Bites: Amuse Re-visited @ East Perth

The last time the little darling and I came to Amuse, we were treated to a degustation like none other were the simplest of ingredients were turned into something extraordinary.  Hoping to relive our beautiful experience with our friends, we decided to have our last gathering for the year at Amuse.

Considering how much praises I had for them in my last visit, I will not dwell too much on each dish served but instead mentioned the high and lows for the night.

Snacks:

A “snack” of cured meat was not even half as satisfying as the bone marrow tubes the little darling and I had before.  It was rather unfortunate that the cured meat did not benefit from the curing as is did not pack the natural flavors that usually mellows with the meat but this still carried a porky stench.

Sweet potato crisps with sour cream was probably one of the nicer snacks along with the crackers topped with rosemary powder and edible flowers!

Tasmanian trout with dill and mustard on top of a thin layer of crisp was not as good as my previous visit because the crisp had turned soggy at the bottom.

Appetizers:Ceviche of blue ridge marron, poached marron claw, compressed melons and cucumber.  This for me was an appetizer not worthy of the Amuse household.  Its mediocre ceviche was served lukewarm making it feel as if the marrons have started turning bad.  Definitely a low especially when my friend got mild food poisoning later that morning.

Asparagus, green and white was a showcase of how one can do so much with so little.  Beautiful white asparagus was poached in pecorino oil while the green asparagus was shaved with its harder outer layer turned into ash and sprinkled on top pecorino cream.  To finish off was an asparagus soup which was delish.  This dish was not one of strong taste but rather a subtle sweetness of the asparagus.

Mains:

The obligatory half boiled runny egg served smoking in a jar.   Inside was a serve of egg, mushrooms, pine nuts and salty treat of crisp chicken skin. Slurps!!  This dish was voted the top “HOT” dish in Australia which was on par with a dish produced by Quay in Sydney!

Egg, mushroom and pine nuts!

Cuttlefish, pork and nettles.  This for me was one of the best dishes we had that night surpassing the mediocre cuttlefish dish I had in my first visit at Amuse! This beautifully composed dish was cooked spot on, topped with spicy crisps and sat on top of a salsa Verde which had more than 25 ingredients including chopped sausages.  It was delicious.  I enjoyed every bit of this dish as it was just the perfect pairing of ingredients although some might argue that the salsa Verde was a little too salty.

Rabbit, carrot and buttermilk sounds like the perfect Bugs Bunny story but this fell a little short of my expectations.  I loved the bit of the rabbit wrapped in silver beet cooked sous vide as it was super soft and tender but the other rabbit strip loin felt like corned meat and was really salty.  Perhaps it was meant to be corned but I must have missed that part of the description.

Our final savory course for the night was called the Duck, sweet corn and buckwheat.

But for me, the best bit of the night would have to be the duck course which was absolutely spot on in terms of cooking.  The duck was perfectly cooked I can guarantee, while the buckwheat provided a textural element with the grilled corn providing an earthy yet very delicious flavor when paired up with the gamey meat!!  Broccoletti though, felt as if it was there because mom says greens are good for you.

Palette cleanserGrape fruit, lychee and Thai basil. 

Desserts:Jersey cream, berries and rhubarb!  In an attempt to re-make a typical ice cream, Amuse has whipped up chill cream making it extremely light without losing it creaminess before topping the lot with rhubarb!  Put in a small jar on the side is a small compote consisting of grilled strawberries, crystallized blood orange and berries making this dessert delicious!   The fruits were a mix of sweet ripened ones and sour berries which provided different levels of sweetness in this dessert. I like this quite a fair bit despite its simplicity!

Our final dessert course before the petit fours is a course of chocolate, wattle and honey comb.  But do not be fooled, the chocolate here is no conventional chocolate but instead been served in a form of jelly.  While some might consider that special, I have never taken a liking to having my chocolate in the form of a jelly as there is no sense of creaminess in doing so.  All you get is a mild bitterness in it.  Other component were nice with a little liquid nitrogen play in freezing the ice cream so that it melts in your mouth.  But the unfortunate story is the bit where the little ice cream bits still take a little too long reach that state of creaminess and very often it is down your throat before it happens.  For me, this could have been a lot better.

After the sweet finish, we were serve complimentary tea and treatsPineapple jubes, sugared berries and half dipped tangerines were a very poor ending to the night.  Not really sure is this the intention of Amuse but the execution of the start and end was really poor.  For me, if Amuse was a person, the his/her image is totally tarnished.  The start and the end if really all that counts where outcome matters.  For me, Amuse has failed in this aspect.  The half dipped tangerine felt like Koko Black rip offs while the jubes have not improved from when I had it before.  Even the berries looked childishly prepared.  

Coming from a place like Amuse and a degustation menu which had increase in price, I certainly expected more from the kitchen.  On the bright side, the middle courses have certainly improved.  The cuttlefish was a shining start along with the perfectly prepared duck.   Unfortunately, the only saving grace were the savory menu.  The dessert bits were a tad of disappointment which quickly escalated to a large disappointment with the chocolate course. 

Was this a failure by the kitchen?  For me, I would like to think not as every degustation is an experiment.  However, my friend have a different dining definition and for him, a degustation is where the chef’s skills and imagination should be stretched to the limit.   If you have the definition of the latter, my dining at Amuse which totaled to over a $1000 tonight was by means a failure which only have a 6.5/11 approval for which a point was given to dishes I liked and 0.5 points where applicable.  For a meal that cost $130 per person, one would definitely have expected more.

WenY

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Bites: Bistro Guillaume Pt. 2 @ Crown, Burswood

Promising a return to Bistro Guillaume after a disappointing first visit, I am back here just two days after .   Some say “once bitten, twice shy”, but in this situation, it is a case of “don’t try, don’t know”.  Coming at 10pm, we were promptly seated and served unlike the first visit.  From there it was clear that the atmosphere at the Bistro has calmed down a  whole lot.  The crowds were more settled, the floor less frantic and everything has seemed to have slowed its paces.  In fact, even the waitresses are more composed and able.  For example, our waitress for the night very enthusiastically explained to us their dessert menu and accompanying hot drinks unlike the first time when we were just left with the menu.Just the restaurant half empty which for me was a perfect setting for a relaxing end to my Friday night.

 

Having felt disappointed at the complimentary bread initially, I had really hoped to see something worthy produced in this place tonight as part of the renown Guillaume franchise.  For dessert tonight, the little darling and I ordered the petit fours and a chocolate soufflé to share.The first three are the cocoa dusted chocolate truffles, aniseed cake, and caramel candy.  The petit fours were priced at $5 which was extremely cheap considering the variety we had.   And of course curious readers might be wondering why 5 varieties for something called Petit Fours, that is because the terminology actually means small oven in French and nothing to do with the number of mini desserts.   The chocolate truffles were one of the best I have ever eaten with its bitter cocoa dusting complementing the creamy velvety smooth chocolate filling.   The aniseed cake tasted very familiar but yet delicious.  As for the caramel, it was fantastic.  I am a big caramel fan and I cannot help but enjoy the  buttery rich flavors of a caramel candy!

 

At the other end, the pistachio macarons and fruit jubes were probably my highlight of the lot.  These sugary morsels were top notch.  Macarons had the right balance of sweetness with a hard shell which slowly develops to a chewy consistency through.  Pistachio flavors were obvious and for me, it was lovely.  Lastly were the fruit jubes which I have compared many times across my fine dining experience.  Fortunately, this is an extremely redeeming feature for the pastry kitchen who had initially failed to ‘wow’  me with their complimentary bread offering.  The jubes from my taste buds felt very fruity.  If I am correct, it was guava passionfruit flavor which had a good balance of sweetness and sourness.  The jubes had a good bouncy feel through it too.  This easily tops Jacksons and Amuse while sitting comfortably with the jubes offered by Le Atelier de Joel Robuchon.

 

The next dessert was the chocolate soufflé @ $22. Digging in, I was treated to a luscious warm spoonable chocolate that felt so light it was unimaginable.  More importantly, it was rich yet it did not feel cloying.  Pistachio ice cream felt spot on in term of texture and in terms of flavor it had a good pistachio fragrant too.  Judging by the number of these that were coming out of the kitchen, it was clear that this is a house specialty.  And from what I had that night, this will continue to be one of the most highly sought after desserts in town.  However though, I was slightly disappoint as I was imagining a small chocolate lava filling in there as well.  Nonetheless, this was delicious!

 

Having finished our drinks, we were very happy.  Whether it was a comparison to our dinner two days ago or to our dining experience at previous fine dining establishments, this is how my first meal here should have turned out.  I enjoyed the service we received as the waitress showed passion at doing her task and performs it well.  More importantly, she picks up the little things such as being able to tell that diners are shy for asking more and does it automatically to help us make our decisions. Absolutely helpful.  Even the little darling felt that the service we received was impeccable!  But how do you make a great night even better?  Why not have a picture with the owner Guillaume Brahimi himself? :)! It was super good! I think I can safely withdraw my negative criticisms now.  But even then, there still exist a certain doubt in mewhether we were treated better because they can or because Guillaume was in house or was it just because the crowd was lesser.  Anyways, it was a good start to my weekend! I am pleased!

 

WenY

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Bites: Bistro Guillaume @ Crown Casino, Burswood

After weeks if not months of anticipation and fully booked venue, the little darling and I landed our booking at Guillaume’s bistro at Crown Burswood, the new restaurant from the renown Guillaume Brahimi.  For me, this could not be a better way to celebrate our 29th Monthniversary, a date I came up with lols.   As we arrived at the bistro, we were served but told that we could not be seated at our table as it was still occupied.    After 15 minutes at the bar, we were finally seated.  

Bistro Guillaume! Finally!

 

Sitting down, one of the most notable feature of the restaurant was its quirky interior and how Guillaume has place his name all over everything. For me I liked the interior as it did not feel to cliché or pretentious.  Then comes one of the most dreaded parts of the evening, the ordering process.  On Urbanspoon, one user has even came up with a slogan for it called “French or Frantic”.  Yes the restaurant was full but with so many waiters and waitresses on the floor it should not be that hard.  After trying a few times, I finally got the attention of the waitress who mentioned that she was only here to serve bread and that taking orders were the task of the section waiter.  Ok FINE… I shall eat my bread.Crusty Bread!   Was pretty damn crusty on the outside but soft on the inside!   Served with the obligatory salt flakes and butter, it was hard to fault although Bistro Guillaume being French, I was expecting a twist in its pastry kitchen.  Maybe a small Croissant?  Ok perhaps that was an insult to think that French only makes Croissant.  But seriously, just a bread basket with 2-3 choices would not be too hard.

 

Sea Salt Flakes and Butter.   Without this, that crusty bread would have been impossible.  This was <3!

 

After a course of bread, our drinks arrived.  Darling’s Strawberry Frostie and my Butterscotch.While  the little darling’s drink tasted very familiar as she has mocktails every now and then, my cocktail of vodka, orange liqueur, and butterscotch felt delicious at first.  And typically being alcohol, it tasted pretty bitter.  But still a delicious treat for those not into drinks that taste too alcoholic!

 

I have always been a safe eater when it comes to my meals.  It was always legged or some sort of fish that I would call.  But being encouraged by fellow foodie Glenn of Glennlee and Chomp who reviewed this dish before, I ordered the Escargots En Persillade. Judging by what I was served, these tiny morsels which tasted no more than mushroom with an earthier note was covered in a delicious herb sauce.  Not exactly sauce but rather a perfect mix of parsley, butter and a very obvious amount of garlic.  As a first time Escargot eater, I was very satisfied.  It did not feel chewy and neither did it stink.  Probably the later was more important than the former.  Eating this, I could not help but hoped that I was given more bread to polish every single bit of sauce of this dish.  The bread given has this bloody outer crust that just won’t cooperate in absorbing all that delicious parsley butter!   Luckily enough, the miniature spoon was handy in making this cumbersome task a whole lot easier!  When I was done, I momentarily reflected on what makes a great dish while putting away the exotic ingredient because I felt like something was missing. And it did not take too long before I realized that the dish was missing some sort of depth in flavor.   Yes, a few to share would have been absolutely stunning, but a dozen of these soaking in buttery parsley all for myself?  I was too greedy.

 

For the little darling, she ordered the Onion Soup.Onion Soup, Old Bread and Melted cheese.  Typically something soupy would have gone down extremely well with the little darling.   But the onion soup at Guillaume’s was very rich in onion such that every scoop was filled with it.  To some, that might be lip smacking but for the little darling, it was a little overboard.   What she disliked even more was the fact that the soup was overly sweet.  She was hoping for something a little more delicate, more subtle.  The onions were ok but the sweetness was probably the thingy that she disliked the most.    I had a bite too and was wondering whether is even possible for onion soup to have such sweetness.  With no culinary knowledge, I can only assume that sugar must have been a component added somewhere along the line.

 

After finishing our appetizers, we talked and talked and talked and TALKED.  As we were pushed for time, we patiently counted the minutes and it took the chefs a whopping 35 minutes to bring our mains out despite us mentioning a couple of times that we had a busy schedule planned for the night.   Between the darling and I, we had a discussion about whether it was us being subjective because we were pressed for time but ultimately decided that it was just way too slow.

 

The mains:Veal tenderloin, Beet Root Puree and Baby Swiss Chard.  This was for me really delicious.  The meat was spot on.  Being served with beetroot puree almost felt like a no brainer.  Most gamey meat I have had always works with beetroot.  Lamb especially.  So it was no surprise how this dish went!!!!  Beautiful sweet beetroot which was immensely earthy paired with an earth vegetable.  Seriously a major amplification of taste.  The tenderloins were in a class of its own which was fantabulous!   Melt in your mouth feel was spot on.  This one I like, but was this French? I could not care less.

 

For the darling, her dish was the spectacle for the night.. or at least it looked great!For $42, this really had to be a fish and chip with an achievement so high that one could easily pick the clouds after eating it.  Presentation was really cool and unconventional with a fish split up to down when it is normally done the other way around.    The chips were the fattest ones I have seen in a long time and even the lemon felt cut to impress.  The fish came with a slab of parsley garlic butter aka beurre maitre d'hotel that was meant to melt and leave a lingering buttery taste to the fish.  And very pre-maturely, the experience ended.  Promised before hand was a beautifully filleted whiting, deboned, crumbled and deep fried.  From the first few bites which ended just halfway through the fish, the little darling was struggling.  Bones here, bones there and that was it.  I immediately hailed for the Maitre D’ and expressed my dissatisfaction.  He quickly offered a replacement which was a gesture of kindness but as we were short of time, I requested that it be removed from both the table and bill.   Over all, the darling found this dish to be good but lacking in finesse.  The proper removal of bones and a side serve of sauce would have definitely made its price worth it.

 

It was a moment of coma as I walked out of the restaurant.    This certainly felt like a very premature ending to my night.  There were no desserts, the dinner was not cheap as it amounted to $120 excluding the fish, the darling slightly unhappy and it all felt very surreal.  Was this how my first French experience was to be?  Unfortunately in Perth yes but luckily, not in my life.  I lost it at Le Atelier de Joel Robuchon which was probably a very smart thing to do.    Speaking of food, Bistro Guillaume was not by any standard crappy or lackluster.  It was good.  Perhaps very good for most people.  But for me, it just was not great.  If the little darling’s meal of fish and chips were added to the bill along with two dessert, it was very easily a $200 dollar meal;  and that is my benchmark for fine dining where in all honesty, a picture this decadent bistro would never qualify.  A bistro is still a bistro.  Nonetheless, that does not mean I am not returning. NO that is impossible.  Until that chocolate soufflé with pistachio ice cream please my mouth, Bistro Guillaume is not disqualified from  a rematch.

 

WenY

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