The West Australian Newspaper: September 2013

image: The West Australian Newspaper

Restaurant Review: Food to Make You Feel Whole

There’s so much to tell about this place that, quite frankly, I don’t know where to begin. Should I start with its multi-award-winning hip-hop owner, Drapht (aka Paul Ridge) who, thanks to an impressive array of food intolerances, ended up opening up his own café just so he could eat out in safety? Perhaps the menu, which is all-organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, processed sugar-free and has a healthy dose of raw, vegan and vegetarian dishes to boot? Or the kitchen, with a dessert chef who specialises in raw organic sweets and a world-class head chef who’s well-versed in cooking organically and specialises in food intolerances?

Let’s start with the beverages. Forget your soft drinks and reconstituted OJ – this place is all about coconut water, made-to-order fruit juices and smoothies, and kombucha probiotics. You can also order from a range of coffee and tea, but it’ll be with rice milk or almond milk. When the muso and I visited for dinner, we went with the fruit juices - a ‘kidney cleanse’ (watermelon, green apple and carrot) and a ‘liver love’ (carrot, apple, kale, celery, lemon and ginger). We couldn’t help but feel refreshed after all that colour.

To the food and, to be frank, if we weren’t already au fait with many of the ingredients we may have been a little put off. Quinoa (pronounced ‘keen-wah’, not ‘ka-no-wa’), agave and coconut oil feature fairly heavily on the menu, and if diners aren’t down with these terms they may feel a bit bereft. Saying that, there are plenty of familiar ingredients to fall back on. Grass-fed lamb cutlets crumbed with garlic, lemon and fresh oregano gave us lean, clean flavours, while a side dish of beetroot chips crisped up in the dehydrator were healthy and moreish (yes, the two terms can co-exist). A warm winter lamb salad with parsnip, purple carrots and slow-roasted tomato was, like many of the dishes, massive. The food is filling, but not in a bloaty, I’m-going-to-have-to-go-have-a-lie-down kind of way. In other words, it’s real food without any of the preservatives, emulsifiers, additives, improvers and refined white stuff that make most of us feel a little bit meh. This was a good thing, because the dessert card rocked. At Solomon’s the sweets apparently take two days to create. They’re raw, 100% organic and extremely popular, as we discovered when we were advised the raw Snickers had sold out (noooo…).  In all, it had ten organic ingredients in it that we were itching to sample, but what can you do. We went with a choc-banana cheesecake and the last slice of chai caramel cheesecake (ha!). To get an idea of the amount of grunt that goes into these desserts, let me list the ingredients of the latter cheesecake: almonds, cashews, rice syrup, coconut oil, Celtic salt, vanilla cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, chai tea, ginger, dates and tahini. It cost $14 and was sensational.

Is Solomon’s expensive? Yes, it’s up there, but then I imagine so would the eatery’s organic shopping and specialty ingredients bill. The service is smiley and passionate – staff know their stuff and so they should, because they’re bound to get asked lots of questions about the ingredients. The sprawling venue seats around a hundred people, and if you keep an eye on the pass you may get a glimpse of a calm, self-possessed young man going about his business. Mark my words, Solomon’s is a taste of things to come.

_________________________

Score – 14/20

Address – Solomon's, 487 Beaufort Street, Highgate

Tel – 9328 7995

The Buzz – A Mecca for anybody who enjoys organic wholefood, and an absolute haven for those with food allergies and/or intolerances. Solomon’s fills a growing hole in Perth’s dining out scene.

Click here for link

The West Australian Newspaper: April 2013

Restaurant Review: A Spicy Affair

The Buzz

New suburban Indian restaurant serving up consistently tender curries. Cosy, welcoming and fast becoming a local favourite.

This fairly new place on the Victoria Park strip feels like home away from home - if I was living in Bombay. The Indian eatery is tucked away at the southern end of Albany Highway, two doors down from The Prophet, and is as cute as a button, with the chatty young owner ensuring everybody feels, well, right at home. There is indoor and alfresco seating to choose from, and on a weeknight, both areas are bursting at the seams. Yes okay, we’ve been here before, but apart from the awesome food and friendly owner, the main reason we keep boomeranging back is because the food is consistent. Too often I’ve found that Indian restaurants serve up a dish that’s fantastic one week and dreadful the next. Here, if you order the goat curry, you’ll get the same succulent, fall-off-the-bone goat curry every day of the week. But more about that later.

Décor-wise, it’s trad Indian. Chilli-red walls, gilt-edged Indian oil paintings and tapestries, with Indian music on the sound system. They’re just about to undergo a re-fit though, so don’t quote me. The service is old-style: free pappadams and tap water for the table without having to ask for it. It’s fully BYO, and corkage is three bucks. None of the dishes on the menu make it over $20, and judging by all the foot traffic, take-away is a popular weeknight can’t-be-bothered-cooking option.

When I visit with the family, we always order the same dishes, hence why we know they’re consistent with the meals. The yellow dhal is a classic comfort food, chunky and soupy with just enough bite to raise a bead or two of sweat. And then there is the goat. A bit of bone but not too much, immersed in a thick gravy brought to new flavour heights by the fattiness of the meat, and so tender barely any chewing is required. They nail it every time. Generous dishes of saffron rice and naan done just right help to mop up all the glorious liquid.  Generally, butter chicken comes in a galaxy of combinations – some are too creamy, some have too much tomato. Others are too spicy, and when you have a six year old addicted to butter chicken, too much heat does us no favours on the eating front. Spicy Affair’s version has a perfect balance of all these flavours and again, they do it the same way every time, so we don’t have to worry whether our child will be eating or not that night. The sauces meld into a happy slurry on the plate, and more bread is usually required.

Dessert is but one choice – gulab jamun. Two balls of hot, syrupy and extremely sweet milk dumplings that is made in-house, and we’re done. I’ll be dreaming about that goat.

A Spicy Affair, 909A Albany Highway, East Victoria Park. Telephone 6162 8767

Score: 13.5 out of 20

 

The West Australian, April 2010

Restaurant Review: Il Cibo

A four-month-young cafe in the hub of Fremantle, Il Cibo seems to be enjoying brisk trade thanks largely, I'd imagine, to the nous of its matriarch Donatella Niedda.

No stranger to the industry, Donatella was formerly at the helm of Beaches Cafe, Toscanini's and Capodonna before hanging up her apron a few years back. Now she's come out of retirement to run the Market Street corner eatery with her daughter, Jessica Thomas. It's a big, warehouse-style space filled with an eclectic, very Freo mix of retro furniture. The outdoor dining area sprawls out onto the pavement while the interior of the cafe, made up of three different rooms, includes a play corner for the kids while Mum and Dad enjoy their lattes.

On the day we visited, the breakfast crowd was just trickling out as we made our way in for an early lunch. Rumour has it there are plans to segue into dinner down the track because of high demand.

Meaning 'the food' in Italian, Il Cibo has a surfeit of healthy, organic fare on offer from behind two massive display cabinets. All of the dishes (bar the bikkies) are made in-house and the lunch menu features cafe classics such as quiches, frittatas and salads, as well as a steak sandwich ($17.50) and chicken and continental paninis ($11.50) coming from the semi-closed kitchen.

We decided on three of the more interesting-looking dishes from behind the glass, which went into the middle of the table to be shared among the group.

A continental 'frizza' ($12.50), a hybrid of pizza and frittata, had a smooth omelette base of herbs, Parmesan, cream and egg with a topping of sliced sausage, olives and shredded spinach. It was a good, solid dish that would have gone down just as well for brekky.

A tasting platter for one ($25) arrived in a fabulous black paella pan. The offerings - which apparently change frequently according to the whims of the kitchen - comprised generous chunks of chorizo, grilled mushrooms, spinach quiche, marinated octopus and a more-ish tomato passata that was begging for some chunks of crusty bread. There was also a wild rice salad with an odd mix of coriander and red currants that didn't quite seem to work.

Spinach and ricotta crepes ($9.50 or $17.50 with salad) were big and hearty and ticked all the boxes, although, like all the dishes we shared, the serving side was on the small side.

Which of course meant more room for dessert. We stuck with the sharing theme and ordered two desserts for the table. Flourless chocolate cake ($6) came up trumps, with a wicked chocolate crust housing a moist, soft centre and served with light-as-cloud whipped cream. Rolled berry pavlova ($6) was good, though the presentation could have been better - it look more like Eton mess on a plate.

The wine list had gone astray so we went with the recommendation of a Flametree sauvignon blanc semillon 2009 ($32), which was a nice crisp drop for a lunchtime date.

A good, healthy way to welcome in the weekend.

13/20

SPICE magazine: Autumn 2010. Kid-friendly eateries

In these halcyon days of fine dining, sometimes us parents get a little lost in all the swank. But having kids doesn’t necessarily mean you have to eat at home for the next twenty years. Fast-food outlets aside, there are a number of family-friendly restaurants around town that make eating out with the kids less of a hassle. Heck, you might even start to enjoy yourself.

Walter’s River Café

This is such a beautiful spot. Nab yourself a table next to the playground, which includes a separate kids’ access ramp, and sit back to enjoy the view. No, not of the kids, of the river. The children’s lunch menu is excellent, with nary a frozen chicken nugget in sight. There’s mini bacon and egg pies, roast tomato noodle soup with toast stars, chicken salad and kids’ bagels (all $12). Coloured pencils and paper add to the fun. There’s even homemade lemonade.

Typically however, our young brood went with what they knew. The kids’ fish and chips were excellent, with a ‘proper’ fish fillet that had been fried in clean oil and a terrific tartare sauce made in-house. The burger was good, although more suited to a teenager than a pre-schooler in its enormity.

Grown-up food included a rather bland special of prosciutto-wrapped salmon on a bed of chickpeas ($30), a ripper tagliatelle with scallops, chorizo, tomato and spinach ($26) and a generous club sandwich with chips ($24).

A special mention goes to the young waiters who responded to our chaos with smiles and patience.

Point Walter Reserve (off Honor Avenue or Burke Drive), Bicton. Tel: 9330 9330

Ninniku Jip

Ninniku Jip is one of those little suburban joints that has collected a whole lot of different ideas, thrown them into the pot and served them up without tasting the results first. The adult menu included such combinations as mussels Kilpatrick ($12.30), kimchi spaghetti bolognese ($21.50) and Japanese rice with fried egg and Napoletana sauce ($16.60). So we played it safe and opted for a very fresh seafood kway teow ($15.80) and generous beef fried rice ($13.60).

The kids’ menu had the obligatory chicken nuggets, which were served with either rice or chips. There was also fried rice and stir-fried egg noodles with chicken. Our little one opted for the excellent honey soy chicken with rice, which was scoffed down in a few minutes flat, although the veggies were shunted disapprovingly aside. All of the kids’ dishes are $7.50, or $10 with ice-cream, and child-sized crockery and cutlery are provided.

The best bit about this place is that it has a sizeable indoor playground. There’s a playgym, a big plasma telly screening children’s popular movies and an X-box and PlayStation for the older kids. They can run and scream their little hearts out, then settle down for a nice meal with the family. Well, I’m sure that’s the idea anyway.

Ninniku Jip, 867 Albany Highway, East Victoria Park. Tel 9355 1988

Cater 4 Kids - The Como

Cater 4 Kids is a free children’s entertainment service that calls on various restaurants around town every day of the week, giving Mum and Dad a chance to actually enjoy their meal. It was The Como’s turn on Tuesday, so we gave it a burl.

While we marveled at our ability to finish a conversation, two friendly young girls supervised our little one in a corner of the room while he painted, glued and drew his way into craft heaven. Also on offer was face and hand painting, jigsaw puzzles, books and computer games for the older kids. And all for free.

The Como kids’ menu is fairly run-of-the-mill, although the kids’ nuggets were shaped as little Aussie icons and there was a good-looking steak with whipped potatoes and jus. Meals are all $9.50, including a (gasp) soft drink. The little man opted for the macaroni cheese, which he nibbled at before bolting back to the art table. Hmm. No matter, he returned after we’d finished our meals and inhaled the rest of it.

The adult menu has a definite bush theme. Although greatly tempted by the Yakkajirri lamb salad ($25.90), in the end I couldn’t say no to the wattleseed kangaroo served with crème fraiche and parsnip whipped potatoes, enoki mushrooms and bush tomato chutney ($26.50). The menu is much improved from the last time we visited.

At the end of the night, our little one was happy to leave with his swag of artwork and two painted hands. Good times all round.

The Como, 241 Canning Highway, Canning. Tel 9367 6666

Also worth a stop..

The Boatshed, South Perth

Zephyr Café, East Fremantle

More family frolics..

Coffee + kids + playground: http://www.acoffeeinthepark.com/south-perth-foreshore

Dinner + kids + activities: http://cater4kids.com.au/category/restaurants/1

Buzz Now: Jus Burgers Subiaco Review

Lounging around under the palm trees having lunch at this new burger bar somehow had me feeling I was anywhere but in Subiaco: this place is begging to be beachside. It's casually hip, with Day-glo orange furniture and graffiti art adorning the walls. The staff are cool and laid-back, and there is a nifty outdoor window for takeaway orders, which adds to the relaxed vibe. I felt I was back in St Kilda, Melbourne.

As is fitting with funky eateries these days, practically all of the ingredients are locally sourced, seasonal and organic, and there are gluten-free options too. Most of the drinks and juices are made on-site, and much of the fit-out uses recycled products.

The cheeseburger I ordered was the most real burger I have eaten in a long, long time and had me wondering how so many other places can get it so wrong. The presentation was great and has become their signature: burger perched on a wooden chopping board with a steak knife plunged through the centre.

The first thing I noticed was that the burger had very little grease, just the chargrilled smokey goodness from the beef pattie and burger bun. Secondly, the ingredients were super fresh - whole Swiss mushrooms, lettuce that didn't wilt, cheese that wasn't plastic and a Harvey beef pattie that actually tasted of meat. Added to that condiments of fresh tomato relish and a creamy aioli that are made in-house and I was in burger nirvana.

Buzz Now: Galileo review

Sequestered away in the leafy streets of Shenton Park is Galileo Buona Cucina, a rustic Italian trattoria that has been servicing its well-heeled locals for the past five years. The eatery does tradition with a capital T, with old-style washed yellow walls, uncomplicated table settings and flagged stone-look flooring.

Stepping into Galileo feels slightly voyeuristic at first because the space feels so personal. There are three small dining areas that are inter-connected: I felt like I was trespassing on an Italian family at mealtime. And so to the food. In true provincial style the serves were gargantuan and, from what I could see, taking home the leftovers was a common practice. The bruschetta was delicious and the kitchen was generous with the fresh Roma tomato topping. The special of roast duck in a reduced red wine jus was served without fanfare on a bed of mash. It had been slow-cooked in the wood-fired oven on a rotisserie for two hours, deboned, then returned to the oven to crisp up. It was sensational.

The main size serve of sagnette all' Aquilana (home-made pasta with pancetta, garlic, tomatoes and chilli in a napoletana sauce) was monstrous and, in retrospect, I should have respected the dish as a primi piatti and chosen a meat dish for my main instead.

The black and white-clad waitstaff were friendly, unobtrusive and more than accommodating. It was nice to see a good number of people on the floor.

The wine list is to be expanded shortly, with an additional fifty Italian wines being added from various regions of Italy.

Galileo magnifico.

SPICE magazine: Summer 2009

Restaurant Reviews: New Order

It's always tough to know how long a new restaurant might take to iron out the wrinkles. Some take a week, or two, some a couple of months. Some never do. Not one to enjoy throwing good money away at bad food, I prayed the new crop had hit its straps by the time I paid them a visit.

The Silver Spoon

Stepping into The Silver Spoon is like entering a giant glittering Christmas bauble - it's a very shiny space to be in. With the bi-fold doors wide open on a chilly Spring evening, we went for the warm and hearty sounding charcuterie sharing plate ($26) for a starter. It was generous and beautifully presented - dollops of olive tapenade and apple chutney balanced the assorted meat parfaits and rillettes out nicely, although the terrine needed more zing. Fortified by a protein overload, we soldiered on with mains. The crab with squid ink linguini ($26) was, according to my BFF, "mushy", but my Asian-influenced snapper in a tomato, chilli and lime broth ($35) hit the mark with its much-needed shot of warmth. To round it all off we went with a delicate white chocolate pannacotta and peach compote ($10), and a solid brick of date and pecan pudding with toffee sauce ($10) for dessert, which were both good. The prices are reasonable, the wine list is long and, judging by the crowd, the up-market presence is much appreciated in this neck of the woods.

The Cabin Winebar & Bistro

Much ado has been made about The Cabin since it opened its doors earlier this year, and fair enough too. It's a chic little fit-out that has the look and feel of a snowed-in hunting lodge, with modern touches added to prevent it from becoming too kitsch. The lunch menu is small and meaty, and beef cheeks aside, I couldn't go past a duck three-way ($18). The pate was excellent, and so fine it could practically have been re-listed as a duck dip if it had not held its form so well. I was ever-grateful for the carrot batons presented to me in lieu of baked goods thanks to my pesky new gluten intolerance. the slow-roasted duck was meltingly tender, although the pan-fried duck was a little on the dry side. The suggested side of Welsh rarebit and portobello mushrooms ($7) went swimmingly well with the whole ensemble. The wine list is a round-the-world experience, with a dazzling variety of wines by the glass. A return visit in the evening will be in order, if only to try the game-laden 'Hunter' tasting platter on the tapas menu.

Azure Restaurant

Azure has such a calm, cleansing feel about it that I felt I should be donning a robe in preparation for a massage. It is an oasis of tranquility. The menu has an Italian base and the enormous display of desserts is made entirely in-house. We had a small person in tow so could not meld into the experience entirely, but the kitchen took stock of our situation and plated up in short order. The porcini mushroom risotto ($34 for main) was a generous serve with good bite, although the baby chargrilled octopus in the salad ($19.50 tasted undercooked. Pork belly with alternating morsels of scallop and swooshes of pear dressing and jus ($32.50) was excellent - the pork was soft and tender, with layers of fat and crackling perfectly cooked. For dessert we shared a spectacular chocolate Black Forest dome ($12.50) that housed a rich mousse of white chocolate and cherries, all perched in a chocolate basket. Nyom.

Palais 85

Formerly The Oyster Bar, Palais 85 has been turned into a beautiful, opulent space with padded flocked chairs and sofas, chandeliers and vast swathes of silk suspended from the ceiling. Perfect for an intimate soiree. I was surprised that, on a Saturday night, it wasn't busier. Our group started with large, creamy oysters served with a piquant marsala aioli ($16 for half a dozen). Marron salad with tabouli $28) was neither here nor there, as was the goat's cheese salad ($28.50). The venison on potato cake ($38.50), served medium rare, was exquisitely tender, although the pile of accompanying chopped raw onion was completely bewildering. Desserts consisted of a delicious tasting plate of rich chocolate mousse, Indian pistachio kulfi ice cream and flourless orange cake ($18), while the pannacotta ($13) was a bit of a let-down with no evidence of the promised vanilla bean. Despite having to wait forever for somebody to notice our empty glasses, the service was professional and knowledgeable.

Spice magazine: Spring 2009. Tapas reviews

Restaurant Reviews: Tapas the Test

Roll up to any self-respecting wine bar in Perth these days and you're guaranteed to find tapas of some description on the menu. For the uninitiated, tapas are small tasting plates that have their origins in Spain and are now all the go. Better still, tapas are suited to all types of pockets because of their varied prices. So considerate in this bleak economic era. It was time to dig a little deeper.

Andaluz Bar

Andaluz is a beautiful space with beautiful food, yet I sat there feeling a tad perplexed. There were rich, inviting Chesterfield lounges cosying up to an open fireplace. There was nouvelle cuisine-style tapas fare, and there was Aretha Franklin singing her lungs out on the sound system. Los Gentlemen's Soul Club? Heterogenous styling out of the way, the only sore point remaining was that we didn't get to score one of the opulent booths tucked away in their own little niches.

The tapas dishes we chose were sublime. They were sophisticated and complex with long, mouthwatering descriptions, which always bode well with me. We chose four dishes, starting with a tortilla Espanola ($8) - thick cubes of potato topped with fried egg, which was good and hearty. Chargrilled asparagus, quail's egg and tarragon aioli ($9) followed, with the asparagus spears blanched and quickly grilled and the itty-bitty quail's egg gently salted and semi-hard boiled. The tarragon aioli was subtle and tangy, making it a beautifully light dish. Next up were twin towers of seared scallop atop a Berkshire pork cheek confit, with an exquisite sauce of Alvear PX wine and muscatels ($9.50). Our last dish was eight hour braised venison and creamed portobello mushroom empanadillas ($9.50). All excellent value, considering the amount of time and love that clearly goes into each dish. Yum.

Lamont's Wine Store

Kate's latest offering is Lamont's in Cottesloe, and it has already become a Mecca for the local well-heeled pashima set. Naturally the emphasis is going to be on the wines, with a staggering 250 varieties offered on a rotating basis, but the tapas menu, although more Australian than Spanish, does well to keep its end up. The marron dusted with pepper and garlic dust $15.50) was a big hit at our table, as was the cod croquette ($10.50), but I couldn't quite get past the price of a solitary scallop - $7.50 - no matter how succulent it was. Despite not getting much bank for our buck, the dishes were exquisite and, as with all of Kate's food, well-balanced in the flavour and artistic departments. Although I have to admit, the jewel-like macaroons flown in from Paris (see above pic) were my personal faves.

The Imp Cafe & Bar

Being a stone's throw from my house, I quite badly wanted to like this place. It throbbed to a Melbourne beat and was always pumping when I passed by. Alas things are not always as they seem.

The proffered olive is like the proffered water: you tend to assume it's gratis. When said olives were offered while I waited for my friend, I made the same sad presumption and got nailed $7 at the end of the night. A bit, dare I say, impish. Mind you, on arrival it was the size of a small tureen. Anyway. When my friend arrived ("What's with all the olives?!") we ordered crocodile cakes with yoghurt (4 for $12), beef and pork gyoza with an Asian dressing (4 for $12) and a warm lentil salad with coppa ($11).

The croc cakes sounded more exciting than they actually were and, other than the occasional Thai kick of lemongrass, were simply too bland while the accompanying minted yoghurt seemed to be sans mint. The warm lentil salad was a major hit - generous and perfect for a chilly winter's eve, with the coppa mixed through it giving it a real lift. A perfect combo. The gyoza were too strong - the tiny parcel of meat was far too spiced, which my heartburn thanked it for.

But all is not lost, there are several big ticks for The Imp too. Everything on the menu is made in-house and there are lots of gluten-free and vegan dishes on offer. The atmosphere is lovely and inviting. Brekkies are big 'n hearty. So are desserts.

Pata Negra

Star Anise's David Coomer has finally been able to fling open the doors to his new venture. David's former sous chef, Matt Stone, spent time in Spain last year checking out the local tapas fare and the menu is as about as authentic as it gets.

Along with the rest of Perth's foodaphiles, we had nabbed ourselves a table barely before the black wall paint had dried. We were given complimentary olives (ahem) and sampled the beautiful hand-packaged smoked almonds. The house-smoked octopus 'escabeche' (pickled marinade) ($14.50) was next, a slow-cooked delight that had been pickled in a Forum cabernet vinegar and dished up in a cute preserving jar. The jamon iberico, variously imported from Spain and local sourced, was sublime. And at $300 a kilo - hello - so it should be. The mussels, Manzanilla and jamon ($16.50) were also a winner, with surf and turf fighting for supremacy in a preserved lemon-laced broth. For mains we went with the Pata Negra fabada (stew) - ham hock, duck confit, chorizo and lentils ($36 for two). Pata Negra's food has a distinct Moorish theme running through it, and this dish was a great example of those strong, Arabic flavours.

The flavours at Pata Negra are big and gutsy, just what you'd expect from a Spanish pintxo. Add a glass of Marques de Riscal and you could be in Barcelona.

SPICE magazine: Winter 2009

Restaurant Reviews: Sashimi

Sashimi is such a polarizing food. People either harbor a life-long addiction to its clean, subtle flavours or gag at the mere idea of sitting down to a plateful of uncooked ocean fare. Sashimi typically consists of really fresh raw fish, sliced thick or thin, served with soy sauce, a smidge of wasabi and the occasional pile of white radish. In Australia, the most popular varieties include salmon, tuna, kingfish and octopus. The key to good quality sashimi-grade fish is that it has little to no ‘fishy’ smell or taste, which indicates the beginning of spoilage. That was what was to be my litmus test in the search for ‘best quality’ sashimi…


Hayashi
Hayashi is an old favorite of mine. It was the first Japanese restaurant I visited in Perth in fact, and we have been fans ever since. It has a sweetheart of an owner who always ensures the sashimi is good and fresh. Every second morning he trundles off to the fish market in search of fish with the clearest eyes, firmest backs and reddest gills for his sushi chef. Bless. On this latest visit, we ordered the sashimi set ($26.50). Sashimi included tuna, salmon, kingfish, scallop and octopus, which were accompanied by rice, miso soup and a Japanese salad. The salmon was creamy and firm, as you would expect in this country. Aussies are so lucky –Tasmanian salmon is arguably among the best sashimi-grade varieties in the world. It must have been good anyway: my two-year-old was gobbling it down. The tuna was brilliant - succulent and melt-in-the-mouth, while the kingfish was tender, glossy and translucent, a good indication of freshness. Great,as always.

Hayashi, 2/15 Ogilivie Road, Applecross. (08) 9316 3384


Matsuri
Matsuri is a big, glass restaurant wedged into a corner of the city’s QV1 building. Although it is undoubtedly the best-known Japanese restaurant in the CBD, I had never been there. We sat at the sushi bar hoping for a little repartee with the sushi chef but sadly there was none. Instead we gazed at the rows of pre-sliced salmon, tuna, octopus, prawn and egg roll stashed at eye-level in front of us. The medium-sized sashimi platter ($19) consisted of firm, pink tuna, octopus and a decent amount of salmon, with red cabbage and seaweed thrown in as well. Sashimi-grade tuna is generally a headache for sushi chefs – it is hard to source because it’s seasonal, and being such a large fish is almost impossible to serve fresh, which is why most restaurants need to fillet and freeze it. Practically all tuna fillets are cut from the shoulder and are varying shades of red, but the best (and rarest) comes from the fatty belly and is pale and creamy. All was good with the fish, and the earthenware crockery added a home-spun touch. Also on offer was a tantalising soft shell crab sushi roll which, disappointingly, did not come in anything smaller than eight pieces. We tried the salmon roe sushi instead, which was fresh and generous, albeit its seaweed wrapper was dry and crunchy. A fair night out, but clearly set up for the business crowd as vibe and personal service were minimal.

Matsuri, Lower level, QV1 building, 250 St Georges Terrace, Perth. (08) 9322 7737.


Ha-Lu
Ha-Lu has been open for a couple of years now, and for me it continues to hold the mantle of best Japanese in Perth. Spurning the traditional menu, Ha-Lu instead offers its customers a more social, Izakaya-style dining experience: small tapas-style servings that are shared with your buddies and have your taste buds screaming for more. Cruel, really. Their sashimi is some of the best in town, and the cuts are super-thick. A bit daunting for those new to the joys of raw fish, but a glory for those who aren’t. We had the standard salmon, tuna and kingfish (is there anything else served in Australia?) and it was top notch – firm, bright and fresh. Some of the other dishes were so delectable and out-there that they also deserve a mention. The Patagonian toothfish netsuke, aubergine with soy dashi broth and pork belly ‘Kaku-ni’ were all completely lush. By the end of the night, I think we’d ordered the whole menu.

Ha-Lu, Shop 4/401 Oxford Street, Mt Hawthorn. (08) 9444 0577


Sushi Station Fuji Japanese Restaurant
It’s been a good while since I’ve visited this little restaurant in Victoria Park, famed for its authenticity and large contingent of Japanese patrons. It closed down for a long while, and everybody thought they were renovating. But they opened again earlier in the year and the décor looks exactly the same, so who knows? Perhaps it is now under new management, because it doesn’t seem quite the same. We were a tableful of cackling women, which appeared to go against our favour as the service was entirely absent. The large sashimi platter we ordered ($25) consisted of 2-3 slices of salmon, tuna and scallop, with a disproportionate amount of kingfish. The salmon, in all its orange vivacity, was top-notch, as was the creamy scallop. The tuna was thick and rather chewy. This was definitely just-thawed shoulder tuna. The kingfish was overly fishy: I kept it to one slice. Other dishes that passed muster (just) included vegetable and seafood tempura, gyoza dumplings and beef teriyaki.

Sushi Station Fuji Japanese Restaurant, 233 Albany Highway, Victoria Park. (08) 9362 3796

Your Restaurants: The George

The George is the first of what is rumoured to be one of several Perth offerings from Melbourne restaurateur extraordinaire John Ahern and business partner Steve Garcia. Sequestered away in the heart of the very British London House, the eatery exudes a reserve and opulence that reeks of money and the made-man. Fittingly, a theme of "victory" runs through the decor, from the faux bust of a Roman emperor (named George) sternly overseeing proceedings, to a colossal commissioned Italian mural depicting the onslaught of battle back in the days of yore. It's all very divide-and-conquer.

The long room is split into two by an enormous set of black wrought-iron gates, with the main bar and grazing area at one end, and a more formal dining section at the other. The menu itself is exceptional, and surprisingly not at a price that will break the gold plastic. The marron, with its casing cleverly reduced with a pork rillette tian, is a faultless dish with the two flavours complementing each other well; the runny free-range egg, caviar and watercress salad with a smidge of truffle oil is another winner. Chef Brad Hatfield, who is no stranger to upmarket commercial kitchens, has already hit his straps in terms of creativity and attention to detail. The upscale, extensive wine list reflects John's penchant for a fine drop, and for those who like to covet, the personalised wine lockers are a must for the frequent diner.

A large corporate area complete with training room is also available, with a reviving bar and barbecue area to get stuck into after those long brainstorming sessions. There's a cocktail bar just for the ladies, private boudoirs for those wishing to clinch more intimate deals and a Scandinavian forest running rampant through the restrooms. Go forth and be conquered.