Every now and then you discover a dining delight worth getting excited about. This one was one of those occasions. I was in Darwin… and a little disillusioned… I had a dud dinner, and one doozey of a breakfast, and I was in dire need of something really good to eat. I had heard about a little place called The Pearl, in the Vic Arcade, off the Smith Street Mall and after having a quick peek at the menu, decided I needed to be there… pronto.
The Pearl stands out, but it fits in. Let’s just say it doesn’t look like other surrounding venues. It is quite chic. French industrial I guess, if I had to classify the styling, and the food has a distinct French influence as well. It is classic, yet relaxed. I liked it!
The brunch menu was filled with great choices; duck rillettes, Jamon Serrano, lobster tortellini, linguine of Blue Fin Tuna, all reasonably priced too. I almost felt that I could close my eyes and just land my pointer on the menu and I would be in for a treat. But realistically, I couldn’t look past the beef carpaccio from the moment I got there. The beverage list was great too, some funky imported beers and an eclectic mix of cocktails and boozy juices… I needed more time!
My dining buddies went with the local snapper fillet and pulled pork burger and we shared the duck fat kipfler potatoes and green beans as sides.
Well, let me just say that we were all very happy chappies! My beef carpaccio was a delicate fine layer of flavoursome beef, with an arrangement of white anchovies, capers and a cross pattern of tuna aioli, sprinkled with micro herbs. Ahhh, sensational.
Cherry babe had the snapper, which was accompanied by a pretty display of roasted beetroot, feta, dukkah, orange and pomegranate gems in a salad of sorts. My son enjoyed the pulled pork burger, even though I felt he should have gone with the duck rillettes… even if it was just so I could have a test taste.
The plump green beans with pancetta were amazing; I could even forgive them for dressing it with walnuts instead of the chestnuts mentioned on the menu.
We had planned on just a quick snack, but once we saw the dessert choices, the general consensus was that we weren’t going anywhere… ricotta cinnamon doughnuts with injectable sauces… nup, I was staying put… and boy was it worth it. I played nurse with the syringes, injecting my little dough balls with a mixture of chocolate, blueberry and orange custard… #yes please…
My son ordered the chocolate tart with blood orange sorbet, and wait for it… popping sherbet. So cool! The child in me had to try some… the child in him didn’t want to let me. Then there was some vocalising about me scooping up too much, geez…
Service was great, ambience fantastic, all this and a first press cold drip coffee, yes, I was indeed a happy chappie.
The Pearl is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and they have some pretty impressive ‘Prix Fixe’ menus posted on their Facebook page, which is worth looking out for. If you are visiting Darwin, or lucky enough to live there, this place needs to be on your ‘must go to’ list. I can’t wait to go back.
For more information, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/thepearldarwin
This story was written by Petra Frieser – Pebbles + Pomegranate Seeds. Petra’s visit was paid for and unannounced.
