The Bonsai Restaurant Cafe & Lounge
In my list of amazing restaurants in Perth, Bonsai is definitely one that makes the short list.
It's new wave Japanese. Fusion and charm. And the flavours, presentation and food itself - that ticks all the boxes with aplomb.
I've organised a small(ish) dinner for my birthday and decided that Bonsai is the perfect place for my group of fourteen people. First off, it has the option of a set menu which tends to suit larger bookings like this. Second, it does not (this is very important) charge cakeage like so many places do (how ridiculous).
So off we went to this little industrial looking urban restaurant with our phenomenal cake from Sugar & Spice Patisserie in Joondalup (more about the cake shortly).
The manager here is extremely friendly and personable. He's professional but relaxed enough to converse with you as he takes my cake to put in their fridge. We're shown to our table by the equally lovely staff and soon enough everyone has arrived.
They leave enough time for pleasantries and to peruse the function menu before coming over. We've gone for function menu C which is made up of seven entrees where each guest gets at least one of each of (sometimes two). And then there is the choice of five different mains which each person can choose which they prefer.
Once we've placed our main orders, the food starts pouring in. And it is impressive!
First comes the simple crispy salad. I had no idea what to expect with this but it was phenomenal. Easily one of the best dishes of the night. And the servings were very generous, with four large bowls placed on our long table for us to share.
The salad was made up of shredded cabbage and greens, with crispy noodles on top. The dressing was a sweet Japanese dressing with mayonnaise added in. Really, really delicious.
Next up was the chicken sushi. Nicely rolled and flavoured, it had a light coating of sesame seeds on the outside and the chicken inside was soft and delicate.
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Very quickly after came this pretty dish. Prawn, avocado and tosazu jelly spoons. It's cold and light and that jelly is salty and silky. The tables pretty quiet at this point as we all gulp down our individual servings on the funky spoons presented.
Next up was the pan fried mushrooms with karashi-su-miso. They're cooked to the point where they still retain their structure and have that yield when you bite in. The sauce is like a condensed drizzle of oomph, it packs a punch of amazingness.
The takoyaki was served at the same time, with each of us getting two pieces per person. The octopus inside is soft and plentiful, the sauce on top generously slathered for us to dip our food back into again and again. I can't help but really love this.
The second last entree is beef wrapped around the asparagus. It's boiled asparagus but with still a crunch and the beef is tender. This place knows how to respect their ingredients.
The last entree is the fried crab claws which are breaded and come with a spicy sauce to dip in. Very naughty but very nice! It's one of those dishes that you can pretend you didn't want all along but are so happy it came on the set menu.
After a nice little break, our mains start to arrive. There's beef cheek and chicken teriyaki and a pork chop floating around in front of some.
Jeremy's gone for a teri-steak main which is scotch fillet in a garlic butter teriyaki sauce. The meat is pre-cut and cooked to a perfect medium rare. It's incredibly tender, the kind of melt in your mouth taste that you hope for. And after all those entrees, it's a very decent size meal.
Like always when I come here, I've selected the teriyaki toothfish. It's in a ginger teriyaki sauce, with a smear of miso and some light vegetables like cucumber and cherry tomatoes. The skin on the fish is crispy like a wafer. And the fish itself is oh so light, it's flaky and just taken off the grill when it's lost its translucent quality. For me, it doesn't get better than this.
For $35 per head, Bonsai function menu is incredible value. We're completely and utterly full, and happy with the prompt and attentive service.
For me, this place can do no wrong. It's a great thing and the reason I'm so happy we went here. I already know I'll be back, I just love it so much.
For more information on The Bonsai Restaurant Cafe & Lounge visit them on their website.
It's new wave Japanese. Fusion and charm. And the flavours, presentation and food itself - that ticks all the boxes with aplomb.
I've organised a small(ish) dinner for my birthday and decided that Bonsai is the perfect place for my group of fourteen people. First off, it has the option of a set menu which tends to suit larger bookings like this. Second, it does not (this is very important) charge cakeage like so many places do (how ridiculous).
So off we went to this little industrial looking urban restaurant with our phenomenal cake from Sugar & Spice Patisserie in Joondalup (more about the cake shortly).
The manager here is extremely friendly and personable. He's professional but relaxed enough to converse with you as he takes my cake to put in their fridge. We're shown to our table by the equally lovely staff and soon enough everyone has arrived.
They leave enough time for pleasantries and to peruse the function menu before coming over. We've gone for function menu C which is made up of seven entrees where each guest gets at least one of each of (sometimes two). And then there is the choice of five different mains which each person can choose which they prefer.
Once we've placed our main orders, the food starts pouring in. And it is impressive!
Simple crispy salad
The salad was made up of shredded cabbage and greens, with crispy noodles on top. The dressing was a sweet Japanese dressing with mayonnaise added in. Really, really delicious.
Chicken sushi
Next up was the chicken sushi. Nicely rolled and flavoured, it had a light coating of sesame seeds on the outside and the chicken inside was soft and delicate.
.JPG)
Prawn, avocado and tosazu jelly spoons
Very quickly after came this pretty dish. Prawn, avocado and tosazu jelly spoons. It's cold and light and that jelly is salty and silky. The tables pretty quiet at this point as we all gulp down our individual servings on the funky spoons presented.
Pan fried mushrooms
Next up was the pan fried mushrooms with karashi-su-miso. They're cooked to the point where they still retain their structure and have that yield when you bite in. The sauce is like a condensed drizzle of oomph, it packs a punch of amazingness.
Takoyaki
The takoyaki was served at the same time, with each of us getting two pieces per person. The octopus inside is soft and plentiful, the sauce on top generously slathered for us to dip our food back into again and again. I can't help but really love this.
Beef with asparagus
The second last entree is beef wrapped around the asparagus. It's boiled asparagus but with still a crunch and the beef is tender. This place knows how to respect their ingredients.
Crab claws
The last entree is the fried crab claws which are breaded and come with a spicy sauce to dip in. Very naughty but very nice! It's one of those dishes that you can pretend you didn't want all along but are so happy it came on the set menu.
After a nice little break, our mains start to arrive. There's beef cheek and chicken teriyaki and a pork chop floating around in front of some.
Teri-steak
Jeremy's gone for a teri-steak main which is scotch fillet in a garlic butter teriyaki sauce. The meat is pre-cut and cooked to a perfect medium rare. It's incredibly tender, the kind of melt in your mouth taste that you hope for. And after all those entrees, it's a very decent size meal.
Teriyaki toothfish
Like always when I come here, I've selected the teriyaki toothfish. It's in a ginger teriyaki sauce, with a smear of miso and some light vegetables like cucumber and cherry tomatoes. The skin on the fish is crispy like a wafer. And the fish itself is oh so light, it's flaky and just taken off the grill when it's lost its translucent quality. For me, it doesn't get better than this.
For $35 per head, Bonsai function menu is incredible value. We're completely and utterly full, and happy with the prompt and attentive service.
For me, this place can do no wrong. It's a great thing and the reason I'm so happy we went here. I already know I'll be back, I just love it so much.
For more information on The Bonsai Restaurant Cafe & Lounge visit them on their website.
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