Went looking for a fine dining restaurant to take my partner for his birthday. Origins seemed a good choice due to write-up, location and Sheraton reputation.
Started promising with great entrees - mine was a tomato salad, with a fabulous tomato sorbet - but was largely disappointing from that point on. The twice cooked fish was rubbery and largely tasteless and the vegetables quite oily. The pork belly was good, but not mindblowing.
At these prices I expect to have nothing to complain about. Unfortunately I was left annoyed that I'd chosen a disappointing meal for a special event.
207 Adelaide Terrace, Perth
ph:: 08 9224 7777
Price guide :: entrees $20 - $30, mains $30 - $70
Duende
Caught the train to Leederville to explore on Friday night and ended up sitting down at the communal table at Duende. Had heard a lot about this tapas specialist and was not disappointed!
Started with warm sicilian green olives, marinated white anchovies and beef carpaccio with radicchio, which turned out to be my favourite three of the night. The olives were gorgeously crisp, unlike any I’d had before and I wanted to buy a vat of them to take home. The marinated anchovies reminded me of when I first realized that anchovies were, in fact, delicious and that they didn’t have to remind one of ‘hairy salt’. And the carpaccio was perfectly seasoned and perfectly paired with slightly bitter radicchio.
Followed with sweetcorn & manchego fritters, potato bravas and a persian fetta and roasted pear salad. Two deliciously executed staples with the croquettas and patatas bravas, but the pear salad won me over this time - fantastic balance between the salty fetta and sweet pear, the softness of both against the crunchy accompanying leaf. Yummo!
Finished up with fried white bait and wagyu meatballs with quail egg. By this time I'd really eaten too much, and the white bait didn't blow me away (though it was nice) but the sauce with the meatballs was dark and smokey, without being too rich - Mark ate all of them!
--- update ---
Have been back three times since that first exploration and have continued to be very impressed. The menu changes often, but not enough that you can't revisit one or two favourites from last time. The olives (which are the best olives I've ever had) are always there!
www.duendetapasbar.com.au
662 Newcastle St, Leederville
ph:: 02 9228 0123
Price guide :: tapas $3 - $16 each
Started with warm sicilian green olives, marinated white anchovies and beef carpaccio with radicchio, which turned out to be my favourite three of the night. The olives were gorgeously crisp, unlike any I’d had before and I wanted to buy a vat of them to take home. The marinated anchovies reminded me of when I first realized that anchovies were, in fact, delicious and that they didn’t have to remind one of ‘hairy salt’. And the carpaccio was perfectly seasoned and perfectly paired with slightly bitter radicchio.
Followed with sweetcorn & manchego fritters, potato bravas and a persian fetta and roasted pear salad. Two deliciously executed staples with the croquettas and patatas bravas, but the pear salad won me over this time - fantastic balance between the salty fetta and sweet pear, the softness of both against the crunchy accompanying leaf. Yummo!
Finished up with fried white bait and wagyu meatballs with quail egg. By this time I'd really eaten too much, and the white bait didn't blow me away (though it was nice) but the sauce with the meatballs was dark and smokey, without being too rich - Mark ate all of them!
--- update ---
Have been back three times since that first exploration and have continued to be very impressed. The menu changes often, but not enough that you can't revisit one or two favourites from last time. The olives (which are the best olives I've ever had) are always there!
www.duendetapasbar.com.au
662 Newcastle St, Leederville
ph:: 02 9228 0123
Price guide :: tapas $3 - $16 each
Zanders at Scarborough
Love a lazy day.Rented a car this weekend and went wandering up the 'sunset coast' ... not too early a start ... no deadlines ... lovely.
Started the day at Zanders with a really fabulous fruit salad with granola. Mark had a full hot breakfast. Sooooo goood!
1 Scarborough Beach Road, Scarborough
ph 08 9245 2001
www.zanders.com.au
Hawker's Hut
Absolutely the best salt and pepper squid I’ve ever had. Possibly the best roti I’ve ever had. Hidden away in the back streets of Northbridge, Hawkers Hut is an absolute gem!Singapore style (mostly Chinese) food, it has quickly become a firm favourite of mine.
Have sampled several dishes so far, and haven’t hit a bad one yet!
While there’s no sambal stingray (which I fell in love with in Singapore, and think is possibly illegal in Australia) both the sambal prawn and sambal squid dishes are pretty special. Friends swear by the duck with spinach and the drunken chicken (great fungus).
I can’t really say enough here – just go. It’s fabulous.
66 Roe Street, Northbridge
ph :: 08 9328 9668
Price guide :: entrees $5 - $15, mains $10 - $MP
Vegetarian friendly!
Balti
Great food - much spicier than I'd expected, which was a pleasant surprise. The lamb saag was a particular highlight, but the goat curry and the steamed fish in banana leaf were great. And the place had a great feel - the decor was great. The gimmick of serving food in buckets also just worked.The service just didn't measure up, unfortunately. We were placed on a table that was out of sight of the main restaurant area, which was quite nice - quiet and intimate - but, sadly, we were largely forgotten about. And I guess, it seemed a bit expensive for a curry...
Corner of St Georges Terrace & Victoria, Perth
ph:: 02 9221 3306
Price guide :: entrees $10 - $15, mains $25 - $35
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