Dessert Degustation, The Trustee Bar & Bistro, Perth CBD

I deliberately stopped using the phrase ‘guilty pleasure’ years ago. I don’t feel guilty; I relish every bite.

For me, The Trustee’s Dessert Degustation was 4.5 rapturous courses out of 5. The first was my favourite: vanilla bean ice cream, caramel and popcorn sprinkled with wattleseed in a crisp mini waffle cone. The wattleseed adds a flavour like roasted coffee. Note: every splat and smear of salted caramel is worth licking up.

The second course was sweet and ever so slightly sour, modern art on a plate: creme brulee tart in shortcrust pastry with green apple gel and salted caramel, a just-cooked apple slice, pinches of crumbled shortbread and a cherry apple, rolled in icing sugar but tart and crunchy, almost like a pickle.

Next came one of The Trustee’s signature dishes, the Trustee Snickers bar – chocolate coated chocolate mousse with a peanut wafer base, mini peanut butter ice cream sandwich and salted caramel cream. The sprigs of micro lemon balm looked suspiciously like chef wankery scattered on the plate, but their citrus notes helped cut through the richness of the dish.

I appreciated the refreshing lychee sorbet, rosewater panna cotta and almond pearls, but it was my least favourite of the five courses. The pale pink almond pearls had a texture I found unappealing. I’ve never been a marzipan fan (obviously not the chef’s fault) and found their flavour rather disrupted the delicate harmony of lychee and rosewater.

The final course of a degustation can often be a struggle, but this one was wonderfully easy: a macaron with a chewy jam centre, and a spearmint milkshake made with fresh mint leaves and ice-cold milk.

The miniature treats – ice cream cone, Snickers bar and milkshake were delightful. I thought the five courses were well balanced in texture and flavour. The portions were sensibly sized but didn’t feel stingy. I went into this expecting to sink into a cloying sugar coma, but that never happened. Don’t get me wrong – five dessert courses and a little over an hour later, I left happy but craving something really salty, like bacon or instant noodles. I wasn’t hungry enough to eat a steak, but they could’ve totally sold me something from a sneaky post-dego savoury snack menu.

The Trustee’s Dessert Degustation is $24 per person and available during bistro opening hours as part of Eat Drink Perth 2015 (until 24 April). The menu was originally advertised as four courses for $39 and designed to be shared between two, but it’s been changed to five smaller courses for one as a result of diner feedback. The menu may vary on the day, depending on the chef’s inspiration and availability of seasonal ingredients.

Trustee Bar & Bistro
133 St Georges Terrace (Brookfield Place)
Telephone: (08) 6323 3000
Closed on Sundays

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degustation, dessert, Eat Drink Perth, Perth CBD, sweet  1