Perth Food Review

E mbers is nestled in the heartland of Gooseberry Hill, next to the delightful patisserie Le Croissant. The décor is in keeping with the surrounding forestry; the tables are a solid, burled mahogany (or jarrah, I’m not sure); the lighting is warm and intimate. I have dined here on many occasions; however, Embers recently became licensed and, therefore, rather more expensive. The wine list is not extensive. The mark-up is significant. Be prepared to pay over $30 for a standard wine that you could purchase for much less at a liquor store. I could forgive this if the wine list was more extensive, but that unfortunately is not the case.

The wait-staff are pleasant and engaging, reflecting the laid-back charm of the Perth Hills. They do not seem to take themselves too seriously and there is a distinct lack of the superciliousness or pretention one would expect to find in a ‘moderately fancy’ restaurant. In the many times I have dined at this restaurant though one incident springs to mind that leads me to approach the service staff with some scepticism. The night was over; the tables were being cleared. The dining party I was part of was desirous of some desert. We tried in vain to get the attention of the wait-staff, one of whom was clearing all of the tables in priority to taking our order. We were handed desert menus 20 minutes earlier and nobody had come to take our order. Eventually we grew weary of waiting and left without having desert. Even then, the manageress was tending to a phone call of some description which left the member of our party who was paying the bill waiting for about five minutes before being paid attention. This did not leave us with a great impression. Nevertheless, that was an isolated incident and one I am yet to see repeated.

Getting to the nitty gritty: the food. The menu is extensive and there is an ample selection of mains, entrees and pizzas alike. For entrée, most diners angle for the Embers Tasting Plate, an extensive selection of smoked salmon, figs, various cheeses, crackers, crumbed squid, dried fruit and more. A serving for two will easily feed four people, if not more. For mains, my usual selection is the chilli mussels. The serving is very large and the mussels come swimming in a delicious, thick tomato broth with just a hint of garlic. One drawback of this meal is that on the many occasions I have had this dish, I have found the quality of the mussels has varied significantly. On some nights the mussels were juicy, plump and big; on other nights, the mussels were small, akin to the sort of size you would find in a tin of ‘Always Fresh’ smoked mussels. For this reason I approach this meal with some trepidation.

The mains are generally very good. One of my fellow diners, on the most recent occasion I was there, purchased the veal saltimbocca. The veal had been pounded too hard, leaving little room for the juicy flavours of the veal to come through. The mushroom sauce did however include fresh mushrooms and a lovely cream sauce.

A common ingredient in the mains is the inclusion of squash, which lends itself to the Mediterranean influence. Still though, it is a bizarre inclusion in a main meal and feels somewhat outdated. Generally the vegetables accompanying the mains are not outstanding. Further, the great majority of the vegetables are potatoes. So if you like potatoes and squash with your main meals, Embers would be paradise.

The other meals in brief are generally pretty good. The crumbed squid is not particularly outstanding. It can be dry and tasteless. Conversely, the salmon is usually delicious and cooked such that there is just enough raw pink left in the middle.

The pizzas too are very good and the toppings are ample. Many people order these pizzas as part of a takeaway meal. Highlights include the seafood pizza and the quattro gusti. Ordering one of these for yourself will certainly not leave you hungry at the end of the night. On a related note, the serving sizes of all meals – entrees, mains and deserts alike – are large compared to what you would normally get at a restaurant of comparable class. So after devouring a tasting plate and moving on to mains your stomach may very well be approaching bursting point.

At the end of the night at Embers you will feel like you have had a good meal, but not a great one. The atmosphere will keep you and your fellow diners feeling cosy all night. The service will come with a smile. If you keep your wine purchases to a minimum, you will probably end up paying about $50 a head. That’s not outrageous; however, I can think of better restaurants where that would be the sort of price you’d pay.

It should also be noted that Embers also does a fabulous breakfast. The big breakfast – and I mean ‘big’ – is the highlight of the menu. Steer clear of the Spanish omelette though, it is too heavy on the pepper and the spice. The flavours of the chorizo and the egg do not get a chance to come through.

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