THE little precinct opposite the entrance to South Fremantle Football Club has enjoyed a culinary renaissance.
There’s two swish eateries there – Cassia and Moon & Mary – and a lovely landscaped garden with limestone blocks, palms and lush grass.
Previously an ugly no-man’s land between the markets and Freo.Social, it’s given the whole area a bit of a Joan Rivers facelift.
Once the adjacent hotel is completed – noise wars to the side for the minute – it will give that end of town a real fillip.
I’ve tried Moon & Mary, but not Cassia, so I fired up the Chook jalopy and headed down to investigate.
Cassia’s à la carte menu was edging into fine dining territory with a lot of starters in the mid to high twenty dollar range and mains in the late 30s to 40s. Then you’ve got sides on top of that.
But there was a $75 “Feed Me” dinner and a set lunch menu with two courses for $35 or three for $42, or you could get a main on its own for $28.
The menu had a fantastic range of meat and seafood dishes in the modern Australian vein.
Highlights included the whole grilled Pemberton rainbow trout, Skull Island tiger prawns, truffle stracciatella, and O’Connor beef tartare.
All the dishes were made in a stylish open kitchen in the middle of the venue, a bit like the type sushi and teppanyaki chefs use.
My wife “Special K” and I went for the three course lunch ($42 each).
I kicked off with the beef tartare with smoked yolk emulsion and chips.
Just wow. An amazing cacophony of flavours that had your mouth doing somersaults – smoky, slightly sweet with a zesty coda – it was a delicious affair and the meat was super fine and melted in the mouth.
The ultra thin chips tasted handmade and were light as a feather. Perfect for dipping into the emulsion. They were also good for dipping into my wife’s dish – La Delizia truffle stracciatella with hazelnut vinaigrette and shaved Manjimup truffle.
“It’s a creamy, indulgent number that never gets too overwhelming thanks to the nutty vinaigrette,” noted my wife.
Next up were the mains. My sirloin steak with kipfler potatoes and oyster mushrooms was another delight. The meat was perfectly cooked and the accompanying Tasmanian peppercorn sauce added a subtle heat to the dish. Another triumph.
My wife said her pork Scotch fillet with burnt apple, sobrasada and sage was the best pork dish she’s ever tasted.
“It’s incredibly sweet and super tender,” she said.
“The meat is off the charts.”
We rounded off the meal with a crème brûlée and a tart.
My crème brûlée had a lovely “crack” when you tapped the surface with your spoon and tasted delicious. A lovely consistency with the crunchy lid providing a smoky reprise.
My wife reported her tart was equally as good.
The venue was great – it’s like an upmarket restaurant/bar without the pretension and there’s plenty of nice views from the giant bay windows – and the service was polite and informative.
Our lunch at Cassia was fantastic value and super high-quality – it’s the best borderline fine dining experience I’ve had in Fremantle.
Cassia
3/45 Henderson St, Fremantle
cassiafreo.com.au
0438 795 582
by STEPHEN POLLOCK