Lalla Rookh, Perth CBD

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

Would you expect to find good food at a Perth CBD underground bar named after a Kalgoorlie Show Girl? The answer is yes. Let me introduce you to Lalla Rookh, downstairs on St Georges Terrace near the William Street junction.

Walking in, I was immediately impressed with the circular space of the outdoor courtyard complete with vertical gardens framed like expensive artwork. The spacious bar area included a large screen TV but has enough nook and crannies to feel cosy and intimate, and the restaurant has a classy yet welcoming fit. Despite covering 800 square metres, the place didn’t feel big and empty. The different areas flowed from one to the other nicely and on a Friday night, it was busy with city’s after work crowd.

Our party of five was seated in the restaurant, sans booking, without any drama. My chosen aperitif, a Sloely Surely cocktail ($16) with aperol, gin, sparkling wine and soda was not too sweet, not too sour, and didn’t have a strong alcoholic taste. It was smooth, balanced and delicious. Another friend’s margherita had an overly salty taste, and it wasn’t just coming from the salted rim. The wine list has enough options by the glass to suit most palates.

The menu is divided into small share plates, pizzas, pasta, main, and dessert. It promotes two chef’s choice banquets, available for the entire table only at $39 and $49 per person. One of our party has shell fish allergy and is pregnant, so we asked if four could have the chef’s choice for $49 each and the fifth just order a pasta dish. Since we were sitting on a table designed for four, with an extra chair tacked onto the end, we thought our request was reasonable. The kitchen refused and our request declined. With a shrug of the shoulders, we chose a few dishes from the menu to share that ended up costing us $25 per head. Their loss – they could have doubled their money with us had they played nice. Not to worry.

Buffalo mozzarella with mushroom compote

The specials for the night were lard wrapped prawns with aioli, and buffalo mozzarella with mushroom compote. The prawns were cooked perfectly and the aioli complemented them beautifully. The buffalo mozzarella balls were fridge cold and not as soft as others I’ve had. The mushroom compote was deep with mushroom flavour and lusciously smooth, however, none of us felt it was a good accompaniment to the buffalo mozzarella. The mushroom compote would have been lovely with penne pasta.

The baccala al latte with ricotta gnocchi ($16) was a winner. The mix of textures of the soft light dumplings topped with stewed cod fish that was beautifully seasoned was interesting to eat and was our table’s dish of the night.

Ricotta gnocchi with stewed bacala

We also ordered a main pasta dish, pappardelle with wild rabbit, chestnuts and prunes ($25) sounds as interesting as it tasted. The pasta was perfect – silky and al dente. The sauce included small chunks of meat, and sadly, a little bone. The chestnut and prune flavours were blended beautifully but were not pronounced. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Pappardelle with wild rabbit, chestnut and prunes

The service was adequate and polite. I felt a little sorry for the waitress who had to repeat everything she told us because those at the other end of the table couldn’t hear her. The atmosphere is buzzy, if slightly noisy. Perhaps the interior could benefit from soft furnishings to tone down the bouncing noise?

Verdict: A great choice for an after work drink and dinner in the city. Order the ricotta gnocchi with bacala.

FACT FILE

Lalla Rookh Bar and Eating House
Lower Ground Floor, 77 St Georges Terrace, Perth 6000
Tel: 08 9325 7077

Open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner until late.

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Gordon Street Garage, West Perth

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

My second attempt to eat at Gordon Street Garage was a success. My first attempt was about six weeks ago for a late breakfast on a Sunday…there was a massive queue out the door and, well, I live in a first-world country and don’t believe in queuing for food.

On a rainy Tuesday night, there was not problem getting a table at the fully licensed ex-mechanics’ garage. The clever fit out pays homage to it’s vehicle roots; old-school bus bench seats with tables for four run down the centre of the main space. The decor is retro-kitsch and that filters down to the gorgeous china, printed with pretty flowers and the camping style enamel water jugs. It’s the little details.

The menu is designed for sharing. Their is a section for nibbles featuring dips, olives and the like, smaller plates, larger plates, and pizzas.

Four of us decided to share everything. Keen to try the Garage Margarita pizza ($23) with burrato cheese (a fresh creamy mozzarella), tomato fondant and torn basil, we ordered this as a starter to share. This pizza was talked up by the perky waitress and backed up by one of my girlfriends who had heard they are good. I am very particular with my pizzas, believing the traditional style of Italian pizzas are best. In my fussy opinion, Gordon Street Garage’s pizza fell short. The base was not crispy, in fact, it was so wet that it was impossible to eat without cutlery. The tomato base sauce also lacked depth and flavour for me. It sounded much better on the menu than it tasted.

Thankfully, the pizza was as bad as it got. The roast chicken with zatar ($32) was cooked beautifully, crispy skin and juicy succulent meat. I loved it.

The lamb with polenta ($33) was also perfectly cooked. The lamb was pink and tender, beautifully seasoned, and the polenta was smooth and slightly cheesy.

The couscous salad ($18) was chosen by my pescetarian girlfriend as our meat-free dish. It’s the first time I’ve had Israeli couscous and I enjoyed it. The dish was well balanced, fresh tasting thanks to the addition of cucumber and herbs, and the little balls of couscous added an interesting and slightly chewy texture to the salad.

To drink, I chose a quart of Wilyabrup shiraz ($13). A quart, how cute. It came in a little glass jug and is the perfect amount for one to have with dinner – it was about two glasses which I thought was good value for the price. This is how house wine is served in Italy and it gets a big thumbs up from me. The wine itself was a typical Margaret River shiraz, robust yet smooth, slight tannin, earthy characteristics, and just a little spicy. Beautiful.

Dessert was our next choice. The big display fridge is the visual menu. I chose the pistachio and white chocolate gateau ($16). What I loved the most was the crunchy biscuit base. It was a generous serve and too much for me to finish. The girls chose the chocolate and sour cherry mouse ($10) and the strawberry and almond cake ($10). They all tasted fantastic and everyone (except me) finished their desserts.

Pistacchio and white chocolate gateaux

The service was good up until the end. We had to literally pounce on a waiter to order dessert, and ask twice for the bill. Besides that, the perky waitress was friendly, and pulled back just at the right time before her chattiness turned into annoying-ness. Good judgement on her part.

Did you know that Gordon Street Garage has a dedicated coffee roaster to make their own special and unique blend? It’s also owned by the same guys that own the fabulous Duende tapas in Leederville.

Verdict: Worth a visit. Good atmosphere and delicious main dishes. Skip the pizza. Choose a less popular time to go so you won’t have to queue.

FACT FILE

Gordon Street Garage
16 Gordon Street, West Perth
Tel: 08 9322 8050

Open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. No bookings. Fully licensed. Get there early for weekend breakfasts or be prepared to queue.

Sayers Sister, Northbridge WA

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

What a delightful find! Walking inside Sayers Sister is a feast for the eyes, while the delectable cakes on display let you know it will be a feast for your stomach also.

I hate to say it (only because I cringe at the term), but it does have a Melbourne feel to it. Beautiful comfy arm chairs in floral fabric at each table, complementary cushions soften the bench seats that run along the painted exposed brick walls, a big central food service and coffee station and delightful wait staff who know a thing or two about fabulous service. It might leave you wondering, ‘are we really in Perth?’

The menu is small, yet adequate. Best of all, if you are a night owl and late riser, breakfast is served until 2.30pm.

We chose the slow roast beef salad with pickled mushrooms and crunchy noodles, and the ciabatta with tomato, buffalo mozzarella and basil pesto.

Both dishes were perfectly executed. When it comes to Italian food, I can be a harsh critic, but Sayers Sister got the ciabbatta right. The bread had crunch, the basil pesto was full of basil flavour with just a teeny hint of garlic (good if you have meetings later that day) and I could taste the luscious olive oil.

The beef noodle salad was perfectly balanced with flavour and texture. The addition of pickled enoki mushrooms, coriander and crunchy noodles gave it a definite Asian feel. My gorgeous friend oo-ed and aah-ed with each mouthful. It was fresh and the different textures made it interesting to eat. It felt healthy to eat.

Coffee after lunch was good and smooth. The cakes were delectable also. The nut and maple cake tasted amazing. So syrupy and moist, with chunks of nuts making it slightly chewy. The white chocolate flakes on the top were a nice treat.

The chocolate slice was very rich and heavy with the caramel and bitter dark chocolate flavours. It was too much for my full tummy to handle.

Verdict: Sayers Sister has a wonderful ambience, delicious food and great service.

FACT FILE

Sayers Sister
236 Lake St, Northbridge (Perth)
Tel: 08 9227 7506

No bookings taken. Open for breakfast and lunch Tuesday to Sunday. BYO

Cook like an Italian

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

If you want to cook like an Italian, then you need to learn from the best in the business – makes sense, right?

Guiseppe Pagliariccci (Perugino) and Egidio Squillace (Event Style)

Giuseppe Pagliaricci (Perugino) and Egidio Squillace (Event Style)

Six Italian chefs are each holding an Italian Cooking Master Class between 20 May and 9 September 2013 at the stunning Accento Home showroom in Claremont, Perth. Each chef’s restaurant has earned the Ospitalità Italiana certification awarded by the Italian Government. That means they are proficient with Italian cooking knowledge, have Italian speaking staff available, and use some Italian imported ingredients such as extra virgin olive oil.

Last night was the Accento Italian Cooking Master Class series launch. We thought the chefs would be demonstrating three or four dishes. Wrong. We watched them prepare and we tasted 20 dishes. No wonder we all rolled out of there at the end of the night, vowing not to eat for the next week!

Giuseppe Pagliaricci from Perugino Restaurant and Egidio Squillace from Event Style were our chefs for the night. They wow’d the room with every dish. Just when you think, ‘this one is my favourite,’ the next dish is even better. Their execution was mesmerising to watch. Precise cooking times and fastidious presentations to ensure we were well looked after. This is what we ate:

Finger food / Antipasti

Prawn and pesto sauce
Scallop carpaccio with mango
Pumpkin and smoked cheese dumpling
Bacala (cod) and potato fritters
Bacala (cod) fritters (without potato)
Prawns and pancetta with balsamic
Deep fried mozzarella balls
Crostini with cheese and truffle
Herbed focaccia
Crostini with Italian sausage and cheese

Fried mozzarella balls

Finger food

Scallop carpaccio with mango

Prawn and pesto sauce

Crostini with cheese and truffle, photo courtesy of http://www.wenywonderswhy.blogspot.com.au

Pasta

Gnocchi with gorgonzola, apple, parmesan and pine nuts
Ravioli filled with potato, cheddar, and proscuito di San Daniele with a pumpkin sauce and a dash of béchamel

Egidio Squillace (Event Style)

Preparing ravioli with proscuito San Daniele with pumpkin sauce and a dash of béchamel

Ravioli with proscuito San Daniele with pumpkin sauce and a dash of béchamel

Gnocchi with gorgonzola, apple and parmesan

Main / meat

Rack of lamb cooked with olive oil, lemon juice and oregano
Chicken with olive oil, mint, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper
Rabbit with black olives and white wine

Plates of chicken with mint and parsley, and rabbit with black olives and white wine

Rack of lamb with lemon juice and oregano

Chicken with mint, garlic, and parsley

Dessert & Cakes

Macadamia panna cotta with white chocolate sauce
Pistachio panna cotta with berry sauce
Fig and amaretti tart
Rice and apple cake (gluten free)
Quince and chestnut cake

Macadamia panna cotta with white chocolate sauce, and pistachio panna cotta with berry sauce

Fig and amaretti tart, and quince and chestnut cake

Needless to say, the food was delectable. The gnocchi was an absolute stand out dish. The gorgonzola had that gorgeous blue cheese bite to it, the sauce was creamy, and the addition of apples added a tarty sweetness to the salty cheese sauce. The gnocchi were light and fluffy, just as they should be – and just as one would expect them to be given they were made by a pro.

Guests can expect to taste a number of beautifully cooked Italian dishes. Moreover, there’s the chance to ask questions, like, ‘how do you make the gnocchi so it is light and airy?’ Or, ‘what is the secret to cooking the perfect tomato base sauce?’

Marco Mari, Secretary General of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) that are facilitating the cooking series said that attending a class is a perfect opportunity to learn from the best in the business as the masters of Italian cuisine are not readily accessible.

“Guests will learn techniques and specific Italian dishes, and they will also taste all the dishes and sample matched Italian wines, so we advise guests to come along with an empty stomach!”

For the wine aficionado, varietals on offer include Barolo, Chianti Classico, and Nero D’Avola Syrah from the respective esteemed wineries Michele Chiarlo (Piedmont), San Fabiano Calcinaia (Tuscany), and Fuedo Arancio (Sicily) to name a few.

Mr Mari said the series is designed to be informative and fun. “For the same price as eating out at a good restaurant, guests have the added bonus of taking home new skills, making it exceptional value for money.”

If the launch is anything to go by, I’d recommend wearing elasticated pants, the most stylish ones you have of course. After all, you will be mingling with Italians.

FACT FILE

All demonstrations start at 6.30pm and held at the Accento Showroom, 256 Stirling Highway Claremont. Cost per class is $90 or $500 for the series of six.

For more information, visit www.icci.asn.au or call 08 9217 4200.

Declaration: The ICCI is a client of Dianne Bortoletto’s business, Pronto PR. Despite this fact, I would have posted about the cooking class in any case because learning about great food is an absolute passion of mine – and so is eating it!

Other Blogs

Check out what other food bloggers had to say:
Perth Munchkin

Eating without cooking

To eat like this, you can always book a table at Perugino Restaurant in West Perth. It’s one of the best Italian restaurants in the city, getting the mix of food, service and ambience right.

If you have a function, then Event Style are the caterers that will ensure every guest is impressed and left feeling satisfied.

Jamie’s Italian, Perth

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

Hype, drama, action! The doors of Jamie Oliver’s first restaurant in Perth, and second Italian restaurant in Australia, were flung open two weeks ago.

Situated in the cool 140 William Street precinct, Jamie’s Italian is large, seating over 200 people. There is a bar area at the front, or out the back, depending on which entrance you use.

We entered from the north William Street entrance at 4pm on a Monday afternoon. Despite all the empty tables, we were not greeted warmly and instructed to walk across the restaurant to see the ‘lady in black’. We obliged, and were told by the said lady in black to see someone else. Sigh.The correct hostess showed us to a table, which was about 10 cm away from the occupied table next to it. I asked if we could be seated at another empty table for two at the end of the booth. Initially she said no because the table wasn’t made up. What? What’s to make up? There’s no table cloths, just bring cutlery and a napkin. I was surprised and taken back by the Gen Y back-chat to my reasonable customer request. The hostess quickly changed her tack and asked us to wait a few minutes while she makes up the table. It took her 30 seconds and we were seated.

Aperol spritz

Despite the clunky start to service, we had a friendly and efficient waiter for the rest of our time there. I’ll go so far to say that our British waiter actually redeemed our initial sour impressions of service. Well done, chap.

Drinks to start; I was excited and delighted to see aperol spritz ($11) on the menu – my favourite Italian aperitivo. In Italy it’s made with equal parts of aperol and prosecco (sparkling wine), over ice with a slice of orange. Some places include a dash of soda. At Jamie’s Italian the balance between the prosecco and the aperol was off, too much prosecco, not enough aperol. What a shame. I’d go there again and again just to have an aperol spritz if they got it right – each sip had the potential to ignite my memories of Rome. It was not to be.

The house red wine was a sangiovese blend from Victoria, priced reasonabley at $37 for the bottle and was easy to drink without being remarkable. Sadly, no WA wines featured on the wine list.

Three kinds of complementary (i.e. free) bread were brought to the table with a freshly poured olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a dipping dish. Love that. The carta di musica bread, from Sardinia, was crispy and I was very excited to see it in a Perth restaurant. The house made grissini and ciabiata were both moorish. A great way to start our meal.

The variety on the menu would cater for most palates and the dishes were reasonably priced.

We had a blackboard special entree of crispy stuffed risotto balls smoked mozzarella and porcini arancini ($9.50). It was texturally balanced; crunchy crumbed outer, soft rice centre with robust cheese and porcini flavours. The side chilli tomato salsa was spicy hot and did not complement the dish in my mind. It was the same side sauce on the smoked mozzarella pumpkin nachos ($7), which were not really nachos as I know them. They were more like deep fried ravioli with very little filling. They were crunchy like the skin of a deep fried wanton, the smoked mozzarella was pronounced and the sweetness of the pumpkin came through. The textures and flavours worked well together, despite the confusing name of the dish.

Pappadelle with sausage

For main, Zorba had a large serve of sausage pappadelle ($18) which was like a thick bolognese with rich deep flavours. The fresh pasta was perfect. A beautiful dish and a generous portion.

I had a small rabbit tagliatelle with lemon marscapone ($12.50). The pasta was perfect but the sauce has very strong lemon flavours that took over the dish. It was not unpleasant, but I wasn’t able to really taste the rabbit. The small size wasn’t that small, and unless you are a big eating Greek, like Zorba, a small size would satisfy, particularly so if you are ordering other dishes.

We both noticed that the grated parmesan didn’t have the usual parmesan bite that we both love.

Rabbit tagliatelle with lemon marscapone

For dessert, we had the chocolate vin santo pot. Vin Santo, a traditional dessert wine that hails from Tuscany, is usually served with very hard and dry biscotti that are dipped into the wine to soften. The chocolate pot at Jamie’s was completely different to the Tuscan tradition. It was rich and creamy and I couldn’t taste any alcohol. The cocoa dusting was a little bitter, but when eaten with the rich creamy mousse like centre, it was fine.

Vin santo chocolate pot

The warehouse-style ceiling has big steel air conditioning ducts is softened by the huge tiered crystal chandelier that illuminates a sense of elegance to the space. The atmosphere is buzzy. Bright red diner-style bench seats line the booths that act as room dividers, as well as giving the place a splash of colour. The music is hip and varied from current top ten chart toppers to Italian classics, but it worked really well. I found myself bopping along to the tunes.

Verdict: The prices are very reasonable, the food is good, some dishes mind-blowing, others were ok. It was the over all atmosphere and the fact we had a great table that wasn’t on top of other diners that made our night memorable. Would I wait two hours for a table? Probably not. We’ll go back again once the hype dies down a bit.

FACT FILE

Jamie’s Italian
140 William St, Perth, WA 6000
Tel: +61 8 9363 8600
Open Monday to Sunday 11am until late.

Woot! Cheap fares to China and beyond

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

China Southern Airlines has introduced new A330-200 aircraft onto Australian routes with the airline’s A330-223 touching down in Perth for the first time yesterday.

It’s great that another full service airline can now give some of the other big players serious competition. Travellers can fly return to Guangzhou, the airline’s modern hub in southern China, from Perth for $760* in Economy and $3230* in Business.

The introductory fares include taxes and are on sale now for travel throughout 2013, but flights need to be booked by 5 April, so you have to be quick!

The new A330 Airbus has flatbeds in Business Class and personal entertainment television sets for everyone.

China Southern’s Canton Route to the world reaches almost 200 destinations in 35 countries and regions using a range of aircraft from its growing fleet of more than 500 planes.

FACT FILE

For reservations call 1300 889 628.

For customer service assistance email customercare@csair.com.au

Website: http://mercury.csair.com/en/index.shtml

China Southern's A330-223 arriving at Perth International Airport

Declaration: Pronto PR (Dianne Bortoletto’s business) is working with Bright Communications to promote China Southern Airlines in Western Australia.

A Vietnamese restaurant worth forking out for

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

Lido Vietnamese restaurant is situated in the heart of Perth’s quasi China Town in Northbridge. Walking in, my eyes had to adjust to the brightness of the lights. The restaurant is big and on a Friday night, the place was packed.

Within seconds of being seated, we were given tap water and handed a menu each.

The menu was big; eight pages of food choices. As we were on a quest for authentic Vietnamese cuisine, I consulted a waitress who pointed out the traditional dishes. For entrée we opted for boneless roast duck rice paper rolls ($8.50) and medium rare veal salad in tamarind sauce ($17).

The two rice paper rolls, served with a peanut hoisin dipping sauce, were fresh and tasty. The duck was tender and the addition of vegetables added some crunch while the mint and coriander intensified the freshness.

Medium rare veal in taramind sauce

The veal salad was delightful. The balanced dressing is what really made this dish stand out. The tender veal was sliced very thin and the crispy salad added texture. It felt healthy to eat and it had me going back for more. The serving size was generous – big enough for a lunch for one.

Beef stew with five special herbs

For main course, beef stewed in five special herbs with mild chilli (19.50) was pleasant enough, but lacked intensity. The beef was tender, however, it was completely overshadowed by our other main dish.

The Patagonian tooth fish with ginger and shallots ($30) was one of the pricier dishes on the menu, but well worth it. The flaky fish texture just melted in my mouth and the flavor of the sauce, which was poured over the fish by our waiter at the table, gorgeous – the perfect balance of salty, sweet, and sour. The sauce had me filling up my bowl with steamed rice ($3) several times just so it could be topped with more sauce.

Patagonian tooth fish with ginger and shallots

Whilst not the cheapest Vietnamese / Asian restaurant, the food makes paying a little extra worthwhile and the service was attentive and helpful. Overall, it was a pleasant dining experience.

FACT FILE

Lido Vietnamese Restaurant
416 Williams Street, Northbridge WA 6000
Tel: 08 9227 5545

Open Monday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. Fully licensed, BYO wine only.

This post was also published on Food Wine Sleep and West Australasia Media Network (WAMN).

Progressive Fine Dining – Eat Drink Perth tour

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

The Fine Dining Progressive Dinner as part of the Eat Drink Perth food festival happening in WA’s capital city during the month of March, is a great way to experience three of the city’s finest restaurants.

Led by Perth’s popular walking tour specialists Two Feet and Heart Beat, the progressive dinner itinerary featured entree at the Print Hall, main meal at Lamonts Bishop House, and dessert at the Terrace Hotel.

Firstly, before a decadent dinner, Two Feet and a Heart Beat owner Ryan took our small group of seven on a short secret art walking tour. It’s secret because we saw some art in a secret city alley way that hardly anyone knows exists. I’m not sure I should give Two Feet and a Heart Beat’s secret away by telling you where it is? You might have to message me on Facebook and ask very nicely if you really want to know. We found it interesting and eye opening.

Onto the Print Hall. This was Zorba’s first time to Brookfield Place and he liked it. Thank God. Trying to get him to agree to a night out in the city is a challenge. I think it’s going to be a bit easier from here on. He loved it.

We were spoilt with two entrees; two types of freshly shucked oysters – South Australian (bigger and delicate flavour) and Albany (smaller more intense flavour). It was interesting to compare the two types. My allegiance to WA was put to one side for a moment as my taste buds preferred the South Australian oysters for their delicate flavour. Others preferred the creaminess of the Albany oysters. The two vinaigrettes were beautiful, but I still prefer just a squeeze of lemon when the oysters are as good as these.

Two types of Oysters, Print Hall

Print Hall has an oyster special on Tuesdays, two dozen oysters for $50. That’s just over $2 per oyster. A bargain. Zorba (who loves a bargain) and another tour goer Barry decided to get another two dozen to share. Totally indulgent – I love it!

I thoroughly enjoyed a glass of Pinot Noir from the USA. I know, I know, I should have chosen bubbly or white wine, but the red just sounded (and tasted!) so good. I broke the sacred wine with food rule. Oh well, rules are made to be broken.

Tasting platter, Print Hall

The second part of our entree at the Print Hall was a tasting platter featuring a gorgeous pistachio and pork terrine, serrano jamon, air dried shaved beef, salami, a chorizo like sausage, pickled vegetables, and yummy rye grissini bread sticks as well as fresh bread. The house made butter was a little cold and hard to spread at first, but boy was it creamy and delicious after a few minutes.

The terrine was an absolute standout. Firm texture with the added crunch of the pistachio made it something really special. Beautifully flavoured. Everything on the platter was gorgeous, but fairly standard fare in our house, besides the terrine. It was so good.

Next stop, Lamonts at Bishop House. Bishop’s House is tucked away behind Rigby’s bar between Mill Street and Spring Street in the city. Many moons ago, a fresh spring once ran under neath where the house is built, hence the name of Spring Street. The heritage listed house was built in 1859. It is so lovely and who ever did the interior design really did a outstanding job – it’s beautifully furnished. It has a warm and welcoming ambience – the vibe the building exuded made me feel instantly comfortable, like I had been there before. We sat on the balcony overlooking the gardens that provided a natural shield to the traffic on Mounts Bay Road.

Barramundi at Lamonts

The food at Lamonts, at any Lamonts restaurant, is unbelievably good. Tonight was no exception. Barramundi with a fried zucchini flower and roast pepper and tomato salsa. The zucchini flower, that wasn’t stuffed, was delicate and crispy – as good as any I’ve had in Italy. The barramundi was gorgeous, flakey and soft. The roasted pepper and tomato salsa was amazing. Everything worked beautifully. And we got two pieces of bread and house made butter also. The Germans in our group were very excited about the quality of the bread, saying it was just like bread they got back home.

The Lamonts Shiraz was delicious. Yes, I know, again I had red wine with seafood. Seriously, with red wine this good, I’d have it with cereal. Perfect Shiraz.

Off for another short walk. Tour guide Ryan pointed out some more interesting pieces of art on the corner of the St Georges Terrace and Milligan Street, before leading us into the Terrace Hotel.

Delicious fortified dessert wine

Italian waiter Antonio explained the complex process of how the fortified wine was made; the wine is distilled in one wine barrel for a set time before being moved to a series of older barrels, until it reached the oldest mother barrel, which was made in 1927, which was also the name of the wine. He said it could be called a sherry. Call it what ever you like – but can I have another glass? It was yummy, like a light port.

The dessert wine accompanied a cheese platter. By far the blue cheese and the quince jam was my second favourite. My favourite was the dessert wine, whilst not technically a food group, I’d happily skip dessert just for the wine.

We sat in a private dining room surround by a gazillion dollars worth of wine and champagne. I had cellar envy for sure.

If I was to make any criticism, it would come from my sweet tooth. Cheese I love, but not as much as chocolate. It would have been a fitting end to a delicious and delightful night to have a chocolate dessert or petit fours.

It was 10.15pm and our night came to an end. We were grateful that we had a good group that chatted and gelled well together. This was helped along by tour guide Ryan, a Canadian, who has a really lovely way with people. It’s no surprise that his tourism business is doing so well.

It was a terrific way to experience three of Perth’s newest fine dining establishments in one night, at the cost of having just one night out at one of these venues.

Don’t delay, the progressive dinner is only on again next Monday and Tuesday. It costs $140 per person. A glass of wine or beer is included with each course. The wine was most generous at Lamonts as the friendly waiter continued to top up our glasses. Thanks Lamonts.

We hope Tour operators Two Feet and a Heart Beat are able to continue the Fine Dining Progressive Dinner as part of their tour offerings as planned. A great idea and it was fun to be tourist in my own city. Try it, like me, you might discover some new secrets.

We paid for our own tickets to this event.

FACT FILE

Eat Drink Perth runs for the month of March in the City of Perth.

Two Feet and a Heart Beat offer interesting walking and small bar tours in Perth and Sydney.

Brunch, Subiaco Hotel

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

Our Sunday Brunch was going to be at the Gordon Street Garage, a new Perth eatery that is the current talk of the town. I suspected it would be busy, but was not expecting a cue or to be told that there would be a 40 minute wait for a table. Plan B: Subiaco.

We called the Subiaco Hotel and was told that a table for three at 10.30am was booked. Admittedly, none of us were thinking we would have a brunch worth writing about at the Subi Hotel. I was delightfully proved wrong.

Firstly, the breakfast menu was terrific offering choices like brioche french toast with maple syrup and berries; morrocan brik pastry with duck egg, turkish bread, spinach and feta; potato and pork hash with fried eggs mustard and tomatoes. Everything listed was under $20, with the exception of the big farmers breakfast which was $21.

I couldn’t go past the avocado on chunky multigrain with fresh tomato and goats curd ($16.50). I added a couple of soft poached eggs – it sounded so good that my beautiful brunch buddies both ordered the same thing. It was the perfect brunch dish.

Creamy avocado, salty goats curd, fresh peppery rocket, and fresh tomato worked really well together. The bread was thick and yummy and felt healthy to eat. The soft poached eggs were cooked perfectly. The dish was seasoned really well and for once, I was not searching for salt on the table.

Importantly, the coffee was good – I had two. The service was efficient, and the setting lovely with white table cloths and well-weighted cutlery.

I also enjoyed a fresh juice of blood orange, mango and lime juice ($8) – it was thick and delicious. In fact, it was so good I drank it all down before I took a photo. Sorry!

The Subiaco Hotel was a place that has been a stalwart of Subiaco for eons. It had been ages, years in fact, since I’ve eaten at the Subiaco Hotel. I had forgotten how good it was.

FACT FILE

Subiaco Hotel
465 Hay Street, Subiaco WA 6008
Tel: 08 9381 3069

Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe has once again transformed Perth’s iconic beach to an open-air Sculpture Park. Over 70 local, national and international artists have created cool works for everyone to enjoy. Best thing of all, it doesn’t cost a cent. That’s right, it’s completely free. From the grandiose, to those that are fun for the kids, to the thought provoking, the range of sculptures will appeal to a variety of tastes. Some sculptures are truly beautiful and pretty cool, while others left me wondering, really is that what they call art?

I checked out the 9^th Annual Sculpture by Sea very early on opening day and was as impressed as I have been in past years.

I particularly loved the fishing rods piece, aptly named ‘casting around’.

casting around, Ruth Downes & Geoff Webster, NSW

This big wooden sculpture called ‘upside down again’ was also really cool. It was big and I loved the way you can look through it and see the ocean.

There we so many great pieces, it’s hard to choose which ones to write about. I’ll let the pictures paint the words and do the story telling, then you can see for yourself and make your own mind up.

Upside down again

Casting Around

glacier depository

Exhibition inside the Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club

m.130301.2 with liquorice all sorts in the background

Happy floating dream cloud

the listrumpet

Tokyo crows

jewel de la mer

tolerance, change, difference

(cray) pot luck!

habibi

how close we are

ghost net crocodile

portal

oushi zokei

A great night out would be to grab some fish n chips and enjoy dinner on the grassy banks or on the beach itself surrounded by inspiring art.

If you end up going, let me know your favourite piece. I really liked habibi on the end of the groin, portal depicting three men crouching together, and upside down again twisted wooden cavern.

Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe started on 8 March and finishes on 24 March.

Travelletto

Delicious travel adventures by Dianne Bortoletto

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Brunch, Subiaco Hotel

Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe

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