NEWCOMER Sensations En Ardross is creating quite a culinary stir at its new home on Ardross Street in Applecross.
NEWCOMER Sensations En Ardross is creating quite a culinary stir at its new home on Ardross Street in Applecross.
Suzanne Evans and her partner, who wished only to be known as Stephen, opened the cafe only a few weeks ago and have been flat out serving up their “farmhouse country style” food.
According to Stephen the cafe provides good old-fashioned home cooking.
“We make all the food here. We have fresh Jewish-style bagels, that are lovely and soft and chewy and, I am told, they are close to the ones you get in Montreal,” he said.
“We only cook with free-range chicken, we have free range eggs, and we get good quality meats. We try and get the best quality produce, it does cost a bit more but we like to pass on quality to our customers.
“It is simply old nanna’s-style cooking.”
The pair had to relocate their Bicton-based cafe, Sensations En Harris, after the roof collapsed during a bustling day of Easter trading.
However, the foundations are strong in Ardross and, Stephen said, business was booming.
“We are doing 70 lunches a day at the moment,” he said.
“We specialise in breakfast and we open at 7am every morning seven days a week and it’s going well.”
Sensations’ head chef is Leah Flynn.
n n n
THE very talented sommelier Anne-Marie Banting has departed WA and is now living in Melbourne. While Gusto could not contact Ms Banting this week, sources say she needed to get away from Perth and start afresh.
Ms Banting was a founder of Must Winebar but departed in March after a disagreement with its directors.
Meanwhile, the team at Must have launched yet another line up of exciting events to attract the winter hermits out from under the doona.
Tomorrow night the team will serve up two benchmark Aussie wines Leeuwin Art Series Chardonnay and Stonewell Shiraz 1997. Bookings are a must and if you are too late for that be sure to book either lunch or dinner for the July 14 Bastille Day.
On offer will be a three-course menu of French bistro classics for $55.
According to Must Winebar executive chef Russell Blaikie, the Must events are gaining momentum.
“We are now filling them and we are promoting them better and we are getting the price right,” Mr Blaikie said.
“Business is good. It is the best it has been the whole year.”
n n n
THE word is out about the Moore River Olive Oil Association’s Food Lovers’ Club. Membership numbers have hit 120 and, according to Moore River Olive Oil Association culinary ambassador Don Hancey, the next event should prompt a few more foodies to join.
“The next event is the Celebrate the Harvest Peasant Lunch on August 23,” he said.
“We are hoping to get a couple of hundred people along to that.”
And you don’t have to be part of the Moore River region to join.
The foodies’ club is open to all those who have a love affair with good home-grown produce. For further information visit the web site at www.mooreriverolive.asn.au
n n n
XANADU Wines launches its Dragon Club next month and with it a new brand to the Xanadu stable exclusive to club members.
According to Xanadu sales and marketing manager Kelly Renouf, the club is the result of a structural change to its shareholders and mail order direct distribution channel but by no means detracts from current sales streams.
“We are not about trying to sell the Xanadu wines through the Dragon Club. We build our brand through our distributors,” Ms Renouf said.
However, Dragon Club members get access to a new wine produced by the company called Chandlers Hill.
It is priced at $7 a bottle and will only be available to club members. Members will also receive quarterly newsletters and regular invites to Xanadu functions. The joining fee is simply the purchase of a case of Xanadu wines.
n n n
THE highly anticipated opening of Chris Taylor’s latest restaurant venture Bluewater Grill is almost upon us.
The refit has been completed and, once the liquor licence confirmation comes through, Mr Taylor’s right hand man Brad Ford will open the restaurant for trade.
Oceanus sous chef Shane Keighley has taken on the role as Mr Ford’s second in charge and the restaurant’s floor manager is Elise Toohey.
Fraser’s is renowned for hosting cooking classes, a good deal of them taught by Mr Ford who has taken the concept to Bluewater Grill. The exec chef will host two tapas cooking classes on July 9 and July 23.
Meanwhile, at Fraser’s kitchen Mr Taylor has managed to convince other chefs to have a stint in the kitchen.
Most recent guest chef was Ish from Eminem and it was a sell out, leaving Mr Taylor musing that getting in some help ain’t such a bad idea.
“It was pretty popular. He did some interesting things that we wouldn’t normally do which were good. So yeah, I’d look at doing it again," he said.
