Chapter One Brasserie

Posted by: foodfan_perth | 9 October 2010, 1.28pm

Came here for dinner on recommendation from several people. Was very impressed by the quality of the food and the great waitressing service.
Upon arrival we were presented with a lovely spinach and broccoli amuse bouche 'compliments of the chef' which was a really nice touch.

The wine list is quite pricey but I dont think it would be possible to choose incorrectly - a lot of thought has gone it into preparation.

Would highly recommend the tasting plate; this is definitely not too much food for 2 people. The scallops were amazing as were the blue cheese tartlets.

Also very impressed with the mains; my partner had the duck with caramelised pear and walnut and I had the ocean trout with vegetable ratatouille. Excellent portion sizes and impeccably cooked.

Would HIGHLY recommend this restaurant to anyone.
Especially suited for a romantic evening.

Food:			Visit: Fri 8 October 2010 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: Fi Linungry | 2 February 2010, 5.28pm

We booked in for a cosy dinner for 2 last Saturday night, after hearing a few good things about this restaurant. I'm always interested in this notion of "internationally trained" people, and how it's meant to bring an additional "wow" or "x factor" to a restaurant. Best we go inside and check for ourselves.

It's a small venue, which looks sophisticated and homely. There are small battery operated candles, which give off a nice flickering light, but also looks a bit cheap and plastic-y. The cheap, plastic theme continues with the covers for the menu, whereby you can't see what's on the menu without pushing the plastic down on the table to see what's underneath it. There's also white linen tablecloths covered with paper, so don't be mistaken into thinking this is fine dining.

We are seated quickly and without fuss. Drinks are offered and quickly poured. This is where things get interesting. We ordered a bottle of wine, and after the 2 glasses poured, the bottle was then taken away. Throughout the meal, I wondered where the bottle went, and what was it doing while it was away. It did make regular re-appearances through out the night, but I would have preferred it stay on the table. Also, we had no input from the sommelier into our wine selection. Anyhow, we soldiered on.

Now, we had to make the decision on what to order. I politely enquire about the 3 course set menu listed on this website. The response I was given would have been the same as if I had have asked if she could diagnose my medical condition ie "I have no idea what you're talking about and why are you asking me for?". Ok then, duly noted. Moving right along.

For entree, we ordered the tasting plate, which started another interesting story (or chapter if you will). As there were 2 of us, we were happy to order the tasting plate to share. When we were served, the tasting plate was placed on our table, and we were quizzically asked "Do you want to know what this is?". My mind momentarily froze, as this was the first time I'd heard this question. And with the tone it was asked, I was sure I didn't want to hear the answer.

Anyway, to the contents of the plate. It was massive. There were 6 tastes, and 4 portions of each taste. The salmon with truffle cream was magnificent, the small tart also quite delicious, but the stuffed mushrooms, chorizo with pesto, arancini and polenta chips were just there to fill the plate out. The problem with this plate is one, that it's way too much for 2 people (perhaps excellent value for 4 people, but would have been nice for the waitstaff to point out), and two, was all very baked, fried and heavy. I would have preferred some lighter, fresher options, instead of feeling full before mains come out. Anyhow, we soldiered on.

Now for mains. I ordered the (in)famous angel hair pasta with crab and tomato sugo. Unfortunately for me, this was a large splodge of pasta, just waiting to fill me up more than I wanted. Luckily, the pasta was sweet, bordering on an Indonesian sweet chilli sauce flavour, so the decision to stop eating was easy.

So at the end of the night, we both feel way too full, and have paid $60 per head. On this visit where the restaurant was about 75% full, we were very disappointed, and accordingly couldn't recommend it. It's a shame because I really wanted to like this place. You could say they've read Chapter One. They just need to read the rest of the book.

Food:			Visit: Sat 30 January 2010 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: staccamac | 18 December 2009, 3.16pm

Food
Don't go here without trying the tasting plate...WOW...chorizo w/ pesto was superb and the arancini, little balls of heaven, had I been at a tapas restaurant I would have been happy to continuing eating just these two choices.
Mains...there is nothing better than going to a restaurant and knowing that whatever you order it will be done well (there a very few of these in Perth!) and Chapter One have done this for us on every visit, rabbit pie, chicken, duck just to name a few have all been of perfect quality and quantity
It is so refreshing to go to a restaurant that understands what "quality" food actually is and that your menu must follow the seasons to acquire this.
Wine...one staff member was second to none with her wine knowledge and is not afraid to share it!(though not over bearing!)She was exceptionally helpful in suggestions and out did herself in helping us find wines we were not able to find at local bottle shops or online
We are going back again this week!

Food:			Visit: Fri 18 December 2009 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: Alcibiades | 13 July 2009, 8.33pm

While I booked for five we ended up with six, but despite the small size of the restaurant which was fully booked, I found the staff to be very accomodating in rearranging the table.

Upon sitting down we ordered two starter plates and some wine.

I have to say first off that I was very happy with the quality of wine advice we recieved. It certainly made it easier to shift from the usual staples of Sauv Blanc to the more interesting offerings.

The small but well crafted list is has a good selection of Australian and foreign wine, and is very reasonably priced. The only things one may wish for is more wines available by the glass (but I appreciate that the size of the restaurant would hamper that), and being able to have the wine kept on the table.

The starter plates were interesting and provided a good mix of flavours, and I thought the pesto on the chorizo was simply divine.

I ordered the bouillabaisse for main, and although it was good, it failed to really excite me. My friend who had the rabbit pie was also somewhat critical, saying that while both excellent on their own, the celeriac puree overpowered the rabbit, which has a fairly delicate flavour, and after tasting it I had to concur. Everyone else seemed pretty happy and the serving sizes were pretty healthy.

I had the apple tart for dessert,which was pretty good, although I may have changed to a softer pastry. However the custard it came with was to die for, I was tempted to ask for more to take home... it was heavenly. One of my dining companions had the chocolate fondant and pistachio icecream, which looked and tasted sublime.

I unfortunately had to drive after, but I would have liked to relax with another bottle of malbec and maybe a port, with some cheese to finish off what was a very enjoyable night.

On the whole I would happily come back. The restaurant is small, but did not feel crowded, and best of all it was reasonably quiet which was great (Perth seems to have a lot of places ruined by bad acoustics). The service was good and Hayley was very passionate about the food and the wine, which was refreshing.

Food:			Visit: Fri 10 July 2009 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: handa | 29 June 2009, 3.06pm

A very good first impression, classy interior, linen napkins, cosy and romantic, attentive staff, all held great promise for what was to come. The menu was short, so it was bad that by 8.30pm on a Saturday they had ran out of a main course - even before the footy crowd arrived and filled all the remaining tables. The food was on the whole plain, basic and OK - nothing you could complain about, but nothing better than an average cook will be doing this Sunday at home. The roast chicken at over $30 for a small amount of dry plain chicken, with fried leeks in cream & a lump of potato was particularly dissapointing. I had the rabbit pie - which was tasty without being anything special. The service and atmosphere were good. Everything points to a very good upmarket restaurant - they just need to up the food about 5 levels. Costing over $170 for 2 people left us feeling disappointed. We won't be rushing back.

Food:			Visit: Sat 27 June 2009 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: RDP | 5 April 2009, 3.04am

Shocking, Shocking, Shocking - Service 2/10, Food 4/10, Ambiance 2/10 I would never go back to Chapter One. The waitress was rude, they had run out of four items from the small menu. The food was bland and the place far too small.

Food:			Visit: Sat 4 April 2009 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: suzfisher | 11 September 2007, 5.54pm

Eating from the winter menu at Chapter One, wonderful memories flooded back all at once. The wine list, the service, the quality ingredients and the ingenious menu.

Starting with a tasting plate, we were off with a bang complimented with a Mornington Penninsula Pinot. Pesto dolloped onto Chorizo bites, spinach soup server in shooters, prawns and aranchini balls - it was spectacular.

Unfortunately I inadvertently chose the least interesting dish comprising of under-cooked lamb cutlets, although they were well spiced. My dining companions chose Rabbit pie (!) and aged Beef fillet. The Beef was right on the mark, swimming in a appetizing marinade. The Rabbit pie was delicious; the pastry was very fine and on the whole cooked well.

Food:			Visit: Thu 6 September 2007 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: Tina Edwards | 27 April 2007, 11.55pm

The inconspicuous frontage of this restaurant leads you into an intimate dining area with a somewhat elegant feel. Friends and I have been there many times and have now experienced one of their 'wine' evenings. On this occasion chef Jason Walker produced a six-course menu of exquisite dishes (the veal in particular was delicious) with Hayley handpicking an equally satisfying wine to complement each dish served. The atmosphere was one of relaxed enjoyment, with guest speaker Xavier Grau sharing just a little of his extensive knowledge about wine with the guests. The staff were knowledgeable about the menu and wine alike and were attentive without being over the top. It was a great evening out and we will definitely be going back.

Food:			Visit: Wed 25 April 2007 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere: