Welcome to Gershwin's Private Dining

Went out yesterday for Mum and Dad's combined birthday dinner. The place was amazing! Lovely romantic ambience, tables were not too close together giving privacy to people. The piano playing added class to the place including the soft furnishings around the place.

We wine list was superb. The set menu had a great list of different choices. The wait staff were all friendly and attentive, very professional. The meals at the moment are going for $67.00 for a 3 course meal which wasn't bad at all. We were given a choice of bread straight away and the drinks orders were also promptly taken.

For our entree, I had the 3 tastes of the ocean which I should say very, very nice. (salmon with caviar, scallop mornay and some prawns wrapped in some sort of batter).

They were also very prompt in clearing the table when we finished our entree. For mains, I had the emperor with potatoes, asparagus with this very, very nice sauce.

I took my 2 children with me ages 6 and 11 who were very well mannered for the evening. Although the staff knew we had children, we were not offered a kids menu until I asked for it. I was told they have no kids menu but mentioned to me what they can do like: pasta w/sauce, burger, nuggets and fish. Both kids chose the pasta. The serve was big and was really lovely. The kids’ meals were served first which was great as it was a bit late in the evening last night for the kids.

After dinner, the kids were offered some ice cream. They had vanilla ice cream with choc toppings with strawberries and a chocolate edible basket. Kids thought they were special.

I had the choc fondant with butterscotch ice cream and a Vienna chocolate for a drink. I would say that the fondant was very nice and rice however the Vienna chocolate was not that fantastic but was ok.

With the entertainment card, good friendly professional service, good food and romantic ambience, I would love to go back again perhaps with a nice romantic dinner.

I have been to Gershwin's on a number of occasions and am never disappointed by the experience. It is all class and service driven without being overly intrusive. The food is superb and the wine list extensive yet not overwhelming.

The stand out for me is the quietness of the restaurant. With the modern trend towards opening planning and areas filled with hard surfaces, the noise in most restaurants today is hard to take. Gershwin's is all carpet, curtains and soft furnishings so that even when they are filled it is still very quiet and conversation is possible rather than the yelling match that often accompanies dinner out these days.

I love Gershwin's and will always go back, especially for special occasions.

I'm pleased to have experienced Gershwin's at the suggestion (and in the company of) a close friend. Four of us got tarted up for the occasion (a birthday, and I don't wear a dinner suit often) and went to celebrate. My partner and I also chose to stay at the Hyatt, which doesn't warrant the same star rating as Gershwin's :(

The venue from the outside doesn't look flash, but the transformation on entry is remarkable (even down to Gershwin's sheet music lining the walls in the foyer). You are vaguely aware that there are other tables in the restaurant, but they are a minor distraction, and the tinkling of the ivories adds to the ambience. The service is warm and personalised, while still being 100% professional, and we had no trouble eliciting a smile and a laugh from the staff.

The wine list is comprehensive without being encyclopaedic, and will satisy all but the fussiest wine snob.

The finishing touch (alright, the reason we were there) is the food. Sensational! I realise that's a vague description, and I'll qualify that by pointing out the attention to detail, the careful matching of textures and ingredients, and the superb presentation.

It comes down to 'you get what you pay for'; however, nearly $100 off the account courtesy of a couple of "Entertainment Book" Gold Cards meant that the Moet shared in the hotel room pre-dinner was well and truly covered. A delightful experience.

Last Friday, Marie and I had the pleasure of sampling the food and the newly opened Gershwin's at the Hyatt on Adelaide Terrace, Perth.

In a single word, Gershwin's is classy and captures all the romance and elegance of the '30s New York Jazz era that the restaurant is modelled on.

There's a piano player tickling the ivories and serenading diners with beatuiful jazz standards (requests are also taken so I got to hear Leaving On a Jetplane which made my night!) and all the staff are well groomed, professional and obliging, but not in the least stiff which makes for a fantastic night out.

We sampled the degustation menu which consisted of seven courses thoughtfully matched with complementary wines. As to be expected, the food was superb and wonderfully flavoured - partially because of the high quality of produce used and partially because of the skill of chef d'cuisine Levi Moses and executive chef Mark Sainsbury.

Standouts to me included the vine-ripened tomato terrine, Kervella goat's curd and lemon sorbet and the Tasmanian quail with crispy duck salad and white truffle oil dressing, but truth be told, all the dishes were remarkable and there was not a single filler dish on the menu - even the pink grapefruit and Stolichnaya vodka sorbet was extraordinary!

All the matching wines were excellent and particular mention must go to the Hyatt's wine team for compiling a selection consisting entirely of West Australian wine. Standouts on the night include the 2002 Wise Chardonnay (sensational wine) and the 2001 Moss Wood Pinot Noir from Margaret River (the current release, the 2003 is perhaps the best pinot I've tasted recently from the region.)

All in all, a superb dining experience and at $85 per person ($125 with wine) is probably one of the finest dining experiences you'll find inside any hotel in Perth. If only hotel dining was this good everywhere!