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

Foragers, Pemberton WA

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

Located 6km from Pemberton in Western Australia’s Southern Forest region, the entry into Foragers feels like you are entering somewhere special. Beautiful trees surround the restaurant and flanking the walkway are large raised timber garden beds growing fresh herbs: thyme, basil, parsley, mint, rosemary, and sage, just to name a few.

Foragers’ Head Chef and owner Sophie Zalokar trained in the Barossa Valley under foodie icon Maggie Beer. She shares the same lovely food philosophy as Maggie, from paddock to plate. Her food is fresh, wholesome and delicious. You can learn from Sophie during one of her cooking schools, or simply book in to dine at the restaurant that has regular seasonal dinners ($75pp) and wood-fired dinners ($55pp). Bring your own wine, sit at a long table, and enjoy a relaxing evening.

We booked into a Friday night wood fired dinner. The lovely thing is that you can see the big Italian imported wood oven at work from the restaurant. You can also see the kitchen and the busy staff working hard. The restaurant features long communal tables that feel inviting.

Our dinner started with freshly baked sour dough bread, still warm from the oven. A generous antipasto plate followed that had thin and crispy beetroot slices with feta, baked ricotta, roasted eggplant, marinated olives, roasted cauliflower and cacciatore salami. It was rustic, fresh, and excited our taste buds.

Main course was braised beef cheeks. The beef was amazingly tender – just touching it with a fork, it fell apart. It was so succulent. Zorba absolutely loved it.

Sponge cake cooking in wood fired oven, Foragers

Dessert was a real treat, apple sponge cake cooked in the wood-fired oven. It was light and airy with small chunks of apple at the bottom. It was slightly sweet, yet beautifully balanced when eaten with the cream. I loved it. To follow, Zorba enjoyed a Fiori coffee (skipper), while I sat there wishing we hadn’t finished our bottle of Fraser Gallop Cab Merlot (Margaret River)…

The service was friendly and efficient and the general ambience was relaxed and it felt like you were part of something bigger – a community. A strange ambience for a restaurant I’ll agree, but the communal tables and people chatting to one another is what brought it about.

We sat next to a very friendly couple from Perth, Greg and Cheryl, whom we chatted with all night. It’s a small world – as we learned, there’s only one degree of separation between us. Greg is a motorsport organiser and we know quite a few people in common.

Sophie also heads up the Slow Food Movement in the region and once or twice per year travels to Italy or France for slow food conferences.

You can stay in a chalet at Foragers also. They look lovely. We stayed at the luxurious Silkwood Wines Chalets, about a ten minute drive from Foragers on Chanybearup Road. You can read about it in my previous blog post here.

Foragers
Sophie & Chris Zalokar
1 Roberts Road
(cnr Roberts Rd & Pemberton Northcliffe Road)
Pemberton WA 6260

Tel: +61 (0)8 9776 1580
Email: discover@foragers.com.au

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.

Hanoi: Best margarita in the world at Don’s

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

In the upmarket neighbourhood of Hanoi’s West Lake district is Don’s, a top-50 restaurant on the San Pellegrino Asia List. Over four floors overlooking the lake, Don’s is owned by the charming Canadian chef Don Berger, who has lived in Hanoi for 14 years. Don’s culinary CV includes stints working in LA, London, Europe and Japan, before he fell in love with Hanoi and decided to settle in Vietnam’s capital.

The menu is eclectic and features traditional Vietnamese dishes, Italian classics, soups, salads as well as contemporary dishes that use the best local and important gourmet ingredients.

Red dragon fruit margarita

We had the pleasure of Don’s company over a meal in another Hanoi restaurant followed by cocktails, nem (spring rolls) and dessert at Don’s.

The red dragon fruit margarita is the best margarita I’ve had anywhere, ever. It is made with San Jose, a top quality tequila, so there’s none of that horrid ammoniac shooting fumes up the nose that you get with cheap tequila. It’s those fumes and the cheap smell that transgress many of us to memories of bad tequila experiences – and we’ve all had them, right?

Dragon fruit is not an overly sweet fruit, and as such, the cocktail is not an overly sweet cocktail, rather, it’s balanced. The glass is rimmed with pink sugar that gives a sweet crunchy texture with each sip. It doesn’t taste overly alcoholic, rather, it’s like drinking a healthy fruit smoothie (dangerous!). I don’t normally like margaritas, but I loved this one.

Shrimp & Pork In Crisp Egg Pancake with Rice Paper Wraps

As we’d already eaten, we sampled just a few of Don’s offerings. The outstanding and memorable Shrimp & Pork In Crisp Egg Pancake with Rice Paper Wraps were a textural delight to eat – the soft rice paper outer housed the crunchy pancake inside with the sweetness of the shrimp and saltiness of the pork balancing beautifully along with spring onion and scattering of fresh herbs. It’s the first time I’ve had the egg pancake spring roll and I loved it.

Tiramisu

We had tiramisu for dessert. Those that know me, know I make a fantastic tiramisu, so I was very curious to see how a top class chef’s tiramisu compared to mine. Firstly, Don makes his own mascapone cheese, uses Illy coffee (my favourite Italian coffee), and the sponge cake layers. He makes the traditional savoiardi biscuits as a side accompaniment, while I use commercial ones for my tiramisu layers.

It’s impossible (and unfair – to me) to compare Don’s tiramisu to mine, they are literally world’s apart. Don’s tiramisu was light and fluffy, had hints of mocha and was an absolute pleasure to eat. I didn’t detect strong coffee notes, which is what I was searching for, but nonetheless, I enjoyed every mouthful. Except that of the chocolate truffle which I didn’t get to taste because I was too slow! You snooze, you lose.

If you go to Hanoi, be sure to visit Don’s. Besides a wide ranging menu that will cater for all tastes, there’s jazz on the roof top every night, a smoking floor, a cigar and shisha menu, a fantastic wine list, and good collection of cocktails. Did I mention the stunning view of the Lake and shimming city lights in the distance? This place has it all.

FACT FILE

Don’s
16 Quảng An Road, Tây Hồ, Hà Nội
T: (+84 4) 3719 2828
T: (+84 4) 3719 3719
restaurant@donviet.vn

Open every day, with jazz on the roof top each night

Authentic Lebanese on King St, Newtown

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

We were in Sydney for a quick stop over on our way to visit family in Nambucca Heads near Coffs Harbour in NSW. Zorba the Greek was on a quest for authentic Arabic food.

Our Egyptian-Australian host, Hubba, took us to Rowda Ya Habibi on King Street in Newtown. She warned us that the restaurant was nothing flash, but that the food was good. To us, that’s what mattered, good food.

Hummus

We walked in, and like other reviews I’ve since seen, it does look a bit dodgy – like your standard take away kebab shop that you’d visit at 1am on a Saturday night on your way home from a big night out. But walk through the take away section into the modest restaurant out the back and allow yourself to be pleasantly surprised by great cheap food. It is simply decorated, but that’s not what you come here for.

We were all craving mezze, so we ordered hummus, tabouli, babaganoush, falafel and stuffed vine leaves to get us started.

The babaganoush was a stand out – smokey eggplant that had obviously been charred properly before being peeled and blended.

The hummus was smooth with a nice hint of garlic without being over powering.

The tabouli was just the way I like it, fresh and heavy on the parsley and light on the cracked wheat. Tangy and tasty.

The falafel was beautiful – crunchy outer shell and soft nutty inner. They were served on a bed of tahini sauce and when mixed in a fresh slice of pitta bread with tabouli and hummus, they were beautiful. I felt like I was back in Egypt.

Vine leaves I could take or leave, they don’t float my boat and never have.

Falafel

We also ordered a mixed meat platter, which was way too much food. The meat was delicious. We each stuffed a piece of soft pitta bread with hummus, tabouli and meat. Delicious.

The service was friendly, and reasonably efficient, although the owner serving us could have done with an extra waitress. The poor love was run off her feet.

Our resident expert Hubba said the food was authentic. From what I had experienced travelling through the Middle East, I thought the food was authentic also.

It’s BYO also, another bonus. Our bill for three people with left over food, came to $75. Cheap as you like for delicious arabic cuisine as long as you are happy sitting in a plain non-descript restaurant.

FACT FILE
Rowda Ya Habibi
101 King St
Newtown NSW 2042
Phone: (02) 95575368

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).

Impressed at Rockpool, Perth

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

Happy anniversary husband. Two wonderful years and I can’t wait for the next two hundred together. Or however long. Zorba’s choice of Rockpool at Crown Perth was a fitting place to celebrate our anniversary.

Walking into Rockpool is Hollywood. A long corridor lined with candles in glass urns makes you feel like you are about to enter somewhere special. And you are.

Spicy Bloody Mary

The five star service is attentive, efficient, friendly and unobtrusive. I mean, when you are having an intimate dinner, the last thing you want is a string of waiters constantly asking, ‘is everything alright?’. I feel like saying sometimes, ‘it was until you interrupted my train of thought and our conversation, go away and let us enjoy our meals in peace.’ This is not the case at Rockpool.

We started the night with a bloody mary cocktail each ($18). It packed quite a bunch with a bit of heat and lots of spiciness. I had to eat the celery garnish to cool my mouth and it was crunchy and fresh. I then at Zorba’s celery too (I have a low chilli tolerance). It sure woke me up from champagne lull that was starting to set in.

The gorgeous bread was still warm and the fresh butter was really creamy. I love freshly baked warm bread.

Delicious red

Choosing a wine was difficult. The wine list is very comprehensive – there are five pages of just Sangovese wines! The sommelier offered to assist with a wine choice. I described my ideal red wine – smooth, velvety, quite a bit of body like a Shiraz, but little or no tannin. He deliberated for a few minutes, flicking back and forth through the wine list, before finally recommending the Timaeus, a Grenache blend from the Barossa in South Australia ($80). The recommendation was spot on, after it opened up and breathed for ten minutes or so. Zorba kept commenting on how delicious the wine was. There weren’t many wines on the list under $50, plenty well over $100, and more than a few over $1000.

For starters we both shared Yellow Fin Tuna Tartare with Moroccan Eggplant and Cumin Mayonnaise ($34) and Warm Wood Fired Quail Salad with Roasted Peaches, Endive, Watercress and Pecans ($33).

Yellow Fin Tuna Tartar

You know what I am going to say, right? Yes, they were both delicious. The tuna was fresh, light, and I loved the smoky eggplant with the Middle Eastern flavours.

The quail was exquisite. The skin was slightly charred outside and the meat carried the wood fired flavour and was so juicy. So beautiful with the roasted peaches. The quail was an absolute standout dish.

Wood Fired Quail

We were offered more bread and butter; yes please thank you very much.

For main course, we shared the Grain Fed 300 Day Dry Aged Rib Eye 450g on the bone ($75) cooked medium rare with a side serve of potatoes cooked in Wagyu fat with rosemary and garlic.

Rib Eye

The Rib Eye was served cut up on a board and it was amazing. It just melted on the tongue – so tender and cooked perfectly. Zorba loved it. I actually cringed when Zorba ordered the potatoes cooked in Wagyu fat, but when I tasted them, I was so happy he had. They were crispy on the outside and creamy inside with a subtle beefy after taste. They were yum and hard to stop eating. When the cut Rib Eye was eaten, Zorba and I both eyed each other off for the bone. In the end, because it was our anniversary, I surrendered and let him take the bone for a good old gnaw. I promptly excused myself to use the facilities and left him to enjoy his caveman urges.

What a satisfying meal. One Rib Eye was definitely enough for two people to share.

The friendly waitress asked us if we were celebrating a special occasion and I explained it was our anniversary. Next thing you know, we were given a complementary chocolate devils cupcake – yum, thank you Rockpool.

Chocolate with peanut butter ice cream

For dessert, I couldn’t go past the chocolate mousse with peanut butter ice-cream. OMG, heavenly. The peanut butter ice-cream was slightly salty, creamy, and peanutty in flavour, as you would expect. The salty ice-cream with the sweet and rich mousse that was light and delicious was a perfect marriage.

Our bill came to $311. If we didn’t drink cocktails and red wine, it would have been $100 less.

Verdict: Yes it’s expensive, but for our special occasion, it was worth it. I was so full at end of the night. A fabulous experience with first class friendly service. I couldn’t fault it. Very impressed.

FACT FILE

Rockpool Bar and Grill
Crown Perth
Great Eastern Highway, Burswood WA 6100
Phone : + 61 8 6252 1900
info@rockpoolperth.com

Lunch in the West End, Perth WA

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Dianne Bortoletto Travelletto

The West End Deli on Carr Street in West Perth was our cafe choice for a Saturday lunch. I was thrilled to see breakfast dishes on the lunch menu.

It is a popular place, which isn’t surprising given its great reputation.

I was tossing up between slow cooked egg, peas and anchovies or the two crab omelette. The helpful waitress recommended the omelette and that’s what I chose.

Two crab omelette

It was an excellent recommendation. The omelette was fluffily and light, the crab meat was sweet, the coriander gave it a zing and it was seasoned just right. I loved it. I could have eaten two of them and in fact had to make a conscious effort to slow down and savour it rather than scoff it down.

As a side dish, a girlfriend ordered vine ripened cherry tomatoes with goats curd. They were delicious. Intense tomato flavour complemented beautifully with the salty goats curd. I was polite and only had one. Again, I could have easily wolfed down the whole plate.

Vine roasted tomato with goats cheese

A good coffee was the perfect finish to a light lunch. I was very tempted by the potted cheesecake with dulce de leche for dessert and even ordered it, but when my girlfriends resisted dessert, guilt got the better of me. I cancelled the dessert order. I’m on a quest to drop the extra kilos that have crept on in recent months, and as anyone knows, losing weight ain’t easy. I felt happy that I was strong enough to say no. But OMG did those desserts look amazing! I will be back when I’m skinny and will try that potted cheesecake, and that’s a promise.

I’ve eaten at West End Deli a few times in the past for dinner (BYO, no corkage, brilliant), but never for lunch. It was a winner.

FACT FILE

West End Deli
95 Carr St, West Perth
Tel 08 9328 3605

Travelletto

Delicious travel adventures by Dianne Bortoletto

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