I was invited to a special media preview at the new Koko Black salon in Claremont Quarter, where founder Shane Hills shared his vision for the company and executive chocolatier and operations manager Grant Inches hosted a chocolate tasting of the exclusive Claremont salon range.
A short discussion with Shane revealed an interesting point about how he views their stores. Their stores or cafes if you prefer to call them, are referred to as “salons”. The word salon is more aligned to stores in retail and fashion. However, the “Koko Black salon” is unique in that it is a showcase of works of art; it is an upmarket social gathering place; and it is an intimate place to take your beloved. Koko Black’s majority of clientele are female customers, with a 70 percent female to 30 percent male ratio.
One of the chocolates Shane introduces us to is the Dominican Republic 64% Chocolate. No vegetable fat is used in the making of the couveture chocolates. They are made with extra cocoa butter, which contributes to its high quality, and hence creaminess. The sheen seen on the chocolate is a result of perfect tempering during creation, therefore giving the chocolate its firm snap when broken.
Koko Black Dominican Republic 64%
Grant Hills invites us into a near complete store, and introduces the group to leading chocolatier and chocolate master, Kim Linssen, and her partner Luciana. Kim (of Dutch background) gives a short brief history of how she started off as a pastry chef, who applied for an ad as chocolatier at Koko Black’s flagship store in Melbourne. Wanting a change in lifestyle, she moved location to Perth as head chocolatier. She is a respected Koko Black employee of 6 years. Joining both Kim and Luciana will be another 23 staff to help provide a quality service to customers, whether it be serving at tables, preparing coffee and hot chocolate, helping clients purchase chocolates for take away, and so on.
The Koko Black salon is massive (and one of the biggest stores), with up to 40 seats outside in an island, and 2 and 4 seat tables, as well as couches inside. There is display counter that will showcase 48 different praline chocolates. Empty gift boxes can be selected by customers, who will then be able to pick out chocolates for purchase from the display. There is a window where outside passers-by can look through to see Kim and Luciana work their magic, as they handcraft chocolates from scratch. This introduces a level of interactivity and intimacy with people from outside. Unique to the Claremont salon is an ice cream display that will showcase up to 8 ice creams, larger than the ranges offered at the Melbourne salons. If you put hot rainless weather and ice cream together, then you’ll know why the Claremont store will be better than any other! I am particularly excited about the fact that Koko Black will use St Ali coffee from Melbourne. Shipment will be shipped to Perth directly after roasting, with a guaranteed maximum travel time of 5 days (which is ideal). Coffees will be made with Koko Black’s La Marzocco.
Kim Linssen, Head Chocolatier
Luciana working the oven
After a quick look around the salon, we are all seated down at a table for tastings.
Cute silverware
We first start with a sampling of the Stout Caramel, made with Little Creatures beer. The tones of malt in the beer complement the caramel.
Grant Inches holding a plate of Stout Caramels
Stout Caramel Close up
Stout Caramel
Next we sample the Truffle Caramel, which is made with The Wine & Truffle Co. truffles. The garnish is a blackened truffle salt, which gives the chocolate a nice finish. The chocolate has a slightly meaty, earthy note. It is hardly recognisable if you pop the choc!
Truffle Caramel Close up
Truffle Caramel
As a complement to the chocolates, we are each served a freshly brewed traditional Belgian chocolate made with full cream milk, cream, and 54% dark chocolate. The drink is somewhat “light”, not so rich, and velvety smooth. With each sip, I roll the fluffy brew around the walls of my mouth before letting it finally settle on the palate. Great stuff.
Koko Black Belgian Hot Chocolate
And finally, the pierce de resistance – multiple servings of the Queen of Hearts High Tea, named after the Wedgewood “Queen of Hearts” tiered plates. The high tea is detailed and delicate, and is a marriage of both savoury and sweet.
Grant Inches introducing the Queen of Hearts High Tea Menu
Queen of Hearts High Tea
The cheese and bacon quiche is fluffy and complemented with the sweet and slightly acidic cherry tomato.
Quiche with cherry tomato
The shortcrust leek and ricotta tart is flaky and falls apart so wonderfully. The buttery goodness just melts in my mouth.
Shortcrust leek and ricotta tart
The artichoke and tomato sandwich is freshly pressed, and is warm and textured.
Hot pressed artichoke and tomato sandwich
The pastrami and gruyere sandwich is simple yet tasty, with hints of sweet, salty, and earthy complexities.
Hot pressed pastrami and gruyere sandwich
My creme brulee tart has a wonderful caramelised top that cracks with the gentlest of touches. The custard inside has a great mouthfeel and consistency to it.
Creme brulee tart
The mini chocolate cake is light in texture, and rich in taste.
Mini chocolate cake
At this point in time, I am stuffed and cannot eat any more. I therefore choose not to eat the Opera layer cake, custard tart, and Alice lamington. Something that I regret later on!
Opera layer cake
Custard tart
Alice lamington
Before we leave, Shane tells us about a drawing competition that occurs every year, with some of the winning drawings making their way onto the Koko Black packaging for the Easter range. All look brilliant. The best drawing wins a $4,000 prize (which can only be used towards the winner’s studies in art). Over 300 entries came in for this year’s easter competition. The top 20 drawings are displayed at Koko Black Royal Arcade in Melbourne.
Shane Hills introducing the Koko Black Easter range
Koko Black Menu & Bulletin
Koko Black Easter Creative Drawing Prize 2010
Lastly, Grant gives us a few words about Koko Black’s Easter range. This year you can find the Koko Black Limited Edition bunnies which come in 3 sizes (Small $32.50, Medium $49.00, and Large $59.00). All are handpainted and come available in milk or dark chocolate. Each bunny features a limited edition, individually numbered sticker. I was lucky to receive one in the mail from Koko Black. The bunny is indeed a fine specimen which I have kept on display in my place. I can’t bear the fact that this beautiful bunny could ever be eaten!
Grant Inches introducing the Large Koko Black Limited Edition bunny
Koko Black at Claremont Quarter opens on 22 March 2011 in the afternoon. Gauging reactions from the passers-by today as they drooled over our high tea menu, I think it’s pretty safe to say that the salon will be a hit. One thing’s for sure. I’ll be one of their regular customers.
Koko Black – Claremont Salon
Address: The Lane, Claremont Quarter
Corner St Quentin Avenue and Bayview Terrace
Tel: +61 8 9284 2049
Web: www.kokoblack.com
Opening Hours:
Monday – Thursday (8:00am – 10:00pm)
Friday (8:00am – 11:00pm)
Saturday (9:00am – 11:00pm)
Sunday (10:30am – 10:00pm)
Bringing their iconic family-owned brand for the first time to the west, Melbourne-based chocolatiers, Koko Black, will open their latest salon in Claremont Quarter on Tuesday 22 March, 2011.
“Koko Black captures the authentic and timeless qualities inherent to the art of fine European chocolate making. Through fine handcrafted chocolate, luxurious surrounds and superlative service, Koko Black offers moments of indulgence beyond your every day.”
The Claremont salon will be the new home for Koko Black’s leading chocolatier Kim Linssen, who will move from her current post at Koko Black’s flagship Royal Arcade salon in Melbourne.
Koko Black’s leading chocolatier and chocolate master, Kim Linssen
Koko Black Claremont will sport a similar look to the flagship Melbourne salon, and will give passers-by a chance to observe the talented Kim create handcrafted chocolates in the kitchen. Furthermore, there will also be an Ice Cream Bar, which will offer up to eight house-made ice creams and sorbets, including a 38% single origin chocolate ice cream, a hazelnut praline ice-cream, as well as a pear sorbet.
Koko Black Chocolate Bar
Two new chocolates will be exclusive to Koko Black customers in Claremont – the Stout Caramel, which will be made with beer from Little Creatures, and the Truffle Caramel, which will incorporate The Wine & Truffle Co‘s well-known truffles.
Koko Black founder, Shane Hills says that
“Where possible, we seek to partner with quality local suppliers to create new and exciting chocolates for our customers, relevant to the local area.Koko Black has long had a loyal following in Perth, which is why we are extremely excited to deliver the special Koko Black chocolate experience to residents living in and around the Claremont area and beyond.”
Do tell me that you are excited? Does the Dark Raspberry Ganache below entice? Follow through to here for a teaser of the Koko Black menu.
.jpg "Raspberry Ganache - Dark (Raw)")
Raspberry Ganache – Dark
Koko Black will open to the public on Tuesday 22 March, 2011. This has changed from the original date of Tuesday 8 March, due to unforseen delays. Make sure to pencil it in.
Koko Black
Address: L1. 114 Claremont Quarter
Corner St Quentin Avenue and Bayview Terrace, Claremont
Tel: +61 8 9284 2049
Web: www.kokoblack.com
I was invited to attend a pizza making masterclass at Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar in Subiaco recently. Crust has its origins in the eastern states, and is known for its “healthier” pizzas, with emphasis on the use of fresh quality ingredients. The very first Crust store opened up in Sydney back in 2004. The first Perth store opened its doors in August last year, and has slowly garnered a following of fans, or rather, pizza poppers.
Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar on Hay Street
The pizza bar
Joining me for the masterclass were the well dressed Karen (Karen Cheng’s Fashion and Life), Conor (Hold The Beef), Lori (Musings of a Wannabe Gourmand), and Carven (Food, Drinks ‘n Sun). I couldn’t help thinking about my awful dress sense. When I saw what others were wearing, I looked at myself and puked a little inside. I had anticipated that spills, stains, and puffs of flour would be heading my way, so I chose to wear a disgusting oversized Polo rag.
We were introduced to Sydney Crust chef, Peter Augoustis, who took us through the process of making the dough, and preparing them for the pizza bases.
Chef Peter Augoustis
When laid out over a pizza tin, a fork is used to dot the base all over so that the air from the dough is allowed to escape while in the oven, and thus prevent bubbling. An oil or tomato-based sauce is then applied to the dough, making sure that there is an approximate 2cm gap from the outer edge. Mozzarella cheese is then sprinkled all over the base, followed by the toppings. More cheese is sprinkled in between the core toppings so that when cooked, they are held firmly in place without any drips or drops during eating.
Peter demonstrated how to make five different pizzas from the Crust menu. Of course, this was sheer torture for everyone, as loud grumbling noises resonated deep in our stomachs, and our mouths salivating. I for sure had the intention of jumping behind the bar and eating his pizzas raw – it was all too much.
Florentine Ricotta Pizza ready for the oven
Florentine Ricotta Pizza – fresh spinach blended with ricotta & parmesan, kalamata olives, spanish onions, cherry tomatoes, feta, served with cracked pepper & sea salt
The most intriguing of all pizzas made was the Chicago Deep Dish. Looking more like pie than pizza, the dish was a 9″ x 2.5″ dough base filled with ingredients in a cake tin.
Laying the Chicago Deep Dish base
Spreading the olive tapenade base
Layering the ingredients
Cutting away the excess
Chicago Deep Dish ready for the oven
Vegetarian Antipasto Chicago Deep Dish Pizza – layers of grilled eggplant, fresh artichoke hearts, red roasted capsicum covered with baked soft feta on an olive tapenade base
After the demonstration, it was our turn to do some pizza making of our own. The challenge was to develop a “most inspiring pizza recipe”, with the winning team’s pizza taking up a permanent spot on the Crust pizza menu at all stores across the nation. We were split into three teams – Conor and Lori, Carven and marketing manager Carrie Morgan, and lastly, Karen and myself.
Conor and Lori
Carven and Carrie
Devan and Karen
Karen and I were umming and aahing for most of our allocated 10 minutes to come up with a recipe. With 9 minutes in, we agreed on making a Thai-style street food pizza with minced beef, cherry tomatoes, dried chilli, and choy sum, and sprouts on an olive oil base – a take on Neua pat bai grapao (stir-fried mince beef with chillies and holy basil). Naming our recipe was the difficult part. I suggested Bangkok Bang but it was a little dirty, so we decided to go for name “The Streets of Bangkok” instead.
I nominated Karen to make the pizza behind the counter, while Conor and Carven from their respective teams also joined in on the fun.
Karen, Carven and Conor making the pizzas
Karen appeared to be quite nervous, and tried to keep a calm, straight face throughout the ordeal. Karen felt that “Little Lumps of Dog Poo in the Streets of Bangkok, with Vegetable Scraps Thrown on Top” was an appropriate name for the pizza. She was being too harsh on herself; it looked great 
As for the taste…well it wasn’t too bad – a subtly spicy meatball-style pizza. We did forget to put the basil on top afterwards – it was all that pressure to get it finished!
“The Streets of Bangkok Pizza”
Carven and Carrie’s “Sunday Roast” pizza showcased lamb and pumpkin as the two main ingredients. They definitely captured the theme very well. It was “roasted”; nicely “roasted”. Oh, and slightly sweet too.
“The Sunday Roast Pizza”
Conor and Lori’s “Paella” pizza included chorizo and seafood as the main ingredients. It was decorated with cut chilli and generous sleek lines of saffron aioli. Their pizza was definitely the prettiest and tastiest of the lot, and guaranteed to give you yummy yellow lips.
“Paella Pizza”
Everyone (including photographers, chefs, cooks, etc) were asked to vote for their favourite pizza of the night. These were then tallied up. The winner for the night was Conor and Lori’s Paella Pizza. Well deserved! So we’ll be looking forward to seeing their pizza on the menu in 2012!
All the bloggers thoroughly enjoyed themselves that night. All the pizzas that we tried that night were very tasty. They were so fresh and gourmet. Give their pizzas a try when you are next in the Subiaco area. Crust is a hit over in the eastern states, and it’s already becoming a surefire hit here in WA. Forget Dominos and Pizza Hut. This is the new fast food – healthy and tasty gourmet pizza.
Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar
Address: Retail T6, 502 Hay Street, Subiaco
Tel: +61 8 6363 0420
Web: www.crust.com.au
Opening Hours:
Lunch
Monday – Friday (12:00pm – 2:30pm)
Dinner
Monday – Thursday (5:00pm – 10:00pm)
Friday (5:00pm – 11:00pm)
Saturday – Sunday (5:00pm – 10:00pm)
“I went home and watched Avatar, came back and I was still waiting for my mains” remarks King Baz.
Everyone rolls on the floor laughing, including the waiters. We are at La Lola listening to our friend recall our night at The Byrneleigh as we sip on coffees. It’s 10:45pm, our eyes are red, and we’re tired, but we still laugh.
Our recollection of the night follows.
My colleagues and I are keen to give The Byrneleigh a go after hearing news that the team behind The George had just opened a new bar / restaurant / cafe in Nedlands. The menus online look promising and the pictures are amazing. Our expectations are high.
Inside The Byrneleigh
Shining so bright
Candlelight at the table
Fifteen minutes in after plonking ourselves down at the table, we sit there twiddling our thumbs waiting for menus, glasses of water, as well as offers to partake in wine selection. Another five minutes go by and we begin to wonder why there is a spy behind the pot plants. Is he from the tax department or is he a pot head?
Oh look, a pothead!
Yet another five minutes pass by, and we begin to think that this might be a “pay first, take a number” kind of restaurant. I walk up to the front counter and ask for menus. The waiter politely tells me that he will bring us the menus once all guests arrive. Poor form – clearly he had not been observant. What was he doing? Stroking the cat and playing Nintendo DS?
With pangs of hunger kicking in, we rush to order our entrees - one Citrus king prawn on avocado, coriander, and chilli tianne, with caper salsa ($19.00), two Scallops with black pudding and apple mint confit, and grain mustard vinaigrette ($18.00 each), and three Porcini mushroom risottos with truffle oil ($16.00 each).
For mains were order two Amelia park lamb racks with butternut puree, braised red cabbage, royal blue fondant, and veal jus ($36.00 each), three Free range chickens marinated with lemon garlic, asparagus, crumbled goats cheese, and herb sauce ($29.00 each), and a Barramundi, beetroot risotto, with baby beetroots ($38.00). In addition, we ask for two sides of Handcut chips ($7.00 each).
Entrees
My Porcini mushroom risotto with truffle oil is the first to come out and it looks great. The texture is good but not perfect. My gripe with the dish is the taste. An excessive use of chicken stock results in a barely edible risotto – too salty. El Muerto and FiFi do not share the same sentiments as theirs are perfect.
Porcini mushroom risotto with truffle oil
Dave and King Baz’s scallop dishes arrive, but they appear to be different. Dave’s plate has three scallops, while King Baz’s has four. Dave feels cheated and find out from a waiter that one has dropped on the floor on the way out. Funny that his dish is still served. Despite the boo boo, their scallops are cooked perfectly, and the combination of flavours brilliant.
Scallop, black pudding and apple mint confit, grain mustard vinaigrette
Joanne eats up her entree so fast that she barely recalls what it tastes like. It must’ve been good.
Citrus king prawn on avocado, coriander, and chilli tianne, caper salsa
Citrus king prawn on avocado
We polish off our entrees at 8:20pm. Forty minutes later our mains are not served. Customers who arrived after us, leave before us. We ask the waiter why there is such a long wait for our mains. He tells us that their kitchen has been busy. We check in ten minutes later and he says the chefs are plating up the mains. It is now 9:10pm and still no food. Our mains don’t arrive until 9:50pm. That’s an awful lot of time to plate up food. The service takes longer than Lindsay Lohan’s rehab.
Main Courses
Clearly unhappy, we angrily cut, stab, and consume in that very order. El Muerto finishes his chicken dish in a record two minutes. He likes the chicken as it is moist and flavourful.
Free range chicken marinated with lemon garlic, asparagus, crumbled goats cheese, herb sauce
King Baz mentions that his Amelia park lamb rack is as bland as a Spice Girls record, and that the handcut chips look about as fresh as Bert Newton’s face. He is not impressed at all.
Amelia park lamb rack, butternut puree, braised red cabbage, royal blue fondant, veal jus
Handcut chips
As for the barramundi, Joanne enjoys the fish, but dislikes the taste of the beetroot risotto. There is just way too much cheese folded into the rice.
Barramundi, beetroot risotto, baby beetroots
It is 10:30pm by the time we finish our meals. We are clearly scarred by the 1.5 hour waiting time, and therefore choose not to order desserts. We receive a 25% discount off our bill because of the lengthy waiting time.
We can’t wait to get the hell out of dodge and find dessert and coffee elsewhere. La Lola is our saviour. We mention the poor service to a La Lola waiter. He tells us that many of his customers have complained about lengthy waiting times at The Byrneleigh; the kitchen struggles under pressure.
The overall feeling is that The Byrneleigh struggles to find its own identity. It has serious potential, but what does it want to be? I don’t know whether it wants to be a restaurant first, bar / pub second, and cafe last, or maybe bar cum pub cum tavern first, and restaurant second? If it is a restaurant first, then why the poor service? On a final note, the food is not mind blowing, but the grub is decent. There are some hits and misses.
But for now, one must ask – what is The Byrneleigh?
The Byrneleigh
Address: 156 Hampden Road, Nedlands
Tel: +61 8 6161 2722
Web: www.thebyrneleigh.com.au
Opening Hours:
7 days a week (7:00am – late)
“Les Diners de Gala is uniquely devoted to the pleasures of taste. Do not look for dietetic formulas here.”
A quote from the 1971 cookbook by Salvatore Dali, which serves as an inspiration for the name “The Gala”, a restaurant in Applecross specialising in traditional European gourmet cuisine. There are no boundaries here; no “dietetic formulas” either. The food is bold, showcasing technique and style. This is a melding of culinary art and gastronomy.
The Gala Restaurant
The dinner here is held in celebration of my grandma’s 81st birthday. It is 6:00pm and people are already entering the building. We follow suit. Inside we are greeted by Hans Lang who is the maitre’d for tonight. We are sat at a table near the windows out the back of the restaurant, and immediately given menus for perusal of the night’s meals. After much umming and aaaahing over the “November – December 2010” menu, we finally come to a decision and make our order.
Inside the Gala Restaurant
For entrees we select the Tiger Prawns and Pork Belly with Granny Smith Apple Cloud ($29.50), and two White Asparagus Cream Soup with Chives ($17.50).
For mains, we choose the Barramundi Fillet “Sauerbraten Style” ($44.00), King George Whiting on Mushroom Risotto ($44.00), Pork Cheek & Fillet ($39.50), and Prime Beef Fillet slowly cooked in Woronow Butter ($43.00).
After our orders are made, we are served two types of bread: spelt & rye, and sun-dried tomato & ricotta bread. We prefer the croissant shaped sun-dried tomato & ricotta filled bread over the rather salty spelt & rye. To compliment the bread are two dishes of butter – one is standard, and the other a rocket lettuce and garlic butter.
Spelt & rye, and sun-dried tomato & ricotta bread
Complimentary bread
Butter and Rocket Lettuce and Garlic Butter
So now, onto the entrees…
Entrees
Tiger Prawns and Pork Belly with Granny Smith Apple Cloud
tiger prawns filled with shredded honey glazed pork belly, spicy plum sauce
Tiger prawns
The large tiger prawns are wrapped in a crunchy cocoon of potato strings. Encased within are shreds of honey glazed pork belly. The sweetness of the pork belly in combination with the savouriness of the potato cocoon and charred outer flesh of the prawns balance very nicely. The tiger prawn flesh is moist, juicy, and inherently sweet, with the spicy plum sauce a fitting accompaniment.
Shredded pork belly
The shredded pork belly is also given a place of its own to showcase its worth on the plate. I can only guess with my elementary palate that there is a mixture of shredded pork belly with herbs and ginger. My taste buds and back of the throat are given a good kick.
Granny Smith apple cloud
At the other end of the plate is a light apple sorbet-foam cloud sitting atop a thinly sliced disc of Granny Smith apple. Slathering the cloud on the prawns, as well as the shredded pork belly mixture deems appropriate, as it reduces the intensity of the rich flavours.
White Asparagus Cream Soup with Chives
White asparagus cream soup with chives
Buttery, slightly rich, thick, and creamy are words to describe the white asparagus soup. The soup is garnished and seasoned in moderation. No one ingredient overpowers the other.
Now onto the main courses…
Main Courses
Barramundi Fillet “Sauerbraten Style”
marinated with balsamic and red wine, potato puree, caper berries
Barramundi Fillet
Potato Puree and lightly fried strings
The barramundi is prepared in “Sauerbraten style”, meaning that the protein is marinated before cooking, in a red wine vinegar, and then served with a thick, flavourful, rich sauce. The thick balsamic and red wine sauce is used sparingly, and not to drown the fish in a mess. The barramundi is “roasted” nicely, and has a delicate and flaky texture. The potato puree accompaniment serves as an interesting take on kartoffelkloesse, or rather, German potato dumplings; quite similar to gnocchi.
I admire the chefs’ ode to this traditional German classic.
King George Whiting on Mushroom Risotto
potato – leek vinaigrette
King George Whiting on Mushroom Risotto
Crispy King George Whiting
The centrepiece of this dish is a fillet of King George whiting intricately wrapped around a trio of mushrooms and potato gratin. Beside it are two lightly pan-fried fillets, and a bed of risotto. The entire dish literally “floats” in a sea of a light and sweet potato and leek vinaigrette. Of particular note, the risotto is perfect, holding a good texture, and with just a restrained amount of cheese mixed through.
Pork Cheek & Fillet
braised pork cheek in cafe latte sauce
pork fillet with coriander butter wrapped with black pig bacon, pork crackle
Pork Cheek & Fillet
Cafe latte sauce with cappuccino foam
The Pork Cheek & Fillet is a showcase of technique and style, with a great utilisation of different flavours. The braised pork cheek sits in the centre of the dish, and is stacked with pieces of sweet pork crackle, dressed with what seems to be a balsamic vinaigrette. Beside the pork cheek are two pieces of pork fillet wrapped with black pig bacon. A line of small carrot globes sit in front of the pork, and on the outer edges of the dish is a cafe latte sauce dotted with cappuccino foam.
I declare the Pork Cheek & Fillet to be the best main of the night. Both cheek and fillet literally melt in your mouth, but it is the cheek and “that sauce” which really stand out. The cheek partners up so perfectly well with the cafe latte sauce. The sauce is slightly sweet and rich with a hint of bitterness. The sweet pork crackling is like candy, and also goes well with the pork cheek.
Prime Beef Fillet slowly cooked in Woronow Butter
Royal Blue fondant potatoes, marinated beetroot
Prime Beef Fillet slowly cooked in Woronow Butter
Royal Blue fondant potato twizzler
My aunt’s Prime Beef Fillet is ordered well-done (and is thus overcooked). Nonetheless, she enjoys it. The fillet is seasoned perfectly. It marries up well with the marinated beetroot, which looks to me like sundried blueberries or raisins. They are super sweet, and pack an acidic punch. They go hand in hand with the fillet. The Royal Blue fondant potatoes are shaped into a twizzler, which is then lightly fried to crisp the delicate exterior.
There is always room for sweets, so we ask to take a peek at the dessert menu. We order the Lemon Grass & Chocolate ($17.50), Trio of homemade Ice Creams ($16.00), and Trifle – Quark Souffle ($18.50).
Desserts
Lemon Grass & Chocolate ($17.50)
lemon grass brule with Venezuelan chocolate pudding
caramelised katufi, blood orange sorbet and orange pastel
Lemongrass & Chocolate
Sex on a plate
The Lemon Grass & Chocolate dessert showcases three individual items which boast similar properties – they are light, cool, and fruity. The lemongrass brule is redolent, and subtly sweet, with hints of lemon and ginger. The Venezuelan chocolate pudding is surprisingly mellow. The texture is as thin as a cloud, and as for the taste – like sweet sweet berries. As for the blood orange sorbet, it is refreshingly cool and tangy and goes well with the thin, sweet, katufi disc. Lastly, a trio of blood orange pieces lie in a pastel of blood orange brushwork beside the sorbet. The dessert is a surreal looking piece of culinary art.
Trio of homemade Ice Creams ($16.00)
served in a crisp candied pastry basket
Trio of homemade Ice Creams
You would never expect a simple dessert like a trio of homemade ice creams to ever be complex. First from the left is a banana flavoured ice cream served in a crisp candied pastry basket. In the middle is a passionfruit ice cream with a cake-like consistency, sitting on top of a chocolate macaroon. Lastly, on the right, is a kirsh flavoured ice cream sitting in a basket of spun sugar. Oh, they are all so delectable!
Trifle – Quark Souffle ($18.50)
raspberries, chocolate macrons, passionfruit jelly and mixed berry ice cream
Trifle – Quark Souffle of raspberries, chocolate macrons, passionfruit jelly and mixed berry ice cream
Trifle – Quark Souffle
Mixed berry ice cream
The last dessert of the night is a warm raspberry trifle and quark cheese souffle filled with chocolate macrons, sitting alongside a mixed berry ice cream on meringue, and a thick brushed line of passionfruit jelly. The trifle – quark souffle is rich and sweet, the passionfruit jelly sharp and acidic, and the ice cream subtle and cleansing. A great dessert.
The food at The Gala Restaurant is second to none. You won’t find anything better in a suburban restaurant than here. Marianne Kempf and Hans Lang are proven masters of traditional European gourmet cuisine. Their food is art on a plate, packed with flavours, style, and innovation. The service is brilliant too. The Gala Restaurant is a place you must go to. You won’t be disappointed.
The Gala Restaurant
Address: 22 Kearns Crescent, Applecross
Tel: +61 8 9316 3600
Web: www.galarestaurant.com.au
Opening Hours:
Lunch
Friday (12:00pm – 3:00pm)
Dinner
Tuesday – Saturday (6:00pm – late)
