Beluga, Claremont

I may not be a massive footy fan, but I'm already a fan of Beluga.

Was there a couple of weeks ago for a short lunch with my bestie. Without much expectation, the restaurant was full of local patrons, dress to impress while catching up with their friends. It is Claremont afterall, you gotta show some diamonds, branded handbags and wears designer dresses to dine here. It might sound cliché for those of us that doesn't really fit into the criteria. However, the staff never show unfairness while serving people like us.

Rich ladies chit-chatting away

We didn't make any reservation, so we got a table outside under the sun watching passerby walking along The Lane at Claremont Quarter. It is not a bad place to be while the sun is still up, although the chilly wind creeps into my skin constantly.

The Lane at Claremont Quarter

Instantly, we got the wine list and menu for our perusal. The supervisor explained to us that their wine list works slightly different, they don't categorized their wine in White and Red. Instead, they put them into 5 different characteristic categorization and start off with Pop, Light and Easy, Juicy Aromatic, Bold and Beautiful and end with Sweet Dreams. I find that pretty convenient for me to look for the wine I'm in the mood for, instead of guessing if the Chardonnay is dry or aromatic. They have a pretty vast range of local and European wine, you can visit here, for their complete wine list.

Food Menu 

The menu was simple with local sourced fresh produce and seafood-centered, only 4 items to choose for the meat eater. I'm a seafood lover so a limited menu like this doesn't really bother me. But, the Inside Out Potato Gnocchi Ravioli caught my eye.

New Norcia Flat Bread with Olive Oil, Rosemary and Sea Salt - $9

We had the flat bread to start with, unfortunately due to some miscommunication with the waitress who took our order, the bread ended up came out with our mains. The bread had nice flavour, but it wasn't as fresh as it should be, we suspected it could be a day old bread or it wasn't warm up enough in the oven.

Meat of the day - Roast Pork Belly with Potato Puree, Pomegranate & Apple

I had a major food envy when the pork belly came out, it smelled good and the diners next to our table envied too. The crackling was spot on and the meat roasted to perfection. Smooth potato puree, fresh pomegranate and spiced apple made it the perfect condiments to go with the 4 generous slices of pork belly. This is the dish for all pork lover out there.

Inside out Gnocchi Ravioli with Swiss Brown  & Porcini Mushroom - $16

I went for a more technical dish, we all know making Potato Gnocchi is such a chore, so is making Ravioli. And this dish, required skill for both. It was a potato gnocchi skin encased like a ravioli with porcini and swiss brown mushroom. I supposed it is a very technical dish to make, it requires skill to handle such delicate morsels, and someone with a lot of patience. Although it only came with 4 pieces, but every mouthful was full of flavour from the garden and personal touch. The size and fillings for the ravioli might not be consistent but i give my respect to the chef who has to make this everyday.

We only had limited time during our lunch, so we didn't get to try their desserts, but I am pretty keen on the chocolate tart, maybe on my next visit.

Overall, the food were great and the service were friendly. Some of the staff may seem to be an amateur, but the overall experience were pretty ok. I will definitely be going back to try some other stuff on the menu and perhaps try my luck on sipping on a glass of cocktail made by Dean Cox.

Food Quality: 4 gnocchi outta 5
Service: 3.5 gnocchi outta 5
Ambience: 4 gnocchi outta 5
Will I be back?: Yes, I would!

Beluga Claremont 
Claremont Quater
Gugeri Street,
Claremont
(08) 9383 1638