Pearl on the Peak is perhaps a place you have had a meal with a visitor, or taken your mother-in law or perhaps even enjoyed a romantic evening. The restaurant does after all have breathtaking views, some of the best in the city in fact, but what about the food?

Despite its link with noted Australian chef Geoff Lindsay the restaurant has never received the kind of praise for its food that the view has. Perhaps this is why it has decided to end that association and have just introduced a new menu and a more relaxed dining concept. I had dinner there several days after the new menu was introduced and overall I enjoyed the food more than on previous visits.  

It Started with a Wow!

Almost as soon as we were seated our senses were heightened and teased by the wonderful smells coming from other diner's tables. Perhaps the preparation of some dishes tableside accounted for the appealing aromas, wherever it was coming from it was tantalising to my mind and my stomach.
 
While we were looking at the menu we were served a selection of homemade breads include baguette, grissini, and croissant, with a chickpea dip and pesto (both packed with layers of flavour), and a whole roasted garlic. The garlic was perfectly cooked but was served cold and would have been so much better warm. While the first two breads were tasty the croissant elicited the first "wow" of the evening...so light, so buttery, so flaky with a fantastically crunchy exterior and fluffy cloud soft inside. The selection of items  served with the bread change on a regular basis.

New Menu

The menu is less formal than previously (as is the overall vibe) and while the dishes on offer may not sound as creative as previously they are appealing. There is a certain playfulness and lightness about the new menu with choices divided into "beginning of a journey" - starters, "a leafy dream" - salads, "pearl pick me up" - soups, "pearl trekking" - a selection of international mains, "on fire" - grilled options, and "happy endings" - dessert.

We ordered two signature starters (called "pearl perfection" on the menu), Pan-Fried Crab Cake Boulevard, and A5 Saga Wagyu Beef Tataki Salad to share.

The crab cake was visually appealing with its segments of red pepper and purple micro salad leaves, served on what tasted like a coffee-flavoured mayonnaise. While it was pleasant it tasted like it could have been better if only it had more crab flavour and was less sweet. It was so close to being really good in my mind I could almost taste what it had the potential to be.

The decadently uber rich beef  received the second and third "wow" of the night from my dining companion who rarely eats beef, but when he does he likes it rare. And, this salad was rare-beef lover's heaven. I definitely appreciated the superior quality of the beef with its crazy fatty influences in the beef's flavour, but I was not as blown away by this dish because I am not a fan of the texture of raw beef. However I did enjoy the beef when I had a piece with textural contrast from the crunchy fried garlic curls on top of some slices with some of the salad greens, such as frisee and rocket. The dressing was an impressively deglazed one with notes of honey, caramel, acid and beefy richness. 

We were also tempted by the sound of the Cappuccino of Wild Mushroom and Truffle Soup. The soup had a wonderful aroma of mushrooms when placed on the table and looked like a cappuccino, with a shaving of black truffle sitting on white foam on the latte coloured soup. While the soup was not as sophisticated as it sounded we liked its homey taste. More mushroom pieces would have been nice.

Getting it Right

We chose two mains from the "on fire" section, one of the restaurant's new specialties, the signature 20oz T-Bone Florentine, and the Sea Bass.

The steak was served deboned as it should be, but curiously the bone was used as part of the  presentation, sitting on its end and rising into the air like a phallus. It was served with char grilled vegetable slices, shavings of parmesan, a sprinkle of fresh herbs and a peppery dipping sauce. Sadly the rare steak had a section of gristle that ran through the entire steak, which made it hardwork to eat. And, the flavour paled into comparison to the wagyu steak we had enjoyed previously. We made a note never to order any steak but wagyu if having the wagyu starter.     

The sea bass on the other hand brought forward the final "wow" of the night. The large piece of fish had a wonderful char grilled texture on the outside and succulent and soft interior. It was cooked perfectly, but only just, which we thought a brave move given how many times fish is served overcooked. It was plated with a skewer of grilled cherry tomatoes and baby onion, which gave sweet and tart counter tastes to the fish.

For dessert we had the Dessert Sampler (for two), which as it turned out is way too much for two people. It consisted of Baked Chocolate Pudding, Tiramisu, Semi Freddo, Spiced Date Pudding, Baked White Wine Pear, and a scoop of Vanilla and Ginger Ice Cream. My favourite was the cheek-tingling chocolate pudding withs its runny center, while the semi freddo, with its delicious crisp and nutty outside and creamy filling was my dining companion's pick for best dessert. 

If you have never eaten at Pearl on the Peak or have but haven't been back since I would suggest you give it a try. There really does seem to be a focus on getting the food as good as the view.

Service, Wine, Ambiance, Cost

The service was delightful, more playful than in the past, yet still professional. The staff had some wonderful anecdotes about the dishes and are armed with all the knowledge you need for making an informed choice.

We left our wine choices in the hands of the sommelier (and assistant manager) who again was full of knowledge and enthusiasm about the wines. He presented us with non-standard pairings that were a delight to drink and all were perfect matches.

We were lucky to be seated by the window, and if you can book the corner window table do it, for a feeling of privacy and hanging in mid air with an absolutely stunning view. I am not sure of the ambiance further back, but the restaurant was full and the diners seemed to be enjoying their evening as much as we were. My only complaint about the ambiance was the loud, club-style music, which made it difficult to hear my dining companion and seemed far too manic for relaxing dining.

Prices: our starters were priced at $130 and $180, while our mains were $325 and $315.

Pearl on the Peak
L1 Peak Tower
128 Peak Road
The Peak
28495123