I attended the launch of Eat Drink Perth 2017 at Arthouse Dine, located opposite the rooftop garden at the Perth Cultural Centre and at the Art Gallery of Western Australia earlier this month, hence the name. On until April 9th, over 70 of Perth city's dining venues will offer over 100 events and specials to celebrate the ever-growing Perth food, wine and dining scene, and how far Perth as a city has come over the years with our extremely diverse food culture and openness to new ideas. For the full list of what's on offer during Eat Drink Perth, head to www.vistitperthcity.com
Upon entry we were met with the welcome scent of grilled meat and an even more welcome sight of rows upon rows of cocktails. Named the Orchard Soda, this gorgeous tipple was a blend of Elderflower, lime, cucumber and soda over Tanqueray Gin. Those with more sophisticated palettes headed over towards the wine tastings offered by Juniper Estate. You can find both of these bad boys during Eat Drink Perth at Halford Bar. There were other local beverages on offer too, including Sly Fox beer from Feral Brewing Co. While sipping on these icy beverages surrounded by the pleasant smells of a BBQ in action, overlooking the sunset skyline of our city, it all created a very Perth summer atmosphere even though we had entered our autumn.
Our guest speaker on the night was the multi-talented Anna Gare, much-loved Australian TV chef, cookbook author, home & kitchenwares designer and caterer (and more recently, fashion designer for 'food-centric' frocks called 'Delicious Frocks'), who welcomed in the night with an enticing description of what would be on the menu curated by local Perth dineries to get our taste buds tingling. While this was happening, the staff plated up rows upon rows of beef carpaccio entrees, that tasted just as good as they looked presented.
Generous servings of tender Gingin grass-fed beef paired well with the tuna mayonnaise and soft herbs. Crispy fried caper pearls slightly lifted the savoury goodness of the dish.
Vegetarians not to fret, as plates of warm char-grilled broccoli upon a bed of coconut, chilli and cucumber were rolled out endlessly, attracting (and satisfying!) even the most carnivorous of guests. Both entrees can be sampled at Arthouse Dine during Eat Drink Perth.
For our mains we were spoiled with a delicious serving of smoked BBQ lamb belly (which had been slowly grilling most of the night!) and cured lamb loin served alongside some fluffy cornbread, crunchy pickled kohlrabi, Davidson plum, black garlic and puffed rice. The lamb was seasoned very well and the kohlrabi was incredibly refreshing. Get a taste of it at The Standard during Eat Drink Perth. The vegetarian option of pan-roasted cauliflower, cauliflower couscous, cashew paste, mustard seed and picked chilli was unfortunately not sampled by us however if this tickles your fancy head on over to Arthouse Dine during Eat Drink Perth to try for yourself.
The gorgeous dessert of cherry ripe, sour coconut, dark chocolate and soy ganache topped with a freeze-dried cherry was being artfully plated as we finished off our mains. This tasty dessert can also be sampled at Arthouse Dine during Eat Drink Perth. Overall the night was a great success: the atmosphere was lively and inviting, and most importantly the food was delicious and reflected well of what Perth has to offer.
