54 Terrace Rd, East Perth
Ph: (08) 9270 4222
www.crowneplazaperth.com.au/dining/gusti/
River view Rendezvous
Chef Manoj Rawat has joined the team at Gusti as Head Chef. Originally from India he has climbed the culinary ladder and has worked his way around top hotels both in India and more recently at Sheraton on the Park in Sydney. He now commands the team at Gusti, within Perth’s Crowne Plaza on Terrace Road.
We sat out the front of the restaurant on a balmy Friday afternoon enjoying the warm breeze and sipping on a glass of Chardonnay. Our first entrée was a stunning ‘Carpaccio of beef’ with olive croutons, horseradish cream and shaved parmesan. The beef was slightly cured and rich in flavour, the croutons crunchy with a soft centre and the horseradish cream was almost a mousse, light in texture but sharp on the tongue. It is a great dish and one of the best carpaccio’s I have had in a long time.
My friend’s dish was ‘Salmon tartar on multigrain toast’ with giant salmon roe, crème fraiche and a honey mustard dressing. Again a well balanced dish and I recommend squeezing the lemon over to bring all the flavours together.
On to the main courses. First we tried the ‘Mushroom and ricotta tortellini’ with basil cream, sun blush tomatoes and crisp pancetta. The pasta was well cooked and the rich mushroom filling worked well with the thick, creamy basil sauce. The added texture of the crisp pancetta worked beautifully and tied it all together. Very tasty and satisfying indeed!
Next was the ‘Pan cooked snapper’ served with a pumpkin and mascarpone risotto and confit tomatoes. The snapper was cooked well and stayed moist with a juicy herb butter while the risotto was sweet, creamy and complimented the fish well.
We moved inside to check out the ambiance and sat back on the comfortable chairs and tucked into two delicious desserts. ‘Summer pudding with mascarpone and mango anglaise’ was fresh, fruity and juicy, all that a summer pudding should be. The mascarpone cut through the acidity of the fruit and the mango anglais added a tropical twist.
Then to a perfectly cooked ‘Crème brulee with pistachio macaroon’, well set and even in consistency, topped with a delicate green macaroon, a classic and tasty way to end the meal.
Gusti will be going through a refurbishment in 2012 and the food looks to be good enough to fit the new image. Gusti has a great terrace area for summer and a comfortable restaurant area for cooler months. The restaurant is open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Chef Manoj envisages that Gusti will be a preferred dining venue where guests will get unobtrusive and attentive service and simple meals cooked with passion and love.
I think Manoj has raised the bar and his ‘simple’ food is in my view top quality fare and was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. I shall be back on their terrace soon to sip another Chardonnay and just make sure that the salmon tartar is as good as I remember it!
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By Chef Sophie Budd
