Trying to decide on where to go for dinner has gotten harder and harder. Admittedly this may be due to the number of new and exciting restaurants hitting the food scene in Perth. Originally for the swapping of embarrassing travel stories, sharing of bad photographs and general post holiday catch up, Lyvia and I were intending to visit somewhere cheap and casual. We had chosen to visit Goreng in Mt Lawley for a no fuss cheap eat, but the next day Lyvia suggested Miss Potz, a new Asian Fusion Restaurant that she just happened to walk past. We're both glad she did.
Thai Milk Tea ($5.00) and Fresh Coconut Water ($6.00)
Thai Red Duck Curry has easily become a favourite. There is something about succulent roast duck that instantly entices your tastebuds. As if it didn't have enough power to cause your mouth to water, once confronted with the sight of it bathed in a spicy, creamy and red curry sauce there is no controlling your gustatory senses.
Thai red curry paste is incredibly fragrant, and when mixed with peanut oil, fish sauce and creamy coconut it is a powerful olfactory stimulator. It also makes the perfect base for a Thai Red Duck Curry. What is so charming about the Red Duck Curry at Miss Potz are not only the colours of the core ingredients but the attention to detail in the plating and the delivery of flavour.
A wonderfully cooked leg of duck sits atop fresh sliced pineapple and bamboo shoots as the odd bean and sweet lychee skirt around the duck. Sliced cherry tomatos and slivers of red chilli contrast against the curry sauce while coriander and Thai basil finish off the show.
Duck Red Curry ($32.00)
The duck meat is itself tender, pulling apart and falling off the bone in a spectacular fashion. With each liberated piece of meat becoming coated in the curry sauce, you can't help but lap it all up again. The pineapple was sweet, the chilli adding heat and the curry paste providing a definitive but not overly powerful kick to plain rice. Which is how it should be served. Rice is served as part of the dish, not as an add on to be paid for separately. With our three dishes, we could barely finish all of the rice for two.
Soft-shell Crab Papaya Salad ($16.00)
The tanginess and tartness of the house pickled papaya and green mango salad bode really well with the crunchy softshell crab. The salty batter of the crab collected in little crumbled as we broke the crab into pieces. While the pomegranate added a pop of pink and another little pocket of tang, I felt that the dish was missing something.
The flavours of the dressing with the salad was well rounded, but something was missing in the salad. It was not only until leaving did I realise the papaya salad was missing buttery and salty peanuts which would have added to the dish. Although many other crab som tum include beans, I didn't mind that this rendition did not include them as it was refreshing and mild. The light salad broke up some of the heat of the curry when we needed it.
Chicken wings and drumsticks were coated in a sticky Vietnamese-style caramel sauce, packing a little bite and acidity. This savoury caramel sauce comprised mainly of fish sauce, sugar and ginger made the chicken wings addictive morsels of sweet and sticky delight. Although Lyvia was slouched in her chair with her hand on her stomach that was epitome of a satisfied full person, a quick glance at the remaining piece of chicken overpowered her stomach situation. The chicken wings were that good.
Unexpectedly we received an order of satay skewers. After taking a quick snap or two, we let the staff know they had been sent to us accidentally. They were then reunited with their rightful owners and although Lyvia and I did not get to try the satay (nor could we have as we had eyes on dessert and limited stomach space at that point in time) the couple that had ordered them seemed quite happy with the skewers.
I had been craving mango for the past three weeks, so much so that I began dreaming of them. It had gotten to the point where all I did was talk about mangos and how much I craved mango and sticky rice. It was by pure coincidence that Miss Potz had mango and sticky rice on the menu and in no way was I disappointed.
Black glutinous rice sat beckoning on a banana leaf, while vanilla bean icecream melted under the cubed sweet and tangy mango. The caramel sauce was something else. It froze hard on the ice cream but remained syrupy on the banana leaf. The further you broke down the cold caramel, the more you tasted the fine grains on your tongue that left a slightly burnt sugar aftertaste. It was a welcoming flavour.
What we were most impressed with was the vanilla icecream, sliding our spoon through the little ball, we could see the remnants of vanilla bean, knowing that it was not just vanilla essence providing the smooth and sultry taste to the Sticky Mango dessert. The vanilla ice cream made another appearance with the banana frittas dessert. The frittas themselves were coated in a thin and crispy batter that held the pocketfuls of soft and hot banana well. It is an instant comfort evoking dessert.
The food at Miss Potz is delicious, flavoursome and relatively inexpensive. The staff are friendly and Yui was particularly lovely in making our night all the more enjoyable. She has recommended we try the mussels next time around so I dare say we will, considering she recommended the duck (melt in your mouth yumminess) and the chicken. Situated in the new Beaux Lane along Beaufort Street, give Miss Potz a go the next time you're wanting to try a little Thai or Asian fusion.
Address:
609 Beaufort Street, Mount Lawley (In Beaux Lane)
Opening hours:
Tuesday - Thursday: 5.30pm - 10pm
Friday - Sunday: 11.30am - 2.30pm, 5.30pm - 10pm