As my readers will know by now. No interstate trip is ever complete with Iron Fist is complete without a splurge on something extravagant. Which is why I found myself at Crown Perth, at Nobu, which he was very keen to try after our enjoyable experience at their Melbourne store last year.
Compared to Melbourne, I found the Perth setup to be far more fancy and elegant, with a decidedly less wooden theme. The ceiling piece was especially captivating. Having made a reservation beforehand (of course), we were soon comfortably seated.
The menu was quite similar to Melbourne, and had quite a few contemporary and fusion options rather than traditional ones.
Water was provided, and Iron Fist started with a red wine as usual, since he ordered red meat for his main.
First to arrive was the Nobu Style Salmon. It comprised of some very thinly sliced salmon which was covered in a balsamic and citrusy sauce with considerable oil, topped with shallots and ginger, finished with a cherry tomato in the centre.
How can Iron Fist ever go to Nobu without ordering Sushi Tacos? The answer is that he absolutely cannot, which is why we had a serve of three, his two in wagyu beef and mine in salmon to try. The puffed rice taco shell was crunchy and light, whilst salmon was very fresh and complemented well with the wasabi mayo. Iron Fist also said that he found his wagyu to be very well marinated and saucy.
Not wanting to veer too far from the traditional, I ordered a serve of Tempura Prawns as well. They were very crispy, with a batter that wasn't overly thick, and freshly fried. It was served extremely hot, and cooled nicely with the tempura dipping sauce, and I really enjoyed the dish.
Prior to going to Nobu, Iron Fist and I spent considerable time doing research and drooling over other peoples photos and reviews. The one thing that stood out to the both of us as a must order was the highly acclaimed Miso Cod, which we ordered to share. It came out perfectly caramelised with some bits slightly charred, and topped with a piece of pickled vegetable and lotus root. The fish had a wonderful flakey texture to it and didn't have any fishy taste at all. The miso was quite sweet without detracting from the basic soy flavours.
Being a big fan of noodles, especially when served in soup, I ordered a bowl of Kinoko Soba. After the intense flavours of miso cod, this was a very light option which really cleansed my palate. There were three types of mushrooms, shiitake, kinoko and oyster, all were mild in taste and had a good chewy texture to it. Flavouring could be added by the sides of shallots, seaweed and chilli should one find it bland. I for one found it good as is, especially with the soba being tender but having just the right amount of bite in the centre.
Iron Fist's main event was the Rib Eye with Shiitake and Truffle butter. It was served with a side of mushrooms as well. Stealing a piece (of course I would!), it was perfectly tender and melted in my mouth. The beef texture was wonderfully smooth, and the truffle was exceptionally rich and fragrant. I could eat this every day.
Last of our savoury foods was the sushi and sashimi platter. Which included:
Salmon avocado roll
One piece of king salmon and tuna
Two pieces of nigiri, including
Salmon with truffle and
Kingfish with truffle.
We found the rice to have been vinegared very well, drawing a balance between sweet and sour elements. The fish was of course, very fresh, and the salmon particularly melted in our mouth. Wanting to try the novelty of having truffle on my sushi, I ordered both the salmon and kingfish nigiri with truffle, and it was a little disappointing. Whilst there was no shortage in fragrance, the dry flaky texture of the truffle didn't match very well with the overall nigiri experience.
Without a doubt, the two of us were quite full after consuming so much food, but of course readers would know that I am never one to turn down dessert for being full, and so when the menu arrived, we ordered some.
Desserts took considerably longer to arrive than the mains, no doubt due to the fact we ordered it last.
The first one I tried was the Miso Cappuccino. with its miso and milk chocolate creme, coffee chocolate crumble, vanilla ice cream and coffee foam, it was an amazing mixture of texture! The foam was wonderfully light, the creme was rich and smooth whilst the crumble made it have just that little bit of crunch. Erring on the sweeter side of the spectrum, the chocolate and coffee flavours were quite strong, and overpowered the slight hints of miso.
Last thing we could fit in that evening was the Matcha Lava Cake. It came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a chocolate plaque. Having experienced the best ever Matcha Lava cake at Cafe Cre Asion, I found this to be not as good, given that the outer layers of the cake were relatively drier, and the lava inside wasn't enough to balance this out. The matcha was also not very strong in flavour or colour, as you can see, and I had to supplement it with copious amounts of vanilla ice cream to get a good moisture balance.
Price Range: $150 - $180 pp
Value: 7/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 9/10
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