Rather than go on and on about how Dear Friends is now one of, if not our favourite restaurant in Western Australia, we thought we would delight you visually with photos of the day, and considering we ordered 95% of the whole menu, you aren't going to miss out on much!

It was a stunning Sunday in the Valley so we sat outside on a table for 6, overlooking the grassed area. Starting with some tasters before moving onto the entrées, we were amazed by the intricate presentation of each and every item, not to mention the excitement that hit our taste buds.

We had two of our wine writers on hand, so click here to check out the wines we chose for the day and Dave’s notes on each.

A picture is worth a thousand words, well here's a few thousand to get you going. (Click any picture in this review to check it out in detail.)

Dave: The appetizers and entrées were not only amazing to taste but so visually stimulating.

Mains

Finally! A blue steak! OK, the meat just melted apart when I put my knife through and the only steak that I have ever had anywhere near this quality was at Cream in East Perth, I wouldn't be surprised if they had the same supplier!

Emma had the Lamb Cutlets, in which I did steal more than a bite or two and being rather big fans of lamb, we were speechless after gobbling up this dish.

Sitting atop a basket of roasted parsnip, the lamb cutlets were sealed in pate de foie gras with black truffle shavings.

Emma: One of the best, if not THE best dish I have had this year.

We realised immediately after the mains that Dear Friends do not skimp on their produce and make sure they get the very best. We try a lot of dishes week in and week out, and it becomes very easy to compare produce at various places, not once did Dear Friends serve up an ingredient that wasn't the best of the best that is available in WA.

Desserts

One of our desserts was an Indian sweet dish called Gulab Jamun which consists of succulent milk dumplings drenched in rose scented syrup. Beautifully plated with little drops of mango coulis decorating the edges of the plate, coming with a generous dollop of rich chai tea ice cream. They had a lovely subtle taste of cinnamon and cardamom and the sweet rose syrup soaked right in. This was our favourite dessert - it had such a beautiful flavour and texture and was the perfect ending to my fantastic culinary experience at Dear Friends.

Other desserts included:

Kris: The cheese plates with the La Buche d’Affinois, capped a series of courses that, while singularly delicious, as a menu, showcased the ability of the chef to provide quality in variety.

Joel: Finally a cheese plate that is FULL of GOOD cheese!

A huge thanks to Kelli and Kiran Mainwaring for providing an amazing experience in the Swan Valley. One we will repeat over this summer, maybe several times.

Dear Friends in Caversham