Stars in their eyes: Perth’s finest restaurant aims sky-high in global chef search

Wildflower, arguably Perth’s finest restaurant, has all but completed an international search for a new chef to take over the kitchens at the celebrated restaurant atop the Como Hotel in the city. And they’re aiming sky-high.

Their ads are targeting chefs with Michelin Star experience from anywhere in the world.

Wildflower, Perth.

Previous chef Michael D’adamo was promoted to the head chef position in May last year, but we understand State Buildings executive chef Kim Brennan is running things for the time being. D’adamo himself has a CV you’d die for, working with Andrew McConnell at Cumulus Inc, Chef de Partie at Jacque Raymond Melbourne and head chef at Marcus Wareing restaurants in the UK.

Christmas dinner at home just got fancy

No surprise really, but we were in the IGA the other day and the Christmas bonbons and wrapping paper and tinsel were in prominent positions (sidebar: by New Year’s Day, Easter eggs will be in supermarkets. Mark my words). So, the festive season is upon us. Which means all the big hotels are launching their Christmas menus and events. It’s a growing trend. Many families opt for a lavish hotel lunch or dinner on Christmas Day. No cooking, no clean-up, no stress. It makes complete sense.

We’ll have more news about the various offerings in the next week or two. The QT Hotel in Perth has taken it next-level with a Christmas dinner at home package for four to six people for $649 and the spread is remarkable: sourdough, artisan salami and prosciutto, tiger prawns, oysters, smoked salmon, crab salad, orange and honey-glazed ham, roast free range chicken, suckling lamb shoulder, vegetable sides, fruit mince pies, Christmas pudding, cherries, profiteroles, chocolates and the list goes on. Order online, tell them your preferences, and you can pick it up at the QT or have it delivered by your favourite ride-sharing company.

New restaurant gives great steak

The long anticipated 6HEAD steakhouse opens at Elizabeth Quay next week. It is the premium brand of the Sydney-based hospitality company that owns and operates national restaurant brands like Hunter & Barrell, Ribs & Burgers, The Meat & Wine Co. and Five Guys. As we go to press, finishing touches are being made to the dark and moody dining room and bar.

6HEAD is all about serious dining. You can kick off with 30 grams of Beluga Caviar for $450 or perhaps oysters at $86 a dozen. Then on to a 1-kilogram Angus T-Bone at $220 per kilo. Their wagyu tomahawk is a wallet-flensing $370 per kilo. We’re booked in this week to give it a test run. At these prices, we are expecting impeccable steak cookery; we’ll let you know.

Paparazzi in the kitchen

Which reminds me, Wolfgang Puck is one of America’s celebrity chefs. He cooks the official Oscars after-party dinner. His steakhouse brand is called CUT. I went to the Beverly Hills outpost and, yes, the steaks were magnificent. The stars of the show, however, were the Australian steaks which had their own boxed-in section on the menu.

Wolfgang Puck has restaurants in Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, Maui, London, New York, Singapore, Budapest, Istanbul, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

I spoke to him after dinner, and he is a huge fan of Australian beef because it’s grown to a spec, not a price, and the animal husbandry is the best in the world, according to the great man. You gotta love America: when I was in his kitchen chewing the (wagyu) fat with the Austrian-American restaurant mogul, there were paparazzi actually in the kitchen banging off pics of Puck and me. God knows who they thought I was, but clearly it was all about Wolfgang. Funny day.

The joke’s on me

I was sitting solo at a banquette at CUT taking in the febrile energy of the guests and waiters, when the restaurant manager sat two rail-thin Hollywood wives beside me. They were mother and daughter, one in her 60s, the other in her late 30s, but you couldn’t tell the difference. Both women were stylish by Hollywood Californian standards, like New York matricians with a tan. They were not dripping with bling or wearing labels on their clothes and handbags. Their jewellery was minimal but insanely expensive. I eavesdropped.

CUT, Beverly Hills, is one of the most sought-after steak restaurants in the world.

When they spoke, they had polished LA accents but weren’t able to hide the twang that said they were just one generation away from the orange groves. They were lovely people. Not creatives or producers or agents but kept women, to use the old-fashioned term. DNA, guile and keeping their eyes on the prize has clearly reaped rewards for both of them. They saw me joshing with the waiters and thought I must have been an insider. The mother leant over. “What’s good?” she asked, and wicked Robbie came out to play. “Let’s have some fun,” I thought. These, after all are the kind of women who toy with a salad and call it quits. “The bone marrow is exquisite,” I said.

The bone marrow side at CUT is a massive mound of wobbling, chargrilled marrow served without the bone. It looks like the aftermath of serious liposuction.

They ordered the marrow.

I was watching from the corner of my eye when the quivering mass dropped on their table, fully expecting them to be disgusted by it. The joke was on me. They hoovered it down without pause. I would have thrown up. “How was it?” I asked. “Fabulous. Wonderful. Thank you,” they replied wiping the grease from their sculptured chins.

You never know.

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