Eats by No Mafia and Drinks & Sequins by Brave New Wine
Seriously with a combo like that – food, wine and sequins – what’s not to like! Recently I attended a 5 course wine lunch to get to know Great Southern winery – Brave New Wine (BNW) and Perth small bar – No Mafia just a little bit better. Andries (one part of the husband and wife team behind the BNW label) summed up the day exactly:
All you need to worry about is whether the wine is delicious and you’re having a good time”.
I was given my mission and this is how the 12-3pm lunch went…
The Lunch
It was a 5 course lunch for $110 – each course was matched with a BNW and we also had a bubbly welcome drink (the Little Sister Petillant Naturel – 100% Pinot Noir). The menu really intrigued me, as I’m not a massive foodie – I like to eat, but ask me what ‘house-made nduja’ is – I have no idea! I got the general gist of the Italian inspired menu but it was really going to be my taste buds that were going to make final judgement.
It was a nice smallish affair and we were all set up at individual tables with the groups we booked with. Because the group was rather small it meant Yoko and Andries were able to come around and chat with us all about each of the wines. So not only was it a great wine and food celebration but we also got to know more about BNW and the Great Southern. Chatting with the people behind the brand was definitely a highlight of this lunch for me. Plus I adored Yoko’s gorgeous sequins!!
So here was the menu and wine line-up:
My Highlight
For me, my favourite dish had to be the Beetroot Risotto with Taleggio (type of cheese) and Sage matched with the BNW Maison Derriere Pinot Noir & Chardonnay. It was an excellent food and wine match – the combination was on point. Plus I really liked the story behind the Maison Derriere – when they were concocting the blend made from a red grape, Pinot Noir, and a white grape, Chardonnay in the winery, it got really smelly in the process – farty to be blunt! Hence the name, translated from french ‘House of bums/buttocks/ass’ whichever you prefer! For those Simpsons fans out there, La Maison Derrière is a burlesque house in Springfield.
What Surprised Me
The pan-friend squid and salmon dishes were also right up my alley and interesting enough the BNW Sunshine & Hercules Riesling complimented the fennel in the salmon dish fantastically – which was a real surprise to me! Never had I been so happy to get a fennel seed stuck in my tooth than when I was finishing off my glass of Riesling!
The Dishes
Here’s a snap of each of the dishes – a bit of food porn for you and a peek at the type of food you can expect when heading along to No Mafia.
We started off with some fresh bread with olive oil and salt – I seriously could eat that everyday, so good!
1. Citrus cured salmon, pickled cukes, fennel, lemon balm
2. Pan-fried squid, house-made nduja, agrodulce
3. Beetroot risotto, taleggio, sage
4. Charred spatchcock, polenta cake, salsa verde
5. Sicilian beef short rib, mushroom ragu, truffle oil
Brave New Wine
As mentioned, Brave New Wine is the brainchild of Yoko and Andries from the Great Southern Wine Region. They are a very down-to-earth couple who definitely aren’t scared to experiment in the winery. Their range of wines is unique, full of intrigue and excitement plus of course they taste bloody good. The reason my friend and I went to the lunch is because we had both previously had BNW and loved their style. Neither of us had been to No Mafia but we thought it was worth a shot as we were guaranteed the wine would be great. Plus I also knew Perth Cafe Culture rated No Mafia as his favourite Perth bar last year.
The BNW labels are designed by Yoko herself which I found out at the lunch and I just LOVE some of the quirky-bottom-bottles they use. Check them out below! The first time I came across these at Raising Riesling 2015 I literally couldn’t stop taking photos. Very cool!
The loved up duo describe their range as:
Idiosyncratic, honest, Lo-Fi wines”
Crafting the kind of wine that thrills us, wines that excite, that are alive, that are delicious to drink and inspire conversation”
The wines are definitely a conversation starter! What’s also important to this Denmark-based wine brand is letting the vines and grapes speak for themselves. I.e. they let the wines do their thing which in wine speak is called ‘minimal intervention’ or ‘lo-fi wines’. So no additives (except for some sulphur dioxide) or fining and filtering. So what’s the end product for this ‘less is more’ approach to winemaking? Well you’ll just have to hunt down some BNW, you can find out more on the Brave New Wine website.
No Mafia
As mentioned, I had never been to No Mafia before. It’s a lovely wee spot close to the Perth train station and all the exciting Northbridge bars like Lot 20 and Mechanics Institute.
It’s an Italian themed small bar with a range of bites to eat and has a long, thin set up with a view right into the kitchen area. I am looking forward to going back to try the corn & spinach fritters with ricotta aioli and the limoncello pork, cauliflower puree and baby carrots especially.
I had a good look at the wine list while I was there and it has a number of tasty tipples! I also hear they update it quite regularly so it’ll keep your taste buds entertained across various visits.
All up we had a great day at this wine lunch and yes I will be drinking more Brave New Wine and yes I will return to No Mafia again soon!
For more pictures from the lunch check out my Facebook album.
