I’ve driven by Samson’s Paddock heaps, each time peering inside to see what this cool place was, so I was thrilled to see what it had to offer. And it has a lot to offer. The rustic interior and the large collection of alcohol and vinyl keeps the atmosphere really contemporary with all the charm of the old days. With indoor and outdoor seating there is plenty of room to get comfortable and cosy as you try the different whiskies and wines.
To start the night we tried two of the deconstructed whisky boards, after all we couldn’t really go to a whisky and wine bar and not try the whisky. I recently visited Scotland where I had the pleasure of going on a few scotch whisky tours, so it felt great to actually use some of the knowledge I had learnt from these. The deconstructed whisky boards were such a great idea! I’ve never had whisky served up like this before and it was super cool. So basically you get a whisky glass with 30ml of your choice of whisky (and there is a lot to choose from), an ice sphere and a piece of chocolate. The idea is that you can try the whisky in three different ways; neat, on the rocks and diluted in water. The ice sphere is really cool because unlike normal ice, the sphere takes much longer to melt so you can drink it at your own pace and not worry about the ice melting too much. If you like it a little more diluted, you just have to wait a little. The chocolate that comes with the board is picked specifically to match and compliment your choice of whisky.
I love tapas. I think sharing food is a great experience and really lets you bond over the meal as well as enjoy it. The first dish we tried was my favourite dish, not only from the night but maybe even the entire year. The duck leg confit with kasundi, ginger and cabbage ($23) was delicious! I don’t normally like duck but I love duck confit so I went into this with quite high expectations. Samson’s Paddock’s duck confit melted in my mouth straight away and the top was perfectly crispy. Just thinking about it makes me so hungry. Delicious.
I very rarely go anywhere anymore where I don’t order a side of chips, one could almost say it has become quite a vice. Especially when you add some truffle oil to that and there is no way I won’t be having it. The beer battered chips with parmesan and truffle oil does sound a little expensive for $10 but I can guarantee it is totally worth it.
For our main dish we tried the 400g sirloin tasting board ($60). The tasting board has four different types of beef; veal, grass fed, grain fed and wagyu. Each meat has a different flavour and texture which is derived from the animals age, diet and breed. You can actually taste the difference in the four different meats! We chose to have a side of mushrooms on the side which went perfectly with the steak. The mushrooms were buttery and cheesy with little crunchy bit of nuts.
By this point we didn’t think we could eat anymore, but one look at the dessert menu and we instantly found more room. We tried the sticky date pudding and butterscotch sauce ($10) and three chocolate brownies with blueberry sauce with vanilla ice cream ($12). I liked the chocolate brownie a little bit better - the combination of lots of chocolate with a tarty blueberry sauce and the vanilla ice cream to cut through it was perfection. The sticky date pudding was also great, the pudding was soft and the butterscotch sauce was all kinds of levels of sticky and sweet.
Overall, I think Samson’s Paddock has a delicious menu that tasted amazing and is a beautiful place for a drink or dinner or both. Though it is a little bit on the pricey side, the flavours and the food more than make up for it.
Samson’s Paddock
3 Glyde Street
Mosman Park, Perth
(08) 9385 3854
Disclaimer: foodie cravings was invited as a guest of Samson’s Paddock, see disclosure policy for further details. Images featured are by Nicholas Sattler, owner of Samson’s Paddock.
