When a friend from Melbourne, over on a work trip, said she had time for an impromptu Sunday lunch, the call went out. Our group of six met in South Perth pondering where to go, first stop Rambla on Swan. It was a long shot given the size of our group and we didn’t have a booking. Thankfully the restaurant manager took pity on us. We were directed to a prime table on the veranda for what turned out to be an idyllic afternoon.
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Entering the restaurant I was initially taken by the artwork on the far wall. Inside the décor was lush modern in the small dining area with a roomy bar at the back.
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Seated outside we were quickly distracted from the city view, when offered a gorgeous morsel to get our palates ready for the modern Australian cuisine to come.
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Our guest had been to the restaurant before and suggested the ‘Three Pieces’ which is a rectangular plate containing, you guessed it, three pieces. There was a choice of:
Roast Beef with fried egg and pecorino; triple brie and truffle toast; guacamole with candied chilli lime for $16.
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Pork belly with pancetta and smoked eggplant; snapper croquette with saltbush and manchego; watermelon with feta and black garlic for $20.
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Quail saltimbocca with fresh tomato; zucchini flower with walnut and fennel pollen; halloumi seared with swiss mushrooms and halzelnut labneh for $22
‘One plate is not quite enough and two plates would be too many,’ declared our guest and she was right. The plates were as pretty as they were delicious.
I chose the Huon Tasmanian salmon Asian salad which turned out to be a delightful surprise. The salmon was soft and melted away way too quickly, making me stop to ensure I took time to savour each moutful. The salad of Chinese cabbage, cucumber, kimchi and wakame ponzu was one of the most flavoursome salads I’ve ever eaten … yes, ever. The mixture of chilli and aniseed certainly let my tastebuds know I was alive.
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Our guest was keen for dessert and what can I say, it would’ve been rude to leave her eating alone. I chose the incredibly light saffron cake, with fig and blood orange marmalade, and Bannister Down’s cream which was more like a custard than a cream, yum. The exquisite plate competed with the beautiful artwork on the wall and city views. My friends dessert was equally impressive looking.
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The service was perfect, friendly, knowledgeable, there when needed and absent when discussing delicate matters.
A private function room area on the left hand side of the outside area was set up for what will surely be a memorable wedding.
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As I sat on my couch at home four hours later contemplating an apple for dinner I pondered:
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- What a wonderful leisurely Sunday catch up, there should be more of it.
- And I hardly mentioned the city views.
- I will definitely return to try one of the Three Pieces and the salmon salad again.
- We were all amazed at the low prices for what were sensational, high quality, stunning looking meals. Highly recommended.
For more information go to Rambla on Swan
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