19 Mar Maude Ventures to Western Australia for their 5th Anniversary!

Maude has been open for five years! That means 51 menus and 530 Dishes and for me that means 43 menus and 450 dishes. For their fifth anniversary, Maude ventured to Chef Curtis Stone’s homeland with a menu centered around Western Australia. Of course, I did not miss this menu as I have not missed a Maude menu since year one! Heading to Western Australia covers a large area. Western Australia covers an entire third of the continent and encompasses the Outback, beaches in the south and of course wine country. There are nine wine regions in Western Australia, including Margaret River, Great Southern and Perth. Per usual, my dining companions pulled wines out of their cellars to share at dinner. But, the wines they brought, while Australian, were not from Western Australia, but rather the well-known regions of Barossa Valley and other areas of Southern Australia. Of course, we enjoyed these during dinner, but we also ordered some gorgeous white wines from Western Australia. But, before we got into the wine, we started with a glass of Moon Bog Old Mate Pale Ale and house-made chips. Beer and chips definitely let us know that we were heading to Australia.   We then enjoyed the Leeuwin Estate Art Series 2010 Riesling, Margaret River, a gorgeous Riesling with mineral and petrol notes. The cuisine of Western Australia is not about specific dishes or traditional recipes but rather about local ingredients, as well as influences from other cultures. Our first bite was tasty Spiny Lobster with lime, coconut and a touch of heat, served in a bowl made from recycled ocean refuse. The Riesling also paired beautifully with the Hiramasa (King fish) served with apple, nasturtium and kombucha. For the next courses, we enjoyed the Cloudburst Chardonnay from Margaret River. The Tartare with cornichon, puffed rice and yolk was some of the most tender meat I have ever had. I liked the crunchy texture that the puffed rice added but it was important not to get too many pieces of rice in one bite or it would overpower the delicate meat. The Potted Rabbit was a small dish of rabbit and a side of a Riesling jelly served with  hot flatbread, similar to naan, fresh out of the oven. For our next courses, we enjoyed the red wines that my companions brought and there were some real treats! We enjoyed Tyrell’s Wines 2001 Pinot Noir form Hunter Valley, Torbreck 2004 RunRig from Barossa Valley, Henschke 2002 Mount Edelstine Shiraz from Eden Valley, and Penfolds Grange 1998 South Australia Shiraz. The best dish of the night was the Cicioneddos, dense, hand-rolled squid pasta that originates from Sardinia with mud crab, riberry and trout roe. Another excellent dish was the BBQ Squid with seaweed, saltbush and dukkah. The meat course was a perfectly cooked piece of Venison with wattle seed and served with caleriac and squash. And on the side of the Venison, we were served a cup of Venison Broth which was so deep, rich with intense comforting flavors. We moved upstairs for a light palate cleanser. And then enjoyed a dessert of Chocolate, macadamia, passionfruit and ginger. Of course, were were presented with a plate of mignardes to finish the meal.  With the presentation of the menu came two oatmeal cookies that I waited to enjoy the next day. Another great meal at Maude. It’s been a great five years of amazing dishes and I look forward to hopefully another five years! Next wine region that will be featured at Maude….Sonoma!