This was meant to be a dinner review of Pinctada's Selene Brasserie. However, a looming cyclone forced us to bring our flights forward meaning dinner became a long lunch. Lunch was with our gorgeous friends Sam and Ayesha, who were kind enough to take us on the wet two hour drive to Broome, even though dinner and an overnighter were off - thanks again to the lovely team for driving us down and sharing lunch prior to starting the return drive to Derby town.
Brizo has a tapas style sharing menu, complemented by a selection from the wood-fired oven. We started with...everything. The boys had a few white wines, I had a cheeky cider (or two), Ayesha was on the juice (even though the promised guava jiuce was a non starter) and we ordered a selection including: goats cheese with ouzo olives, fat potato chips, oysters baked with spinach and cream fraiche, swordfish salad, smokey eggplant whipped with cheddar (!), taramasalata with radish and a gruyere and spinach Turkish Pide.
Brizo has a tapas style sharing menu, complemented by a selection from the wood-fired oven. We started with...everything. The boys had a few white wines, I had a cheeky cider (or two), Ayesha was on the juice (even though the promised guava jiuce was a non starter) and we ordered a selection including: goats cheese with ouzo olives, fat potato chips, oysters baked with spinach and cream fraiche, swordfish salad, smokey eggplant whipped with cheddar (!), taramasalata with radish and a gruyere and spinach Turkish Pide.
The oysters were delish - soft and fat, swimming in a tangy and creamy spinach sauce. We ordered 8, and Ayesha is vegetarian, but I could have quite happily put away more. The taramasalata was superbly creamy - but so mild that the caviar flavour hardly came through. The goats cheese and olive combo was a real winner - with smooth, creamy and tangy goats cheese nestling around the softly licorice flavoured olives.
I think the highlight of the meal was the swordfish salad, with big smokey chunks of fish perched amongst crisp lettuce varieties, grilled flat bread squares, and with a creamy mild sauce. This was such a highlight we ordered a second, and it was hoovered down post haste! Another surprise winner were the fat chips (I think they had a fancier name, but it escapes me - blame the cider). The chips were SO fat, and were stacked up in a little Jenga tower. They were deliciously golden and crisp on the outside, and so creamy and soft inside our table idly wondered if they had been somehow mashed and reassembled into golden perfection.
The only low point of the evening, sadly, was the service. Our original waiter understandably proferred a Turkish pizza instead of the desired Turkish pide...but less understandably brought out a random unordered pizza with some kind of meat all over it - after we had discussed how our table was vegetarian. Amusingly, when I mentioned we definitiely didn't order the meat pizza, and jokingly reminded him we were vegos, he felt he needed to ask if I was sure. All of this was not so terrible, but the rather cranky more senior female waitress need not have admonished him at the table in front of us - never a good look.
The staff also neglected to offer or bring us any water until towards the end of the meal, and forgot my cider at one point. Perhaps that was because I chose to impatiently yell my order across the restaurant as the waiter departed. This also is apparently not a good look.
I think the highlight of the meal was the swordfish salad, with big smokey chunks of fish perched amongst crisp lettuce varieties, grilled flat bread squares, and with a creamy mild sauce. This was such a highlight we ordered a second, and it was hoovered down post haste! Another surprise winner were the fat chips (I think they had a fancier name, but it escapes me - blame the cider). The chips were SO fat, and were stacked up in a little Jenga tower. They were deliciously golden and crisp on the outside, and so creamy and soft inside our table idly wondered if they had been somehow mashed and reassembled into golden perfection.
The only low point of the evening, sadly, was the service. Our original waiter understandably proferred a Turkish pizza instead of the desired Turkish pide...but less understandably brought out a random unordered pizza with some kind of meat all over it - after we had discussed how our table was vegetarian. Amusingly, when I mentioned we definitiely didn't order the meat pizza, and jokingly reminded him we were vegos, he felt he needed to ask if I was sure. All of this was not so terrible, but the rather cranky more senior female waitress need not have admonished him at the table in front of us - never a good look.
The staff also neglected to offer or bring us any water until towards the end of the meal, and forgot my cider at one point. Perhaps that was because I chose to impatiently yell my order across the restaurant as the waiter departed. This also is apparently not a good look.
All in all, a very good meal - and even though some of the dishes seemed expensive for the size (the tiny one-lady entree sized pide was $18, for example...) we were all well fed, suitably dehydrated and dinner was a bargain.
Pinctada is always a safe bet - Selena's is excellent, Brizo was lovely and you get to eyeball guests enjoying the stunning pool biking style as you chow down - if that floats your boat.
Thanks again Sam and Ayesha for everything! And JT and Kadir - your cameo appearance at lunch added to the fun.
C.
Pinctada is always a safe bet - Selena's is excellent, Brizo was lovely and you get to eyeball guests enjoying the stunning pool biking style as you chow down - if that floats your boat.
Thanks again Sam and Ayesha for everything! And JT and Kadir - your cameo appearance at lunch added to the fun.
C.
Remains of swordfish salad.
Creamy eggplant above...
The chunky chips, or...chip.
The chunky chips, or...chip.