Sheila Magazine

sheila I food news There's plenty of action on the Perth food front NOBU J From the available selection, we decided to try both the wagyu and salmon varieties. ust when I was seriously planning a way to get myself to Sydney to get a fix of the divine Japanese food at Surry Hill's Toko, I managed to snare a table, much closer to home, at Burswood's Nobu. I had read and heard mixed reports and of course I had seen the pictures of Perth's social set kicking up their heals with Robert De Niro at the restaurant's official launch party. I had been calling for weeks trying to get a booking and had just about given up when finally my luck changed and I was offered a sitting at 6.30pm on the proviso that my date and I were out by 8.30pm. When we arrived our very attentive and professional waitress explained the lay of the land – Nobu was a family style restaurant, she said and as such diners are encouraged to share dishes. Two boutique cocktails got the night off to a fantastic start. One, a Japanese style martini was delicate and dry, the other based on plum wine and a Japanese white spirit was piquant and intriguing. First to hit our table was a bowl of warm, salted edamame. It was quickly followed by a daily special of crispy rice cubes served with a dipping sauce and a salsa of chopped salmon. Both were amazingly good and not really anything like I expected. The crispy taco shell was robust enough to provide crunch and hold the filling but not so hard that it was tricky to bite into. Both fillings were amazing and by now I had high expectations for the the rest of the dishes we ordered. A tray of pork gyoza did not disappoint. The minced pork filling was so soft and tender, working back perfectly with the slightly chewy, creamy gyoza skin. CREAMY DELIGHTS Next came salt and pepper squid, elegantly presented, beautifully seasoned and cooked to perfection but there were no surprises there and after experiencing so many other taste sensations already, I was kind of hoping there would be a twist. interlude before our last dish of pork belly. A I could barely believe the textures and flavours in this beautiful moreish dish and quickly began counting the rice cubes to make sure there was an equal portion – I didn't want to be fighting over the last one. Next we were treated to one of the restaurant's signature dishes and one of those that obviously feature the South American influence, tacos. sizzling dish of toban tofu was again delightful to look at, tasty and a great light The texture of the belly was exactly as it should be. Lightly crispy on the top, with layers of gelatinous melt in the mouth meat below. Its caramel sauce just adding to the overall experience. Obviously, by this time we were too stuffed for dessert but I was frightened of missing out on something amazing, so we ordered a pannacotta to share. It was served, not unlike a trifle, with layers of pannacotta, jelly and what appeared to be granita. It was beautiful but probably not that necessary. THE VERDICT: Take me again, it's cheaper than flying to Sydney! Mundijong based dairy company, Mundella Foods, has been honoured with a national award for their Premium Natural Yoghurt. A judging panel chose the winners who will now get to display the prestigious Australian Grand Dairy Award medal on the winning products for the next three years. Mundella's David Day says he and the whole Mundella team are very proud of the award. "Ongoing industry recognition goes a long way to inspire us to continue to provide high quality premium dairy products that our customers expect," he says. Mundella was established in 1974 by local dairy farmers Peter and anne Hector who found they had a surplus of milk and decided to create a small soft cheese factory to supply local shops. Mundella later upgraded and extended their operations to include yoghurts, drinking yoghurts and gourmet cheeses which are now available throughout WA. www.mundellafoods.com.au SHEILA MAY 2012 95

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