Food, wine and a touch of opulence at Petition Kitchen

Some restaurants open in Perth quietly, unsuspectingly without any fanfare. But others come into our lives with a big bang so to speak. They flood our social media feeds, with mouthwatering Instagram photos taunting us, encouraging us to try it for ourselves. The happenings at Cathedral Square have definitely been on my radar, and after trying (and loving) one venue, Halford Bar, I was excited to receive an invitation to visit Petition Kitchen. 

Arriving for lunch with Bryony from Perth Eats, we were treated to a tour of the three interconnected heritage State Buildings first off. The restoration work is truly impressive, with 95% of the original structure retained to show off the beautiful, bright and airy space. I can only imagine the incredible experience one would have staying at COMO The Treasury, which is being described as setting the new standard for opulence in Perth's hotel options. 

"The centrepiece of the historic Cathedral Square precinct, the State Buildings will become the heartbeat of a new urban neighbourhood, connecting pedestrians with the drinking, dining and retail offerings inside. The buildings will house outstanding craftsmen, artisans and makers, passionate about their products and fiercely proud of their West Australian heritage."

A walk through Petition Wine Bar & Merchant and Petition Beer were equally impressive. With 18 tap craft beer options available, extensive wine options and delectable dishes, these are venues I can see the community of Perth really rallying around.

While the fit out is beautiful, you feel warmth emanating from the spaces - they're welcoming and relaxing. And best of all you can wander from place to place within the building with your drink - something that is very new for our city! I can only imagine that once Wildflower, Long Chim and the other restaurants are open this will be an even bigger point of attraction!

 

Walking into Petition Kitchen I was blown away by how gorgeous it looks. Natural light streaming in through the windows, open kitchen and prep station... there was so much to love. It's my kind of colour theme - neutrals, wood, and exposed raw walls.

I was excited by having daylight for photos, but it actually worked against me since I was fighting the glare! Ahhh... photography problems are real. But it allowed me to focus on the stellar food instead, so definitely not a real issue in my eyes.

Image from Cathedral Square

The chef is manned by Jesse Blake whose resume includes Sous Chef of Zinc Food and Wine in Hamilton and Sous Chef of Cumulus Inc in Melbourne (a place I just love!). With such strong credentials it's no wonder that he was chosen to bring his passion of cooking good food to Petition in a quirky manner that respects produce and uses food at it's seasonal best.

He's young, dynamic, and you can definitely see this in the types of dishes he puts up for diners. We left the hard work to our hosts Laura and Hannah to choose our food on this outing, which means we got to sample some of the real standouts.

The first dish to come out was the raw kingfish with beetroot, ginger vinaigrette and horseradish ($22.00). A beautifully delicate and refreshing plate, this was well balanced and playful with varying colours, piquancies and textures - the dehydrated beetroot chips were a lovely touch. I thought that the kingfish was really respected in this dish. It was sweet and enhanced by the other ingredients, not overpowered which is a risk.

Next up were the roasted mushrooms with salted ricotta, potato and warrigal greens ($22.00). This was a dish that really packed a punch, and will be cemented in my mind for quite a while! The tiny strands of potato were crisp and well seasoned, the mushroom firm in the centre. The earthiness was well complimented by the warrigal greens, which are also known as New Zealand spinach. A playful dish that was perfectly executed, bound together by that ricotta.

My absolute favourite dish for the lunch was one I still can't get out of my mind. Organic beef tartare with harissa and sesame, sour cream and grilled bread on the side. Punchy, punchy, punchy. The key to a wonderful beef tartare is all in the quality of the meat, and this was lean but still flavoursome. The combination of spices and seasoning lifted the flavour, and rounded out the dish. I really enjoyed the peppery slices of fresh radish, and those paper thin crisp shards to scoop up the meat. Oh how I want to go back and order this all to myself again!

Life would be extremely amiss if I went to a venue and didn't try their duck liver parfait ($18.00) so of course I was elated to see this arrive at our table. Served with verjuice and sour grapes, it was a really creamy and pillowy soft offering - just right for spreading on the lightly grilled slices of bread provided to us. I've eaten more than my fair share of liver parfaits here in Perth (and beyond), and I have to say this might just be one of the best I've tried so far. It was decadent and oh so satisfying.

Our final savoury dish for lunch was the squid with creamed buckwheat, celeriac, fennel and orange ($18.00). When it first arrived I actually thought it looked like squid ink risotto, but there was more complexity to what was in the plate than my initial impression. The squid was sliced fine into ribbons, melting in my mouth with each bite. I loved the sharpness of the fennel which was offset by the sweet and sour notes from the orange segments. 

The creamed buckwheat was warming and tasted amazing on it's own, let alone with the other ingredients. I really like seeing the use of squid ink as not just colouring but also flavour enhancing, it brings a rich sea taste that I find quite addictive!

To fully enjoy our first Petition Kitchen experience, dessert was an absolute must. We decided to order three to share between us... but then our two hosts were called away which left the two of us to eat them all. Did we complain? Of course not! The more dessert, the merrier! And it was a nice opportunity to chat to the staff there who were all lovely, professional and really friendly. 

The richest of the desserts was the warm malted chocolate with toasted sesame, peanut and sour caramel ($17.00). This was plated quite beautifully I thought, with the different layers, textures and colours popping vibrantly. 

I love the combination of malt with chocolate, and this was smooth as silk. The toasted shards were bitter and crisp - a clever use of the ingredients in a different manner than other places. I think for chocolate lovers this is the dessert to try, but for most people I recommend sharing this - it would be pretty intense to tackle on your own!

The lemon leaf rice pudding with strawberry, pistachio and lavender ($14.00) was the standout favourite for Bryony and I hands down. It was so creamy and fluffy, with that zingy strawberry sorbet on top that provided an icy cleanse between bites. I just love all things strawberries and they seem to be flooding the market right now, so it's great to see them used in inventive new ways. 

Visually I have to say this dish really sang summer on a plate. I could have licked the bowl clean - and will get this dessert again next time I go to Petition for sure!

Our final dessert was the elderflower granita with raspberry, prosecco and ricotta ($16.00). While I don't love desserts in jars, this one looked really pretty with it's intricate layers of promised jewels. Elderflower is definitely one of my loved flavours these days, it just sparkles on your tongue and elicits springtime in my mind.

This was a really refreshing dessert and light - you could polish this off happily and not feel even slightly guilty after. A lovely way to finish a wonderful lunch at what I can easily say will be one of Perth's biggest hotspots soon.

Everything that is taking place at Cathedral Square has left me pretty speechless and impressed at the grandioseness of it all. With vendors like Sue Lewis Chocolate, the Honeycake and more, it is definitely the place to go in the city for all things food, wine and a touch of opulence. But even more importantly there is a real sense of community here - you feel that there's respect for heritage, for the past and the future to come of our city. 

I think the State Buildings will breathe new life into the city, and embrace diners and passersby with welcome arms into a precinct of culture, history and taste. Consider me well and truly impressed.