22 May - Nine Fine Foods, Northbridge

CB and I went out to Northbridge for our anniversary this year. After reading a few good reviews of Nine Fine Foods, I had high expectations. This place is a schmancy Japanese inspired place.

The menu offered the choice of a set menu with 4 courses (everyone on the table had to take the option) or order from the ala carte menu. We decided to choose the latter. After finding out that Wagyu was not on offer, I was slightly disappointed.

CB and I decided to share a tasting platter which was $37 for tiny morsels of food. It lacked in size, but it certainly made up in flavour. The plate consisted of:

• Beef and scallops
• Barramundi mash and battered fish of some sort
  
• Tempura prawn
• Egg omlette
• Seared tuna and
  
• Chicken karaage

Everything was small but tasty, but two things stood out: the tuna and the karaage. The karaage was by far the best I've tasted. It is unfortunate that they do not offer this on its own, otherwise I would go back in a flash to smash some. The tuna was tasty with the accompanying Japanese mayo and fish roe.

I also ordered some gyoza and spring rolls, which were OK, but nothing that special.

I ordered the steak and prawns for a "main", and consisted of char grilled steak (rare) and prawns, served with a mushroom sauce, mash potato and some greens. The steak was slightly over what I'd call rare, but the mushroom sauce was a flavour explosion! With slivers of shiitake and enoki mushrooms, this Japanese inspired sauce went superbly well with the steak, prawns and mash, and I made sure to mop up as much as I possibly could.

For dessert, both CB and I ordered the Banana Azuki icecream. The spring roll had banana, red bean and chocolate and was served with a scoop of chocolate macadamia icecream, and little diced bits of fruit. This was quite good actually, and I'm inspired to trial some banana and chocolate fried desserts.

Overall, the food was good, and the service was prompt and friendly. After discount from the ent book, the meal was a reasonable cost. I wouldn't hesitate to go back, if they sold karaage on a plate by itself, I would go back in a flash!