I like Progressive Dinners, especially for groups. Not only do you get to try a few different restaurants, but you also have a chance to sit next to different people at each venue and mingle.

After a fab night mixing with food bloggers at the Accento Italian Master Cooking Class in May, I approached some Perth Food Bloggers and organised the inaugural Perth Food Bloggers Progressive Dinner.  Our location for the night was Vic Park.  A good first choice with many restaurants and cheap eats to choose from.

Entree:  Bravos, 933 Albany Highway, Victoria Park

When I contacted Bravos to make a booking, the manager Darren suggested a tasting plate that features several of their entrees.  How good does it look?

Clockwork starting at 9 o’clock there are crumbed polpette (meatballs), pesto, fried calamari, polenta with mushrooms and goats cheese, bean cassoulet, chorizo and in the centre is house made focaccia. The meatballs were a standout; crunchy outer, juicy perfectly seasoned meat on the inside. The house made focaccia was almost donut like in texture – so fresh and spongy with a salty crusty outer.  The calamari was also beautifully cooked and perfectly seasoned.  The bean cassoulet was hearty and the sauce was a perfect accompaniment with the focaccia. The service was friendly and efficient.  It was a great introduction to Bravos, and we all agreed, a delicious first course.

I loved seeing a couple of large tables of Italians eating in Bravos. A sign confirming that the food there is good.

Main Course:  Good One BBQ, 808 Albany Hwy, Victoria Park

I’ve eaten at Good One BBQ once before – my husband and I drove 15-20 minutes there from home, ordered and ate and drove home – all with in the hour.  It is fast food but good fast food. We ordered a half BBQ Duck, a mixed plate of roast pork and BBQ pork, and Kai Lan with oyster sauce (greens).

The duck, a highlight last time I ate at Good One BBQ, was succulent, with the sweet juices complementing the salty crispy skin beautifully. It looked wonderful, glossy skin and the meat really did taste as good as it looks.

The BBQ pork and roast pork were also beautifully cooked, juicy, and perfectly seasoned. The kai lan greens are a favourite of mine – they always feels so healthy to eat – crunchy and .  They balance out the fatty duck and pork, right? Hmm, maybe not they were enjoyed nonetheless.  The bill was split between six and it cost $13.85 each. Yes.

Dessert:  The Precinct, 834 Albany Hwy, Victoria Park

Walking into The Precinct I was immediately impressed with the fit out. And it was busy. Flat out busy on a Wednesday night.  For our final course, The Precinct organised to give us each a tasting plate of mini desserts . The apple and rhubarb crumble, usually the last thing I would choose on any menu, was actually my pick of all of the desserts. It had the perfect mix of crunchy crumbs and soft stewed fruit, and it wasn’t too sweet or too tart.

The mini chocolate fondant was gooey and decadently rich.  The ice-cream sandwich was great in theory, but tricky to eat. The biscuit was hard to break, and picking it up the ice-cream dripped everywhere. However, the ice-cream centre got a big tick of approval –  cookies and cream flavour with chewy bits. It was really lovely. There was also a little ball of pistachio ice-cream and scattered pistachio nuts. Nice.

Special mention needs to go their cocktail of the day, the Pig Fat Manhatten – a bacon flavoured cocktail.  The guys ordered one to try – actually to share – and it came out in two glasses filled in half. Nice touch. I had a sneaky sip. It was served over ice and was actually nice – quite refreshing with a hint of bacon.

The Precinct was a great place to end the progressive dinner. It was lively and full of people, but despite how busy it was, the service was great. Our water bottle was regularly replenished, and the staff were polite – at one point I noticed a waitress holding back to ask us for our order until one of the guys at the table had finished his story. So many times at other establishments young wait staff just barge on in and interrupt a conversation in full flow to ask if anyone would like a coffee.  I was very impressed that this did not happen The Precinct – knowing to pick your moment to approach customers is the sign of a well trained wait staff in my opinion.

Thank you

Many thanks to Juji Chews, The Foodie Hub, The Skinny Perth, Eat Meets West, and Libertine Eats for their great company.  Thanks to Bravos and The Precinct for arranging special menus for us.

The next Perth Food Bloggers Progressive Dinner will probably be held at the end of the October.  If you are a food blogger in Perth and would like to come along, please get in touch.