Brunch Date - No.4 Blake Street

The thing I love about weekends is the fact that I get to go on brunch dates! I love brunch. After an appointment with the travel agent (YAY for HOLIDAYS!) and booking our flights, bf and I decided that we need to eat, as neither of us have had a bite since the night before and we were getting a little hypoglycaemic and our stomachs were starting to eat itself!

After much thought, and as I'm not a fan of Mrs. S (which was two doors down) we decided to head to No.4 Blake street, as their dinner menu was delicious and something different so their breakfast/lunch would be just as creative (and from what was on their website it sounded amazing).

We arrived at No.4 without a booking and was lucky enough to get one of the last unreserved seats at the place. There was a buzz about the place with the waiters ensuring everyone was enjoying their meals, to the chatter of tables and the sleek interiors that adds charm and sophistication to the place (something so nice and grown-up, a nice and lovely change from that "artsy, hipster" overdone recycled look (that every Charles, Dick and Harry have been doing for ages!).

It was lovely to see that Romain recognised us from the media event night earlier in the year and treated us to a lovely glass of sparkling (bubbly, sweet and rather delicious drink!) and Majdouline rushed over in between her duties to give us quick kisses and hellos. How sweet! It's a pity bf and I couldn't visit earlier due to our never ending lists of places to eat. Although, I still maintain that I will do a high tea at No.4 (the menu look unbelievably appetizing and refreshingly left of centre!).

Anyway, the bubbles went straight to my head after drinking half the glass with no food in my stomach and I was rather happy sipping bubbles before I got my lovely glass of long macchiato and bf's chocolate milkshake in a rather cute milk bottle. 

A very happy kid indeed with his chocolate milkshake!

Me and my long mac topped up and with chocolate topping.. coffee happy ^_^

We had such a hard time deciding what to eat. The menu sounded wonderful and appetizing. I couldn't choose between a chicken sandwich, lamb burger, (the burger weren't really buns but amazing quality bread!), lamb tagine, the duck or the waffle with fresh blue berries, marsapone, maple syrup and bacon!! While the boy couldn't decide between the lamb burger, bangers and beans or the waffle.

In the end, I settled for the duck confit. Slow cooked duck with potato cake, house slaw and beetroot dressing. The potato cake was this crunchy outer exterior with this delicious soft mashy goodness. The duck was nicely cooked, although, perhaps a little too oily in some bits. But then it is a confit. The slaw, I thought, just didn't go with the whole thing. And I'm so not a coleslaw fan. The dish, I thought was cheapened by the slaw. But then biased here.

Duck Confit

Bf ended up having the lamb burger. It wasn't in your usual burger bun, but rather a very nice slices of bread (which I thought is a lot better, because then it's not too heavy). The pattie was a lamb and oats pattie and you can see the oats through the pattie and it gave it this nice crunchy dimension to it. It had goats curd, eggplant and hummus in the burger, all of which complimented each other nicely. The goats curd wasn't that strong or overpowering either. It came with a side of chips in a really cute little deep frying basket and homemade tomato sauce. I had a taste of the "burger" and I preferred it to my duck (and the bf loved my duck over his lunch.. we probably should have swapped). 

 Lamb burger

From our previous experience, we knew No.4 Blake street made amazing desserts, and if bf had his way (and if there wasn't any in the nuts) he would have gone for the flower pot dessert, alas it has nuts. The entrance of the restaurant had this lovely display of desserts and the lunch "sweet" things enticed us to ordering desserts to share. 

Homemade churros was in order with dark chocolate and creme analgise dipping sauces. The churros were plenty - about 6-7 churros and were slightly crispy on the outside and doughy goodness on the inside. It was warm too. So when soaked in the dark chocolate.... *drool* Nothing beats quality homemade churros. Simple dessert, and yet so effective in creating smiles. 

Churros

If you also get a chance, pop out to the back of No.4 and they have a lovely and very cute micro-herb garden happening. Just the sweetest of things. So you know the ingredients they use in their kitchen is the freshest it can be!

I enjoy No.4. Their service and food is just impeccable (not just to me, but to many of their restaurant visitors from observations). Well informed staff, welcoming, professional and with just a touch of class. Romain and Maj also always goes to great lengths to ensure that you have an experience. Romain was fiddling around with table settings and menus tied with bows for a set of tables behind us the whole time, ensuring everything was perfect for the guests that were to come in (I'm assuming, may have been high tea?). It's little things like that that makes it a dining experience.

If you haven't been to No.4, you really should try it. 

No. 4 Blake Street Restaurant full of surprises

I was kindly invited by Tom Randolph (owner of Tom's Kitchen) and his team to visit their restaurant No. 4 Blake street, which I remember seeing somewhere a few weeks before the email landed in my inbox. Nonetheless, when I got the invite I was rather excited to check out the new place, especially when it was to be a theatrical experience. And I love a bit of a show especially when there are fine foods on display.

Tom Randolph (Owner and Head Chef of No. 4 Blake Street)

No.4 Blake street restaurant is literally where the restaurant is, at No.4 on Blake street in North Perth. The name is not exactly creative, but then it makes you guessing as to what type of dishes you'll be served. Simple black and white decor with exposed lighting with red velvet curtains (where the kitchen lies) greets your eyes as you enter. Although, the second room there is a large collection of wine on display. You would also notice that the tables are laid bare, no cutlery of any sorts at all. This is so that the artists (the chefs) can prepare your meals and serve it on a clean canvas. The cutlery will be served to you as needed throughout the night. No fuss dining at a fine dining establishment. Interesting concept and one which I like.

The blank canvas that is the table

Bf and I were warmly greeted by Majdouline and Romain and we took a seat next to the Miss SM and Miss Anise of Perth Food Engineers and Michelle from Foodie Cravings along with others from the Perth blogging scene. It was nice to see them all and to catch up. We were poured some sparkling, photos were taken, including from the photographer from the Sunday Times (we ended up in the STM social pages) before Tom came out of the kitchen to introduce himself to us. A very warm, friendly guy with a lovely smile. He presented us the philosophy behind the restaurant - a typical dinner but with elements of surprise in the form of the Al Dente and the Palate Cleanser. Tom stated that, the restaurant is an opportunity for him and his partner in crime in the kitchen to be creative with fresh produce and ingredients from around the state. A bit of a show where fine foods are the final products by the actors (chefs).

Tom Randolph

Bf and I in STM confidential with a photo of owner Tom and waitress Majdouline on the right.

We started of the evening with some bread - olive or white sourdough. I tried both. To complement the homemade bread we had three freshly made butter - Olive, Pedro Ximenz and Orange. Out of the three butters the pedro was probably the best, but all three had lovely flavours and taste, with the orange butter, being well, very orangy and I wasn't so sure about it being in butter form.

Trio of butter - L to R - Olive, Pedro Ximenz and Orange

We were served with two wines chosen by Romain for the evening. The Rockford, Semillon 2002, Barossa Valley and D'Arenburg, Shiraz Viognier 2004, McLaren Vale. Being a lover of red I settled for the red for the evening, which ended up going beautifully with all the dishes I was served. BUT before I started on the red I had a taste of the white, and I must say it was a beautiful refreshing white wine that I probably could drink.

Romain the in house sommelier

The amuse bouche was a platter containg little shimeji, porcini foam, mushroom glass, sweet corn pannacotta and truffled popcorn. The combinations of flavours and textures on the plate was so well executed. Meshed so well together - the sweetness of the pannacotta, the saltiness and crunchy texture of the popcorn and the bite of the mushroom was just divine. It got our mouths watering and eager for the rest to come out.

Amuse Bouche - shimeji, porcini foam, mushroom glass, sweet corn pannacotta and truffled popcorn

For entrée, we were served on alternate seatings with bf getting the goat's cheese gnocchi, aromatic oils, baby herbs, borage blossom in tomato water. This flavours of the tomato 'soup'/water was just amazing and I was very lucky to have had the chance to try it. The gnocchi was also amazingly soft and had a nice punch to it (as goat's cheese do..) but with the tomato (the juices squeezed out for 12-16 hours!) herb aromatic oil infused water it was divine. A dish that caused a buzz amongst all the bloggers in the room.

Entree choice 1: Gnocchi, aromatic oils, baby herbs, borage blossom in tomato water

The rabbit parfait, belly presse, loin and kidney terrine with pomegranate jelly was the other entree and one which I had. The rabbit parfait was amazing. It was the best parfait I've had in a long time. Silky, smooth and full of flavour. The belly presse was a little salty for me, but then I have a low tolerance of salt. I just wished that they gave us more of the pomegranate jelly, it went so beautifully with all the elements of the dish.

Entree choice 2: Rabbit parfait, belly presse, loin and kidney terrine with pomegranate jelly

The next course for the evening was the Al dente - an surprise pasta course which changes each day. We were however served a tortellini with sweetbreads with a champagne cream sauce and orange zest. I really thoroughly enjoyed this dish and really wished there was more of it. The pasta was fresh and made in-house and the sweetbreads in the pasta is a little something different but amazing.

Al Dente: Tortellini with sweetbreads with a champagne cream sauce and orange zest

Mains came not too long after, with 3 varieties of mains on our table due to Miss SM's of PFE dietary requirements. I was more than happy about that, it meant more displays of No.4's dishes and Miss SM was kind enough to give a taste of her seared duck breast! Bf and I ended up with same dish of glazed pork, white eggplant caviar, mustard, cassis, eggplant crips as he wasn't a fan of fish or seafood and wanted the pork so swapped with Miss Anise of PFE, who couldn't eat the pork dish due to her dietary requirements. So after a bit of playing musical plates we were settled in to eat our mains.

The glazed pork, white eggplant caviar, mustard, cassis and eggplant crips, was well seasoned, beautiful combination of flavours, although bf would have preferred something with crackling on it (but then he's a little obsessed with pork belly and pork crackling!).

Main 1: Glazed pork, white eggplant caviar, mustard, cassis and eggplant crips

The barely cooked ocean trout was a winner on the table, with those who had it singing its praises. With how silky and melt-in-your-mouth moment the trout was and the squid ink cracker was that little something special.

Barely cooked trout, squid ink crisps and cuttlefish

Miss SM of PFE gave me a little tasting of her druck breast. It was cooked so beautifully, so tender and well seasoned, a little on the salty side for me, but with the plum sauce it cut through the salt and was the perfect partner to the duck.

Duck Breast

Then the second surprise dish of the day - the palate cleanser. We had tropical flavours presented on our plates with coconut sorbet with a sesame base, popping candy, sago and pineapple granita. This dish was well loved by everyone at the table. I was so excited about the popping candy and the textures and flavours of this dish was well matched and so refreshing, the perfect cleanser for my palate before the dessert.

Palate Cleanser: Coconut sorbet, sesame base, popping candy, sago and pineapple granita

The desserts caused a stir to our table, alternate seating of chocolate pot garden and textures of passionfruit. Although before was rather upset and disappointed (and still is) that he couldn't eat chocolate garden (still whinging about it!).

So I must say that bf although whinging that he got the passionfruit dessert (which really isn't his style and more mine sort of styled dessert) - white basil ganache, mango, salted sesame and coconut sago, he polished the plate before I could try it. But from what was said around the table it was refreshing.

Dessert 2: Textures of passionfruit - basil ganache, mango, salted sesame and coconut sago 

(the presentation is oddly similar to that of the palate cleanser)

The cherry chocolate garden pot - valhrona chocolate mousse, salted peanut, dacquoise, cherry and macadamia nuts. It really looked like a garden pot, as it was presented in a ceramic pot (no idea who they would wash that!) with the micro herbs being the flowers. Cutest presentation ever! Love it! The dark chocolate was divine and with the crunch of the nuts provided that additional texture. It was beautiful if not slightly rich for me at the end, but if boy were to have it he would have adore it. Pity it had nuts in it, otherwise he could have shared.

Dessert 2: Cherry Chocolate garden pot - Valhrona chocolate mousse, salted peanut, dacquoise, cherry and macadamia nuts

The evening was very enjoyable and hosts Romain and Majdouline certainly made us feel welcomed and were very friendly. Our thanks to the chef and owner Tom and everyone involved for the beautiful evening at No. 4. I can't wait to take my girlfriends there for a nice night out or even for the high tea (it sounds exquisite!).

No. 4 Blake street really was a special experience with many pleasant texture and flavour surprises which worked beautifully. It's priced decently as well for a 6 course meal at $90. They also do breakfast, lunch and high tea (an exciting and a different sort of high tea menu!). No. 4 Blake street is worth checking out with that special someones.

The Classroom

The Classroom is the brainchild of Adam Keane & Daniel Sterpini from Cocktail
Gastronomy, located on the corner of Angove/Scarborough Beach Road and Charles street, opposite Maccas in North Perth.

The classroom themed school takes you back to the school days of yesteryear with the good 'ole tinned lunch boxes, the old style bell, a clock that stands still at 325pm (the best time ever), the awesome sharpeners (which I still own one), trophies, Britannica encyclopedia all displayed on shelves and school bags hang on top of the doorway and of course two square/four square and hop-scotch paves the floor. 

 

 

Apart from the deco of the place (which my bf pointed out may not be the best for those that hated school..) the music was pretty awesome - 'ole school tracks, loud enough to hear, but quiet enough so you can have a chart to your friends without screaming. Then there was the TV playing class 80s show like Batman.

 

Their food and drinks menu was written in the good ole Tudor exercise book! GOD I remember using them to write notes.. right through to my uni-days. Always have to get the 98 page ones! 

 

I have to say their cocktails are amazing (and if cocktails are not your thing there is a wine list, beer and cider and for the skippers - the mocktails).

 The LN02 Espresso Martini - made with awesome espresso, topped with sherry creme, iced with liquid nitrogen turning it into this amazing frappe on the top to crack through to this lovely espresso martini drink. FANTASTIC!

   

LNO2 Espresso Martini

 

Then there was the Blue Blazer - I forgot to take a photo of the end product but alas that's not the fun bit.

 The fun bit is watching the guys heat two steel mugs, set it alight and 

 

pour it between the two vessels before extinguishing it. Then you get this lovely smokey smell of scotch, which goes so well with fruity liqueur and the orange peel that they put at the end. Although the drink is slightly more for the boys.

 The Sidecar wasn't too bad either, although must admit was a little too strong for me.

The Campfire Negroni is another entertaining one to watch. I also took a photo of the bottle because I promised the bartender I would and he told me it was from his grandpa so I have to post it!

 

They toast their homemade marshmallow with a gas cylinder. 

The marshmallow sits on top of the drink and has this very musky taste and smells so beautiful. You take the drink through the marshmallow so you have the taste of the sweet of the marshie with the bitterness of the vermouth and dry gin.

The Campfire Negroni

Then there was the Bunsen After Burner - so upset that Carrot did not take photos of this and went up and ordered it without calling me! Alas this one is actually really quite nice! Although would have been better if the bananas they used to caramelise were actually ripe instead of the green bananas.

The Bunsen After Burner

Then I had a drink that's not on the menu - the lemon drop - AMAZING. It tastes like lemon tart/meringue but in an alcohol goodness!

So now that the drinks are done and you've gabbed for a while, you starting to feel hungry. The Classroom has a small but rather interesting list of food - very canteen like really.

 We opted for two little somethings to nibble on and a dessert.

The hand cut shaker chips with dynamite dust and chipotle aioli (that aioli was soo good) came in little brown paper bag with the classroom stamp *SQUEAL*! and were really good chips, although I wish they cut them a little finer.

Then there was the yummy homemade pork sausage roll with fennel and apple and apricot chutney. The pastry on the sausage roll was crispy, flaky and so good, and the pork was good quality lean meat.

Satisfied!

But alas must try their amazing sounding desserts. So we went for the Chocolate pot du crème, cardamom tuille. Creamy dark chocolate (slightly denser than mousse) topped with salt and comes with diced strawberries. The best way to eat it? add the strawberries into the creamy chocolate goodness, and crush the tuille on top and eat ...it's just heavenly.

Verdict?

I love it. It's a bar where I can relax with friends while sipping on cocktails, gas-bagging, eating, laughing, listening to ole 90s tune. Everyone in the place is (including other classmates) so damn friendly. It really does feel like a classroom. Only thing I was surprised by was how bright the place is on the inside!

But then when you are dealing with gas cylinder and liquid nitrogen I hope they can see what they are doing!

I be back to finish off trying their cocktail and food menu.