Bogart's Bar and Ingrid's Grill

Bogart's is located on Gregory Street, Parap. It's been around for years, had several owners and various styles attached to it.

It's current owner, Lars, has hit the jackpot. Upon entering you feel as if you are in a special world surrounded by artwork, prints, interesting lighting, harem-style fabric swathed across the ceiling, and eclectic pieces of furniture. You gaze around, trying to take it all in - there's something new and interesting everywhere you look.

The bar was packed with patrons obviously enjoying themselves. This is a popular watering hole for locals.

The restaurant was very busy, there's plenty of tables and all were full. The kitchen doesn't close until 10pm and we noticed people coming in quite late to be seated, some having to wait until a table was empty. This is something I have not noticed at a local restaurant for some time and is certainly an indication of how well this establishment is patronised.

Four of us dined at Bogart's this evening. We started with a shared Entrée - Bogart's Tasting Plate. $45 - serving four. This was a really interesting assortment. Mixture of Prosciutto, Cacciatore, Roasted Mediterranean Veggies, Olives, Goat's Cheese, Squid and Gravlax with char-grilled bread. This was a huge serving, more than enough for the four of us for an entrée. The Gravlax was wonderful, cured for 36 hours with sugar, salt, pepper and dill. I'm sure there were other secret ingredients from "Grandma's recipe." The goat's cheese had a really interesting flavour and was extremely smooth, a delight to try. I found it hard to stop myself from eating the olives and veggies. I never knew I could enjoy artichokes so much. The squid was tender, quite an achievement. Unfortunately the Proscuitto was a little fatty, not the nicest I've had. Bogart's Tasting Plate is certainly worth trying.

Bogart's Tasting Plate

For our main meals we had Bogart's Planksteak - $38, Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon - $34, Fresh Fish of the Day (Cod) - $34, and Italian Style Lamb Shank - $31.

Bogart's Planksteak - Grilled Porterhouse, Pom Dushees, Green Beans wrapped with Bacon, Grilled Tomato and Mushrooms, topped with Bearnaise sauce. This was a fairly decent sized steak, 350g, served on an African Mahogany platter, apparently a Swedish custom.  A very enjoyable meal, although I would have liked more beans. The sauce was exquisite. Eating off a wooden platter did make me wonder about its cleanliness, however I was assured the platters were scrubbed with stainless steel wool, scrutinised carefully,  then washed and sterilised in the dish washer.

Bogart's Planksteak

Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon - Crispy skinned salmon served on chat potatoes with asparagus and roasted cherry tomatoes with a creamy  mustard sauce. This was a good sized serving, the roasted tomatoes were delicious and the whole meal was enjoyed immensely. "It tasted beautiful."

Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon

Fresh Fish of the Day - Cod. Another meal that was described as "beautiful" it came with vegetables and not a scrap was left on the plate. A testament to how delicious it was.

Fresh Fish of the Day

Italian Style Lamb Shank - slowly cooked in Napolitana sauce with Olives and Chunky Onions. Served on mash with peas and parmesan. This was an enormous serving and fabulously tender.

Italian Style Lamb Shank

We really enjoyed our evening at Bogart's. The host was sociable and a pleasure to talk to, he spent quite some time at our table explaining some of the recipes and how three of his signature dishes come from his "Grandma's recipes."

We could not have asked for better service, our waitress for the evening was attentive and ensured we were well looked after. She was informative and was able to answer all our questions.

Bogart's also offers entertainment, live music started at 9pm shortly after our host, Lars, announced to his patrons the significance of the day - 100 years since the city had its name changed from Palmerston to Darwin.

This restaurant is a must-go-to venue. Do yourself a favour and book soon.

Elements - Chef's Table

We had waited with eager anticipation for the Chef's Table at Elements. Sean Gould, the manager, had emailed through the menu so we could advertise on our blog.
It was disappointing for Sean to see that he had not filled the tables; last minute cancellations dwindling the numbers.

The advertised menu was changed slightly, with cheesecake being offered as the dessert. A truly delicious cheesecake, one that brought questions for the chef at the end of the night. Unfortunately he was forced to admit that he had not cooked the cheesecake, and that it had been bought. This I felt was a massive blunder on their behalf. When showcasing your staff's culinary expertise you should only serve dishes that have been cooked on site. The cheesecake blunder  made me shake my head in despair.

The evening had started off on a better note. The Deluxe Canapes had interesting toppings. Salami with kiwifruit, tomato salsa and mustard cream; Camembert cheese, strawberry and sweet balsamic vinegar; ham, cucumber, and salsa with chilli lime pesto. Interesting flavours that complemented each other. It was a shame though that all three canapes were on bread bases. If different  base options had been chosen we would have experienced a different taste sensation with each one.

Our entree was Marinated Tasmanian Salmon, Avacado Prawn Maki and Asian Slaw with Wasabi Lime Cream. It was presented beautifully, the salmon and Maki tasted great together, and with just a touch of Wasabi it wasn't overpowering.  I'm not a great fan of salmon but I found this entree palatable. The Asian Slaw was really interesting.

I would have to say that I was disappointed with the main meal. The Middle Eastern Spiced Pistachio Crusted Lamb Terderloin was massacred. Yes, the pistachio crust was crunchy and very tasty with its mild curry - clove, cardamom and cumin. The lamb, however had been overcooked. All three of my pieces were chewy, to say the least. After asking the diners on either side of me I ascertained that out of nine pieces of lamb, only one was tender. The presentation was elegant, and the vegetables were edible. I particularly enjoyed the snow peas.

A fish course was offered to those who did not want to try the lamb. A huge slab of fish was presented for their enjoyment. A little overcooked being a little dry in places, however it was enjoyed immensely.

I had been looking forward to the Mixed Berry Mousse with Saffron Mango and Pears, but alas that was not to be. As stated previously, I did enjoy the dessert. In fact, this to me was the best course of the evening. And as it turned out, the one course not fully prepared by the chef at Elements. They did make the chocolate basket with fruit, which I would have to say was interesting. The basket tasted like Oreo chocolate biscuits. I felt it was a mismatch though, the white chocolate sauce didn't quite match the lemon cheesecake.

We had been served with a different wine with each course. Trilogy champagne to complement the canapes, 2006 Barossa Chardonnay to complement the entree, 2007 Cabernet Merlot or 2009 Barossa Valley Grenache to complement the main meal, and 2008 Botrytis Semillon to complement the dessert.  I'm not a wine fanatic, so can't make a lot of comment on them apart from the fact that the Semillon was heavenly.  Kain Fowden, from Pernod Ricard Australia, assured us that we would be able to purchase these wines locally, from the Hub.

I expected a culinary adventure in a semi  formal atmosphere with a little wine to taste with each course. I got instead an abundant amount of wine, in a casual, party atmosphere. We were treated to tippets of information relating to the food and wine. Diners were asked to comment and  it was interesting to note that those present were more inclined to speak about the wine. Not a lot was said about the food. A lot of wine consumed and a lot of stories told at our table, some of these stories were just a little over the top, especially when coming from the manager.

When the food and beverage staff came out at the end of the evening we were allowed to fire our questions at them. Once the chef  admitted to buying the cheesecake I was disappointed but somehow not surprised.

(Photo removed by request from the Free Spirit Resort Staff)

I'd like to thank Sean and his staff for putting on the Chef's Table. You didn't quite pull it off this time, but I'm sure that in the future you will not make the same mistakes.