Celebrations of the end of big projects should always be accompanied by banquets, or at least that is the case when my food-wife and I get together (GOOD FOOD ALL THE TIME might just be our mantra).

We found ourselves at Greenhouse after many weeks spent dreaming about the gastronomic gifts it would have to offer, and with absolutely no intent of eating in moderation.

Recipe #17.5: plymouth gin,  cucumber, lime, kiwi fruit, lemon, peach bitters 

We started with some drinks (my recipe #17.5 was fresh and zesty) but took forever to order our food. There is always SO MUCH to talk about, necessary things like making decisions always get forgotten, but we had a very obliging, and lovely waitress who was completely happy to come back about 5 times before we finally made our choices. 

charred octopus, kipflers, harissa, green olive

pine & oyster mushrooms, quinoa, lentils

Our first dishes were the charred octopus with kipflers, harissa, green olive and the pine & oyster mushrooms with quinoa, lentils.

The harissa was really punchy, and the octopus’s large tentacles were so sweet, tender and not too “sucker-y”. But I’m unsure of the combination of all the textures and flavours, the olives were a little overpowering.

The mushrooms were beautifully cooked, so warm and comforting, I love eating something that makes you feel more healthy as you go, but is still completely flavoursome and satisfying.

Roast chicken, preserved lemon, quinoa, labne.

The second round bought the roast chicken with preserved lemon, quinoa and labne. WOW. We were a little wary of going for a (boring?) roast chicken, but our recent explorations into quinoa persuaded us to try some that was professionally cooked. And we were rewarded with an amazing dish! the quinoa was cooked with a whole bunch of amazing spices, and crunchy bits that we couldn’t name but were superlative! and the hung yogurt (labne) was the perfect thing to cut through the homey flavours.

pigs cheeck, chickpeas, ancho chilli

Our last run at mains saw the slow cooked pigs cheek with chickpeas and ancho chilli grace our table. Boy did the greenhouse cooks save the best till last! This was truly amazing. My dining partner rightly pointed out that it’s a good sign for a dish if you could eat just the base sauce as a meal. The chickpeas were a great textural foil to the soft as silk pork, which was perfectly seasoned. Writing about it now is making me crave this dish again!!

apple jelly, rose water labne 

This was a really interesting dessert! It was a lovely pallet cleanser after our full on dinner. The fresh apple, citrus and grape flavours were great, and the crazy variety of textures left you guessing at what each mouthful would contain.

Espresso Martini

My friend ended the night with a espresso martini, which smelled (and tasted) amazing! 

I will continue to return ever few months or so to be treated by the Greenhouse experience, can’t wait to see what the next visit will bring!

The Good: Long slow meals.

The Bad: This is an odd complaint, but the chairs were weirdly heighted compared to the table… I felt like a dwarf (which is a very strange sensation for me!), also there was heaps of parsley!

The Money: Greenhouse is not a budget location, but as a treat and for food that feels good in your mind as well as your stomach, it is worth every penny!

Contact:

100 St. Georges Terrace
Perth WA 6000

(08) 9481 8333

http://www.greenhouseperth.com/