Review: Wildflower, Perth, Jed Gerrard’s hot new restaurant

Jed Gerrard - of the astonishingly good Wildflower, Perth - is our new culinary star. Heard of him?

WILDFLOWER, WA

Media of all flavours, and an obsession with chefs in the wider community, mean it’s hard to dine out these days without knowing something of the place in advance.

You’ve probably never heard of chef Jed Gerrard, though. And I can’t tell you who owns and operates Wildflower, the new high-end diner atop Perth’s amazing State Buildings complex; there’s no breadcrumb trail of past achievement to explain how good this place is. Which makes its brilliance one of the year’s (if not the decade’s) most pleasant surprises.

Wildflower’s focus is consistent with its theme: the West. Plenty talk, but few embrace local produce in quite the same way, with quite the same culinary integrity, as Gerrard in his first gig at the tiller. His dishes are an exciting mix of originality and maturity; he defends the Western front in a way that so many dabbling with indigenous ingredients miss.

What a pity Rene Redzepi didn’t eat here during Nomapalooza.

Wildflower’s menu is brief; dishes are complex on paper but thrilling and completely unconfusing on the (superb, locally made) crockery.

Take the raw Shark Bay saucer scallops, which tang and pop with citrus and fragrant herbs in a way that showcases the extraordinary freshness and quality of the sweet protein. Drill down and you’ll divine a base of white sesame cream, a fresh Granny Smith wafer, the scallop meat (seasoned with dried fingerlime zest and fennel pollen), a gel layer of native basil and apple juice, a scattering of tiny, toasty pellets made (somehow) from roasted rice powder ground and reconstituted, and a deep green moat of apple juice and native basil dressing. At the table, it’s finished — showbiz fashion — with a “snow” of apple juice, wild fennel and chardonnay vinegar. Give Sepia, Quay or Bridge Room a Western brief and this might easily be the result.

Marron (of course) is poached, the tail shelled and served with a puddle of brown butter emulsion alongside a “salad” of raw meat with fingerlime, topped with saltbush and caper/wakame powder. There are other elements on the plate you’re not necessarily conscious of, yet they contribute to a seamless whole.

The elegant, modern room has a view to the Swan River unparalleled in Perth dining. And the floor team know how to host, serve, anticipate, pleasure ... in the nicest possible way.

Waiters brief diners to just the right degree; attention to detail — bread and butter, wine and water — are right where they need to be at this price.

Perfect, generous pieces of aged Wagin duck breast are roasted with a bewitching Asian spice blend and honey; the leg meat is braised. The partners are preserved muntries and their syrup, fermented red cabbage and a lightly acidic duck jus.

Beautiful pieces of Dorper lamb cooked over jarrah get a subtle Middle Eastern accent with black sesame paste, a relish of Warrigal greens and another light “split” lamb jus. There’s zucchini and mint, sheep milk yoghurt, and dehydrated black olive. Another gem.

Side dishes, such as cos hearts with herb mayo, pistachio praline and sherry vinegar are creations unto themselves, both complex and complementary. The desserts nail the same level of cohesion and surprise: I’m thinking particularly of a multi-element dish based around Albany milk (set cream, sorbet and wafers) and wildflower honey, with candied desert limes and an oat crumble. We ate about 60 per cent of the menu; technical brilliance and common sense were everywhere.

And I’d do it again tomorrow. The food and professionalism is a huge surprise. Jed Gerrard? You ain’t heard the last of this guy

AT A GLANCE

ADDRESS: 1 Cathedral Ave, Perth

CONTACT: [phone], wildflowerperth.com.au

HOURS: Lunch, dinner Tue-Sun

TYPICAL PRICES: Entree $33; main $48; dessert $24

SUMMARY: Delicious, contemporary food that cleverly distils the West

* * * * 1/2

LIKE THIS? TRY ... Quay, Sydney; Magill Estate, Adelaide; Esquire, Brisbane