The Court Hotel – Summer Menu Launch

I have vague memories of visiting the Court Hotel but it would have been years ago, before their big refurb and it was only for a drink. So a recent invitation to their Summer Menu Launch was a welcome opportunity to check out this Perth institution.

The weather was some kind of Summer wonderful and just perfection for a day lunching outside under the big, beautiful old trees they have in their courtyard. The tables had been lavishly decorated with stunning spherical bowls, brimming with exotic orchids. It was all very pretty.

I sat and enjoyed a crisp white wine and had a look over the menu. Reading through the list my taste buds were well and truly kicked into gear as I spied a lot of favourites – sausage rolls, sliders, onion bhaji. Bring it on! Large platters of the dishes were presented so the eager crowd of bloggers could try a bit of everything. Our plates all resembled small mountains as we wandered back with a little of this and that. It was just that everything looked so appetizing that we wanted to give it all a go.

I started with the slider I had chosen which was filled with pulled pork and a fresh, crunchy slaw. There was a beef and chicken option as well. Sliders, sliders everywhere! The pork had a really lovely spiced flavour with a refreshing crunch from the slaw. It all came on a nice, soft bun. As an introduction to the kitchen, it was solid.

I got stuck into the calamari next and it was nice and tender and had a pleasantly light but well spiced crumb. I wondered how much of that giant plate I could have polished off if left to my own devices?

I had to keep on wondering because next up was the sausage roll. It had a light flaky pastry and a tasty meaty middle and was served piping hot. Hard to go wrong with sausage rolls really, such a crowd pleaser.

I declined the smoked salmon salad, as I’m not a big smoked salmon fan though others eagerly dug in and I did like the look of the elegant ribbons of cucumber in the accompanying greens.

The pieces of onion bhaji were generous to say the least. Nice big bits of battered onion all crisped to a golden deliciousness. I really like onion bhaji. The actual onion itself has a lovely sweetness to it. Plus the coriander dipping sauce went really well with it.

There was also a chicken and brown rice salad which I thought looked very appetizing with the pop of colour from the sundried tomato pieces and green splash from the parsley and rocket. There was plenty of chook too and it was just a nice salad.

The ravenous appetite I had arrived with had been significantly dented when they wandered around and asked which mains we would each like. I had the lovely Kristy from Queen of Bad Timing next to me and we decided we’d order two mains between us and go halves. It meant we got to try two things and who doesn’t love variety? So we went for the Pulled Pork Fettuccine and the Grilled Chicken and Quinoa Salad.

As the mains started to arrive, I knew there was just no way I would be finishing my half of either dish. They were mammoth! Perhaps if I hadn’t tried all those yummy starters I would have stood a chance but not now. I knew tapping out was imminent but that’s not to say that both dishes weren’t delicious because they were. The pulled pork fettucine was as indulgent, rich and flavoursome as you would imagine. Big shredded pieces of lovingly slow cooked pork, sliced up mushrooms and diced tomatoes all mixed through plenty of pasta. It was a big meal.

So the chicken main was a nice contrast. It was lighter with its crunchy broccoli, creamy goats cheese and again a whole lot of chicken. It was a good Summer day choice. We both did our best but sadly did not manage to finish either. In our defence, we had eaten all of those delicious starters!

I was pleased that dessert was of the liquid persuasion with two dessert style cocktail offerings – the Lollytini or the Cookies and Cream. Again QoBT and I got one of each so we could try both.

The talented and topless barman dazzled the assembled crowd as he deftly added this and that before a frenzy of shaking and a dusting of hundreds and thousands and crumbled cookies and it was time for a drink.

Now I’m not a big sweet cocktail fan but both were pleasant and very easy drinking. I could see these fun and flirty bevvies would be popular in the warmer months.

The Court is a really lovely spot for a bite of lunch with a menu with plenty of variety to keep everyone happy. So now that Summer has rocked into town if you fancy some outside dining with plenty of choice, then keep the Court in mind.