Bouchard

Posted by: Registered user - name withheld | 11 February 2010, 11.13am

We went there for a very special occasion, this restaurant was recommended to us as One of the best in Perth

On arrival, we liked the atmosphere and the layout of the restaurant, Mount St is one of the best places for a restaurant.

My partner is French and grew up in Bordeaux and I'm originally from Melbourne, I can honestly say that based on the experience last night, this restaurant would be black banned in those places.

Reasons

Menu: lacked the French attitude, maybe the management and staff should go back to France to see what I mean first hand.

Food: Bit too much salt, under or over cooked meats, everything tasted the same, trying too hard and thus lost the essence of the French cuisine.

Staff: Inexperienced, mistakes were made with the food service, for such a small restaurant we had two separate staff members asking us the same questions there simply was no coordination. One staff member had mood swings after declining an invitation look at the desert menu, this behaviour is totally inexcusable. We received orders for other tables, and our bill had items which we didn t order.

This is not acceptable for a restaurant that positions itself on the high end of the spectrum, they should have halve their prices and move to Mandurah.

We would definitely not recommend this restaurant.

Food:			Visit: Wed 10 February 2010 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Fi Linungry | 8 September 2009, 3.03pm

On a cold Saturday night, our group of 8 made it's descent to Bouchard. I say "descent" as it's at the bottom of a fairly steep hill, but a good way to walk off that meal at the end of the evening.

Arriving at the restaurant, the first thing that strikes me is the size. It's really very small. So small that you can only fit about 15 people inside, with the rest (25 apparently) outside in the enclosed courtyard. The restaurant is beautifully appointed, so the small size really gives a warm, intimate feel about it. Like you're part of a secret group that no one else knows about.

The food was delicious. I had the seared salmon for entree, which was cooked well (which means it wasn't cooked very much at all). The pink fillet was fleshy, and firm, while the skin was crispy providing a lovely contrast in textures. For mains, I had the seared duck breast (looks like I was having a "searing" night), with puy lentils, artichoke puree and smoked cherry tomato. The duck lacked any pink colour, so I think it may have been seared for too long, which I was a bit disappointed with. Anyway, it was still delicious, and the smoked tomato, a taste revelation. I was happy.

The wine list is small, but serviceable. I'd like a bit more choice in the cheaper options rather than just one of each variety. The glassware was of very good quality, and good to see decanters being offered as well.

There were also the nice surprise bonuses that get thrown in, which I think is a must when you are paying these prices. The espresso ice cream with foam, had an amazing texture, with little sherberty explosions on your tongue. A lovely prelude to dessert. Plus the chocolate truffles after desserts, just to make sure you had a good chocolate fix. There's certainly enough food to give you the energy required to get back up the hill again!

So in our group of 8, we all had entrees, mains and desserts, plus shared 3 bottles of wine, and the bill was $100 per person ($75 food, $25 drinks) which was very reasonable.

Which brings me to my conclusion, Bouchard - delicious!

Food:			Visit: Sat 5 September 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: proper | 12 August 2009, 1.52pm

nice warm atmosphere,professional service,excellent presentation and good food.
i can see how some people would love it and others be slightly disappointed.
in my opinion trying hard and worth a look.

Food:			Visit: Tue 11 August 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Vatel | 28 July 2009, 2.17am

Ok lets face it, Perth is not the right destination if you are a gastronome (and not pretending to be one...as mentioned below).
The surprising thing with Perth, there are places for everyone, to please ever palate, from the Hungry Jacks's lovers, to the Cloudy Bay Drinkers, even though to the "by the river beautiful rip off italian style risotto"...
Fortunatly Perth has started the competition and Bouchard is in the game.
We went there last saturday with my wife and another couple. Nice warm corner in the terrace...a very smiling waitress offered us some aperitifs, the girls had the cocktail of the day and we had a nice French Poully Fume, around 75 dollars.
We decided to go for a degustation night so we all ordered something different and share everything.
The amuse, a beetroot consomm? with some smoked bacon foam served in a tiny glass really got us started, small little treat that we didn't expect, at least it wasn't some traditional bread and olive oil...
I chose the Pig's head, very tasty, the apple pur? was definitely matching the black pudding. So unusual to see pig's head on a menu though. My wife had the poached scallops, very well presented, so delicate.
also i tried the cauliflower soup, introduced by the Manager with a touch of humour when placing the plate on the table with only the cheese empanada, and a few seconds later pouring the hot soup around the empanada. i loved the beetroot chip which gave a lot of colour into that delightful dish. My friend had the cured trout, and again the presentation and taste was very similar to a French michelin star restaurant.
we waited around 25 minutes for our mains but it was worth it. At the end of the day, we were not rushing anywhere else and very excited. i could have wait even longer for that Barramundi, perfectly cooked, and the broth...i almost licked the plate. My wife had the duck which was really tasty, excellent lentils and cooked ros?, as it should be...Same meat temperature for my Friend's veal, the confit celeriac was so tender and tasteful. His wife had the salmon wrapped with panceta. we were all very please with everything and above all that the mains were cooked properly, not dry as we can have it somewhere, every meal was hot.
i noticed that none of the waitstaff offered Pepper (as everyone usually do in Perth), but then enjoying my mains, i realised that the Chefs definitely know what they are doing and season accordingly. Its so direspectful for the chef when someone ask for salt and pepper without even trying the dish.
Anyway...a short recess was needed after our mains, then we tried the dessert, between the cheese plate, with a very nice selection of French Cheeses, my wife passionfruit souffle, a moccachino mousse, and a traditionnal rhubarb creme brulee...what a nice meal. i almost forgot, we also received a tiny little predessert, which was some kind of berry sorbet with a balsamic vinegar foam and, Yes, cracked pepper was offered ! Delightful.
We paid 500 dollars but it was worth every cent. Good cocktails, excellent wine list, friendly and smiley service, amazing food, good atmosphere and background music.. who wouldn't pay for that we felt like home !
Hopefully having such a nice restaurant in town will wake up the culinary spirit of many chefs/owners around the city.

Food:			Visit: Sat 25 July 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: adakon | 20 July 2009, 5.13pm

After reading The West's review of Bouchard which gave it 18/20 and listed it as one of Perth's top 3 restaurants your expectations of a devine eating experience is raised to the extreme. Our group of six were looking extremely forward to the dinner as we like going to Perth s better restaurants every now and again to be culinarily spoiled.

We arrived to be told they didn t have our booking even though I d booked over 3 weeks prior. To their credit it wasn t an issue and they quickly arranged a table for us. We started the night with a few drinks and some of us ordered Lychee martinis and Dirty Martinis. They were both very average, especially the dirty version which my friend really struggled to finish. Salt isn't that salty! We ordered and prior to the entrees a complimentary pea soup shooter topped with a nice salty piece of bacon came out. It was delish! Expectations were high for what was to follow.

Let me digress. Bouchard isn't cheap. We spent $300 per couple including drinks. Entrees were $20 to $30 and mains were around $40 plus or minus. For this you expect fabulous fabulous food akin to dining heaven. We've eaten at enough nice restaurants here and abroad to know what s good and whether it's bang for your buck cuisine. Unfortunately for Bouchard this isn't the case. It's expensive and the presentation of the food matches the price but the taste doesn't. I had the pigs head with black pudding for entree and the veal loin for mains. I was expecting something with a bit of theatre with the PH but it was just the edible bits that were presented as a patty with some 20 cent size pieces of black pudding on top as well as what ever else was with the dish. It was your typical big plate small portion serving. It looked good and the taste was fine but for $25 it wasn t the party in my mouth I was expecting. Next was the main. This was served less than warm (might have been sitting too long under the heat lamps after being prepared) and like the entree looked good but again, for $40+ it didn't excite and as it was a bit cold didn't help. A complimentary sorbet soon followed which was nice then our desserts appeared a short time later. I had the passionfruit souffle which was pretty good and every one else was pretty happy with their selections. With the coffees came free truffles which was a nice touch. After the meal and a number of wines we shared our thoughts on the meal and everyone agreed it was a 6 out of 10 for the evening which I suppose you could say is above average or just good. If it was significantly cheaper we probably would have scored it higher. We didn't need to stop into Hungry Jacks on the way home but that could have been because we were full from all the wine. Now for the big one. Would be go back? No. Not at those prices and for the lower experience than expected you receive. Would we recommend it to a friend? Maybe, but would tell them to lower expectations and bring some extra $$$.

Back in the good old days of Campo DiFiore you would go out for a stunning experience and got it. You got bang for your buck. These days you go to many of Perth's newer/nicer restaurants and pay a fortune for a meal in a setting similar to a cool cafe with the same level of casual service but must be big $$$ for it. I just don't get it. Where is the love!

Food:			Visit: Mon 20 July 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Registered user - name withheld | 21 June 2009, 7.01pm

Joined two friends for lunch and was disappointed with our meals as they were TINY!!! Service was good but we thought basically it was a rip off! Would not recommend this restaurant.

Food:			Visit: Sun 21 June 2009 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: Kahukiwa | 8 June 2009, 5.45pm

Firstly the service was great as it was friendly and unobtrusive. The food was really tasty. We had the salmon shared as an entree and it was done perfectly. My partner had the duck and it was divine - I wish I had ordered this dish also. I had the beef and whilst it was tasty it was a little cool upon arrival where the duck dish was piping warm. This did not deter me from finishing my dish as I know I will eat here again and order the duck dish. We thought the total bill fair which included a bottle of red and we look forward to eating here again and again.

Food:			Visit: Sun 7 June 2009 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: Jenny Mills | 25 May 2009, 3.02pm

I went here with my husband for our ten year anniversary dinner on Saturday and I have to say it was everything we had hoped for.

The service was polite, friendly and efficient without being "over stuffy" as most fine dining restaurants can be, whilst the food really was something truly special. The care and attention into every dish made you feel like you were the only ones the Kitchen were cooking for. Which made it so nice for us, as we rarely get a night away from the kids so to be made such a fuss of with all the "complimentary" extras came as such a pleasant surprise.

If you'd like an intimate, special night out in Perth I'd definitely put this place at the top of your list.

Food:			Visit: Mon 25 May 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Sovanna | 14 May 2009, 12.31am

I don't know what the food here tastes like because the service when I got there was so bad!!
After arriving and waiting to be seated, the waitress finally comes over and asks for our name and reservation- this is where it went wrong. My partner had called a week and a half ago to make the reservation and was informed of how we couldn't get an earlier table because "they are always booked out in advance". So we took the earliest date possible. Well, when we got there, there was no such reservation?!!? The waitress went "back there to see what she could do" 3 times ony to return to tell us that she couldn't find our reservation. No offer of a solution or anything. So I decided to leave, where only then did the owner come out to offer an aoplogy. Too little too late after being humiliated by the incompetencies of staff.
I would like to go back and try the so-called "great food", as soon as the taste of bad service leaves my mouth...

Food:			Visit: Thu 14 May 2009
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Posted by: Sir John | 3 October 2008, 5.39pm

I went here for an anniversery dinner the other night. This place is SUPERB. The cooking is amazing, the ambience sitting on the balcony on a fine night is great (it will be even better in summer), the wine list is among the best in Perth and the staff friendly and knowledgeable. I think the food here is as good as anywhere in town. I recall salmon with some sort of wasabi ice cream,and quail with foie gras for entree and a sublime boned lamb shank re-assembled with cepes & broadbeans and rabbit with white bean cassoulet mains, and a banana tarte tatin to die for. The wine list here shows a lot of knowledge. We had a Henri Gouges Premier Cru Nuits St Georges(after being tempted by the Roc de Cambes 2000) then, because it was a special night, the Jim Barry Armagh '98 from the reserve wine list - just ask - apparently he has Cheval Blanc '95. I haven't had lunch here before but when I asked they said they were introducing a simpler lunch menu to allow people from the west end of town to come & go in an hour - i'm making plans already. bon appetit

Food:			Visit: Fri 26 September 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Parta | 30 August 2008, 8.08pm

I've eaten lunch at Bouchard before and found it to be a nice place to get away from the hustle of the city. I took a friend to lunch here on a Friday lunctime and was sadly left a bit embarrassed by my choice of venue.

No specials board and no main meal under $40. We were offered water and accepted although the water didn't arrive. Next ordering starters - we both chose the duck but they were out of Pinot by the glass and were not open to the suggestion of providing another bottle by the glass - duck with Cab Sav?? Well I could hardly order Shiraz.

The Cab Sav arrived in a nice big glass but it had clearly just come out the dish washer and was hot. Not only was the glass hot but the wine was over room temperature.

I asked again for water and some bread (when I had been before we were served bread and butter). The water arrived in hot glasses and we were advised that they were "out of bread" but we were offered one complimentary desert. This is taking place 30 minutes after we sat down. The duck arrived and was nice.

With no time to stay for desert I ordered two coffees to go and a piece of chocolate cake. At the counter I was not presented with a receipt to check over and the complementary desert was included in the bill. Another embarrassment to ask for it to be removed.

The funniest part is when we removed the chocolate cake from it's paper bag it was a small chocolate brownie. All I can say is thank goodness it was complementary as I would have been a little baffled if I was presented with a chocolate brownie for $16!

What a shame that instead of relaxing into a catch up conversation with my friend I was worrying about whether we were ever going to eat and what would go wrong next. To many hiccups here!

Food:			Visit: Fri 29 August 2008 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: Wolfy_7 | 2 May 2008, 3.36pm

I've done the brekkie here to death, as it is top quality. I've also done the coffee here a lot as well (almost on an intravenous drip).

Standout brekkies would have to be the eggs Benedict (never had a broken or solid yolk yet), the fruit toast (nice and thick, with fruit and nut chucks), the pancakes (berry compote and cream) and the bircher muesli. I found the prices to be at the high end of what one would ever want to pay for a brekkie. The food is consistent, nicely presented (as one can) and most importantly (lest we forget), really delicious!

I have found the service over the years (incl when it was under a different name) to be really good, which is refreshing considering the turnover of staff in most cafes. Sebastian, the owner, seems to recruit superb wait staff, which I find with cafes makes that extra bit of difference to stand out from the pack especially with the coffee!

It may seem little, but I'm a bit fussy with my long mac and rate the place accordingly. As a consequence, if the beans are fresh and if I don't have to explain how to make it, it rates highly in my book! So Bouchard wins on both accounts (2/3 shots with a dash of milk for the curious).

After brekkie, hit Jacobs ladder and burn it all off!

Food:			Visit: Sat 19 April 2008 Mealtime: breakfast
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