The Championships continue...Part 2

Bradley's
22/60 Royal Street, East Perth (Claisebrook Cove)

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, blessed with great weather after a week of steady rain, so our weekly family lunch took itself to Bradleys, for some East Perth waterfront ambiance and a dose of Vitamin D.

The menu was strangely predictable - roast pork, lamb shoulder, salmon fillet, one pasta dish, a scallop dish...
So why was I prepared to accept Boucla's menu as "delightfully select" but not Bradley's? Let's eat on...

The beef fillet wrapped in pate and pastry sounded delicious but they had just run out, and the liver and bacon with onion rings was an interesting addition to the menu. Our friends Jen &Kryi* remarked that they thought that "Bradley's does it few but does it well". So far, I was unconvinced but willing to be converted.

Five diners sat down to:
1) SotD, cauliflower and Stilton (should always be a winner, and yes, marvellous flavors), which was ordered with another starter, the duck liver pate with brioche. I groaked alot, as it was a sure winner. The pate had a good texture, wasn't too rich, and the brioche was divine. Luckily, Dad shared it out very willingly!
2) Roast pork. Highlight: the crackling. Lowlight: where's the zing?
3 & 4) Lamb shoulders. Highlight: well-cooked. Lowlight: inconsistent. The meat poked apart with my fork but was disappointingly flat. As I voiced my disappointment, we came to agree that my lamb dishes are most enjoyed when accompanied by a soft medley of flavors, which is why we love Greek and Lebanese lamb dishes. The side of steamed veggies were boring and the roast potatoes were uninspiring.
5) Liver with trimmings: unusual, interesting, large serve, probably contained enough iron for the next few weeks!

The rest of our party hurried off as their parking had expired, but hubby and I lingered in the mottled sunlight for coffee, dessert and redemption. Hubby had the creme brulee (average) with walnut biscuits (amazing). Perhaps I'm being harsh and grumpy, as it is surprisingly difficult to make a good creme brulee. I ordered the banoffee pie, which, to my utter delight, came created as a single biscuit base round, spread thickly with toffee, topped with fresh bananas and a massive dollop of cream. The coffee was also a saving grace, with hints of tobacco and spice.

Bradley's had all the ingredients for a successful lunch story, so what went wrong? East Perth is a riot of fancy restaurants, but unfortunately a place on the waterfront doesn't guarantee a good meal. I should point out that the waitstaff were very attentive and our meals were prompt in spite of how busy they were. I wonder whether our Perth palettes have been spoilt for choice, and our expectations of an East Perth bistros are now unnaturally high! Perhaps the key word is 'bistro'; was I looking for haute cuisine and disappointed by the bistro food? Is it right for a venue to serve bistro quality food but charge haute cuisine prices?

Overall, in spite of my comments, I might return for a casual meal of pate, pie and coffee; everyone else enjoyed bits of their meals but the overall opinion was that it was average and disappointing, not warranting a second visit. Oh I feel like such a grump blogging this, but it's true, oh so true!

Nevermind, all the more reason to keep trawling through the vast offerings of Perth and greater WA...