I was invited to a private dinner party hosted by Private Chef Ryan John at Webb Brown Neaves new display home in Swanbourne last month. I had a wonderful evening and walked away thinking what a great idea especially as my dinner outings have been limited of late with junior burger to look after.
It was however only after throwing a dinner party for six adults and five children under 6 in our new home that I went from thinking it was a just a great idea to really appreciating the concept of having a private chef cook at my home. For my dinner party, I shopped on the Thursday, cooked three curries on the Friday, cleaned most of Saturday and cooked some more before cleaning again on the Sunday. It was a full on weekend for one dinner party
So I digress. For entrees at Private Chef Ryan John’s dinner party, we were served this hearty Tiger Prawn and Roasted Cherry Tomato Hot Pot with Saffron and Lemon Buerre Blanc matched with a glass of Quarantadue Italian pinot grigio…
I knew I would enjoy this dish as I love saffron and chorizo. Plus anything in a hot pot wins me over, must be the Asian in me! The saltiness of the chorizo and tangy cherry tomatoes complemented the prawns well.
For mains we were served a soft herb crusted rack of lamb with fondant potato, grilled asparagus and shiraz jus matched with a 2010 Barossa Valley Shiraz by David Franz…
I don’t normally eat lamb and I thought seeing as I wasn’t allergic, it wasn’t considered a dietary requirement so I didn’t specify no lamb when asked. The pesto masked the strong lamb flavours which usually turns me off lamb and I couldn’t get enough of the shiraz jus.
Dessert as always is the highlight for me, I absolutely LOVED Chef Ryan John’s dessert trio – limoncello pannacotta, poached pear orange and poppyseed sponge and lemon curd ice cream. The lemon curd icecream was my absolute favourite, it’s the type of dessert that I’d happily have a full bowl in front of the telly.
Wine (and entertainment) was provided by David of Whitby Premium Wines…
And we even had these gorgeous jars of tomato relish and rhubarb & berry jam to take home. This was my breakfast the next morning. Though I don’t think my shop bought muffins did the relish and jam justice…
Private Chef Ryan John caters for cocktail parties from $30 pp, gourmet barbecues from $50, dinner parties and weddings from $80 pp (drinks not included). You can find out more about Private Chef Ryan John on his website.
For a special occasion, I’d absolutely pay $80 pp to have Private Chef Ryan John throw a private dinner party at my home. I’d probably purchase the wine myself either at my local liquor store or my favorite Perth Champagne Club (blog post up soon). If you’re planning on booking a private dinner party, just mention foodie cravings to receive a complimentary bottle of wine.
