We had dinner at Havana Restaurant and Bar in East Perth a few weeks ago. Earlier that same day, I’d eaten breakfast at Toast. Jac met me in East Perth after work on a Friday night.
We hadn’t planned to eat at Havana – we took a walk along Royal St and then Claisebrook Cove, stopping at various restaurants to look at their menus. It just so happened Havana’s menu appealed to both of us. We didn’t know much about the place but decided to give it a try.
Hot tip to all restaurants – if you don’t have your menu posted at the front of your restaurant, you are missing out on potential customers! I’m amazed at how many restaurants do not have a menu displayed out the front. It’s not tacky – it’s practical, and essential! We always read menus as we walk past restaurants. If the menu appeals, we’ll either walk in if we’re hungry (if it’s not the kind of place you need a reservation for) or make a note to make a reservation/come back at another time. Having a website is essential to capture potential customers surfing the net, but making your menu accessible at your shop front is a must for good old-fashioned foot traffic. Not everybody will be willing to step into your restaurant and ask to see a menu.
We started with drinks – a virgin Mary for Jac and a lemon, lime and bitters for me.
We shared a serve of Havana garlic prawns (AU$25) as a starter. The Western Australian king prawns were sauteed in olive oil, garlic, chilli and white wine, and served with crostini. The prawns had an interesting twisted appearance and when I first saw them I feared they would be overcooked, but they tasted wonderful rolled in the garlic oil. They were served without their tails which is always a plus for garlic prawns – you could spear a prawn with your fork, smother it in garlic oil and pop it into your mouth without needing to get your fingers dirty. No need to muck around separating the shell from prawn or sucking the meat out of the shell. Some people might expect a few more prawns for $25 though.
For her main course, Jac ordered the marsala veal porterhouse (AU$36, spelled “masala” on the menu) – veal escallops panfried in a marsala cream sauce, topped with mushrooms, served on mashed potato, with steamed green vegetables.
Marsala vs masala
In this case, the cream sauce was definitely cooked with “marsala”, not “masala”!
The sliced mushrooms were arranged to tumble beautifully from the top of the mashed potato. The veal escallops were lovely and tender. Only complaint? There definitely needed to be more of that lovely sauce to soak into the mashed potato.
The green vegetables, broccoli and bok choy, were cooked with plenty of garlic. They were the greenest green vegetables we’ve been served in a restaurant for ages and illustrated perfectly why I dislike over-dark restaurants so much. Although Havana was dimly lit, it was still bright enough that you could really appreciate the colours of the food on the plate. For me, that’s a big plus for a restaurant.
I don’t know about you, but I like to be able to fully appreciate the food on the plate before me – how it tastes, smells, feels and looks (and sounds, depending on the food). Doesn’t the pleasure of eating come from all the senses? I hate how some restaurants rob me of the element of visual pleasure. Why take the trouble sourcing the best produce, cooking it to perfection, and plating it beautifully if your customers can’t even see it properly?
I ordered the Havana half chicken (AU$35), a chargrilled half chicken marinated with garlic, paprika and lemon, served with rosemary potatoes and vegetables. I couldn’t really taste rosemary, but they were perfectly cooked, tender and well seasoned potatoes.
I also had garlicky broccoli and bok choy with my dish. The chicken was succulent and tasty, the skin nicely caramelised. It looked so good (and I must’ve made all the right appreciative noises) that the people sitting at the table next to us deciding what to order asked us: “Is that the Havana half chicken?”
For dessert, Jac was eager to order the caramel pannacotta, served with red wine and forest fruits (AU$12) but unfortunately we were told both the pannacotta and apple pie were “not available”. Her second choice was the tiramisu (AU$15), which came served in a martini glass.
The marscapone was creamy and rich with the flavours of rum and coffee, but Jac found the biscuit dust topping an unworthy substitute for the missing sponge fingers. It was a pleasant dessert but didn’t satisfy as a tiramisu.
You had me at “crepe”! I ordered the banana crepe with rich chocolate sauce (AU$18). The plump pillowy crepe was stuffed with soft, freshly caramelised banana, drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped with a scoop of vainlla ice cream. I had to take this photograph very quickly as the ice cream was melting on the hot crepe very quickly! The crepe itself was a little rubbery in texture, but combined with the chocolate sauce, hot banana and ice cream, every mouthful was a delight.
When we arrived the restaurant was practically empty but by the time we left there was a pretty good crowd. The food at Havana is on the expensive side – it’s not OMG expensive, but it’s definitely not cheap. But our meals were delicious, the desserts house-made, and the service was good. As a bonus, our charming waiter had a lovely French accent and I secretly enjoyed hearing him say “crepe”. ;) Jac wasn’t impressed that on a menu of half a dozen desserts, two of them (the pannacotta and apple pie) were “not available” for Friday night service, usually one of a restaurant’s busiest nights. Since going to Havana I’ve read a number of negative reviews of the place online, but we enjoyed a very pleasant evening.
Havana Restaurant and bar
www.havanas.com.au note: – menu in-restaurant differs slightly to menu online.
2/22 Eastbrook Terrace (behind Royal St by the lakeside)
East Perth WA 6004
Telephone: (08) 9202 1926
Open Tuesday – Saturday
Lunch 12pm – 3pm
Dinner from 6pm
Closed Mondays
Sundays are seasonal – please phone for details
25% off with the Entertainment Book
I used the Lumix 20mm pancake lens to take the photos featured in this post. I did adjust the brightness of the photos a little in Photoshop, but I continue to be amazed and thrilled by the performance of this camera and lens in low light. I’ve mentioned before – I’m no Photoshop whiz by any means. If a photo is terrible from having been taken in bad lighting conditions, I probably won’t be able to resurrect it, so the photos you see on the site are a testament to the quality of the camera/photo, not my Photoshop ability. The photos taken with the Lumix G2 in the relatively dimly lit Havana were great!
I'm TFP, a food blogger from Perth, Western Australia.
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve always wondered about Havana! Used to see it everyday when being dropped off to work. What I do really want to know though, is whether they serve a good mojito, as the name would suggest.
I must say this is a great set of photos, and the bokeh is as delicious as the food. You are shooting very differently with this camera. In a good way! :)
Know what you could do for very dark places? Bring a pocket torch along as an illuminator and have a dining companion hold it for you, that way you light the food without having that flash-gun look. Works for people, so would work for food.
Oh, lighting the food with your phone’s screen light works as well if you have a wallpaper of the appropriate colour. Works with people. See this wedding photo lit by iPad: http://www.ryanbrenizer.com/blog/2010/05/photo-of-the-day-all-the-right-moves/
And before you protest not wanting your picture-taking to look like a big production and attract attention etc, i already KNOW the photo geek cogs in your brain are ticking over going “Ooooooh”
:D
Thanks for the tips, C. I do feel like I’m shooting differently with the new camera but have been very pleased with the results. It feels like a natural evolution – I hope the photos are still “TFP” (but hopefully better than before). :)
You are right about the photo geek cogs – they’re cranking! I have an app on my iPod Touch called LightSource (see http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lightsource/id309957002?mt=8). I’ve never really made good use of it on the iPod Touch (need to experiment more) but on an iPad it could be really good – larger surface area to illuminate the subject … I reckon I am *this* close to getting an iPad. This line of thinking is getting me closer still.
My partner and I go to Surfer’s Paradise on the Gold Coast every year to celebrate our anniversary. One thing we love is how almost every restaurant has a menu outside! :)
I rely on Menus on websites and doors to know if there’s food served that I caneat!
Havana chicken sounds AMAZING. But $25 for that appetiser? You could say that this place is a “tad” pricy. I hate hate hate it when restaurants tell you that a dish is “unavailable”, though. You’d think that they’d state it on their menus or somewhere public beforehand…
Definitely agree in regards to a menu placed out the front of a restaurant.. or second best, stuck on the window if its facing out in that way. I’d say a large majority go out to eat on a whim, instead of researching it beforehand. The crepes look unbelievable… could almost imagine those been part of a very naughty breakfast rather then a dessert. Also.. even though it might seem a little harsh (and out of season!), their outdoor decor (lawn chairs) doesn’t really suit the price of the food and I could only imagine even on a nice summers night you wouldn’t want to spend it outside!
Ooh – starting with a bloody mary sounds like my kinda idea! Those garlic prawns look delicious too! Sounds like a great meal.
I totally agree about the outside menus!!
The shots you are taking look amazing!!! I love the first one with the drinks.
Garlic broccoli is one of my favorite things ever :)
I know what you mean about restaurants having the menu outside for people to look at. There are so few restaurants that do that here, and it is a great help. Another thing that’s nice when restaurants do have a menu outside, is that they don’t have someone out there hassling you to come in. I like to read the board and make my mind up for myself without the stress of someone there watching over you, or worse trying to talk to you while you’re trying to focus on the menu. If you need help with anything on the menu you can also walk in and ask.
I must say your photos are looking really sharp and snappy. I’ve recently switched from using my iPhone camera to using my compact, but I’m thinking now I need to move to using one of my SLRs.
I completely agree about displaying menus to entice in foot traffic. My partner and I were looking for somewhere to eat when we were in Glasgow, Scotland recently and very few places had menus out. One place had a tiny menu on its back door, which sounded fine and then we had to find the front door – silly us. At the front door was an enormous menu that you could read from across the road. I thought that was a brilliant idea and it won me over!
In addition to making me hungry (when I’ve just had breakfast), you are also making me very covetous of the G2…
I have to say that is a very lovely thing about living in Montreal; there are hardly any establishments who don’t have their menus posted by the door. And I always stop to look, whether I’m hungry or not! :)
Jac’s meal looks especially good, and the dessert you ordered — wow! :-)
I’m wondering why a restaurant which looks to serve a mix of French and Italian food calls itself “Havana,” but whateva. ;-)
I’m gonna skip straight past the mains and say straight up, damn that banana crepe is sexy.
I also wonder why they call it Havana. No plantains or black beans and rice? I agree with everyone about outside menus. Some of the best and memorable meals we’ve had, came from walking by on our travels and perusing a menu!
those crêpes look immense. damn, i wish i was on the other side of the world right now…
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the camera – i wish people approached me with free stuff! although i suppose they know you’re an amazing source of (virtually) free advertising.
one thing though – ’tis pannacotta. with two ns. panna = cream, and cotta = cooked. and here endeth today’s italian lesson. ;)
Cheers, jessi. Have corrected spelling. I have spelled it correctly in the past here at the blog so can only blame it on a brain fart on my part. :)
ohh the tiramisu looks divine!
Wow, the pictures are drool worthy! For some reason, I haven’t been able to access your blog at all during the last few weeks.
Thanks, blur ting.
Your being unable to view my blog could’ve been related to my recent web host move. A small number of people have had some problems viewing the site since the move. I suspect it’s been related to their ISPs not clearing their DNS cache in a timely manner. Most people, thankfully, have had no issues. Anyway, glad you can see it now!
Chrissy,
I’ve never been to the Gold Coast. Been to Brisbane and to the Sunshine Coast (where I was thrilled to visit the Big Pineapple – unfortunately pre-TFP days). I really like Queensland. It’s different to WA but still reminds me a little of home.
Fiona,
Yes, I imagine that would be very important for people with special dietary needs or plain old fussy people. :) You wouldn’t want to go to a restaurant if you were vegetarian and there was only a token unexciting vegetarian option (vegetable stack, anybody?)
Wei-Wei,
The chicken was awesome. I skipped straight to reading the dessert menu after I spotted the chicken! And then I chose the banana crepe right away. We didn’t order desserts until we’d finished main course though, just in case we’d be too full for dessert. Yeah, not so happy with “unavailable”. We didn’t question the waiter about what that meant (“we ran out” or “chef didn’t make any” or “it’s still on the menu but should really be taken off as we never have any”…who knows) but Jac was quite disappointed as pannacotta is one of her favourite desserts and she was really looking forward to it. She also loves caramel and forest fruits – it sounded so perfect for her. Oh well.
Squee,
Oh yes, a naughty breakfast for sure! >:P Agree with you on the outdoor furniture. We also thought it looked a little out of place.
Forager,
Jac loves tomato juice, so a virgin mary is for her the ultimate tomato juice. :) Sadly though, a lot of restaurants don’t have tomato juice, let alone virgin marys.
Thanks Erryn,
I love veges cooked with garlic. I wasn’t so fond of broccoli when I was younger, but now I can’t get enough of it. :) I’ve been pleased with the photos I’ve taken with the new camera but have been especially pleased with the shots from that whole day (breaky at Toast, dinner at Havana, and the scenery shots) – I’m loving the camera more and more every day. I just wish I had more time to just go crazy taking photos … I’m waiting eagerly for my next holiday.
Craig,
Oh yes – the restaurant spruiker – so very annoying! They aren’t so common around the suburbs, but there are restaurant/cafe strips in Northbridge where you can’t walk along the street without getting bombarded. Ugh. It’s a total turn-off for us. I also find it annoying at food halls when staff start trying to get you to order just because you’ve taken a moment to check out what they have on offer. If I start feeling hassled by pushy restaurant/food hall staff, I tend to walk away.
Thanks, glad you like the pics. I still have my point-and-shoot but I can’t see myself using it very much any more. Well, I will use it soon to take pics of the G2 :D and of my new camera bag with the G2 and other goodies in it.
oanh,
Hahaha, I like the idea of a huge menu you can read from a good distance. :D Unless it was all oysters, mussels and vegetables I’d be won over too! :P The G2 is easily the best camera I’ve owned. I am still totally in love with it. :)
Kali,
How fantastic! Sometimes when we’re out and about Jac will even step inside and grab a takeaway menu (and even better if the takeaway menus are available from the outside of the restaurant too). We’ve often come home from a walk with several takeaway menus in our pockets. :)
Cindy,
Hahaha, we also wondered that. According to their profile on their website: “Havana’s décor is inviting and sumptuous; fitted out in aristocratic chocolate and creams and featuring a gorgeous 300-year-old door rescued from Havana, Cuba. The flooring is rustic and Cuban designs and art abound.”
Dea,
LOL, yes, it was a decadent, luscious, sexy dessert. I am so glad I wasn’t too full to order dessert!
kathy,
See my reply to Cindy above re: Havana. Presumably the owners like Havana/Cuba enough to deck out their restaurant Cuban-style but decided to stick with more well-known/common dishes/styles of food – we don’t really have much Cuban cuisine/culture here in Perth. Shame though, Jac and I would’ve given Cuban cuisine a go for sure.
jessi,
I’ve responded directly under your comment. :)
jess,
I liked it more than Jac – she found it totally unsatisfying to eat a creamy dessert out of a martini glass. She said it was pretty much just marscapone cream in a glass with biscuit crumbs on top – she didn’t think it should’ve been called tiramisu at all. Having said that, the marscapone cream was delicious.
blur ting,
I’ve responded directly to your comment above.
man, came back from perth recently, whats with the plastic outdoor chairs!! fancy schmansy is it?