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Chocolate Fudge Sundae, Mascarpone Cheesecake and more at Must Winebar, Highgate

must winebar cheesecake strawberry sorbet

I’m a big believer in celebrating romance even when there’s no occasion for it. Who says it has to be Valentine’s Day before you’ll fork out for some fine dineyness with your bonny belle or beefy beau? Mmm, beef…

Last weekend was one such non-occasion, and I booked the Welshman and myself a table at Must Winebar in Highgate. I’d never been to Must despite having lived in the area, although I’ve had many a rowdy night and lazy lunch at the Queens across the road.

The Welshman and I spent the afternoon watching the Wales v France Rugby World Cup semi-final, and were both quite devastated when Wales lost by just one point. Talk about bandwagon-jumping – I’d never watched a game of rugby in my life before this year’s World Cup, but I applied myself with fervour just for the hell of it, and now can talk converted tries and knock-ons like a seasoned old punter who shakes their fist at the cracked old pub TV, not noticing their mug of beer has upended and has sloshed amber liquid down their faded rugby jersey.

But I digress. We were a bit down after the heartbreakingly close match (me, feeling down about a sports match! Feels strange just writing it) so going out to dinner was a pleasant cheer-upper.

Must is a regular on the best-bar/restaurant-in-Perth lists, and you can see why when you walk in – the lighting is dim and moody but not dingey, and the décor is stylish and neutral, with lots of dark reds and creams. The lower part of the room has a bar running down one side and a parallel wine rack partition in the centre, with dining tables clustered on the other side of that. Overlooking all this is another dining area with a gallery-style railing, and we were seated at the edge of this. Ours was a fantastic spot, especially as I have a sniper-like need to survey the whole room from where I’m sitting.

Must Winebar interior

Despite the people milling and chatting around the bar, the noise level was just low enough for us to talk comfortably. And the menu was certainly one to be discussed, with plenty of rich-sounding dishes to try. We started with the Chicken Liver Parfait with Grenache Jelly and Melba Toast for $18, as well as the Twice Baked Porcini Mushroom Soufflé and Mushroom Crème Sauce for $25.

The parfait was basically a pâté, and I felt it was only marginally better than one from the supermarket. I’ve been spoilt by Cream Restaurant’s pâté, which is so incredibly morish, and now I expect that from every restaurant. But at $18, you do, right? In contrast, the mushroom soufflé was light, creamy, and simply delicious. I would never associate mushrooms with soufflés, but this combination was incredible.

For our main meals, we chose the Rabbit Pie and Carrot Puree with Braised Black Pig Bacon and Lentils with Madeira Jus for $39, and the Chargrilled Butterfield Sirloin Stead (270g, dry aged for 28 days) with Béarnaise Sauce, Frites and Watercress Salad, $46.

The rabbit pie was very thick and wintery, with good solid pastry and nice slivers of meat inside. And the steak was fantastic – very tender and juicy.

We were both pretty full, but that didn’t stop us from ordering a dessert each. All five of the menu choices sounded equally scrumptious but we settled on the Hot Fudge Sundae with Honeycomb, Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce, plus the Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake with Wild Strawberry Sorbet, Blackcurrant Coulis and Strawberries, both $16.

I always wonder about claims that an ingredient is ‘wild’. Does that mean some poor schmo actually treks out into the wilderness with a basket?

The hot fudge sundae sounded great in theory, but then again, so do lingerie parties and wearing glittery pink veils on hens’ nights. In practice, not so fabulous. The honeycomb didn’t taste light and sugary, but… burnt. And the rest was just cream and ice cream with some chocolate sauce poured in; not exactly a flavour sensation.

Must Winebar chocolate honeycomb sundae

The lemon marscapone cheesecake with its accompaniment of berries, however, actually was fabulous. The cheesecake was sweet, fluffy and smooth, and the sorbet and coulis complemented it really well. I wish I’d ordered two instead of the sundae!

I can see why Must has a great reputation; the wines we ordered were lovely, the ambience was busy but stylish, and the service was excellent. When the food was good it was very very good, but when it wasn’t good it was… not bad, just mediocre. I’m a little surprised there was mediocrity at all, given how much people rave about the joint, but perhaps it was just one of those nights?

I’ll definitely go back to Must, though I don’t think it will make it onto my list of staple fine dining destinations. There are too many others in Perth to check out before this one gets a top spot.

Must Winebar
519 Beaufort St
Highgate, Western Australia
(08) 9328 8255

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Posted by Katy in Fine dining, Restaurant & Café Reviews and tagged with berries, cheesecake, strawberries, sundaes

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Chocolate cake with custard & berries at Broken Hill Hotel

Chocolate hazelnut cake with custard and berries at the Broken Hill Hotel

The Welshman and I were looking for somewhere to have a Goldilocks meal last night – not too heavy, not too light – so we trundled down to the Broken Hill Hotel on Albany Highway in Victoria Park to see what we could find.

I’ve been to the Broken Hill Hotel a few times since it was refurbished, and I’ve never been disappointed, though I’ve never been overwhelmed by any sort of fantasticosity either. It’s a good place to have a pint or a meal, but I wouldn’t rate it above the Queens in Highgate for ambience or décor.

We settled into the dining area and started the night with a bottle of Richland Pinot Grigio, a bargain at $25. I’ve developed a bit of a taste for pinot grigio recently but I’m still too new to detect much of a difference between the wineries. This one tasted fine to me.

I wasn’t in the mood for a plate groaning with steak and chips (I know! Unusual for me) so I opted for the pumpkin and feta tart with rocket salad and balsamic reduction for $16.50, and the Welshman chose the lemon and garlic squid with Greek salad and herbed mayo for $18.50. These were off ‘The Better Start’ section of the menu, with ‘The Main Event’ meals ranging from $24.50 to $33.50.

The meals were both extremely tasty, especially the herbed mayo; I’m planning an attempt to duplicate this at home. The tart was a bit dry – perhaps a few days old – and not heated all the way through, but I still enjoyed it rather a lot.

I felt surprisingly satisfied despite the small meal, but that didn’t stop us from sharing some dessert: the chocolate and hazelnut cake with proper custard and berry compote for $9.50. Usually I’m not a fan of hazelnut with chocolate, and cannot understand why anyone thinks Nutella is an indulgent treat (though I’d never say no to those marbled shell-shaped chocolates). But to tell you the truth, until I checked the name of the dessert just then, I’d forgotten about the hazelnut – it certainly wasn’t a strong flavour in the dish. And the word ‘cake’ kind of sells this dessert short, as it’s more of a rich fudgy chocolatey thing with cake-like edges – and really quite delicious.

Chocolate hazelnut cake with custard and berries at Broken Hill Hotel

The custard was a nice addition and certainly didn’t taste shop-bought, although it was almost frothy in texture instead of creamy, and I suspect it was fizzed up by a blender. The berries looked and tasted like they’d come out of a frozen mixed berry pack and been defrosted; I think they could have used a sprinkle of caster sugar to take the edge off a bit.

It was a great way to end the meal and I was glad we hadn’t stuffed ourselves, as we could walk out of the place in an upright position. Although I’m the first person to order the biggest pub-grub-like meal on the menu, there’s a lot to be said for keeping it small and tasty – and leaving lots of room for dessert.

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Posted by Katy in Restaurant & Café Reviews and tagged with berries, cake, chocolate, custard, fondant

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Pavlova, Chocolate Fondant and more at Cream Restaurant

Pavlova with berries at Cream restaurant

I don’t know why Cream in East Perth is my favourite modern-Australian restaurant. Maybe it’s the maroon-and-chocolate colour scheme, the dim lighting, the lovely wait staff, the excellent food, or the fact that an entire length of wall is clad in black-and-red faux fur.

I think I just answered my own question.

I made the reservation for Saturday on the Wednesday before. “6.30pm, please, for two people,” I said to the lady on the phone. “And, um, do you think we could have a table next to the furry wall?”

With supreme willpower, I held back from my usual habit of lurching-forward-with-an-overshare and didn’t tell her that last time, I rubbed my face on the wall at regular intervals throughout the meal. There are some things restaurant people don’t want to know about their customers and what they do to their expensive décor.

The Welshman and I fronted up in our Saturday best but to my utter dismay, we were led away from the fur and I found myself sitting facing a plain beige wall about a metre in front of my face. The Welshman faced a beige partition. I have beige walls at home. This did not feel like being in a restaurant.

Cocktails at Cream Restaurant I flagged down a waitress and explained that my furry wall reservation had been confirmed by the lady on the phone. All three of us simultaneously glanced towards the furry wall and the tables that were entirely occupied by cosy couples who I instantly imagined were eyeing me smugly.

But I’m not a bad person deep down, so I asked the lady not to attempt a coup, but could we please sit somewhere that wasn’t beige? She led us to a table at the front window, which had much more ambience and a full view of the rest of the restaurant. I ordered a berry cocktail, the Welshman had a Long Island iced tea, and suddenly all was right with the world. (Almost. I know I’m sounding rather preoccupied with this, but, um, the furry wall? I felt a bit like Milton in Office Space when his desk keeps getting moved.)

My tax return was footing the bill so we decided to go all out, ordering a starter, two entrees, two mains and two desserts. The cognac pate with caramelised onions was a great way to start the feast, and that was followed by the grilled field mushroom stuffed with goats’ cheese, lemon and thyme, and also the duck spring rolls from the specials menu. The mushroom was rich and lovely and the spring rolls sufficiently tasty, and although they were pricey for what they were, I was dining at Cream. There’s a lot you get that isn’t to do with the food you’re paying for.

On to Mains: usually I go for the pork belly, but we decided to try something different. I chose the rabbit pie (run rabbit, run, rabbit, run run run…) from the specials menu and the Welshman went straight for the slow braise of baby beef. We swapped dishes halfway through so I got to taste both. The rabbit pie was nice but not overwhelming, as I know the pork belly to be, but the beef was cooked sooo nicely and gets full marks.

For dessert we had the pavlova with berries, and the soft French chocolate cake with raspberry ice cream. With its rich, oozy centre, the chocolate cake was essentially a fondant, and tasted exactly the same as the fondants I had made at home the night before. Which tells me one of three things: A) fondant recipes are pretty universal, B) The Cream waitstaff had been into my fridge, or C) I am an amazing cook with Michelin-star chef-like levels of incredibleness. I’m going with C because my ego is not big enough already.

Chocolate French fondant cake at Cream Restaurant

Cream’s fondant really was delicious (see point C, above) and the raspberry a different take from the usual vanilla bean flavour. It really did taste like raspberries, but I’m not sure if the two elements went 100 per cent well together. Maybe 98 or 99. I may have to try it several times more to decide.

The pavlova was lovely – nice and crunchy meringue, with that nice mild softness in the centre – and although it was covered with berries that are usually tart, the dish was all sweetness. It was a great way to round off the meal.

While I was in the ladies’ room afterwards, the chef visited the table and apologised to the Welshman about the lack of furry wall; apparently it was she who took the reservation. She also comped us our first two cocktails – how nice of her. I wish I had been there to compliment her on the food. When anything eventful happens in life, it’s always just after I’ve nipped off to the loo.

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