Dux Cafe

One of my favourite things about all these voucher websites – scoopon, spreets, jumponit, etc – is that its a brilliant excuse to head out to eat at places I probably might not have thought to go to. Let’s face it there are a zillion places to eat in Perth, just trying to work my way through the looooooong list. One such place was called Dux Cafe in Como. They had an amazing sounding deal on Scoopon – “Just $49 for a THREE COURSE Lunch OR Dinner for TWO People including Drinks! Start off with a delicious Tapas Plate of the Chef’s Recommendations Then choose any TWO Mains from the scrumptuous menu and any TWO Desserts Plus enjoy TWO Glasses of the Wine of the Month!” Far too good a deal to pass up! So last Thursday night, GG and I headed down the freeway to Como to Dux Cafe.

It was a nice looking place, not huge, but it was cosy. We were quickly shown to our table. As per usual, I went with a glass of the house white, while GG went for the red. Both decent drops 🙂 So we sipped on our wine and it wasn’t long before our tasting plate arrived. A great selection of Feta and Olives; Grilled Chorizo; Crispy Squid; Prawn Croquettes; Orange and Red Onion Salad; Guacamole. All served with Torta de Aceite (Spanish flatbread). I wasn’t too sure about the flat bread when I saw it, looked sort of deep fried, but it was pretty tasty, especially with a little guacamole. The chorizo was great and I really enjoyed the croquettes –  light and fluffy and some nice bits of prawns throughout. The salad on the size was a refreshing addition too.

There were some delicious sounding mains on offer and I decided to give the lamb option a go – done Two Ways: Braised puff pie topped with red pepper relish; Grilled rack, Resting on three bean and chorizo salad ($38) I really enjoyed my meal.

The two cutlets were cooked perfectly with a delightfully pink tinge and the little pie had wonderfully, buttery pastry with meat that just melted in your mouth. The relish was perhaps a little sweeter than I would have liked but it worked with the lamb and a little extra salt. I also thought the bean salad underneath worked really well too. This was interesting for me given that I’d heard a lady at a table next to me carry on like a right pork chop about her bean salad and how there was no chorizo. Having heard this I paid particular attention when mine arrived and it was overflowing with chorizo. I find it incredibly difficult to believe that the chef at Dux would send this dish out with no chorizo in the salad. Putting it out there, but it really seemed like she was just whinging so they would give her a free coffee. As I said before I enjoyed my mains. It was a good sized serve and had nice flavours. In all good homestyle cooking I thought.

And GG was pretty quiet from the moment his mans arrived – Slow Roasted Wagyu Sirloin, wild mushroom strudel, pumpkin puree, grilled asparagus and red wine jus  ($45). Was too busy wolfing it down to talk! He even ate his pumpkin mash! He gave me some of the mushroom strudel to try – very tasty! Like a fancy sausage roll I suppose.

Keen to try as many items of the menu as we could on this visit, we both chose different desserts. GG went for one of his favourites, Sticky Date Pudding with brandy snap and butterscotch sauce, while I decided I’d give this a go Deconstructed Chocolate and Strawberry Cheesecake: Strawberry and mascarpone parfait; Candied biscuit base crumble; Macerated strawberry jelly; Dark chocolate sorbet.

They didn’t take too long to arrive and GG’s dessert looked and smelt very impressive. With the crispy brandy snap style wafter adorning the ball of vanilla ice cream and the shot glass full of the decadent sticky syrup ready to be poured over the awaiting pudding, GG was well pleased with his choice. And it tasted as good as it looked. The syrup was rich and full of flavour and the cake perfectly moist. 

 I was lucky enough to score a mouthful – seriously amazing dessert. Didn’t want to waste a drop of that lovely sauce!

I liked the creativity of my dessert. It looked interesting on the plate, more so than a regular slice of cheesecake would. The ball of chocolate sorbet was incredibly rich, but it worked well with the berry coulis and biscuity pieces on the plate. I ate that separately to the little glass of jelly cubes and strawberry parfait. The cubes were probably slightly firmer than I had expected for jelly, but it was a nice contrast to the smooth and creamy strawberry goodness. I did enjoy it, something a bit different. Having said that though, I think if I went back I’d be keen to tackle one of those sticky date puddings on my own.

In all I thought Dux Café was a nice spot. It’s not fine dining, but it’s good, honest food with generous servings and tasty flavours. And service is friendly and attentive which is always a huge plus these days. Definitely glad we got to give it a go and if I’m ever kicking around Como again I wouldn’t hesitate in stopping by.