15 Riverside Rd, East Fremantle
Phone: (08) 9319 1315
www.theleftbank.com.au
Majic On The Waterfront
You just know you are going to have an enjoyable relaxing and fun time at the Left Bank. This prime location with a magical waterfront oozes rustic charm, has magnificent views and warm friendly service that is second to none.
We visited the Left Bank on a Friday afternoon and were greeted by Joanne and Sara, who showed us to our table upstairs on the verandah over looking the boat harbour. There is a great selection of seafood on the menu and understandably very popular are the tasting plates – delicious and beautifully presented. We decided to start with a tasting plate to share, consisting of Prawns, Thai fish cakes with peanut salad, chorizo and tomato bruschetta with Persian feta and Leek and Taleggio tart – it was all delicious.
Next came the seafood platter – a selection of hot and cold seafood including oysters, smoked salmon, prawns, mussels, calamari and barramundi fillets (grilled or fried – your choice) served with fries and a garden salad. This was scrumptious accompanied with a New Zealand 2007 Waipara Sauvignon Blanc – a wine with a fruity bouquet and crisp dry finish with a hint of herbs making it an ideal choice with seafood.
Chef Graham Woodcock has been cooking up a storm at the Left Bank for the past ten years and loving it. Having the experience of traveling and working overseas, the variety of flavours in Graham’s dishes is evident with a European and Asian influence.
One of Grahams favourite dishes on the menu and a main course we would truly recommend is the Roasted Lamb Rump with Moroccan spiced potatoes, wilted spinach, almonds and preserved lemon dressing. The lamb, seasoned with cardamom, garlic and ginger, melts in your mouth. The wine recommended to go with this meal was the 2006 Richard Hamilton Shiraz. I loved the wine and thought it was an excellent choice with the lamb as it did enhance all the flavours of the dish. With a hint of pepper and spicy fruit flavour the Shiraz, served in a large glass savouring the full aroma, was very smooth on the palate.
Graham said the menu was made up of some core dishes available all year round but varies the menu throughout the year so people can try something different.
“If there was a signature dish then I would say it would be the seafood platter – that is very popular and the calamari dishes are also popular choices,” Graham said.
“We served over a thousand calamari meals downstairs in December and January alone.”
After the main, if you have room, a favourite dessert on the menu is the Mille-feuille (a hundred sheets of pastry) flaky pastry layered with cointreau cream and raspberry coulis – a lovely light dessert to complete the meal.
Open seven days a week with live entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings, the Left Bank is a great venue for group bookings and functions with several areas including a courtyard, ideal for barbeques, seating up to sixty or standing room for one hundred. Sundays are very popular for breakfast with a buffet breakfast available upstairs.
Why not get a group of friends together and share a couple of tasting plates or a seafood platter for two so you can still enjoy the decadence without breaking the budget. A special offer is available on Wednesdays between six and nine pm when you can order a seafood platter for two for the price of one. If you love seafood what a bargain – I know where I’ll be heading on a Wednesday evening!
By Ingrid Rickersey
