“Do you feel like you’re in Bunbury?” your reporter was asked after the gnocchi had disappeared and a perfectly cooked filet of Wagin duck with shaved Manjimup truffles was set before him.
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The answer was supposed to be no, but unhesitatingly it was yes – gloriously yes, as nowhere else on the planet would the Yours or Mine Truffle Dinner held last Thursday have been possible.
Under the watchful eye of renowned gastronomist Rob Broadfield, Leeuwin Estate head chef Dany Angove and the formidable team at Yours or Mine led by chef Chris Cheong with sous chef Brooke Cochrane on point in the kitchen led a full house through a hedonistic tour of the South West’s best.
It was all about the truffles, of course, and they don’t get much better than these, hand-picked by the kitchen on Al Blakers’ property in Manjimup fresh for the evening.
Angove led off with a beef carpaccio with abalone from Flinders Bay in Augusta, a truffled twist on the classic surf and turf. The meat – black Angus filet from Joe Princi – was superb but the abalone was a revelation, fresh and giving to the bite without any of that cardiac muscle crunchiness that can make it a chore.
Cheong took the next course and anyone familiar with his amazing pan-fried gnocchi with truffles and sage butter, a must-try at Yours or Mine, would not have been disappointed.
Inside out gnocchi, stuffed with meaty goodness, had the pillowy softness of sui-gyoza and a richness borne aloft by a buttery and lightly truffled sauce.
Angove returned for the third course with a filet of Wagin duck – a bird that should replace the black swan as our official state bird.
It was served with chargrilled pear and red miso with shaved truffles. Superb.
Introducing the dish, Angove said that anyone wanting duck previously had a choice of frozen or having it shipped from Melbourne. Long live the good people at Wagin Duck & Game.
“It was a great locals’ night,” said Angove, “Great to see Bunbury and surrounding area foodies in such a great venue and atmosphere, and great to see Chris back on the tools.”
We couldn’t agree more.