All About Food

Category: Perth

  • 2018 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia by Financial Review

    2018 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia by Financial Review

    Last week, the Australian Financial Review published the 2018 Top 100 restaurants in Australia. Instead of being judged by food critics/food bloggers/some random people, the list was actually made by the top 500 chefs in Australia. Being at the top of the list means that your peers agreed that your restaurant is the best in Australia. I am pretty sure that’s the best recognition that you could possibly get.

    Brae is at the top of this list of 2018 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia. Australia’s Top Chef award is given to chef Josh Niland from Saint Peter in Paddington in New South Wales.

    From the 2018 top 100 restaurants in Australia list, All About Food have only been to 10 of them:
    Ester at number 2
    Sixpenny at number 7
    Mr Wong at number 17
    Quay at number 24
    The Bridge Room at number 27
    Tetsuya’s at number 29
    Golden Century at number 38
    est. at number 52
    Bentley (at the old venue) at number 59
    Sokyo at number 97

    The number of top 100 restaurants by state:

    NSW 41
    VIC 31
    SA 13
    TAS 5
    WA 4
    QLD 4
    ACT 2

    They also have the more extensive top 500 restaurants in Australia if you are interested to know.

    The full list of 2018 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia by Financial Review

    1 Brae, Birregurra – VIC Top Restaurant in VIC 2018, Top Service 2018
    2 Ester – NSW Top Restaurant in NSW 2018
    3 Saint Peter – NSW Top Chef 2018
    4 Attica – VIC
    5 Africola – SA Top Restaurant in SA 2018
    6 Momofuku Seiobo – NSW
    7 Sixpenny – NSW
    8 Embla – VIC
    9 Sepia – NSW
    10 Fleet, Brunswick Heads – NSW
    11 Firedoor – NSW Winner of The Rare Medium Award 2018
    12 Igni, Geelong – VIC
    13 LuMi Dining – NSW
    14 Franklin – TAS Top Restaurant in TAS 2018
    15 Fred’s – NSW
    16 Restaurant Hubert – NSW
    17 Mr Wong – NSW
    18 Flower Drum – VIC
    19 Tipo 00 – VIC
    20 Anchovy – VIC
    21 Bennelong – NSW
    22 Fratelli Paradiso – NSW
    23 Orana – SA
    24 Quay – NSW
    25 Automata – NSW
    26 Billy Kwong – NSW
    27 The Bridge Room – NSW
    28 10 William St – NSW
    29 Tetsuya’s – NSW
    30 The Apollo – NSW
    31 Cirrus Dining – NSW
    32 Agrarian Kitchen Eatery – TAS Top Newcomer 2018
    33 Supernormal – VIC
    34 LP’s Quality Meats – NSW
    35 Minamishima – VIC
    36 Sean’s Panaroma – NSW
    37 Cutler & Co – VIC
    38 Golden Century – NSW
    39 Cumulus Inc. – VIC
    40 Gerard’s Bistro – QLD Top Restaurant in QLD 2018
    41 Hentley Farm, Seppeltsfield – SA
    42 Lee Ho Fook – VIC
    43 Paper Bird – NSW
    44 Ramblr – VIC
    45 Templo – TAS
    46 Biota Dining, Bowral – NSW
    47 Gauge – QLD
    48 The Summertown Aristologist, Summertown – SA
    49 Amaru – VIC
    50 Bar Lourinhã – VIC
    51 Wasabi Restaurant and Bar, Noosa Heads – QLD
    52 est. – NSW
    53 Icebergs Dining Room and Bar – NSW
    54 Marion – VIC
    55 Oakridge Restaurant, Coldstream – VIC
    56 Oscillate Wildly – NSW
    57 Paper Daisy, Cabarita Beach – NSW
    58 Aubergine – ACT Top Restaurant in ACT 2018
    59 Bentley Restaurant & Bar – NSW
    60 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – VIC
    61 France-Soir – VIC
    62 Kisumé – VIC
    63 Lulu La Delizia – WA Top Restaurant in WA 2018
    64 Magill Estate Restaurant – SA
    65 Ezard – VIC
    66 French Saloon – VIC
    67 Ides – VIC
    68 Osteria Oggi – SA
    69 Pt. Leo Estate, Merricks – VIC
    70 Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney – NSW
    71 Stanbuli – NSW
    72 Cafe Di Stasio – VIC
    73 Chin Chin, Sydney – NSW
    74 Cho Cho San – NSW
    75 Estelle by Scott Pickett – VIC
    76 Fico – TAS
    77 Fino at Seppeltsfield, Seppeltsfield – SA
    78 MoVida, Melbourne – VIC
    79 nel. – NSW
    80 Ormeggio at the Spit – NSW
    81 Porteño – NSW
    82 Botanic Gardens Restaurant – SA
    83 Millbrook Winery Restaurant, Jarrahdale – WA
    84 Monster – ACT
    85 Peel St – SA
    86 Pilu at Freshwater – NSW
    87 The Pot by Emma McCaskill – SA
    88 The Salopian Inn, McLaren Vale – SA
    89 Aloft – TAS
    90 Chin Chin, Melbourne – VIC
    91 Provenance, Beechworth – VIC
    92 Shōbōsho – SA
    93 Vue de Monde – VIC
    94 Yarri Restaurant + Bar, Dunsborough – WA
    95 Aria, Sydney – NSW
    96 Long Chim, Perth – WA
    97 Sokyo – NSW
    98 Rick Shores, Burleigh Heads – QLD
    99 Lûmé – VIC
    100 FermentAsian, Tanunda – SA

    2018 Top 100 Restaurants

  • 2016 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia by Financial Review

    2016 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia by Financial Review

    This is the second year the Australian Financial Review published the Top 100 restaurants in Australia. Instead of being judged by food critics / food bloggers / some random people, the list was actually made by the top 500 chefs in Australia. Being at the top of the list means that your peers agreed that your restaurant is the best in Australia. I am pretty sure that’s the best recognition that you could possibly get.

    Attica is at the top of this list of 2016 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia. Australia’s Top Chef award is given to chef Dan Hunter from Brae in Birregurra region in Victoria. On this occasion, Australian Financial Review also asked the public to vote for their top Australian restaurant with an award called The People’s Choice. The People’s Choice winner for 2016 is Akiba in Canberra. We went to Akiba last year and we were pretty impressed with the dishes that they served. Sepia, last year’s winner, was awarded Top Service award for 2016.

    From the 2016 top 100 restaurants in Australia list, All About Food have only reviewed 10 of them:

    Quay at number 4, Ester at number 5, Rockpool at number 8, Mr Wong at number 11, Bentley (at the old venue) at number 12, The Bridge Room at number 13, Tetsuya’s at number 22, est. at number 39, Marque at number 40, and Golden Century at number 60.

    The number of top 100 restaurants by state:

    NSW 46 (45 in 2015)
    VIC 37
    SA 5
    WA 5
    QLD 4
    TAS 2 (3 in 2015)
    ACT 1

    They also have the more extensive top 500 restaurants in Australia if you are interested to know.

    The full list of 2016 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia by Financial Review

    1. Attica VIC
    2. Brae, Birregurra VIC
    3. Sepia NSW
    4. Quay NSW
    5. Ester NSW
    6. Sixpenny NSW
    7. Bennelong NSW
    8. Rockpool est. 1989 NSW
    9. Automata NSW
    10. Franklin TAS
    11. Mr Wong NSW
    12. Bentley Restaurant & Bar NSW
    13. The Bridge Room NSW
    14. The Town Mouse VIC
    15. Cumulus Inc. VIC
    16. 10 William St NSW
    17. Flower Drum VIC
    18. Cutler & Co VIC
    19. LuMi Bar & Dining NSW
    20. Supernormal VIC
    21. Tipo 00 VIC
    22. Tetsuya’s NSW
    23. Minamishima VIC
    24. MoVida, Melbourne VIC
    25. Fratelli Paradiso NSW
    26. Billy Kwong NSW
    27. Biota Dining, Bowral NSW
    28. Cafe Di Stasio VIC
    29. LP’s Quality Meats NSW
    30. Momofuku Seiobo NSW
    31. Porteno NSW
    32. Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney NSW
    33. ACME NSW
    34. Embla VIC
    35. Vue de Monde VIC
    36. Firedoor NSW
    37. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal VIC
    38. Chin Chin VIC
    39. est. NSW
    40. Marque NSW
    41. The Apollo NSW
    42. Lake House, Daylesford VIC
    43. Oscillate Wildly NSW
    44. Saint Crispin VIC
    45. Guillaume, Sydney NSW
    46. Fleet, Brunswick Heads NSW
    47. Africola SA
    48. Orana SA
    49. Restaurant Amuse WA
    50. Silvereye NSW
    51. Pilu at Freshwater NSW
    52. Moon Park NSW
    53. France-Soir VIC
    54. Lee Ho Fook VIC
    55. Bar Louinhã VIC
    56. Icebergs Dining Room & Bar NSW
    57. Ormeggio at the Spit NSW
    58. Estelle by Scott Pickett VIC
    59. Rockpool Bar & Grill, Melbourne VIC
    60. Golden Century NSW
    61. Spice Temple, Sydney NSW
    62. Sean’s Panaroma NSW
    63. Cottage Point Inn NSW
    64. Gerard’s Bistro QLD
    65. The European VIC
    66. Monopole NSW
    67. Long Chim Perth WA
    68. ARIA NSW
    69. Provenance, Beechworth VIC
    70. Coda VIC
    71. Lalla Rookh WA
    72. Yellow NSW
    73. Luxembourg VIC
    74. Wasabi Restaurant & Bar, Noosa Heads QLD
    75. Master NSW
    76. 4Fourteen NSW
    77. Clarke’s of North Beach WA
    78. Esquire QLD
    79. Muse Restaurant, Pokolbin NSW
    80. Monster Kitchen and Bar ACT
    81. Grossi Florentino Upstairs VIC
    82. Cho Cho San NSW
    83. The Long Apron, Montville QLD
    84. The Press Club VIC
    85. Lucio’s NSW
    86. Ethos Eat Drink TAS
    87. Anchovy VIC
    88. Vasse Felix Restaurant, Cowaramup WA
    89. Lume VIC
    90. Tonka VIC
    91. Mister Jennings VIC
    92. Union Dining VIC
    93. Igni, Geelong VIC
    94. Sokyo NSW
    95. Peel St SA
    96. Hentley Farm, Seppeltsfield SA
    97. Lau’s Family Kitchen VIC
    98. Fino, Seppeltsfield SA
    99. Epocha VIC
    100. Il Bacaro VIC

    2016 Top 100 Restaurants

  • 2015 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia by Financial Review

    2015 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia by Financial Review

    This year, the Australian Financial Review started publishing the Top 100 restaurants in Australia. Instead of being judged by food critics / food bloggers / some random people, the list was actually made by the top 500 chefs in Australia. Being at the top of the list means that your peers agreed that your restaurant is the best in Australia. I am pretty sure that’s the best recognition that you could possibly get.

    Sepia is at the top of this list of 2015 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia. Its chef, Martin Benn is also recognised as Australia’s Top Chef. On this occasion, Australian Financial Review also asked the public to vote for their top Australian restaurant with an award called The People’s Award. The People’s Award winner for 2015 is Catalina Restaurant.

    All About Food have written a review for only eight of the top 100 restaurants:

    Quay at number 3, Mr Wong at number 9, Tetsuya’s at number 10, Rockpool at number 12, Bentley (at the old venue) at number 13, Ester at number 14, Est at number 25, and Marque at number 33.

    The number of top 100 restaurants by state:

    NSW 45
    VIC 37
    SA 5
    WA 5
    QLD 4
    TAS 3
    ACT 1

    They also have the more extensive top 500 restaurants in Australia if you are interested to know.

    The full list of 2015 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia by Financial Review

    1. Sepia, NSW
    2. Attica, VIC
    3. Quay, NSW
    4. Brae, Birregurra, VIC
    5. Cutler & Co, VIC
    6. Vue de Monde, VIC
    7. Cumulus Inc, VIC
    8. Sixpenny, NSW
    9. Mr Wong, NSW
    10. Tetsuya’s, NSW
    11. Flower Drum, VIC
    12. Rockpool, NSW
    13. Bentley Restaurant & Bar, NSW
    14. Ester, NSW
    15. MoVida, VIC
    16. Momofuku Seiobo, NSW
    17. Garagistes (closed April 2015), TAS
    18. The Town Mouse, VIC
    19. Cafe Paci, NSW
    20. Cafe Di Stasio, VIC
    21. 10 William St, NSW
    22. Saint Crispin, VIC
    23. Porteno, NSW
    24. Supernormal, VIC
    25. Est, NSW
    26. The Bridge Room, NSW
    27. Estelle, VIC
    28. Lee Ho Fook, VIC
    29. Rockpool Bar & Grill (Sydney), NSW
    30. Lake House, Daylesford, VIC
    31. Biota Dining, Bowral, NSW
    32. Billy Kwong, NSW
    33. Marque, NSW
    34. Franklin, TAS
    35. Fratelli Paradiso, NSW
    36. Esquire, QLD
    37. Golden Century, NSW
    38. Monopole, NSW
    39. Sean’s Panaroma, NSW
    40. France-Soir, VIC
    41. Chin Chin, VIC
    42. Rockpool Bar & Grill (Melbourne), VIC
    43. Coda, VIC
    44. Magill Estate Restaurant, SA
    45. Restaurant Amuse, WA
    46. Bar Lourinha, VIC
    47. Orana, SA
    48. The Apollo, NSW
    49. Lau’s Family Kitchen, VIC
    50. Ezard, VIC
    51. Pilu at Freshwater, NSW
    52. Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, NSW
    53. Wasabi Restaurant & Bar, QLD
    54. Pei Modern (Melbourne), VIC
    55. Yoshii, NSW
    56. Moon Park, NSW
    57. Fish Face, NSW
    58. Guillaume, NSW
    59. LuMi, NSW
    60. Africola, SA
    61. Spice Temple (Sydney), NSW
    62. Provenance, Beechworth, VIC
    63. Pendolino, NSW
    64. Cho Cho San, NSW
    65. Il Bacaro, VIC
    66. Hentley Farm, Seppeltsfield, SA
    67. Ormeggio at the Spit, NSW
    68. Nomad, NSW
    69. Tonka, VIC
    70. Grossi Florentino, VIC
    71. Urbane, QLD
    72. Oscillate Wildly, NSW
    73. Sokyo, NSW
    74. Gerard’s Bistro, QLD
    75. ARIA Restaurant, NSW
    76. Gingerboy, VIC
    77. Vasse Felix Restaurant, Cowaramup, WA
    78. Luxembourg, VIC
    79. Belle’s Hot Chicken, VIC
    80. The European, VIC
    81. Ms G’s, NSW
    82. Bodega, NSW
    83. Movida, NSW
    84. Moon Under Water, VIC
    85. Ethos Eat Drink, TAS
    86. Izakaya Den, VIC
    87. Print Hall Bar & Dining Room, WA
    88. ACME, NSW
    89. Spice Temple (Melbourne), VIC
    90. Longrain (Melbourne), VIC
    91. Epocha, VIC
    92. Peel St, SA
    93. El Publico, WA
    94. Ten Minutes By Tractor, Main Ridge, VIC
    95. Aubergine, ACT
    96. Longrain (Sydney), NSW
    97. 4Fourteen, NSW
    98. Buon Ricordo, NSW
    99. Da Noi, VIC
    100. Lalla Rookh, WA

    2015 Top 100 Restaurants in Australia by Financial Review

  • Balthazar

    Balthazar

    Review:

    You might be wondering why I put a picture of the bread and butter as the main picture that represents Balthazar Restaurant. It was because they were the most spectacular out of the whole night.

    The bread was presented in a heavy duty black pouch, which we first found quite strange. Upon taking the bread, we found a bed of hot stones to keep the bread warm. It was perfectly paired with the black garlic salt butter! It was up there in the list of best butter I’ve ever tasted.

    Wood fired bread, butter, black garlic salt - $3
    Wood fired bread, butter, black garlic salt – $3

    However, our supposedly main dinner night in Perth turned out to be a not-so-spectacular one. Granted they might fill in the checks for being a fine dining restaurant with their nice looking and well-presented dishes.

    Balthazar Restaurant | Balthazar Menu

    Entree

    My first choice of entree was its crab (fried soft shell crab and crab meat). The watermelon was featured prominently in the dish, but the crab meat was more of a side attraction. It was quite a confusing combination of sweet, salty, savoury, and spicy with a hint of crispy soft shell crab. I love each individual items (and that’s why I ordered it), but I think they were not meant for each other.

    Crab, watermelon, jalapeno, shallot, watercress - $23
    Crab, watermelon, jalapeno, shallot, watercress – $23

    My colleague told me that the Kangaroo fillet was okay with the mushroom ketchup (or sauce). He also added that the kangaroo would benefit more with a couple of authentic Australian herbs to match the taste.

    Kangaroo, peas, radish, mushroom ketchup - $22
    Kangaroo, peas, radish, mushroom ketchup – $22

    In-Betweens and Side Dish

    Between the entree and main course they gave us a Palate Cleanser. I guess it really did cleanse your palate as that small icy dish was very sour and quite bitter.

    I am also giving a special acknowledgement to the side dish that we ordered: Duck Fat potatoes with rosemary and garlic. They were so tasty and fragrant!

    Duck fat potatoes, rosemary, garlic - $12 - and Palate Cleanser
    Duck fat potatoes, rosemary, garlic – $12 – and Palate Cleanser

    Main Course

    The first main course, pork loin and ham hock, had the cool effect: they poured a purple substance into the dish shortly before serving. It also had mouth watering description: Pork loin, ham hock, crackle, mustard, cabbage, maple.

    Pork loin, ham hock, crackle, mustard, cabbage, maple - $42
    Pork loin, ham hock, crackle, mustard, cabbage, maple – $42

    However, once again it fell a bit short in the taste department.

    Pork loin, ham hock, crackle, mustard, cabbage, maple - $42

    Our other main course was duck. It was probably the nicest out of the four courses.

    Duck, carrot, lemon, bok choy, ginger - $46
    Duck, carrot, lemon, bok choy, ginger – $46

     

    Dessert

    I did not try the Goats Cheese Peach as I am not a big fan of peach.

    Goats Cheese Peach - $18
    Goats Cheese Peach – $18

    The Banana Mousse looked like a big scary yellow thing in the middle of pretty edible decorations. It was probably one of the biggest desserts ever served in a fine dining restaurant.

    Banana Mousse - $18
    Banana Mousse – $18

    It is amazing how the cheaper ones constantly outperformed the main dishes in Balthazar restaurant. Our other desserts (the exploding jelly pop and the caramel) were only costing us $4 a piece!

    Caramel and Jelly Pop - $4 each
    Caramel and Jelly Pop – $4 each

     

     

    The final verdict for Balthazar Restaurant

    When the best dishes of the night were the bread and side dish in a fine dining restaurant, I say it merits a call for concerns for Balthazar restaurant. Service was also quite sub-par.

    Did you know?

    Balthazar restaurant might have quite the reputation of being one of the best restaurants in Perth back in the days. However, they seemed to have fallen off a few spots from the AGFG list.

    Rating for Balthazar Restaurant:


    6.5 / 10

     

    Taste: 7.0 / 10

    Price: $30 – $47 per main dish

    Place: 7.0 / 10

     

    Details:

    6 The Esplanade, Perth 6000

    +61 8 9421 1206

    http://balthazar.com.au/

    Balthazar on Urbanspoon

  • Nine Fine Food

    Nine Fine Food

    Review:

    One evening, I was walking around with a couple of friends in Northbridge in Perth. We couldn’t decide where to eat and had to ask for advice from our faithful friend, Urbanspoon. We decided to dine in Nine Fine Food, because 90% out of 1,200 patrons liked it!

    Our first impression was the restaurant was quite pricey for a casual dining. Little did we know that they were ranked in the top 20 in the Australian Good Food & Travel Guide list. Since I was only in Perth for a short period, we decided to have their most comprehensive menu: Chef’s Selected 5 Course Tasting Menu.

    Chef’s Selected 5 Course Tasting Menu from Nine Fine Food

    Everyone has the same dish for the first two courses and a choice of two dishes for the last three courses.

    1st Course

    Spicy Tuna Sashimi – Spicy Miso Marinated Fresh Sashimi Tuna, Mixed Beans, Herbed Salad

    Spicy Tuna Sashimi – Spicy Miso Marinated Fresh Sashimi Tuna, Mixed Beans, Herbed Salad

    The first course was quite a simple Tuna sashimi that had quite a bit of punch in the miso sauce.

    I was just unsure about the red hair-strand lookalike at the top that’s actually quite hard to chew.

    2nd Course

    Kinoco Caviar Pasta – Angel Hair Pasta, Mushrooms, Tobico Caviar, Onion, Creamy Rice Wine Sauce

    Kinoco Caviar Pasta – Angel Hair Pasta, Mushrooms, Tobico Caviar, Onion, Creamy Rice Wine Sauce (Additional Soft Shell Crab 6.5 each)

    The Kinoco Caviar pasta was quite a unique dish. It was presented in a small cup with a cracker. The top bit was covered with colourful tobiko (fish roe). The pasta was, expectedly, al dente. This was the dish that I loved the most for the night. It was pleasing to see and fun to eat!

    3rd Course

    Salmon & Scallop – Roasted Salmon, Grilled Scallop, Yuzu Mascarpone, Orange Miso

    Salmon & Scallop – Roasted Salmon, Grilled Scallop, Yuzu Mascarpone, Orange Miso

    This course was by far the messiest of them all. The sauce (possibly the yuzu mascarpone) was everywhere. The fish itself was beautifully cooked with the occasional burst of flavour from the salmon roe (ikura). I’m not quite sure why the tiny grilled scallop was even included there.

    Pork Belly – Roasted Pork Belly, Tempura Bacon, Apple Mango Sauce!

    None of us picked the pork belly on that day. However, the dish looked to have quite the perfect combination in the description.

    4th Course

    Barramundi – Steamed Saltwater Barramundi, Herbed Salad, Plum and Chilli Miso

    Barramundi – Steamed Saltwater Barramundi, Herbed Salad, Plum and Chilli Miso

    I chose the dish to be the cover because it looked the prettiest. I had a small bite of the barramundi and it was also cooked perfectly.

    Lamb Duo – Braised Lamb Shoulder, Grilled Back Strap Fillet, Mash Potato, Balsamic Soy

    Lamb Duo – Braised Lamb Shoulder, Grilled Back Strap Fillet, Mash Potato, Balsamic Soy

    The lamb looked quite dry in the picture but it didn’t really do justice. The grilled lamb was cooked nicely and complemented by the mashed potato. The braised lamb was more of a melt-in-your-mouth experience.

    5th Course

    Tiramisu – Creamy Tiramisu, Bitter Espresso

    Unfortunately none of us picked the Tiramisu either, so I could not comment on it.

    Mattcha Brulee – Green Tea Custard Brulee

    Mattcha Brulee – Green Tea Custard Brulee

    I love Creme Brulee and I will never miss a chance to order creme brulee when available. This green tea-flavoured brulee  was enjoyable and had the right amount of green tea.

    The final verdict for Nine Fine Food

    We were very pleased with the service and quality of food delivered by Nine Fine Food!

    Did you know?

    The restaurant is actually located on the outskirt of Northbridge. Northbridge is well-known as the main nightlife district of Perth and has quite a vast array of cuisines.

    Rating for:


    8.0 / 10

     

    Taste: 8.0 / 10

    Price: $77 per person

    Place: 9.0 / 10

     

    Details:

    227 Bulwer St, HighGate WA 6003

    08 9227 9999

    http://www.ninefinefood.com.au

    Nine Fine Food on Urbanspoon