Fusion without confusion - Hermosa Cantina

Haven’t been dining out that much these days, particularly for dinner, partly because I don’t drive and my previous experience in quite a few overhyped and overpriced restaurants in Perth. 

Things changed when the food photos from Hermosa Cantina caught my eye, as well as personally meeting Chef Kenny Tse. Having worked in a few upscale restaurants in Hong Kong, he is passionate about cooking and bringing the best culinary experience to connoiseurs out there.

A little more background about the restaurant before getting to the food. Hermosa Cantina is a Spanish inspired casual restaurant, with many dishes cooked with a Josper (charcoal roasting oven) to create a smokey flavour. Their menu is also designed for sharing (which I love, provided that I am from a traditional Chinese family) so make sure you are visiting with a bunch of friends. 

   

   

The inside of the restaurant is very spacious and decorated with loads of earthy colour tiles. I wouldn't mind spending a whole night chitchatting with my friends here. 

Here’s what we had for the night:

Beef carpaccio (AUD$19) – yuzu soy, lemon thyme, crème freche, watercress 

Wagyu beef was incredibly beefy and tender even though there was not much marbling; yuzu soy and lemon thyme added an enjoyable citrusy and savoury flavour, while the crème freche was creamy but a bit too sour for my liking. It’s always better to keep things simple when it comes to such high quality beef.

King fish ceviche (AUD$25) – potato julienne, bloody mary sauce

That plating though. Simply classy and elegant. Never have I ever had crispy potato in any ceviche and that was certainly a bold move. Diced king fish were thinly coated with sour and a mildly spicy sauce. Indeed a very uncommon combination in ceviche but I liked the contrasting textures and flavours. 

Josper roasted red cabbage (AUD$13) – spiced tahini, candied walnut

Juicy red cabbage drenched in velvety smooth tahini and topped with crunchy candied walnut is definitely an acquired taste as I am not quite used to having all these together in one dish. But I gleefully had a few more pieces after my first bite and I guess that explained everything.

   

   

Josper octopus (AUD$22) – Frementle octopus, kipfler potato, cabbage, cut & seeds

The octopus was nicely charred and seasoned on the outside and crazily tender inside, which was a nice surprise as I would have expected it to be bouncy and chewy. That slightly tangy flavour from orange slices didn’t work too well with the sea animal but were great for refreshing the taste buds.

Josper Margaret River wagyu (AUD$35) – Wagyu rump, smoked baby potato, beef fat butter, pickled mushroom 

You can never go wrong with wagyu beef, especially when it’s perfectly cooked to medium rare. Beef fat butter was DA BOMB!!!!! So so aromatic and that flavour just lingered in the palate. The sides, mushroom salad and smoked baby potatoes, shouldn’t be neglected either as they were just as tasty as the beef.

Granita (AUD$14) – apple and cucumber granite, spiced yoghurt cream, rhubarb compote

Loved that adorable potted plant presentation with purple tapioca. Order this to win your date’s heart or impress your besties. The granita was clean and crisp but apple flavour was not pronounced enough. Under these green granules were yoghurt cream and rhubarb compote to give the dessert some creaminess and sweetness but the latter was a tad too sweet. Probably the amount of the compote can be reduced balance out the flavours.

Overall a nice cozy spot with great ambience and innovative fusion menu (even though a couple of minor misses for some dishes) that ensures an exciting and satisfying dining experience. It’s best to visit with a group of friends though, since their portions are HUGE!

Hermosa Cantina

3/353 Cambridge St,
Wembley WA 6014