Bites: Leeuwin Estate Restaurant @ Stevens Road, Margaret River

South West Australia you awesome thing! It has been awhile since I took a trip to the region.  4 years or so I believe.  The tree-lined drive has always won my fancy and this time around it did not disappoint either.  My 4day trip down South over the long weekend was plenty enough to enjoy some of the region’s finest beaches and dining venues.  Leaving home at 9am, I reached just in time to enjoy lunch at the Leeuwin Estate Winery.

Mom and dad cringed at the thought of another big dollar bill after our unfortunate visit to Lamont’s last year.  Needless to say, I took pleasure in reassuring them not all establishments are built equal.  Seasons change, palates grow and menus evolve.  

To start, we ordered a loaf of bread $7 and a Charcuterie plank $38 with  cured wild boar meat, one with black truffle truffles and the other plain, pork Rillette, tomato chutney, liver parfait, gherkins, pickled peppers and bread.

Everyone had a bite into this decadent plank.  The offerings were vast and each element was surprisingly tasty.  But not as surprising as my dad wrapping the everything up in the slices of cured meats as though eating an inside out Peking duck haha.  Needless to say, it was a good starter.  Perfect for sharing across the table!

Our curious little appetiser, the scallops sashimi $26.

Consisting of three thinly slices of scallop, an avocado mousse and some salsa in a clear consommé, this was a refreshing bite for the afternoon.  Now, if only we could super size this!  I have to say, it was really small even for one person.

Finishing our appetiser, the service was prompt and courteous with the waitstaff asking us whether we were good to start the next course.  Receiving our positive nods, she cleared the table and came out with our mains just moments later.

Dad’s dish of grilled Tiger Prawns ($40~) served on a bed of Cous Cous with little dollops of Harissa.

Bright, presentable and every bit attractive, there was more substance to this than what meets the eye.  Well-cooked prawns, fruity Cous Cous and a sublime sauce to pair.  Whilst it sounded really simple, it was faultless.  

Mom’s fish of the day consisted of a grilled Snapper, Figs, and Prosciutto ($40~).

Mom was happy to be served what she ordered.  She was happy.  Very indeed!  On her behalf, a bite into this help me understood why. It was simply cooked to perfection.  A decent slab of fresh market fish crisp on top, juicy on the inside which condiments that actually make your tongue wag.  

My sis and I shared the 900 gram Rib Eye ($110) that came with a side of fries and salad.

Damn the steak came out looking grand.  As we were one of the first ones to have our mains served, I could tell that other tables decided on their mains based on what we had when they saw the steak come out.  The steak was a clear winner from that perspective. But was it really all that great?  For starters, our request for medium-rare came out closer to medium bordering well-done.  Whilst it was hardly praiseworthy, what surprised me was that the meat was still really tender despite not being perfectly pink in the middle?  Was it trickery to the eye? I wonder.  The condiments of mustards did not look as rich as the Harissa and Béarnaise served at Rockpool but the horseradish and English mustard played a big part in bringing out the flavours of the steak.  I really enjoyed it for some reason.  Holiday mood? :P

The chips were great.  Thinly cut, fried crisp and came served with a yummy aioli dip.  But as good as it was, I was more impressed with the chef’s accompanying salad for the steak. 

The mixture of hand picked garden herbs like mint, basil and coriander mixed with tiny bits of lettuce and rockets in a generous acid dressing was delicious.  Biting into herbs you get layers of fragrance and freshness pouring out.  Pair it with the steak and somehow the combination really worked!  In this instance it tasted so much better than Rockpool's chopped salad!

To end, we had some desserts to share around the plate

Flour-less orange and almond cake ($12)

Dark chocolate mousse with berry foam, sour cherry preserve and spiced grains.

Pineapple panna cotta, pineapple sorbet and a slice of pineapple.

The desserts on the table were all very decadent.  Our palate did not take liking to several elements like the fresh pineapple in the Panna Cotta because it was cut too deep into the core leaving a fibrous taste in each bite.  I also was not too impressed by the spices grain in the chocolate mousse as the ratio did not feel quite right.  But arguably my biggest displeasure was the lack of depth in the chocolate mousse.  It did not feel quite right.  Something was lacking for sure. In saying that, there were still very good desserts like the orange and almond cake. That was yums! 

Including a round of drinks before and after meal, the bill totalled to around $300 which was pretty decent for all the food we had.  To sum the service, ambience and quality of food, Leeuwin Estate really lived up to my expectations.  My booking here was rather unplanned as it turned out to be one of the restaurants with available tables and luckily enough, the food was up to standard.  Also, its elevated restaurant also ensured that the diners are blessed with views of its open field below

WenY

Bites: Modern French Dining @ Petite Mort, Shenton Park

Petit Mort is a Modern French restaurant in the heart of the leafy Shenton Park suburb.  With an impressive degustation menu documented among my peers, I was the last to visit but was ready to be impressed.

The start of the meal begun with the staple bread course.  Coming into a French restaurant, the pastries are always expected to be stellar.  The brioche at Petit Mort made a good first impression with its buttery notes carried through its pastry’s fluffy consistency.

Brioche

A dish served to whet the palate.  I loved the hint of coriander through the sweet-earthy Veloute that was consistently creamy and finished by the crispy chicken skin. 

Sweet Corn Veloute, Coriander, Chicken Crisp

Raw produce of the sea paired with wasabi is synonymous with the Japanese culture, but with a different approach things can be rather interesting.  Ponzu jelly and wasabi sorbet were not the most inventive condiments in town but I have to say, it served as a tasty summer treat when paired with the slices of fresh snapper and cuttlefish!

Snapper, Cuttlefish & Ponzu, Wasabi Sorbet

Scallops and Pork with Apples is another classic combination.  Hard to fault but often abused.  Quality pork is a must and technique is vital.  While the technique here was flawless, the table was not too convinced with the pork belly and its crispy skin.  It smelt somewhat, porky.

Scallop, Pork Belly, Pig Head, Apple

Have you ever eaten sweetbreads so delicious?  I have not.  The textures across the plate is interesting and the flavours felt some what chic provincial. Its interesting summer plating is worth noting too.

Lamb, Sweetbread, Caperberry, Asparagus

My main is quite a common one.  Steak and chipped topped with fried egg.  The steak was not a life changing bite but the quirkiness in plating was made for art.  From a top, it look somewhat liked a Lego artwork.  Petit sized chipped injected with ketchup, a small fried quail egg and little dollops of béarnaise.  Swag.

Steak, Egg & Chips

My other companions around the table did not quite enjoy their final course with the same level of satisfaction I had with my steak.  The presentation, faultless.  But what is the point of something that looks good but tastes blend.  The preparation on the plate was minimalistic but could do with a good amount of seasoning.  A basic seasoning of salt would have been much appreciated.

Salmon, Ash, Root Vegetables, Horseradish.

Pre-dessert

Death by Chocolate.  Death literally felt instant on this plate. Whether it was the rough edges truffles to the quenelle shaped mousse, there was simply too much to like on this plate.  I am not a big fan of chocolate but this is a rarity that I have learned to enjoy at Petit Mort.  After all, any dish if done well is delicious.  Fantastic dessert to end!

Death by Chocolate

Petit Fours -Pistachio macarons with a cherry filling.

Petit Fours - Bourbon filled chocolate 

The approach Petit Mort had to celebrate good modern French did not quite reach the proportions of the legendary Joel Robuchon but it did not disappoint in anyway.  From the new approach to the Japanese staple, to the Steak and Chips art piece and even the finale of decadent Death by Chocolate, it was an impressive feat one after the other.  Each course carried the essence of satisfying the senses of sight, touch and taste.  It was probably a better meal than the one I had at Amusé the day before.

Regards

WenY

Bites: A Singaporean Breakfast @ Sprolo, South Perth

Perth has an interesting dining scene that is growing at a rate faster than mushrooms do in rainy days and Sprolo in Como is one of such venues in town offering a different dining scene beyond the staple bacon and eggs.  During this visit of mine, this Singaporean inspired breakfast place bring chicken rice and poached eggs to plate with a modern twist.  Critically enough, many venues has tried to be inventive and unfortunately more duds than success stories, what about Sprolo?

The morning essentials.   Sister reckons it was OK.  In saying that, Australia has some of the best coffee places around the world so OK itself is a rating above the rest!

As Sprolo only starts serving breakfast after 8am, I decided to start with a sausage roll.

Heated till crisp, this goes beyond the packed ones.  The meaty roll might be a little heavy to some in the morning but for me, this meaty loaf was what I needed to get started.  Tasty it was but certainly could have had more paprika or spices to make the norm a little more gourmet.

A little sweet treat of doughnuts with salted caramel.  

The doughnuts here were decent for most parts but the salted caramel was a little docile.  I reckon the balance between its saltiness, fragrant butter and sweetness was a little off.  Not despicable in anyway though!  However, is this a case of salted caramel, a once was unique treat become a subject of abuse in recent times?

Hainan chicken rolls.

The familiar punchy taste of gingery chilli is a hit to the tongue so early in the morning.  Its flavours were truly unique.  But the inconvenient truth was how a promising dish get let down by 2 things (IMHO).  First was the chicken, maybe a bit of smooth chicken skin? That would made the dish a little more tender because the breast meat was a little bland!  Secondly was the lack of salt.  The whole dish needed more salt ~.~!  This could easily have been a stellar dish otherwise.  Refreshing, healthy and tasty.

The full Singaporean breakfast.

These soft boiled eggs bring back memories of the childhood.  Soft, runny yolk topped with lashings of soy and sprinklings of pepper.  Everything complemented one another but then came the Aussie bread slices.  Sure it was quality, but I am quite sure that a thick slice of soft white bread, mildly toasted as done in Malaysia and Singapore would be my preference over the bread I got at Sprolo!  The last element on the plate, the Kaya was a strong merit.  It was not creamy smooth but had traces of course coconut which made the whole experience very organic.  That one I liked a lot :P!  Perhaps a little less sugar.

Breakfast at Sprolo reminded me of my breakfast at Architect and Heroes in Subiaco.  It was good, not great.  The food inventive, different and yet it was again another case of so close yet so far.  More importantly though, the effort of trying is what counts.  Surely everyone is bored of bean, egg, sausage, bacon and hash by now?  Great effort Sprolo!  I will be back.

WenY