Wild Duck

Hampden road has numerous cafes, deli, boutiques and quick, yummy, Japanese and Chinese take-aways catering for the university students, office workers and of course the health professionals at the two nearby hospitals. Amongst all the quick food fixes, cafes, healthy options, deli and boutique stores sits a fine dining restaurant relocated all the way from Albany - Wild Duck.

The restaurant opened in south west Albany  and have won many awards including RCAA restaurant of the year, A Star in Gourmet Traveller and was part of the Good Food Guide 2011. The restaurant relocated to Perth, Nedlands in 2012 and was recommended warmly by fellow blogger Sandra of Perth Food Engineers, so I was very much wanting to try it.

I finally found a time early this month, and headed there with a few friends, who were very much foodies. We were given a seat by the window in the corner, which gave us the perfect view of the restaurant. The decor is rather somber  dark, traditional with wooden everywhere and everything. It was spacious and yet had warmth through it.

Interiors of Wild Duck - we were so early for dinner so there was no one else there except us, but not long after the place started to fill.

We were there on a Friday night, which allowed us a choice of A la carte or degustation. I was adamant before we got there that I would don't want the degustation menu, simply because I don't have the funds for it. However, upon seeing the degustation menu and the a la carte menu and the prices of both, I was swayed into having the degustation. Six course meal at $105 (and $155 with matching wines - which we didn't get because we were all driving/had work the next day) was comparable to other places in Perth and was more than reasonable, especially if I were to have a 3 course meal, it would be close to $105 anyway, so might as well go for the taste tester and see why this restaurant has won so many awards in the past.

We started off the evening with amuse bouche of chicken parfait with carmelised onion, came out in friendly bite sized form on Chinese spoon soup. The chicken parfait was silky, smooth and had that slight creamy texture, and for the first time ever, I felt as though it needed a sprinkle of salt for flavour. Although the carmelised onion that give it that sweet kick, there wasn't enough of it to off-set what was a slightly bland chicken parfait.

Amuse Bouche - Chicken Parfait 

The first real course of the evening, was a lovely flavoursome espresso cup full of smoked seafood chowder shot with scallop and king prawn. The scallop and king prawn was perfectly cooked and the flavours of the chowder was delicious, creamy, seafood goodness. I love how it came out in a glass bowl and when opened let out this wonderful smokey seafood smells. Pity I didn't manage the capture it on photo - I was too busy going Ooooo and aaahhh.. It leaves you wanting more.

Smoked seafood chowder shot with scallop and king prawn

The next dish was the beautiful mushroom ravioli - wild mushrooms, goats cheese, asparagus foam, truffled mushroom sauce and micro herbs. The ravioli was pasta perfection and the flavours of the goat cheese with the earthy flavours of mushroom works so well. The asparagus form was so light and delicious, I was attempting to scope every last bit off the plate. Lovely pasta dish.

Mushroom ravioli with goat cheese, truffled mushroom sauce, asparagus foam and micro herbs

The next dish of the evening was fish - I'm really not sure what fish - I can't remember (?trout or barrumandi - I don't believe we were told)  with fennel puree, caramalised leek, snow peas and seared scallop. The fennel puree and caramlised leek was delicious and the fish was cooked to perfection, moist and soft still, as was the scallop. However, I wasn't wowed by it.

Fish of the day*(I'm not sure if we were told because I can't remember and it was noted down on my inote!) with fennel puree, leek, snow peas and scallop

Then there was a bit of wait, in fact a long wait before the next course came out. It was some what nice because it gave us a chance to talk and catch up, however, the boys were a little hungry half way through it. We were all waiting for the 16 hour slow cooked pork belly, but I'm pretty sure what came out was the beef cheek. I queried the waitstaff to ask what I was eating and she wasn't sure and asked if I wanted to see the menu. Hmm.. wasn't impressed with that. 

Beef duo - braised cheek and sous vide fillet with persian feta mash, baby veg and red wine jus

The degustation menu we profuse over at the start of the evenings stated we were getting 16 hour slow cooked pork belly, but what came out was the beef duo. The fillet was lovely, the cheek could have been more tender, it just didn't melt in your mouth and there was  lack of red wine jus making the dish slightly flat.

After the beef dish was the palate cleanser - passionfruit sorbet. It was refreshing and tangy, readying us for the dessert. 

Passionfruit Sorbet palate cleanser

Orange and chocolate - the classic combination, so it should be great right? But the white chocolate ice cream came out melting all over my plate (clearly either been out too long or the freezer isn't working well or it just hasn't set properly at all), the chocolate delice was rich dark chocolate which was beautiful and decadent, it went perfectly with the orange jelly and the orange sherbet gave it that nice tangy kick to try to balance out the richness and sweetness. However, it was a little bit of a let down and nothing spectacular at all.

Chocolate and orange - chocolate delice, orange jelly, orange air, white chocolate ice cream and orange sherbet

Looking back at the photos, and reflecting on the restaurant I feel as though we were missing a course. I believe we are missing the duck course and to state on the menu that they were serving us pork belly and clearly we did not get that - with no explanation seems rather unacceptable. At any restaurant, we should be told, especially so at a fine dining one, when certain ingredients on the menu have not available and what is being substituted

What got me even more was that there was absolutely NO explanation of the menu, or of the dishes that were served to us. Nor was the degustation menu (a small version) left on our table - the menus were taken away - which was fair enough - but to have no explanation of what or reminder of what we were eating, and in fact there just a smart arse reply of "Do you want the menu for referral" - I really should have said yes, because then I would have realized that we were not given one of the courses. The service really wasn't warm or welcoming. 

It's such a pity because it has so much potential. Each dish was lovely, traditionally cooked, lots of foam and micro herbs used. As one of the boys said "we were eating air all night.." - so much foam, which I personally have no problems over, but I can see where they are coming from.  "nothing was wow.. it was a little boring" - it really was - nothing wow, nothing spectacular - except perhaps the seafood chowder and the rivaoli - after that it was all a bit of a blur and nothing too much to drool about. I'm sure in the past the food would have been amazing, but currently, with so many restaurant options in Perth and palates appreciating the finer things, Wild Duck needs to do something spectacularly with their traditional methods of cooking (don't get me wrong - traditional methods are sometimes the best!). 

Will I go back? Perhaps, if their service skills improve - they really need to make us feel like we are welcomed and to at least explain to us what we are served if we are to have the degustation. That is part of the whole degustation dining experience, it is in fact part of the fine dining experience.  

Wishlist

I have been waiting for the weather to cool down in Perth and although the temperature aren't in the 30s anymore it's been rather muggy during the day and cool in the early mornings and at night, still not enough to dig out my lovely jackets and knits.

Lucky for me I headed down south to celebrate my bf's mum's 50th birthday. Yay for a bit of chill so that I can at least have a blazer on.

Despite that my obsession with jackets and boots haven't weaned. I'm really wanting the following things but I just don't have the income to get them! (plus I'm trying ever so hard to save my money for my travels to NYC).. but anything remotely similar at a cheaper price (and GOOD quality) would be awesome. If anyone knows of alternatives please let me know!!

I really want the beautifully soft leopard print light trench coat from Witchery. It's such a classic cut and is the perfect statement piece over top and jeans, dress and tights and the material is lovely to have on. I want want want!

I'm also wanting this awesome Jeffrey Campbell Black Patent Cut-Out Trompe L'oeil Boots. It has a very cool geometric clear wedge heel and its a little ankle bootie with a pointed toe. Love love love! They are just so gorgeous!

Seriously, how can you say no to the boots?? In fact the shoes would go so nicely with the coat as well!

Then for more practical cold weather coat (and one not for Perth weather but for travelling to the Northern Hemisphere's winter).. Country Road Spliced Padded Parka - puffer jacket with faux shealing lined hood and utility pockets. Practical and not too bad in the style department either...

Then there are these futuristic, unbelievable cool Theyskens Theory Elerie Aova Black Bootie. Just look at them!

But seriously.. boots will not be complete without the wedge ankle booties by Acne - Acne Hybria Lea (or really any Acne boots - in leather of course - are my wish).. It will go with EVERYTHING in my wardrobe!

SIGH! I don't think I'll be getting any of these anytime soon.

pictures from: witchery, country road, ssense, 2threads and mywardrobe websites

Silkwood Winery

I had a lovely weekend spent with bf's family down at Manjimup, home of the truffles, the cold (it was by far 3-4 degrees cooler than Perth!) and of course tree farming and the likes. Last time I dined around there was winter last year and feasted myself on massive amounts of truffle goodness and half the price of that in Perth (and definitely 10x the amount of truffles!). This was of course at Wine and Truffle co.

This time around I wanted to grab some lunch and go on a date with the boy as we haven't had the chance to do so in a while (it has always been with other company and us time has been a little limited by our busy schedule and hanging out with friends and family). We decided to head to Silkwood Winery in Pemberton (half an hour away from Manjimup town) and where I know has some amazing red wines that I had to get and stock up in my pantry, considering the last lot I got didn't even last for one month! Dinner parties consumes a lot of wine!

The drive to Silkwood was lovely. The road was lined with the amazing Karri trees and although it rained ever so lightly it was just a wonderful, calming sight. Then occasionally there will be a break in the trees to make way for farmland and it would just be a sight of green meadows. Nothing beats that sometimes.

Then the entrance driveway to Silkwood winery. There was the beautiful colour of autumn. Red leaves amongst the green grass. I had to take a photo with the trees, although we couldn't be bothered to walk all the way back up the driveway after we have parked so the photo couldn't really highlight the beauty of it all. 

Lucky for me, although the skies were overcast and a little dull in colour, the scenery was alive and I made the most of the cooler weather in Manjimup and finally took out my Stylestalker light statement blazer to keep warm. Paired with a simple country road tee and dark (but classic blue) Levi jeans, Sandler boots, my gucci wallet as a clutch and of course a colour scarf to clash it all (present by JJ all the way from Africa!) it was comfortable, simple and casual.

We opted a seat in the patio area of the restaurant. It overlooked their lovely lake and garden. With a movable gas heater between us, it was just the right amount of  romantic lunch atmosphere that was needed. 

The options at Silkwood is plenty. You can have a light meal or a more substantial lunch. We both opted for a more substantial lunch as we didn't really have breakfast and this was to be the meal before the 50th dinner celebrations. 

I opted for the marron (after all the umm-ing and oo-ing.. and hmm-ing) with a mushroom and spinach risotto. The risotto had this beautiful warm mushroom flavour. The marron, on the other hand, I felt was slightly overcooked. It wasn't rubbery or anything, but it was just every so slightly tough and I think lacked the flavours of garlic that it was suppose to have (but the risotto flavour makes up for it). But if you dig out the marron and eat it with the risotto it is just what both components on the plate needed. 

Garlic butter marron with mushroom and spinach risotto

Bf, opted for the big man's dish of Black Angus scotch fillet with garlic prawns, salad and chips. The scotch fillet was beautifully cooked, although it definitely wasn't medium that he asked for (it was slightly over cooked), but it was a lovely char grilled piece of fillet. The prawns was also perfectly cooked and was flavoured with buttery garlic sauce. With a huge side of salad and chips, it was a hearty meal for the boy. 

Black Angus Scotch Fillet with Garlic Prawns, Mushroom sauce, salad and chips

Silkwood winery got busy very quickly, we were lucky we got there before the rush. The service isn't the best, there was only 3 people on the floor. The waitress that served us was very young and really didn't know the menu well (or didn't know what to do or how to serve at all!). But I guess we all have to start somewhere. 

The person at the wine cellar area, however was knowledgeable and friendly. Although, I miss the older lady that served us last year. She was so warm, friendly and knew so much about the wine and the origins of Silkwood. I'm not even sure if she still worked there. I like their wine so I signed up to be a member, which also means that I get 10% off every bottle of wine I buy from them. Encouraging my wine habits I think. 

Silkwood is lovely, it's not well known as the wineries around Margaret River, but I love it because it's not as crazy or touristy. The winery is just as beautiful, the service lacks a little professionalism (the service, the chef coming out onto the restaurant area because I think there was an issue with something and was talking to one of the ladies, whom I assume is one of the waitresses and was most likely to be the owner/manager), but it produces award wining reds and white wines (I'm not a big fan of white so I can't comment whether it's bad or good) with a nice restaurant menu that uses the local produce that is available in the area, so in the end that is all that matters.

Beauty in the simple things

I had a chance to get away from the city this weekend and I couldn't have asked for the worst weekend for it. I have an assignment due (lucky for me is extended), an application for a new direction to do, my finances to sort through, an endless pile of blog posts to write, work being work and just stress that I swear the weekend away was the worst timing possible. I guess because of all the things I needed to do and because I've been so tensed and grumpy that was the perfect time for it. It was the perfect medication and prescription.

I went down to Manjimup known for growing the biggest truffles in the Southern Hemisphere to celebrate bf's mum's 50th.

We went to one of my favourite wineries in nearby town Pemberton (no truffle farm visit just yet..), Silkwood and stocked up on half a case of their amazing Premium Red (mix of Shiraz, Merlot and Carbnet Sauvignon so damn good!) and Zinfandel. We also had a lovely lunch on their balcony with their gas heater poised perfectly in between us.

The drive to Silkwood was beautiful, lined with the tall majestic Karri trees. Then the driveway to the winery was between Autumn coloured trees, all perfect shade of red leaves. To top it of it started to sprinkle rain ever so softly. Simply beautiful. It almost made me forget that after lunch I have to get back and tackle my to do list. Yes, I brought work down with me.

Nevermind, it was still perfect and just seeing simple beautiful things was enough to allow me to keep calm and carry on for yet another week.

Lapa Brazilian Restaurant Subiaco

***THIS POST IS NOT SUITABLE FOR VEGANS/VEGETARIANS***

Our monthly (or at least tries to be monthly) high school friends catch up took place at Lapa in Subiaco. All you can eat meat feast at a ridiculous price of $49 (plus with the entertainment card x 3 it was further $11 off!) - how can you possibly say no?? (unfortunately some members of the group did - blah they don't know what they missed out on!)

I really should explain what type of restaurant Lapa is. Lapa, as the waitstaff explains, specialises in Brazilian Churrascaria - which literally means barbecue, although they do a la carte menu, salads, pasta and the likes. The interior of the place is simply decorated with a huge feature wall portraying the rooftops of Brazil. The have an open-ish kitchen and TV displaying the kitchen guys getting the BBQ on - which really was useful for us when we were waiting for more grilled cinnamon spiced pineapple. So juicy, so tangy and sweet all at the same time! A must have when you are having the feast (it's not available all the time though - seasonal dependent!).

We were told on booking that because it was a booking for 6 people we were expected to have the endless feast - which we were more than happy to. The endless feast works this way. You are given about 15 different cuts of meats (cuts and types of meat is variable and depends on what the chefs have bought that day)- beef, pork, chicken - along with never ending plates of salad, chips, rice, Brazillian salsa, black bean sauce, farofa, chimichurri sauce and banana fritters. The meats are freshly cooked literally out of the grill/oven/kitchen into the hands of the waiters in their big industrial cooking skewers and are served to you when told to do so by the indication of your drink coaster (red - not ready to start; green - give me all you can eat meat please!).

for better detail of the endless feast please check out Lapa restaurant webiste here.

They also serve you a small bowl of cheese bread - it was cold and wasn't fresh, which was a pity otherwise I think it would have been rather tasty. But then again, why fill up on the carbs when you are going to have a massive protein fix? You have got to leave room in your belly!

Cheese bread

There was large array of meats available on the night we went from pork belly, to rump, to chilli and garlic chicken, fillets and even chicken heart! It's so hard to have photos of the meat because they cut a portion of it for you at the table - a decent sized portion and the waiters come around so frequently it's just not one of those things where it is photo possible (or photogenic!)

Clean plate to start with all the equipment that I need to tackle this massive meal!

Here is what I mean...

Waiter serving up the sliced pork belly..

Bring on the fillet!

My plate.. getting messy and taking photos like this is just not well.. blog friendly isn't.

getting our rump on.. the first cut of the meat that just came fresh out of the kitchen! YUM!

Then one of the yummiest dessert-based thing ever - pineapple and cinnamon. It is so refreshing! especially after consuming so much bbq meat - we went a bit nuts and the waiters couldn't help themselves but laugh a little at our excitement (and amount we consumed!!).

I can safely tell you that I am not a huge fan of all you can eat restaurants - simply because the quality of the food is never as good as places where you can have a le carte. But Lapa proved me wrong. The quality of their produce, the cooking and bbq-ing of the meats, it's delicious. Every single cut of meat was perfectly cooked. Succulent, juicy, moist, flavoursome. Nothing was dry (unless you were lucky to be the last table being served the last bit of the skewer in which case it is possible the meat would have been overcooked). But overall it was meat perfection. Only downside is that for me it was salty. Everyone on the table thinks I'm crazy and they think it was fine. Again - I have major sensitive salt buds!! But I admit the salt is what gives it flavour. It was great flavour and every cut was great - I particularly like the chilli chicken and the rump, especially that first cut of rump - slightly crisped on the outside and juicy medium-rare rump meat.

Lapa is definitely one to try! I got my share of iron and protein to last me a while! and the price is just oh-so-right! $49 of endless plates of meat! SCORE! The atmosphere? it's very casual, relaxed and chilled. The waitstaffs are professional and friendly. The parking may be a problem, but then you are heading into Subiaco!

OH and on a Saturday - for lunch you can have the endless feast for $29!!

And why you are there.. why not get one of their cocktails? JUST DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE (otherwise you are just an idiot) - there was a booze bus on the way home - I'm serious, there was. Lucky I only had one drink and consumed a huge massive meal.

Caipirinha

- like mojito but without the mint and nicer.

Getting my Sweet Fix

I've been eating out a fair bit recently so feeling rather fat (more eating less exercise - not a good combo..and anyway have to save $$$) anyway, the first Saturday of April was pretty much the last weekend of the French Film Festival, and my little cousin and I went and watched our last pre-booked tickets - Meet Me In Real Life. Lucky for us we didn't have to spend any money on dinner because mum made a traditional Burmese dish (one of my favourites) which was just fantastic!

This meant that we can get desserts! What better place than going to Sweet Fix! Located on James street downstairs from Utopia (used to be a little Utopia.. and next to Immigration offices). It has all sorts of Asian desserts, including ice kachang, tau fu fah (soya bean desserts), ice creams (home made of course) - durian, green tea, black sesame ice cream (all homemade) and of course bubble teas.

It's small place, decorated with brightly coloured stools and mismatched furnishings. The decor is nothing spectacular, perhaps a little tacky, but the area is chilled, relaxed and comfortable.

I had the green tea ice-cream and unlike other places you can actually taste the green tea powder - matcha action-packed! Finally found one that reminds me of Tokyo! and topped with red bean it was just the right sweet fix that I needed. In fact, I thought it was rather generous serving of ice-cream for about $3.50-$4.00. 2 big scoops.

Green tea ice cream with red bean paste

Little cousin got the ice kachang minus the cream corn. The ice was nice and fine and wasn't too chunky so you don't feel as though you were eating big pieces of ice - so props to that. It had this really strong banana flavoured smell through it though (do not like banana flavoured things.. just the smell and taste is so artificial.. well duh!). Not bad though, and cousin reckons sweet fix does one of the better ice kachangs.

Ice Ka-Chang

Overall, Sweet Fix provides you with a nice Asian dessert fix without a huge expense and without the massive lines seen at Meet Fresh. It's also more chilled and relaxed and you don't feel rushed, nor is it noisy. So why not get your sweet fix on?

Tea time

Best things for stressful times - apart from meeting and dining with friends.. Is to curl up in front of the telly and have a cuppa.

Tonight.. I'm trying chai with vanilla. I'll let you know how it tastes. For now there is that lovely vanilla and cinnamon scent coming through. *aahh* and it just started to really come into Autumn. If only the temperature would drop then more tea times would be better and of course winter fashion! *loves*

Being merry @ Merrywell

A bottle of shiraz and cocktails can do a lot of damage sometimes. For me it makes me sleep. Once all that EtOH hits my system all I want to do is curl up and sleep.

Before that happens though I get hungry. After our lackluster dinner experience at Nobu, we ventured onto Merrywell for some desserts (it was either Merrywell or 50 cent cone at McDonalds - I didn't even realise that they have even opened one in the casino!).

I haven't been to the Merrywell since it opened (again a bad foodie misdeed) and a lot of people have raved about it (good things and bad..) and I never get a chance to go, mainly because I am not a big fan of parking at Crown Burswood - gives me a massive headache! Addicted to chaos - then this is it - finding parking at Crown.

Anyway, back to Merrywell. I like the layout, I guess. It's nice enough. The outside/courtyard area is better I think. I'm not sure if people are allowed to smoke there though. I hope not, because technically it's not "outdoors" because you have this wall around it and ventilation isn't exactly the best, especially when it's hot (as it was that night) and that with smoking is not the best combo.

The service at Merrywell - don't expect one (except you may have to get onto the waiting list to get a table at busy hours - which may be up to 2 hours or more, unless you order at the bar, in which case good luck finding a seat at the bar). After all it's like going to any pub or bar. If you want food, you go to order at the area where there is a sign that says "place order here" take your seat and get a number on a stand and just wait to get your food. It is not a restaurant. You are there to watch games, eat (a little bit more fancier things than pub food) and drink. So enjoy it. Soak up the noise. Shout across the table to your friends so you are heard. It's why you are there!

In terms of food, I've heard many a good things about their mac & cheese along with their fried wings. So we decided to get a bowl of mac & cheese (no wings though - we wanted desserts and snacks not another dinner..). And well.. hmm.. UNDERWHELMED. Despite it's golden yummy appearance, after biting into it, you release the cheese has not melted properly at all. It needed another minute or so and it would have been that gooey stringy cheese. But alas it was not to be. Disappointment and just a heart attack risk with no awesomeness. It did come with HP sauce, which was nice.

Infamous Mac & Cheese

But like I said, we were here mainly for the desserts. So we got 3 pots of dessert. One of which really surprised us. We ordered the Key Lime Cheese Cake, Strawberry Trifle and the Cookie Collection. 

The Strawberry Trifle on the left was probably one of my favourite out of the three. Creamy, strawberriliousness and not too rich and not too sweet. We were all in agreement that it was good stuff in that little jar/pot.

The cookie collection - well we didn't expect homemade cookies shoved into a little jar. We were expecting something like cookie and creme of something. Nevermind though because the cookies were DAMN GOOD. 3 different flavours. 3 types of perfect cookies. I felt like I was a little kid. All we needed was coffee or hot chocolate (but it was just as good without it). I'm obviously a cookie monster!

The last and on your right is the Key Lime Cheesecake. It was tangy, perhaps a bit too much? (or defs more so than the other two desserts), but it was refreshing. It was not very cheesecakey though because I couldn't taste the cookie base (I'm not even sure if there was one!). I did like the fact that they had shaved and baked lemon/lime things one top. Enjoyable dessert nonetheless especially for those who like tangy refreshing desserts to something sweet and rich.

Overall, Merrywell isn't a bad place to hang out. It explains why it's so packed. Perhaps a little too noisy and too busy with the music, TV screens and people. I'm not sure if the massive ravings of WOW-ness is actually accurate. For me, with what I had it wasn't exactly WOW-worthy. But from the looks of the burgers that came out and things -they were huge and the buns were between BIG patty with oozing melted cheese galore. I may have to go back to try their actual food menu. But for the mac and cheese. meh. Cheese balls things -I've had better. Oh and there are little steps everywhere! I'm not sure if that is good for those who are drunk.  So take care. 

Night out at Nobu Perth

I'm a bad foodie sometimes, you can't blame me. There are way to many places to try and with each new openings it makes things even harder. There are only so many restaurants you can try in a week and in a year and I'm always booked to the brim as it is. Not to mention, it's not really good for my waistline nor is it good for my poor poor wallet who is always so fat from receipts and not so much cash. So it's not really surprising that it has taken me... hm... well let us see.. opened in September 2011.. finally ventured in March 16th 2013... 1 year and 6 months to get myself to Nobu.

There are many reasons why I haven't been there until now. Even this booking was a hassle. LM booked this one month in advance and she thought it was all booked and everything, but Crown seemed to have not received the booking at all when she called up two weeks later. By that stage all the good dining times were gone and they told her 930pm was the earliest time. This was rather annoying considering it was their fault that the booking didn't go through properly.

Anyway, we decided to try our luck and go early to get a walk in place at the bar. This proved to be rather unsuccessful with seating for 4 being spaced out across the square bar. We should have expected that considering it was a Saturday night and this was Crown, one of the only places to drink, eat and go out on a Saturday night (oh and the only place to gamble).

The bar area at Nobu

We decided to try other restaurants - Bistro next door, Merrywell outside - all knocked back. So ended up sitting in one of the bar lounges in the casino instead and drunk a bottle of Sandalford shiraz, long island ice teas and assorted cocktails, then half walking around the casino - losing our money at the roulette table before making our way to the couches outside of Nobu for some much needed hydration with H2O (and a gin and tonic for LM).

When we finally got in we were seated at the edge of the room so I'm not really sure what the layout of the dining area of Nobu looks like, but I can tell you I really like their lamps. The brunch holding the light area is like a lantern on a tree, love it.

SEE the lamp is pretty funky...

Anyway, the room seems to curve around and our waitstaff got us the drinks menu and we decided on a large bottle of sake (cold) to share and a glass of umeshu (plum wine) for AL.

Sake - way too much and I think we chose the wrong one too... wasn't exactly smooth

One of the waitstaff explained to us how Nobu menu works. She explained that Nobu is Japanese with a twist in addition to having flavours of South American as well (this is seen through their tacos). The menu is divided into cold, hot, teppanyaki, yakimono and sushi and sashimi and usually served in that order, unless it is requested that it isn't. It is also made for tasting and sharing rather than having a dish to oneself.

Let me tell you in advance that Nobu is not cheap. Sharing does not make it cheap. You would also most likely require two dishes each and perhaps a little bit more if you are big eater to be full. Don't expect yourself to be stuffed, but rather satisfyingly filled, not bloated. So, because we went in a group of 4 we ordered 8 dishes in total. 

We asked the staff to get the sushi dishes out first because we were starved. It was 1000pm by the time the food came out and all we've had was alcohol. 

We ordered tempura prawns (the one furthest away from you) and Unagi with avocado (Eel with avocado). 

Sushi roll cut - tempura prawn (furthest away from you) and unagi with avocado

Tempura prawns were an absolute disappointment, especially at $15, it was so average and nothing spectacular about it, in fact I should add that the tempura was rather soggy, making me think as though the prawn were fried beforehand and reheated perhaps? A let down. Should go to Aisuru or Kuza instead. 

The Unagi with avocado on the other hand was delicious. The Unagi texture went so well with the creamy avocado and the bbq sauce on the unagi did not overpower the whole dish. Having said that though, I'm not sure if ordering sushi at Nobu is worth it. But if you didn't I can tell you would most likely go hungry.

The next dish to come out to us was the cold dishes - the tataki tuna with tosazu. This dish was a definite highlight of the evening for me. HOWEVER, I picked up the first piece and there hair on it! I was going to point it to the waitstaff - there was none to be seen on the floor and my cousin ended up flicking it off. BUT apart from that piece the tuna was fresh (perhaps a little too fresh with the piece of hair in it??) and the accompaniments, consisting of spring onion, garlic, ginger and grated carrot was beautiful. Although you probably didn't need to put any of it on your Tuna. The Tosazu sauce was also fantastic. An enjoyable dish and wished there was more of it.

Tuna Tataki with Tosazu

We also ordered some tacos - it's weird to see tacos at a predominantly Japanese menu (regardless of what the waitress told us)... Anyway, we thought that the tacos came in a pair, but this was not the case. It was one taco but minimum order of two tacos. We ended up ordering two wagyu tacos and two scallop tacos. 

Tacos - wagyu and scallops

The tacos were tiny, teensy little things. We shared so I had a bite of the wagyu and AL had a bite of the scallop then we swapped. For one biteful, the wagyu punches a lot of flavours and the scallops were rather refreshing and light on the palate. Lovely, but for the price not worth it at all.

After our one bite taco experience the next to come out was the wagyu tataki. The wagyu was quality, fatty but still meaty and combined with the carrot, spring onion and garlic this was pretty good. Whatever sauce was on there wasn't too bad either. 

Wagyu Tataki

The wagyu tataki was followed by the signature dish of Nobu (and one that every person that's been there has recommended that I must get and not miss out) was the black miso cod. The cod has that smoked smell and was the sweetened by the miso. It was buttery soft and just melted in your mouth. Gorgeous dish, but priced at $46 for the piece you see below.. hmmm....  Granted the cod was cooked with love for almost a good day, but still... Not to mention I got a piece of fish bone. Not my night I think. I realise that it is really hard to get fish bone completely out of the fish, but all that was playing in my head was if this was masterchef, the chef would be given so much crap! And anyway, it was $46 and it was Nobu, so I really expected perfection and no bones! 

Infamous black miso cod

Our next hot dish for the evening was the scallops with wasabi pepper. I didn't expect it to come out with a colour array of vegetables. The scallops were cooked to perfection. The wasabi pepper in the dish was very very faint, in fact AL couldn't make it out at all. It would have been better if there was that little wasabi kick at the end of it all. I found the dish very pleasant and the flavours nice (a little salty - again can be bias as my salt tastebuds are a little sensitive), but reminded me of mum's stir-frys. Enjoyable nonetheless.

Scallops with wasabi pepper

To mix it up a bit we got the pork belly miso caramel. The miso caramel sauce was beautiful, but the pork was a little overcooked and was drying out a bit. Not bad, but not as good as it could have been.

Pork belly with miso caramel

Overall, the food at Nobu isn't bad, but for the price you are paying I'm not sure if it is worth it. I would say however, the seafood dishes and the sashimi are probably one of the best in Perth. Fresh, juicy and filled with flavours. However, hair in the dish is a huge no! and of course the bone in their infamous black miso cod..

There was a lack of waitstaff attention and getting hold of one was hard, I'm not sure if this has anything to do with where we were sitting or the time we were eating. But one of the waiter not knowing much about their plum wines or sake (although he was running back and forth asking another person..new perhaps?) -training required.

The food did come out quickly after we ordered it, which was nice considering we were starving by 10pm. Oh on that note, try not to go there at that time, you may find it disappointing with the serving size and the price. Better when it is an earlier dinner.

Will I go back? Maybe, but perhaps only for sashimi and seafood dishes. I can tell you it won't be anytime soon.