh)
Total:                    13/20

  Snags and Sons on Urbanspoon

Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012

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

Weekend work is part and parcel to many people’s careers including mine and unfortunately this sometimes does result in being unable to attend weekend festivals and other events.  The Mundaring Truffle Festival has been one of those missed events for me for several years running so when I realised this time round I had the Sunday rostered off, I jumped at the opportunity to book us tickets.  I also bought us entry into one of the ticketed events called “The Truffle and the Riesling”.

Unlike last year where I heard the weather was absolutely atrocious resulting in much of the Festival becoming flooded, this year we couldn’t have asked for anything better.  With the sun shining gloriously in a clear blue sky the morning chill dissipated quickly under the warming rays of sunshine. It feels like we are nearly into Spring!

"Rochelle Adonis" "desserts" "Lamingtons" "Truffingtons" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Rochelle Adonis Truffingtons

Our first stop was at Rochelle Adonis’s stall where Rochelle herself informed me that on the previous day they had completely run out of their “truffingtons”; a richly truffle flavoured lamington.  She had rushed back to the studio that night to make more which of course also sold out very quickly.  Unfortunately for me they were not gluten free so although I arrived early enough to buy some I did not get to try any for myself. For my review of Rochelle Adonis’s High tea click hereRochelle Adonis on Urbanspoon

"Truffle and the riesling" "Forest Hill Winery" "Dan Sharp" "cooking show" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

For our ticketed event Chef Dan Sharp from Greenpool Restaurant at Forest Hill Vineyard showed us how to cook up a couple of mouth-watering trufflicious dishes.  The first dish was a macadamia, herb and truffle crusted Albany Dhu fish served with Endeavour prawn crushed potatoes. I had advised the event manager of my gluten free requirement in advance and was assured that the menu was fully gluten free.  Unfortunately it turned out that I was misinformed and the dish that we were served had panko crumbs on the fish.  One of my friends kindly alerted the presenters whereupon the chef offered to make me a gluten free piece of fish himself.

"Macadamia crusted" "truffle" "Albany Dhu fish" "Endeavour Prawns crushed potatoes" "seafood" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Macadamia, herb and truffle crusted Albany Dhu fish with Endeavour Prawns crushed potatoes

However in all the distraction of cooking to a crowd, my fish never came and I was served a double quantity of the side dish sans fish.  The Boy informed me that the fish was flaky, soft and very enjoyable.  The side dish of crushed prawns and potato was divine and we were lucky enough to receive a copy of the recipe. The second dish was dill and truffle buttered Denmark Marron served with a shaved fennel, mustard leaf, hazelnut and truffle salad.  What a shame we didn’t get to taste this one, it smelt so good from the audience! Greenpool on Urbanspoon

"Great Southern Truffles" "truffle mustard" "truffle salt" "truffle oil" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Great Southern Truffles

Heading back into the Festival grounds with a strong appetite for more truffles, we were in for a feast of mammoth proportions! Starting at the Great Southern Truffles stall we started off with purchasing some pungent truffle oil, truffle salt and truffle mustard for those who couldn’t attend to enjoy at home. It was too hard to pick just one!

Oak Valley Truffles" "Braised Harvey Beef Rib" "Horseradish cream" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Oak Valley Truffles Braised Harvey Beef Rib with Horseradish cream

The Oak Valley Truffles stall was serving tender soft braised Harvey Beef ribs with horse radish cream and shaved truffle.  These ribs were dripping juicy and richly flavoured. A definitely highlight of the day. We also bought some truffle butter which we had with our dinner later that night.

"Loose Box" "duck pate with truffle" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Loose Box: Duck pate with truffle

The Loose Box tent was a popular one, with most sample dishes priced at a reasonable $5.  Between the four of us we shared one of each:  the duck pate, some truffled brie and a truffled apple galette.

"Loose Box" "cheese" "Truffled brie" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Loose Box: Truffled brie

"Loose Box" "french apple tart" "apple Galette" truffle galette" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Loose Box: Apple galette

The eating frenzy did not stop there.  We moved onto the Linley Valley Pork stall where the boys from Mondo’s and In Contro were cooking up a storm.  Aromas of their pork cassoulet wafted across the festival and made it impossible to not want to buy a few tasting plates.

"Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Making the cassoulet @ The Linley Valley Pork tent

"Pork cassoulet" "polenta" "shaved truffle" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Pork cassoulet with polenta and shaved truffle (gluten free)

The servers were well informed on gluten free options and guided my choice to the cassoulet….which to be honest my sense of smell had already convinced me was the best option.  I had to be a little careful negotiating the onion contained within it but regardless it was hearty and warming.

"Linley Valley Pork cutlets" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Linley Valley Pork cutlets

"Linley Valley Pork sausage wrap" "truffle" "onions" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Linley Valley Pork sausage wrap with truffle and onions

The Boy and my other friends all tried the pork sausage wrap.  The meat was very juicy yet not too fatty and the subtle flavour of truffle brought this simple street food to the next level!

"Spanish donuts" "Persian fairy floss" "Desserts" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Spanish donuts with Persian fairy floss (not gluten free)

With the taste of Oak Valley Truffle’s amazing beef ribs still hovering on my palate, I stopped to grab more ribs to share from El Asador.  Unfortunately these ribs just didn’t compare and were very sinewy and chewy.  We were actually unable to eat some at they were too tough and needed a good steak knife to be cut up with.

"El Asador Beef ribs" "BBQ" "chimichurri" "Argentinian beef" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

El Asador Beef ribs with BBQ herb and salt slow cooked served with a drizzle of chimichurri

"Jean Pierre Sancho" "macarons" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Jean Pierre Sancho macarons

At this point, my taste buds were craving something a bit sweet and seeing Jean Pierre Sancho I dashed over to grab everyone a macaron.  Now JPS doesn’t exactly do the BEST macarons, but they aren’t too bad either.  They have all the right elements of flavour; they just never seem to get the textures right as I find the outside always lacks that crisp shell. Perhaps it is hard to get them fresh enough to events like this. Jean Pierre Sancho on Hay Street on Urbanspoon

"Jean Pierre Sancho" "macarons" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Jean Pierre Sancho macarons

"Turban Chopstick" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Turban Chopsticks – locally produced gluten free meals. I purchased a couple, stay tuned for more.

"Pork Jumplings with truffle" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Pork Jumplings with truffle

We had nearly done our dash when I saw the Jumplings stall and after hearing such excellent feedback from all the Urban Lovacore customers on Twitter I convinced my friends to buy some.  I enquired to the chef that was busy cooking and preparing the Jumplings if he had any desire to cater for the gluten free market.  To my surprise this was already a work in progress for him and he was currently looking into trialling recipes to perfect a gluten free pastry! I wait with baited breath!

"dog photo" "Golden retriever" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Mundaring Truffle Festival 2012" "Food events Perth" "truffles" "food festivals" "Mundaring"

Filled to the brim with truffliciousness we escaped the crowds and headed to the Mundaring Weir Hotel.  Gathered in the setting sun on the steps in front of their amphitheatre; it was so relaxing to relax back and digest all the gourmet delights over a bottle of wine with friends.  We were joined by someone’s adorable Golden Retriever who was happy enough to stay with us provided he got a bit of a cuddle. After a couple of hours and several drinks later, hunger started to hit us once again and the Boy went into the cafe organise us some light nibbles. To my complete disappointment I was informed that there was nothing at all that they could serve me gluten free.  After further questioning they reluctantly agreed to make me a garden salad without the dressing.  I guess I will think twice before returning here as I do like to enjoy food with my wine just like anyone else! The Mundaring Weir Hotel  on Urbanspoon

The Mundaring Truffle Festival is held every year in Mundaring in July.  For more details join their mailing list at www.mundaringtrufflefestival.com

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Fuse Bar @ Hotel Northbridge

Posted by  | Categories: Perth, Pub, Restaurants

As high as a kite on French champagne and with Rochelle Adonis‘s exquisite high tea delicacies still swimming around on my palate, my friends and I skipped over the road from her studio to the Hotel Northbridge to extend our celebratory mood a little further into the afternoon. After leaving the bright and clean environment of Rochelle’s, the grimy stark reality of the empty pub was initially a little off putting but good company has a way of distracting your attention from these details and we soon sat to continue our chatter and giggling. Of course we wanted to continue drinking champagne and therefore we were all a tad disappointed to read the drinks menu only contained Australian bubbles. For an exorbitant $68 we got a bottle of Chandon Brut and ordered a tasting plate, salt and pepper squid, and fries.

The food arrived fairly quickly, but we were left totally confused as to how to ration four serviettes, three forks, four knives and one plate amongst the six of us. Odd.  I would have also liked to have been informed when I placed my order for the food that the salt and pepper squid actually came on a bed of fries as we didn’t really need the second bowl. Needless to say one can see from the photo that the salt and pepper squid wasn’t really such. Deep fried battered squid would be a more appropriate description as the dusting was nearly thicker than the squid itself. The added touch of MasterFoods squeeze-on packets of sweet chilli, tartare and tomato sauces didn’t raise the appeal much either. If you want to charge me $17.50 for such a dish then you had better make an effort on presentation or at least increase the size of your serves to make it good value – this dish had only twelve small pieces of calamari!

"salt and pepper squid" "seafood" "food photos" "Hotel Northbridge" "fuse bar" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Northbridge" "pub"

Moving onto the tasting plate we were preparing ourselves for the worst. Seriously, what were we thinking coming from High tea to this? If only Rochelle let us have another course! The tasting plate contained a paltry four thin strips of Turkish bread, some tasteless cubes of fetta, two small bowls of watery inedible dips, a handful of jarred olives, a pile of  chorizo, about one teaspoon of very scary looking sun-dried tomatoes and some olive oil. The chorizo was the low- light and no one could eat it.  It had an unusual taste that wasn’t pleasant.

Disappointed with such poor quality food, a rebellious streak started to emerge from our little group.  By this time our over-priced bottle of average sparkling was well and truly empty so we decided it would be a fabulous decision to sneakily pop open our remaining bottle of Cattier from high tea. Anyone tried to open champagne sneakily? After a delayed and unsuccessful attempt at smothering that wonderful popping sound with laughter and coughing, the bartender scurried over to inform us we cannot drink our own bottle.  We offered to pay corkage but she wasn’t willing to bend the rules. Fair enough. One of my girlfriends surprisingly managed to squeeze the cork back into the bottle, only for it to pop out later at an impromptu time during our drive home whilst traveling on the back seat. Needless to say the car still smells like celebrations!

Service 5/10 venue 4/10 food 3/10

Fuse Bar @ Hotel Northbridge
Cnr Brisbane and Lake St, Northbridge, 6003 |   (08) 9328 5254 | www.hotelnorthbridge.com.au/bar.php
 

Fuse Bar on Urbanspoon

High Tea at Rochelle Adonis

Posted by  | Categories: Desserts, High Tea, Perth, Restaurants, Wedding

For months I have been bursting out of my skin to get myself to Rochelle Adonis for her acclaimed high tea! So when my love and I attended a boutique little wedding expo at Mosmans recently I was attracted to her stall like a moth to a flame. Her passion and gentle nature increased her appeal to me even more and I immediately decided I wanted to have one of her exquisite cakes for our upcoming engagement party. This provided me with the perfect excuse to organise a girly afternoon out with some friends for the purpose of “engagement cake tasting”.

For us foodies in the know, we are all very thankful to have such a world class pastry chef of this calibre residing here in little Perth. Rochelle grew up in the French Canadian city of Montreal before moving to Sydney to train as a pastry chef.  She then moved to London where she worked in an exclusive wedding cake boutique making cakes for the rich and famous including both the British and Saudi Royal families before she moved onto to Vienna to work in the prestigious Hotel Sacher.

Returning to Australia, she was acting head pastry chef at Forty One in Sydney before joining Matt Moran’s at Moran’s and then once he opened Aria as the head pastry chef there. She moved to WA in 2001 with the ambition of starting her own business and has grown from a small scale home kitchen beginning to the highly acclaimed boutique she has today.

Upon entering her studio, you will be distracted by all the eye catching photos decorating the walls with examples of her handy work.  Each cake is prepared with upmost attention and care and they almost look like they couldn’t be real. The two long communal marble tables fill much of the room giving the feeling you are sitting in someone’s kitchen rather than a café. We all came very prepared with enough champagne to sink a ship and with high expectations to have our tastebuds buzzing. We most certainly were not disappointed. Our only complaint was it all ended way too soon! We could have easily done with another few courses!

We all came very prepared with enough champagne to sink a ship and with high expectations to have our tastebuds buzzing. We most certainly were not disappointed. Our only complaint was it all ended way too soon! We could have easily done with another few courses!

"Creamed corn soup" "vegetable fritatta" "pork terrine" "falafel" "harissa" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Perth High Tea" "Champagne" "Desserts" "Northbridge"

The first course was savoury. After my recent enforced gluten indulgences, I thought it best that I stick with her gluten free options – I was after all actually taste testing for a party that will occur once I’m back on the straight and narrow gluten free. My plate contained a cup of creamed corn soup, a vegetable frittata, a cube of pork terrine and a falafel with some harissa. The soup was hot and seasoned perfectly warming us all up as we waited for our champagne to take over the job. The pork terrine had a dollop of horseradish and Dijon mayonnaise. The short sharp heat of the horseradish blended harmoniously with the lingering flavours of the terrine and was the highlight of the four.

"Pork terrine" "goats cheese gallettes" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Perth High Tea" "Champagne" "Desserts" "Northbridge"

The girls also had the pork terrine and the soup on their plates. Their gluten-filled options included a vegetable galette with goat’s cheese and Rochelle’s famous cucumber sandwiches using entirely homemade ingredients including her own handmade butter. The sandwiches looked so cute all cut up in perfect little rectangles sitting in a row.

"cucumber sandwich" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Perth High Tea" "Champagne" "Desserts" "Northbridge"

Our second course was desert. My plate contained mint ice cream with Valrhona chocolate, raspberry jelly, meringue with lemon curd, blueberries and violet, and a blood orange salad on top of a moist butter cake with gooey brulee style custard. The ice cream was not overly sweet or sickly, nor was it too creamy. It had the perfect balance with a fresh minty aftertaste leaving a clean fresh feeling on the palate. My first glancing impressions of the raspberry jelly reminded me of Turkish Delight. Not being the biggest fan of this I was pleased to find an absence of Turkish’s signature delicate rose flavours replaced with a much preferred and rather strong tarty berriness. For those who know Chompchomp well – you will be aware I am a huge fan of all things berry. Well, berries generally come shaped in little balls – and I’m a sucker for food in little balls.  The meringue was one of my favourites. It contained all the elements of a well-made meringue: crunchy, chewy and soft, and the accompaniment of sharp tangy lemon curd moved seamlessly into the gentle after notes of the more subtle violet and blueberries.

"dessert" "Mint ice cream" "Valrhona chocolate" "raspberry jelly" "meringue" "blueberries" "lemon curd" "violet" "blood orange salad" "butter cake" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Perth High Tea" "Champagne" "Desserts" "Northbridge"

The blood orange salad tasted like Rochelle had successful managed to capture Spring in a cup! Seeing as our one week teaser of Spring weather has turned viciously back to wet winter windiness I was so thankful to be reminded glorious Perth Spring was just around the corner. Buried deep below the array of sweet blood orange and delicate petals was a layer of brulee and dense orange butter cake. I nearly stuck my fingers into the bottom of the bowl to clean out the last remnants.

"Blood orange salad" "Butter cake" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Perth High Tea" "Champagne" "Desserts" "Northbridge"

By this point we had polished off a bottle of Moet, a bottle of Cattier and a bottle of G.H. Mumm champagne and we were all in very fine form. We really didn’t want our experience to end and thus were determined to carry on with our celebrations. After pondering for some time at the counter, a number of us bought more little cakes, nougat and other delights to take home to share with our loved ones who missed out on the delightful experience. We then all skipped over the road to the Hotel Northbridge to continue our festivities. Oh boy what a contrast in standards of customer service, ambiance and food would we find there!

"meringue" "blueberries" "lemon curd" "dessert" "Perth Restaurant Reviews" "Perth food blog" "food blog" "Chompchomp" "Gluten free" "Fructose malabsorption" "Rochelle Adonis" "High Tea" "Perth High Tea" "Champagne" "Desserts" "Northbridge"

Venue 8/10 Food 9.2/10 Service 7.7/10

Rochelle Adonis
193 Brisbane St, Northbridge, 6003 | (08) 9227 0007
www.rochelleadonis.com

 

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