Matilda Bay Restaurant

I sat in the dark - feeling vulnerable, plagued by curiousity, unaware of the destination I was being taken to on this chilly, blistering cold Winter night.

As we turn the corner, getting closer, and closer...I was at my wits' end. I couldn't handle this feeling of the unknown.

"So where ARE we going for dinner?!"

I was in the passenger seat of the car, anticipating this birthday dinner of mine that had been delayed a fortnight. Andy kept it a secret from me to retain an element of surprise that had me sulking for an entire week about not knowing what to expect.
I did know however, I was in for a treat. Especially when we pulled up in front of the Matilda Bay Restaurant :)

You can see the blue wall from afar, but we ended up in the wrong carpark. After a few confusing turns, we ended up in the same carpark again.
Activate your night vision for the poorly lit surroundings.

The invitation to a grand evening

Pushing open the doors, the entrance is warm, classy and very grand. We walk past paintings down a short hallway before being warmly greeted by the host, who show us to our table and seat us promptly. It's a busy night tonight, and the restaurant is already operating at full capacity.

We stick our noses into the menu like its the first time we've seen it, despite studying it for 20 minutes in the car just outside the restaurant. Matilda Bay Restaurant offers a seasonal a la carte menu or a 3-course set menu priced at $95 per person, where the latter offers a more limited variety of dishes.

Espresso Martini - $18
42 Below vodka and Kahlua shaken with an espresso shot and butterscotch schnapps

We weren't planning to have any drinks that night, but the anticipated long wait for food resulted in a quick change of plans. The drinks menu is extensive and full of temptations and we're instantly drawn to the section labeled "Dessert in a glass" (after moving on from 3 different choices - not so instant).

After breaking lose from the calling of the words chocolate vodka, we settled with an Espresso Martini. It arrives promptly and the alcohol is surprisingly strong and bitter that while sharing the martini, Andy asks if I can hop into the driver's seat for the drive home as he feels a wee bit woozy. I raised my eyebrows at him, seriously man?

Quail - $28
Partly boned, Pedro Ximenez marinated and chargrilled, Pear Chutney, Frisee and Crisp Bacon

For our all important starting course, we share the Quail. Not very fleshy but roasted to perfection, the quail and every ingredient on this dish were absolutely perfect matches. Pedro Ximénez is a certain grape variety grown in Spain, which gives the dish an overall sweet flavour.

With a slight (ever so slight!) bitterness from the frisee, the pear chutney adds a dimension of sweetness; its soft, slightly pulpy texture offset by croutons of salty bacon crisps. Its a good start to the night as we both - just me really - clean the plate until it gleams.

I was afraid the staff would collect the plate before I finished the last drop of chutney, so I left a piece of bacon in clear view just to indicate that no, I have not finished scraping the plate just yet :P

Black Angus Dry Aged Fillet 300g - $55

After what felt like a considerable wait time between entree and main course, Andy's beef fillet comes nicely presented on a wooden board, garnished with a slice of grilled lemon. It looks thick, juicy and plump with minimal garnishes, with a pouring jug of red wine jus on the side that is served with all steaks.

Anticipation, anticipation everywhere!

Why so gorgeous for?

Upon cutting into the meat, we see that it has been cooked to our request of medium rare right down to the second. It is perfectly seared on the outside, encrusted with specks of pepper and retained its own juiciness in the flesh, which is still a lovely pink colour. It is a hefty piece of steak consistently cooked throughout, giving full justice to the renowned connotation between Angus cattle and their superior eating quality.

Pink Snapper - $45
Pink Snapper fillet served with Spiced Avocado and Cucumber Puree, Fattoush Salad

Personally I have always associated Matilda Bay Restaurant with seafood, and I couldn't go past their fish options on the menu. My cousin had previously raved about a really good salmon they do, but as this wasn't on the menu I went with their pink snapper.

I'm still really ravenous at this point and look at my dish with sadness, because to my hunger-fuelled brain the portion looks just a tad small. I squeeze the juice from the lime and cut through the fish, which appears to be soft and fleshy. I found it to be a little overcooked, resulting in mouthfuls which were a little dry and lacking flavours I hoped for.

Fattoush Salad - reminds me of Summer!

The component which really outshone the seafood for me however, was the fattoush salad - simple, humble but packed full of flavour. As a popular salad in Levantine cuisine, fattoush salad is a mouthful of crunchy textures from fresh raw vegetables such as cucumber, red onion, capsicum and mint.

This is a new taste for me, which meant I had to consult Dr. Google to find out what the unbelievably crispy pieces of what looked like thickly cut potato chips were in the salad. The answer to my ignorance was fried flatbread! I'm also a loyal fan of the avocado, so the refreshing spiced avocado and cucumber puree nestled under the salad was a big hit with me.

Crème brûlée - $18

Meal swap is a common occurrence at dinner time and by the time we finished playing musical plates, they were promptly whisked away and replaced with dessert menus. I have a habit of consulting staff members on their food expertise and asked for suggestions from our waitress when we couldn't decide between the equally decadent sounding caramelised tart and crème brûlée.

With limited persuasion from our friendly waitress, we left behind the caramelised banana, banana jam and crème fraiche in sweet vanilla pastry crust option in pursuit of their rich (and more generously sized) crème brûlée. Dessert doesn't come cheaply, and we went with the one which gave us more spoonfuls between the two of us haha!

I have a real weak spot for crème brûlée and it came out looking stunning - if this was a person, it would be downright HOT! When I could bring myself to destroy the golden ceiling, the audible cracking sound was loud and gave way, revealing the beautifully creamy substance underneath.

Every mouthful was smooth and velvety, and you could see the specks of vanilla scattered throughout which really gave it a rich flavour. The thin pistachio and almond biscotti had a nice crunch to it, but was really no substitute for that amazingly crisp canopy on the brûlée (which I practically DEVOURED. ASAP. Myself.)

The waitress dropped by afterwards, collected our very empty dessert bowl and asked very sympathetically, "So...did you want to order a second dessert?" Haha, so very understanding of them!

Given its pristine location right on the waters, Matilda Bay Restaurant is a splurge, but a good splurge for special events, occasions and people. Unsurprisingly, the dimly lit atmosphere is a winner with couples but I can also imagine the beauty of the restaurant in the day when its ceiling-to-floor glass panes allows all the sunshine and natural light to flood in.

I really enjoyed the hospitality from the staff on the night, and felt well looked after by each of the waitresses that served us from beginning to end. Each person we encountered was friendly, polite and willing to chat, which earned big, big ticks in the area of service. Its just a nice feeling to feel that the price tag attached to your meal includes pleasant service, when most of the time it unfortunately does not.

Matilda Bay Restaurant is one of those venues which can be considered extravagant, whilst also having that laid back, casual vibe about it. It is very easy to picture a business lunch occurring in the restaurant and signing a million dollar contract, just as much as one would imagine it to take place on one of the many posh, luxurious boats docked outside, just on the other side of the restaurant's windows.

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Matilda Bay Restaurant
Lunch & Dinner: 7 days, 11am - late
Closed on Sunday evenings during Winter months

(08) 9423 5000
3 Hackett Drive, Crawley WA 6009

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Fuku Omakase & Teppanyaki

One of the best things about being friends with a food blogger is the off-chance that you will be The Chosen One as their guest to attend an exclusive Bloggers' Dinner, that they have handpicked from a large lottery of friends. So when the day came that Whitney casually asked me to be her +1 at Fuku, I knew I had one of the bestest, most awesome and kindest friends I could ask for.

Ever since reading the flood of blog posts that circulated the foodie scene when Fuku first opened, I've been dying for a visit. Since the price tag is a bit too extravagant for poor old me, this has always been just a dream. So as the invitation came around my birthday, all I managed was a dumbfounded Oh my god, YES! before working up the courage to cold-heartedly decline Andy, who'd booked a restaurant for us the same night. Oh the guilt!

Ignorant me didn't realise that all guests needed to be present before the dinner show started. Being late already made me red-faced, but realising that all the faces here were the ones behind all the food blogs I religiously follow made me beetroot-faced! I became a little fangirl - in between the shrieking, I was humbled and very much starstruck to meet the celebrities of my life.

The biggest sake collection in Western Australia

Decorating an entire wall from ceiling to floor is the largest congregation of saké bottles I have witnessed to date. Fuku is home to the biggest range of premium saké on display, an impressive sight that makes my eyes light up just like the onion rings that are set alight later on during dinner.

For saké enthusiasts, the best approach to take is probably to utilise the services of a designated driver for the drive home and experience a saké degustation alongside dinner. Each course is paired with a saké that has been specifically chosen to match, and is a brilliant way to sample the huge variety on offer. 8 courses does mean 8 cups of alcohol, to which my neighbour admitted defeat and ended up offering me his last cup.

Braised Pork with Pickled Wasabi and Balsamic Reduction

I'm a bit of a pain and am one of those diners that chefs need to accommodate for. As I did not have the chance to notify the restaurant of my fatty food intolerance prior to coming, Fuku is to be highly commended for being able to address my food intolerances at the very last minute.

As a substitute for the dish that the rest of the diners were served, the chefs prepared a simple but lovely starter of braised pork. I especially liked the mild heat of the pickled wasabi, which added a nice crunchy texture to each mouthful. We enjoyed the tenderness of the pork, and both Whitney and I agreed that the taste was reminiscent of char siu - a meat with sweeter flavours than most and otherwise known as BBQ pork.

Kawa Ebi and Sundried Crispy Nori Sheet

Whilst I was enjoying my personal dish, the rest of the diners tucked into a box loaded high with deep fried river prawns and pieces of crisp seaweed sheets. Although I did not try any (boo...), the shrimp looked gorgeously crisp and seemed like the perfect little things to whet the appetite.

I did sneak in some of the seaweed sheets though, which had a good crunch just as their appearance suggested. Their looks and texture reminded me of black sesame candy, a big favourite of mine. Being salted and crisp, they are a great alternative to potato chips. Now, if only they sold these in the supermarket aisles...

Lined up and (almost) ready to go!

This was a highly common sight throughout the night - uniformly lined up and finetuned plates, where chefs added the intricate finishing touches and made sure each oyster was leaning at a precise angle before serving to diners. The amount of attention to detail is astounding but a very delicate touch that reflects the professionalism, dedication and pride that the team at Fuku put into their work.

Small Morsels (anti-clockwise from top) - Tempura Oyster with Ginger Salsa, Tempura Soba, Red Emperor served with Octopus Salad and Smoked Wagyu

Entitled otsumami, the next course features bite-sized portions of seafood and beef that have been meticulously laid out and presented in an attractive fashion. From what I have read and heard, the tempura oyster was divine and heaven in food form. I could sing praises all day about the spiced sesame dressing that I wiped clean with the zucchini and wagyu, which had a delicate smoked flavour and went so perfectly with the strong flavoured dressing.

Citrus Poached Scampi (hidden beneath the tempura tree)

I was struck with foodie luck tonight and enjoyed a delicious and well-sized portion of scampi, whilst the only thing Whitney was struck with was food envy. Unfortunately this is not on the normal menu, and was served as a substitute for the tempura oyster. It was perfectly cooked as one would expect, and truly trumped all the other components on the dish in my humble and honest opinion.

Drawing much attention, fascination and the popular question of the night "Can we eat this?" was the beautiful bouquet of soba noodles, with tempura blossoms hugging each branch. Looking more ornament-like than edible, the bunched up crunchy noodles are such a clever creation and adds much aesthetic appeal to the dish.

Sashimi - Tasmanian Salmon, Fermented Fremantle Tuna, Exmouth Prawn and Pink Snapper with Japanese Pickle

I was delighted to learn that sashimi was on the menu tonight, despite it being a ubiquitous aspect of Japanese cuisine. I absolutely adore sashimi and have to admit I was slightly underwhelmed with what I tasted. Fresh no doubt, but there was just something lacking in the texture that I couldn't pinpoint.

Now before I sound like an ungrateful little brat or even worse, a wannabe food critic, I have to emphasise I still thoroughly enjoyed everything on the plate. The pickle wrapped Pink Snapper was something new, as was the raw prawn - juicy with a subtle sweetness, and absolutely no hints of fishiness whatsoever.

One of the many bottles opened that night

Happening concurrently to the serving of courses was the generous flow of sake for all the diners, which I'm sure would have been much more appreciated had most of us not driven ourselves to dinner. Service was fantastic with detailed description of sake names, their origins and tastes while glasses were kept topped up without having to ask them to be - absolutely no hand raising was required.

Just so you know, this scene was for modelled purposes only and that bottle of sake is actually unopened :P

Fuku brought out their toy for the guests to admire, which resulted in a lot of ooohs, ahhhs and camera flashes. Allowed to look but not touch, all of us piled around and learnt of this device which was capable of chilling sake, to a temperature that top-grade sake varieties are recommended to be enjoyed at.

Lychee Mocktail

I regretted my decision to turn down drinks at the beginning of dinner as I was only a guest and did not want to go all out and exploit what was already a free dinner. A lychee mocktail was suggested to Whitney upon declining further refills of sake, served in a tall glass that we joked had a part time job being a flower vase.

I loved the tropical island holiday feeling of this mocktail, which was light and refreshing to drink. All the diners were kept well hydrated throughout dinner, being saturated with an assortment of beverages including sake, cocktails, sparkling water and brown rice green tea.

Scallop, Prawn and Crispy Prawn Head

The next course is simplistic with no fuss, but so wonderfully prepared that I think this was my favourite (amongst others haha) dish of the night. It was here where the teppanyaki action truly began, and the hot plate turned on for the rest of the courses to come. The atmosphere immediately enlivened when both chefs began to animate their teppan skills whilst preparing this dish.

The speed and accuracy with which the chefs deshelled and decapitated the prawns was astounding, which would have any home cook jealous with the time that could be saved trying to deshell each prawn - a painstakingly long process. The result was a delectable Tiger prawn, firm but springy to the bite. Accompanying this was a plump and perfectly seared scallop - smooth, juicy and full of its own natural sweetness.

As I am arachnophobic, it was slightly unpleasant to see the tangle of "legs" on the prawn head. Once I got over my silly thoughts and shrugged off my shivers, chomping down on the unbelievably crisp shell was a delicious moment. As all the components were grilled in sea urchin butter, the seafood was left with a glossy magazine sheen on the surface, that seeped right through the flesh to impart its rich flavour and scent.

Free range Quail, Buckwheat Crepe, Beetroot Relish and Szechuan Pepper Sauce

We are told that this course involves quail, served in buckwheat crepes that had been handmade by the chefs. The quail being used is organic, and belongs to the biggest species of quails available. Although being handmade is a nice touch, I did think the crepes were a bit bland and undermined the ability for the quail to show its true colours.

The quail meat was deboned and still warm from the hotplate it was grilled on. The beetroot relish accompaniment was the underdog of this dish, but was the thing that actually won my heart. That is a massive statement from me, as I am very anti-beetroot and usually despise its deep, earthy taste.

Giving the diners some action on the hotplate

Ready, Aim, Fire!

These pictures depict the process of preparing the next course, which was the Fish of the Day. On this night, swordfish was fish of the night, which looked like little pork steaks grilling on the barbie with string beans.

There were many steps involved; from the initial cooking of the fish, the transfer onto pre-prepared plates and the arrangement of components on the plates before whipping out the blow torch for the final finishing off touches to further sear the swordfish (and the long leaf it was presented on) before serving.

Pyromaniac at work (It took me a good several attempts on the burst mode setting of the camera to capture that flame!)

Fish of the Day: Swordfish, Lotus Root, Eggplant and Yuzu Miso Sauce

Starting to feel a little stuffed at this point but wanting to fit in as much as possible, I was still eager to try this next course that had been grilled, arranged, blowtorched and beautified to perfection. I am accustomed to flaky, soft and moist fish so the thickness and firmness of the swordfish was not a massive hit with me. It did however, have a lovely citrusy flavour from the yuzu miso sauce.

I am a massive eggplant fan and initially thought we were being served mushrooms. Pardon my ignorance. I love the way it is showcased on this dish, bringing out its simplicity and proving vegetables need not be Plain Jane. Hiding beneath the fish is a single lotus root, which I wish wish wished was a quadruple, quintuple, or even a sextuple serving.

You are my fire, the one desire...

This is an act I've seen chefs display at all the teppanyaki restaurants I've visited, and it's one I never get tired of. In addition to that split second of excitement, dining at a teppanyaki restaurant is all about that direct and close proximity to where all the action is at.
Watch your eyebrows.

Precise, undisturbed concentration. Something I fail at.

Wagyu (Full Blood) Sirloin Steak, Onion Rings and Spicy Miso Sauce

Devoting all my tummy to this penultimate course, I could eat a few more rounds of this heavenly wagyu despite feeling full just a minute ago. The chefs explain this is top grade wagyu we're getting, and has exceptional marbling throughout the meat, giving it that fatty, smooth, truly melt-on-your-tongue effect.

It was most amusing, when asking for cooking preferences for beef, that the chef eventually managed to convince the rare/medium rare beef eaters to change their decision to medium. This consensus was reached when we were educated about the wagyu, and that its prime state was in fact medium. I do think the onions could have been grilled and caramelised for much longer, but that crispy garlic...should definitely be packaged into plastic bags and sold as chips. Deeeeelish!

Fried Rice with Wagyu flavour

I'm an absolute sucker for rice and I don't think this extravagant 8 course meal would have felt complete without this staple food. The combination of beef mince, eggs and about a small truckload's worth of butter was a beautiful marriage of flavours, yet too much of a guilty pleasure that I had to give up most of my portion to dear Whitney, who polished the bowl out. Easily.

Yuzu Cheesecake, Chocolate Drink, Mountain Peach and Wasabi Cream

Yuzu made several prominent appearances on the menu, and featured in the grand finale dessert to end the night. A small cauldron of chocolate bubbled away to be poured into cups for us to sip (believe me, you will NOT be able to down it like a shot if you tried) whilst we dig away at the cheesecake. It was very rich but had a nice tart flavour to balance out the heavy sweetness of the drink, which actually had a delightful velvety sensation.

As the cheesecake had more of a crumbly texture than I preferred, the sweet and sour balance was well thought out. Whilst this was the final course, I do think that the true finale was the steaming hot refills of green tea - which to me, was the best thing at that point in time when I wished I wore looser pants to dinner.

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Fuku is the perfect destination for those special occasion type dinners, when the ambiance, food and service is prioritised over everything else. It ticks all the boxes, and the extensive knowledge on display by all the staff is incredible. Impeccable service tied with a classy yet comfortable environment makes it an enjoyable experience all round, which continues inside the restrooms, with multifunction toilets and touch-screen light up mirrors!

Needless to say, the food is enticing and top quality. It is exquisite and carries a premium price; starting at $100 to $220 per person for their Good, Better and Best teppanyaki menus and $75 for a Make Your Own version. It won't seem like a lot, but you might just roll out the door by the end of the night.

With this comes talented chefs who know how to put on a good show, who showcase their knife handling, utensil spinning and pepper shaker throwing skills. Essentially, a $100+ ticket not only gives you front row entertainment at a theatrical dining experience, but also a really good answer for the next time someone asks you, "So where's a good place to eat?"

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0403 470 964

Dinner: Tuesday - Saturday

Walk ins or online reservation (deposit required)

http://www.restaurant-fuku.com/

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