Silks

I am such a massive fan of Crown Perth. Now I’m no gambler, so I’ll admit that the casino side of things doesn’t do a lot for me but what a completely stellar job has been done of putting together an entirely impressive line-up of beautiful eateries! I’ve done my best to work my way through the majority of them but on the fine dining side there were two that I had yet to make it to. One being Modo Mio and the other relative newbie Silks. As far as I can tell, Silks took over from Yu which had taken over from Genting Palace, so there had been a fine dining Chinese option for a good long while. Now I love Chinese food, such delicious flavours and I was really excited to be invited along to try out what Silks has to offer. It was one of those moments when I believed the stars aligned and it was like someone knew this restaurant was on my always growing wish list of “I so want to eat there” places. So a booking was made and off my GG and I set.

Silks is a stunning restaurant, it is just so beautiful. You walk in and are greeted by friendly staff and ushered into the vast, well lit and entirely impressive venue. We were both struck with how large and striking a restaurant it was and we took our comfortable seat for two, both appreciating the distance between tables. It still felt as though you were quite secluded.

Photo Credit: Crown Perth

Silks boasts a large main dining area with seating for 170, plus four beautiful private dining rooms and breathtaking views overlooking the city skyline and Swan River 

We were each presented with a menu, elegantly bound in red leather and I’ll admit it was slightly overwhelming deciding what to order because it was fairly lengthy. There were three degustation menus available – Jade, Porcelain and Gold before the al a carte options began. Thankfully there was actually a wonderful Taste of Silks menu which is available for orders between 6-7pm (so perfect before a show at the Theatre). We decided we would go with this, though I’ll admit that before ordering we had a chat with the wonderfully friendly restaurant manager Jeffery and he adjusted a few of the Taste of Silks items so we could try a few more of Silks’ signature dishes.

The menu showcases exquisite Chinese cuisine that is authentic, healthy and deliciously refreshing, using only the finest seasonal and quality produce. Diners can enjoy chef-inspired creations and traditional reinventions, as well as multiregional delicacies and exquisite hand-made dim sum created for lunch daily.

Ahead of the first course arriving we were presented with an amuse bouche – a dainty square of fois gras, sprinkled with popping candy. Ahh when classic and modern worlds combine! I always appreciate culinary creativity.

Soon after that, the first official dish appeared, Silks Tapas – BBQ pork glazed with jarrah honey; marinated cucumber in aged vinegar; Peking Duck consume. Every dish at Silks is served with such a flourish and the presentation is all so elegant. I had my first bite of BBQ pork and it was pure heaven. So succulent and the flavour was divine, especially with the slight stickiness from the Jarrah honey. I liked that Aussie inclusion to a traditional Chinese dish. The cucumber provided a wonderful, refreshing crunch and then there was the consumee. It was liquid heaven. No two ways about it. As GG and I took our first sip, we both savoured the incredible depth of flavour and wished we had a jug each, instead of this more modest tea cup, but we thoroughly enjoyed what we were given.

Ahead of the mains arriving, I asked Jeffrey for guidance on one of his favourite drinks on the menu.

Silks restaurant also offers a wide range of beverage options including fine wines, iconic beers, renowned spirits, and innovative cocktails, along with a premium Chinese tea menu showcasing signature tea blends.

The Golden Slipper sounded amazing so I placed an order for one of those. Always feels a little bit fancy ordering a cocktail. Especially on a school night! This rebel was living large! And how fancy did it look! It was a mango sphere suspended in shimmery liquor and it tasted amazing. I set it aside to let the ball of mango ice infuse a little with the alcohol.

There was then a flurry of activity as our banquet of mains was assembled. The line-up was as follows:

• Wok Fried King Prawns with Honey Lime Glaze
• ‘Hakka Style’ Stir Fried Chicken
• Szechuan Lamb Rack with Chilli and Cumin
• Silks’ Signature Fried Rice with Scallops, Prawn, Roast Duck and Vegetable in XO Sauce

There was even a little fiery theatre as the Hakka Style chicken dish was set ablaze! It was all very dramatic and we eagerly loaded up our plates.

The prawns were seriously amazing and didn’t they look beautiful in their noodle basket. They were my favourite dish and for me seafood is not often the star, so they really stepped it up. They were just massive and in their light crispy batter and sweet and zesty honey lime sauce they were a pleasure to eat. So plump and so wonderful. We polished them off in an eager flash!

We started with the prawns while we waited for the fire to subside on the chicken dish. We had no worries about it losing its heat J The sauce on the chicken was just delicious and the simple chicken and onion mix had such a tasty flavour. It actually paired very well with the amazing fried rice. What’s not to love about fried rice! Especially when it has been jam packed with lush chunks of prawn, indulgent scallops and even some pieces of roast duck. It was very, VERY good fried rice.

The final dish for us to enjoy was the lamb cutlets. Perfectly pink and seasoned with a punchy Schechuan pepper mix. It had just the right amount of heat and the lamb was buttery soft. I so love lamb, as does my dining companion so we made short work of these cutlets.

Silks had definitely impressed on the savoury side and for dessert there was a little mystery and intrigue. You could either chose the fork and spoon or the little teaspoon. I decided I wanted dual weapons and so the teaspoon went to my handsome husband. What that translated to was that GG would be enjoying Mango Pudding, Crème Brulee, Lime Crumble, Coconut Sago and Compressed Mango, whilst across the table I had locked in Spicy Honey Cake with Pure tea ice cream.  Both of them were just a vision and I was pretty excited about mine because I am a massive fan of The HoneyCake and this looked fairly similar, so I was confident that it would taste magical. And it did. Well balanced with plenty of spice, creamy honey filling and then accompanying chill from the tea infused icecream. It was different and I thought it was great.

GG was pleased with his mango pudding and from the spoonful I sampled I can concur that it was a pleasantly fruity affair.

For an introductory visit it had been a delicious dinner. We were both feeling very comfortable with the amount we’d eaten and had been thoroughly impressed with both the food and the polished service. If you are keen to head along to give this lovely restaurant a go, then there is currently a brilliant Spring lunch special on at Crown……

On any occasion, you can treat yourself and friends to the Ultimate Lunch at Crown, Monday to Saturday. Indulge in an unparalleled dining experience at some of Crown’s renowned restaurants including Rockpool Bar & Grill, Nobu, Silks, Bistro Guillaume or Modo Mio.

For the amazing prize of only $55 you can enjoy

• Two course Spring Lunch
• Complimentary Glass of Sparkling Wine

So why not make a booking and enjoy a flashy lunch at Silks? Such a lovely spot! My thanks for the invitation. I’m so glad I got to experience Chinese fine dining at its best.