When Theresa suggested West End Deli for dinner, I was surprised. I only knew it as a place for breakfast. So when I arrived and saw it all decked out, I thought ‘What an amazing job they did with this place!’. I think it is date worthy with the candles and intimate setting. It is also BYO.
Sliced baguette and butter was served as part of the meal. When we polished the whole basket, they brought another basket of bread. Little things do matter.
The chef (Justin Peters) sent an amuse bouche our way which I wasn’t expecting. Hence, that was a really nice surprise. The lady who served us was extremely knowledgeable about the food. She was also very helpful and patient when it came to explaining what the ingredients were.
She explained that these are honey herb goats cheese wrapped in a homemade wanton skin. It had a sprinkling of black sesame over it which completed the flavours of sweet, minty goat cheese.
Out of 7 of us, 5 chose the black angus scotch fillet ($38) with asparagus, roasted shallots and potato croquette. According to Peter and Nic, the shallots were really tasty. It tasted caramelised. The potato croquette was crispy on the outside and really fluffy and buttery on the inside. The steak itself was very hearty with the jus – very soft and succulent.
Jay went for the seared snapper with prawns, mussels, saffron and tomato ($38). The snapper was topped with a pureed cod and squid ink sauce. The snapper was perfectly cooked – giving way easily and retaining its juices. It was served with a chopped up mix of prawns, mussels and celeriac which was beautifully tangy. The whole dish was delicate like a fish dish should be.
I nearly had the steak but decided to put my taste buds in the hands of the lady who served us. She said her favourite was the free range pork with scallop, pineapple and celeriac ($38). How interesting.. pineapple? Turned out… it was a combination of pork belly that was so tender, crackle that was perfectly puffed and crunchy and a piece of pork loin that tasted smoked. It was also served with seared juicy scallops topped with a pineapple foam. It went so well and the surprise was a little bed of pork floss. I loved the dish and was very happy that I followed the suggestion offered.
I just realised I took a picture of everyone’s dish except mine! Oops!
We were all served with sides of Thyme Potatoes and Garden Salad. The thyme potatoes were well pan fried on the outside and dense and flavourful on the inside. The garden salad of butter lettuce had a lovely dressing with honey. I enjoyed it all very much.
Say hello to the foodie crew!
