On Monday 24 May, I attended the first Largesse Dining event with Jac, my sister Juji and her boyfriend Jay, held at Restaurant Amusé in East Perth.
I was very excited when I first heard about this. The concept behind Largesse is simple: six mates, who happen to be six of the best chefs in Western Australia, get together to create a six-course degustation dinner that showcases their talents as well as the fantastic produce and great wine from our state. And even better, all profits from the dinner go towards Foodbank, a local charity. The six friends plan to hold a series of these dinners – I presume there will be six dinners, each one hosted at each of the chef’s restaurants in turn. Great idea, right?
And so, on that chilly Monday evening we were welcomed at the “soup station” set up by the front door, where two different drinks were ladled into cups – a choice of vodka and cranberry or gin and orange. The boozy punches, complete with fresh fruity floating bits, helped warmed the chest and belly as we waited to enter the restaurant.
As soon as the doors opened, we were warmly greeted and seated quickly on group tables. Ours was the long table in the centre of the room. As it turned out (and I don’t think it was mere coincidence :P) the food bloggers/media were at the same table – Conor from Hold The Beef, Matt from Abstract Gourmet, Jennifer Susanto-Lee and Max Veenhuyzen, who was also MC for the evening. It was especially lovely to meet Conor and Matt after all this time.
It’s so very exciting to sit at a dinner table looking down at your five knives and five forks all shiny and lined up neatly (aha – yes, it was a six-course dinner; dessert cutlery was placed on tables after the fifth course). I presume the wine lovers were even more excited to see the collection of five wine glasses. Forks and glasses and eyes gleamed, tummy growled in anticipation. Tummy didn’t have to wait long!
I do apologise for the lack of canape photos and the overall quality of the photos in this post – the lighting conditions proved very challenging for my point-and-shoot camera.
You had me at “crispy skin”
The waiters swooped in bearing platters of canapes.
As soon as I saw that first round of canapes, I knew I would love my Largesse Dining experience: a choice of chicken skin or snapper skin, served as crispy crackers.
In my head there was much excited squealing: “Oh my god yes! SKIN!”
To the waiter I said politely, “Why yes, I would love a piece of chicken skin. Thank you very much.”
The flavours were very potato crisp-style: chicken skin with vinegar, snapper skin with sour cream.
The next round of delectable morsels included the King of Skin: pork cracklings, topped with green mole. They were puffed up crunchy chunky curls that crackled (yes!) tantalisingly when you sank your teeth into them. When another waiter visited with more crackling I could not resist taking another. And then another. I hope no one else was counting!
“I can’t stop eating crackling!” I moaned. “Don’t worry,” Juji assured me wickedly, “Look how puffed up it is! It’s practically all air!” Suuuuuuuuure, Juji!
Other canapes included duck liver parfait served on perfectly round mini brown toast; white anchovy topped hazelnut praline served on little forks; and goats cheese topped with basil and baby swiss chard on thin crisp bread.
There was an abundance of canapes and it would’ve been the easiest, most natural thing in the world to keep eating them. I found it especially difficult to say no to the crispy skin and crackling. But I didn’t want to end up too full of canapes to enjoy my six-course dinner, and with super-human restraint, I resisted further offers of canapes. Have you ever been to a cocktail function where the spot you’ve chosen to stand is apparently invisible to the waiters with the food? And you end up desperately hungry and practically stalking those waiters just so you can have something to eat? This was the complete wonderful opposite – the canapes were plentiful, the waiters attentive, constantly returning to offer more.
Canapes finished, it was time to focus on the main event and my five knives and five forks We each had a crusty bread roll to eat, with dishes of olive oil placed strategically along the table for dipping. I love breaking a fresh crusty bread roll apart with my fingers, don’t you? I definitely did not want to use up valuable tummy space on bread, so I didn’t eat it all.
I’m not a wine drinker (not a drinker at all, in fact), so I won’t comment on the wines other than say that my dining companions enjoyed them very much. Juji was impressed by how well the wines matched the food.
Goats cheese, bunya nut, tortilla by Kiren Mainwaring, Dear Friends
I really wasn’t sure what to expect of the first course – I’d never eaten bunya nut (a bush food native to Queensland), and the inclusion of “tortilla” sounded kind of random. But I was surprised by this dish, and really enjoyed it. In a mini tortilla basket there was two pieces of bunya nut, shredded lettuce and tomato, all topped with goats cheese. The flavour was Mexican-style, and very tasty. The bunya nut reminded me of water chestnut, although not as crisp – I liked it. We were told later by MC Max that chef Kiren Mainwaring makes his own goats cheese from local fresh goat milk.
Snow crab, scampi, scallop by Todd Stuart, Bouchard
This dish was presented in two parts: fresh scampi and scallop wrapped in a strip of leek, then steamed and topped with microherbs; and a mound of crab meat mixed with ribbons of finely sliced cabbage, all tossed in fresh herbs, topped with a crispy little pastry cigar. As I took the photo, a foamy sauce trickled out of the pastry – it had a light citrus flavour. The seafood was all perfectly, delicately, just cooked and tasted beautifully fresh.
Porcini and spinach rotolo by Jason Jujnovich, Divido
As soon as this dish was placed before me I sank into a heavenly golden place that smelled of warm brown butter and parmesan cheese. I declared to Jac: “From today, all our butter shall be brown!” I loved everything about this dish – the layers of silky pasta rolled with soft spinach, cheese and porcini mushrooms. It was like a buttery pasta swiss roll. I loved that the mushrooms weren’t too finely chopped – you could still give them a good chew and really enjoy their taste and texture. And there was more crackling – the wonderful crackling of the crispy fried sage leaves under my teeth. I declared to Jac: “And from today, all our sage shall be fried!” This dish is on the menu at Divido; I’d love to dine there sometime. This was probably my favourite dish of the evening. I’ve been thinking fondly of that brown buttery golden pasta ever since this meal.
Salmon, rabbit, beetroot by Stephen Clarke, Clarke’s of North Beach
The salmon, rabbit and beetroot dish was for me the most visually and texturally interesting of all the dishes. And on this dish was the single most delicious item of any of the six plates: the spherical crumbed rabbit croquette (well, I said “rabbit ball”).
After dinner, during the Q&A in which we were invited to ask any of the chefs a question, chef Stephen Clarke revealed the secret to that tasty rabbit ball – you confit the rabbit leg and then shred the meat very finely, add mashed potato and a pear and vanilla jam. He told us his objective was to create a very tasty morsel that would “send the flavours crazy in your mouth”. Chef Stephen, it was a delicious success! It was so good I wished it was bigger – it was like the size of a big marble, slightly smaller than a ping pong ball – I wanted a tennis ball – no, a basketball!
The salmon filet was poached at 49C, which chef Stephen explained was to create a soft texture closer to jelly rather than a typically flakey fillet of fish. A sprinkling of white pepper on top gave it a fantastic flavour.
The other rabbit components on this dish were so delicate – a rabbit rib shaped like a perfect miniature french cutlet, a mini rabbit medallion on which the rabbit ball was balanced. Regular readers will know I am not a fan of beetroot, but this sweet, deep red beetroot sauce went very well with the rabbit. The cube of pickled beetroot was crisp and tangy. I appreciated the beetroot as part of the dish, but I’m still not a beetroot convert! Four bursty pearls of salty salmon roe completed the dish.
Pork, black pudding, molasses by Hadleigh Troy, Restaurant Amusé
The thick slices of hay-smoked pork were unbelievably tender. The black pudding looked remarkably like a piece of charcoal (perhaps, then, quite unremarkable!). It was very soft – I spread it like a paste on the pork and rolled each slice in the molasses sauce. If you like pork, you will fall head over heels with the tenderness and flavour of this pork. Pork with black pudding and molasses is a regular feature on the menu at Restaurant Amusé. My photo really doesn’t do this magnificent dish justice.
Au chocolat by Scott O’Sullivan, Red Cabbage
The dessert looked festive and fun and made me think “circus”! I’m no chocoholic, but I loved it – two cold chocolate items, mousse and parfait, with a warm tortellini between them. The green sauce underneath my “circus tents” had a hint of almond essence. I loved both cold items but it really was fun working my way down that delicously cold chocolate cone.
The stripy tortellini was crisp, more like pastry than pasta, and inside was a gooey chocolately centre with chopped roasted hazelnuts. The rhubarb baton was quite tart, a nice contrast to all the chocolate.
The six courses made a perfect amount of food. I finished my meal feeling full and content but nowhere near “food coma”.
In between courses, MC Max addressed the 60 diners, and representatives from the two local wineries that supplied the matching wines for the meal, Myattsfield Vineyards and Thumbprint Wines, talked about their wines and of their passion for what they do. We also learned more about Foodbank and the important work that the charity does.
Largesse Dining
It was a fun night and a fantastic experience – I’m thrilled to have been a part of it.
Tickets were AU$125 and covered everything: the gorgeous canapes, six-course degustation dinner and matching wines.
The front of house and kitchen staff came from all six participating restaurants as well as other restaurants, all generously donating their time and talents – for example, one of the waiters who looked after our table came from Harvest in North Fremantle.
The tickets for the dinner we attended at Restaurant Amusé sold out in 20 minutes, so you’ll have to be quick if you’re keen to attend the next event.
I’d love to go to the next dinner, but Largesse has a “no second helpings” policy – diners may not book for two dining events in a row so that everyone gets a fair chance to experience Largesse Dining.
The next Largesse dinner will be hosted by Divido in Mount Hawthorn around August.
Visit Largesse Dining’s website and get on the mailing list or follow Largesse Dining on Twitter for all the latest news and updates:
From the bloggers
- Juji Chews – Largesse Dining @ Restaurant Amusé
- Abstract Gourmet – Largesse Dining @ Amusé photos
- AceHighWine – Largesse Dining [6/365]
More epic degustation blogging from TFP
I'm TFP, a food blogger from Perth, Western Australia.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, all of this looks simply amazing! The concept of the six friends cooking each course is intriguing indeed… you can really tell the differences in style in each dish.
A very lovely meal! I’m jealous ;)
Wei-Wei
LOL! i love the King of Skin!
I reluctantly admit a love/hate relationship with high-class food. It’s eye appealing but otherwise…? I’m so accustomed to NOT eating it that my mind sort of goes blank (can’t relate). My one fantasy nightmare is being a guest viewer of “Iron Chef America ” wherein audience members are given special tickets prior to seating…a ticket # is later called and it’s ME, and I’ve got to step up to “Kitchen Stadium” and compete somehow with an Iron Chef or two! :-o
I don’t begrudge the folks who can regularly afford it, nor the chefs who train long and hard to prepare these dishes…but I prefer simpler fare. ;-)
Well, in response to Cindy’s comments : this is fine dining, special treat food – I too prefer ” simpler ” food in general but this is food for occasional eating, not every day – and its food that’s meant to have great visual appeal *and* good taste/skillful execution. This menu looks as though it combined both :)
Mmm yeah skin ! well some kinds of meaty type skin anyway, I am never going to be a convert to fish skin – I have duck for dinner tomorrow and already am looking forward to the the crispy fatty skin most of all :P and yesss crispy fried sage leaves ! actually, sage leaves put in with roasting meat and gone all crispy in the fat & juices are just as good.
I especially liked the fact the profits from the event went to a charity like Foodbank. Good on ‘em, I say.
Wow what a dinner. Every course looks so good. The stripy tortellini is fantastic.
yum,
congrats on being in the STM too!
x
I am sooo jealous !
And now quite hungry , must see if I have anything even remotely like this in the fridge.
Looks like I’m settling for some sort of dip thing my gf made 8)
Nice wrap-up and glad you enjoyed the night! I can’t recommend Divido highly enough. Every meal I’ve had the privilege of eating there has been killer with this Saturday’s dinner – god, that artichoke soup and malloreddus pasta with braised pork – right on the money. The $85 degustation is one of Perth’s biggest culinary bargains, although if the staff decide to repeat May’s Monday night special ($60 for a glass of French plus three courses from the a la carte) that would be worth doing too.
I commend you on your restraint! I LOVE canapes and apps, also good bread. Many times I’ve had most of my main wrapped because I was a piggy! What a fantastic looking meal. So glad you had Js x3 with you! Always more fun with your gang!
Another excellent write-up!
That crackling was AT LEAST 99% air. Probably a negative calorie dish. Yes.
Fantastic night, so good to meet you and Jac (and everyone else), and quite entertaining to watch all the photography going on :D
CHICKEN SKIN CRACKERS?? My God. I just can’t believe I haven’t though of it before.
Wei-Wei,
It was fantastic. Yeah, I rather liked the idea of six mates all getting together to work in the kitchen and put on a great meal. They told us during the Q&A they all help each other out regularly too.
Janice,
Yes! I just wish I’d been able to take photos of the King of Skin and all the other skins. Oh well.
Cindy,
I love simple un-fancy food but I can also appreciate fancy meals every now and then too. But yes – if you gave me $125 and told me I could spend it on dinner I probably wouldn’t think to go to a fancy restaurant. I’d happily buy something simpler like burgers or Japanese or Malaysian takeaway from a food hall, and spend the rest of the money on something else! :)
Greenlady,
Yes – this would not be everyday food for me, not even if I won the lottery – I love my burgers, Japanese takeaway, curry and rice, SPAM, egg and rice, and pancakes with bacon (I could go on) too much! I don’t think I’ve eaten so many fried sage leaves ever in one sitting – they were wonderful. I could’ve pinched the sage leaves off Jac’s rotolo, if I wanted to be mean! :P But she loved them too. I did feel guilty though, when the man from Foodbank talked about how much food for the under-privileged $125 would buy – I felt like a real glutton then.
Mark,
Yes, I loved that stripy tortellini – I really couldn’t help feeling excited when I laid eyes on that dessert, it was just so appealing to look at!
Thanks, hayes!
minimike,
Hope you found something yummy to eat in the fridge!
Thanks, Max. Nice MC-ing, especially the breaking of the glass towards the end of the night :P We will get to Divido sometime for sure. Apparently tonight was the last of Divido’s $60 Monday night specials – damn! I must pay more attention next time so I don’t miss out.
kathy,
Well – I wouldn’t call three pieces of crackling restraint! :D Oh yes – my Js are great dining companions!
Thanks Conor,
I’m so glad I surrounded myself with skin air experts such as yourself. I feel so reassured about my negative calorie intake that night. I don’t normally take so many pics – I tend to do that when lighting conditions are shocking, to ensure a better chance that at least one out of 20 pics will be sort of usable.
Ally,
YES! They were great. I wish (for the hundredth time) I’d managed to take photos of the canapes so I could’ve shared the majesty of the skins with you all.
OH MY GOD!!!! you finished me off with the stripey tortellini!!! i want one!
Speaking of Divido – I don’t know if you’ve eaten there yet, but I stopped in one night and had their croatian doughnuts with rhubarb rhubarb – I was so moved by them that when I wrote on my blog I called them my new girlfriends (sorry Fran). Really they were that good and you should go! Immediately!
Heheheh. Jay, you should try to get to the next dinner! I’m spewing we’re not allowed to go to the next one (already thinking about attending the third event though :P) No, we haven’t been to Divido yet but it’s on “the list” (a list that is getting very long!) . Mwahahahahaha I think if I was going to have new food girlfriends they would be meat/savoury rather than sweet. I definitely want to try those doughnuts when we go, have heard lots about them and they sound awesome! Definitely definitely we will go to Divido.
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