at the
PASS By Sloane Carvell
P
etition Kitchen in the State Buildings has been a classy treat for lunch or dinner since the Old Treasury Building opened up a few years ago. That experience has gone up a notch with a new seasonal menu to enjoy, packed with a roster of local ingredients to make regional suppliers swell with pride that their produce should end up on such creative plates of food. Under the expertise of recently appointed head chef Sean Bentley, who has worked alongside some exceptional chefs including former head chef Jesse Blake, the new menu sings of all that makes a WA summer sublime. The menu is designed for sharing but can also be enjoyed solo and does an excellent job showcasing the best of WA’s seasonal produce. We plunged right in and, with a starter like the Geraldton kingfish crudo with kohlrabi, cucumber, jalopeño and finger limes, the scene was set for something special. ‘Cooking’ fish this way (by curing it with zingy acids) is the perfect way to begin a meal on a hot Perth day. The refreshing crunch of the kohlrabi (also winningly called a German turnip) and cucumber, and zesty local finger limes give your tastebuds a jumpstart with their inyour-face flavour profiles. Something from Gero has never been treated so
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well. Talk about starting as you mean to go on . . . Charred zucchini with stracciatella and curry leaf and spiced almond oil also holds its own as an intro to Sean’s modus operandi. The smokey and aromatic flavours of the curry leaf match perfectly with the creaminess of the stracciatella and burnished zucchini. Market fish is always a good choice for a main and, in this case, we were in for a treat with sublime slices of WA dhu fish served on a bed of green pea risotto. The pearly white flesh of this superior fish, finding a home on that vivid green pool of sweet peas could be the poster dish for a Perth summer’s day. We washed down our lunch with glasses of