Gnocchi

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Noir – Richmond – 24 January 2019 – Lunch

Parmesan gnocchi, green vegetables, black truffle and hazelnut pesto

Noir is a restaurant that I have been to occasionally, and have always had a good experience. Knowing that, and noticing the lunch specials on my regular walks along Swan Street in Richmond, I was intrigued. How can a restaurant of this calibre charge so little for lunch?

The express lunch includes dishes for around $18 to $20, and there is an option to add some starters and petit fours, plus a glass of wine for $40! Catherine and I had to eventually try it and we are glad we did. After three nice shared entrees of oysters with lemony champagne granita, gruyere cheese beignets, and puffs filled with pate, we were on to our main.

Gruyere cheese beignets, spinach and black olive; oysters with champagne granita; chicken liver pate profiteroles

Catherine chose the parmesan gnocchi with green vegetables and a black truffle and hazelnut pesto. The gnocchi has a firm but giving texture, combining beautifully with the peas, broadbeans and zucchini; moistened with the black truffle infused sauce. My fish and chips was great too. Homemade tartare with a good lift from extra capers, and nicely cooked snapper, made for an enjoyable lunch.

Port Phillip Bay snapper fish and chips, tartare sauce

Both the Chapoutier grenache blanc, and the Bella Ridge chenin blanc, were wines I hadn’t seen on other restaurant lists, but would happily order again. The chenin blanc from the Swan Valley in particular was surprisingly well made, and I can see why it appears on the list.

Chocolate gateau, creme brûlée tart, cream puffs

The petit fours provided as a light dessert, consisted of a chocolate ganache cake, creme brulee tart, and cream puff with white chocolate. Whilst it was some confusion with the service that led us to the three course option, given the good value and our satisfied appetites, it was a good option. We are assuming that our waitperson misinterpreted our clear instructions, but we do have some doubts so best to be even clearer!

Noir has only ever impressed me. It is almost unassuming; in a location near the corner of Swan and Church that is better known for the local pubs and cheaper eats. What has kept it open and successful for several years in this competitive environment is Noir’s consistent high quality.

Noir Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Shadow Wine Bar – Northbridge – Tuesday 23 October 2018 – Dinner

Yes! We have found a restaurant with waitstaff that can keep up with the humour and wit of my Mum! The restaurant manager mentions “Jesse will be with you shortly” and the first thing Jesse hears is something to do with the song “Jesse’s girl” care of Mum, followed up with my lack of singing ability when trying to explain what she is talking about. In the first few moments we know we have the right place.

Mum is in her element when we add terrific guidance on the geographical and varietal diversity of the wine list, some natural oysters from Smoky Bay in South Australia (that are perfect), and a fun family catch up along with Catherine and my Aunty Sher. As usual we are deep in conversation for the entire meal, but occasionally that conversation is broken by a comprehensive enjoyment of the food and wine.

Roasted beetroot

Shadow Wine Bar has now “been around”, especially for a restaurant and bar in the Perth market that can be as trendy, as it is fickle, and often unapologetically challenging to remain relevant. I had been here for a drink, but never for dinner, but it did remain on my list. Maybe such a delay in dining here meant I had lesser expectations? Those expectations don’t matter, because even if they were loftier, they would have been exceeded tonight.

Meatball

On top of those perfect oysters, across the table we tried the cheese puff, and the meatball, plus the roasted beetroot with barley. They were all good to great. The beetroot was soft and sweet from the roasting, but the barley added strong texture, and the yoghurt was just right to add some creaminess.

Spaghettini with crab

For mains, Sher and I both chose the spaghettini with crab, capers, lemon, and a light dose of chilli. The surprise was homemade spaghettini which is difficult to achieve with the right firmness, but this pasta was excellent without being absolutely perfect. The sauce made good use of all the ingredients in balanced proportions, though you can never have too much crab.

Gnocchi with tomato and eggplant

Catherine loved her gnocchi with a tomato and eggplant sauce. I tried it and thought it to be the equal of my pasta. Mum’s agnolotti lived up to her expectations too.

For dessert we shared the tiramisu and the pear tarte tatin. The latter was the better dessert by far. While the tiramisu was nice enough, it was more cake-y than usual, and missed the high notes. The pear tarte tatin was strongly executed, with crisp pastry.

Pear tarte tatin

Shadow Wine Bar impressed on all levels. While it is equally adept for a casual wine catch up, the dining version is now my favoured scenario. And Mum will definitely be back for some more oysters!

Shadow Wine Bar Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato