Dim Sum Den Night at Young George

For one night only Young George was to be transformed………. it was time for Dim Sum Den Night!

Young George

A collaboration between talented people is a sure fire recipe for deliciousness, particularly when it brings together two incredibly talented chefs such as Melissa Panikas from Young George in East Fremantle and Amy Hamilton from Liberte in Albany. It was also the inaugural collaboration dinner to be held at Young George and what a way to kick things off!

Young George

The place totally looked the part too. Their intimate underground cellar dining section, now the Dim Sum Den, had been beautifully decorated with sprays of pretty blossoms and brightly coloured lanterns.

The night commenced with a delightful Asian inspired negroni, Ni hao ma’agroni – Ginger infused white spirit, sweet rice wine, bitter orange liquor, before a flurry of exciting small bites were brought around. I’ll mention now that great work was done on the cocktail front – fresh, creative and bold bevvies that were well considered were paired with each course. Cheers to the talented bar team 🙂

• Pork, fungus, shitake
• Beef, masa, Sichuan
• Mantis shrimp cracker, mussel

The first fragrant drink had the taste buds firing and it was all systems go once I savoured that first delicate morsel of pork, fungus and shitake. Such an intense mushroom flavour! It was so tasty and as a long time fungi fan I was massively on board. That initial bite set the tone for the night ahead; it was set to be an enjoyable and entertaining evening of complete deliciousness! Seafood made a feature next with a kicky little shrimp cracker, topped with mussel and an enticing blend of herbs. Finally, the beef, masa and Sichuan was like an interesting spin on a sausage roll, of which I’m a long time appreciator.

Following soon after, the Dim Sum Den got its dumplings on.

• Rabbit dumpling, carrot tom yum broth 
• Pumpkin dumpling, toasted sesame, mustard flower
• Drinking: Canton Mist – Oolong tea, old young’s gin, elderflower & apple

Things got a little bit soupy next with a very inspired carrot Tom Yum broth, which featuring a precious rabbit dumpling. Presentation was creative and the flavours were sublime, such depth in that broth! I was as equally smitten with pumpkin dumplings, I mean didn’t they look pretty as a picture? Now as is often the case with dumplings they were incredibly moreish and I’d have happily eaten a cheeky dozen of them! But there were a lot of dishes still to come and I knew I wanted to try it all!

• Char Sui beetroot steam bun, black vinegar caramel
• Crumbed crab rice paper roll, green sriracha mayonnaise
• Drinking: Lime Yours – Kaffir lime infused vodka, eggwhite, citrus

A bold beetroot steamed bun was our next course, amply filled with sweet char sui mixture. The pairing of the beetroot with the char sui worked a complete treat. While both had sweeter elements it remained a pleasingly savoury focused dish and the drizzle of zappy black vinegar caramel really brought it all together.

The fried rice paper crab roll proved a massive favourite around the table. Jam packed with crabby goodness it felt a little bit naughty to be enjoying this normally fresh roll fried, but it was so, so nice! The dipping sauce of green sriracha mayonnaise was also a welcome addition and an excellent balance of creamy and spicy.

Plates started to get slightly larger from this point and it was time to share. Probably for the best as my ravenous appetite had been slightly tamed. They definitely weren’t going to let you leave hungry! 

• Pig skin noodles, yabbies, watercress, chilli, garlic flowers
• Drinking: ‘Made in China’ Mule – Aperol, averna, ‘trash’ orange curacao, cinnamon, royal jamaian ginger beer

A signature dish of Chef Amy was next on the menu. The pig skin noodles. They definitely sounded intriguing and if I’m honest I had no clue what to expect. I thought they would be crispy for some reason, but the dish that arrived showed that my guess had been well off the mark. The tender ribbons of pig skin very much resembled noodles and had an interesting texture, a slight chew, but then would almost melt in your mouth. The combination of the noodles with the incredibly sweet yabbies and punchy blend of herbs and spices, made it a real stand out. Easy to see why this is a signature dish, as it is definitely unique.

• Buffalo octopus head, buttermilk, pickled samphire
• Fermented pumpkin, puffed rice, herbs, peanuts, coconut yuzu
• Puffed rice
• Drinking: Pickled in Agoya – Green strawberry pickle, yuzu & strawberry, Suntory old whiskey

An octopus dish followed and generous slices had been coated in a buttermilk batter and fried to a golden brown. I liked that the native ingredient of samphire was incorporated here, and pickled nonetheless! It was something different, but it did work.  The smattering of that and coriander to dress the dish made it look very appealing.

A salad was up next and was refreshing after a few heavier dishes. It had beautiful flavours and was a reminder that you can make friends with salads, but it helps when proper respect is shown to vegies, then salads can be stars! As was very much the case here.

Continuing with the opulence of the menu there was not one, but two desserts.

• Charcoal roasted pineapple, lemon myrtle cream, coconut
• Fried profiterole, viet coffee ice cream, chocolate pistachio
• Drinking: Limoncello Bubble Tea

First up was a tropical creation with the roasted pineapple, which was super sweet, but nice hints of char, accompanied by a pleasingly herbaceous lemon myrtle cream and some slight crunch for the coconut. Pineapple and coconut – those two ingredients are just made for each other!

The final course of the evening was fried profiteroles with a viet coffee ice-cream, chocolate and pistachio. How good do they look? These were are as delicious as they appeared. Entirely indulgent with the generous drizzle of chocolate and that creamy coffee ice-cream matched beautifully with the crisped profiteroles, which had been dusted in a cinnamon sugar blend. What a closer!

This menu highlighted what magic can happen when two talented ladies bring their skills together to prepare a line-up of creative, interesting and flavoursome dishes. The mutual respect they clearly have for each other was apparent on the night and guests benefited from their collaboration with this incredible night out. What a feast it had been. Seriously I’d race back to their Dim Sum Den any night! Bravo Chef Amy and Chef Meliss on a wonderful menu.

The collaborations are set to continue at Young George and next up is Chef Alia Glorie from Billy Hs in Claremont. The focus will shift from Asian fusion to ‘Trash’ and plans to highlight how seafood bycatch, along with underutilised meat cuts and over looked vegies can make for an incredible meal. Tickets are available now and can be purchased here.

Please note: I was the guest of Young George for this event. My big thanks to them for the chance to experience the debut collab in the series.