Located at Bicton, Kava Cafe is one local neighbourhood gem, serving up breakfast, lunch, dinner and coffee.  On a rainy and wintry evening a few weeks ago, I was invited for a food tasting night at Kava Cafe by owner, Hamond. During the evening, we sampled dishes to be featured in Kava’s new winter menu from entrees, mains to desserts. At one point, it also did feel like we were judges on Masterchef or My Kitchen Rules, giving opinions on the dishes and how it could be improved. It’s really great to see a restaurant incorporating feedback from customers to improve themselves in all aspects of the business, be it food, customer service or even ambience.

For the entrees, we had the Mushroom Arancini ($12) and Lamb Meatballs to share. The Mushroom Arancini was one of my favourites. It’s crispy on the outside with plenty of earthy flavours of mushroom inside. The Lamb Meatballs were pretty good too with its tangy flavours from the tomato sauce and the soft textures of the meatballs.

Mushroom Arancini ($12)

Lamb Meatballs

For the mains, we were given three choices to choose from. I had the slow cooked beef cheeks with creamy mash, sauteed green beans and port jus ($31). This was a very hearty and welcoming dish. The beef cheeks were cooked perfectly to soft and tender, complementing well with the sweetness of the port jus. Sitting below the beef cheeks lies the creamy and fluffy mash. The only feedback I can give for this dish is to have more port jus as it gets absorbed easily with the creamy mash.

Beef Cheek Port with Creamy Mash, Green Beans and Port Jus

Some of my fellow dining companions had the

•  Homemade Potato and Ricotta Gnocchi ($25)
• Grilled Salmon with Cauliflower puree and sauteed Winter Vegetable

Their mains look equally as delicious as the beef cheeks too! Across the table, I did hear some positive reviews and I could  see that my dining companions are enjoying their mains.

Homemade Potato and Ricotta Gnocchi ($25)

Grilled Salmon with Cauliflower puree and Sauteed Winter Vegetable

For desserts, we were given three choices to choose from. I had the Creme Brulee ($11) and it was smooth and sweet, topped with the crunchy hard caramel on the top. One of the best parts of eating creme brulee is cracking that toffee top and digging into the luscious custard underneath. Two of my dining companions had the Tiramisu for Two ($15). The tiramisu was very generous in serving, served in a large bowl. It’s soft and moist in texture without the overpowering coffee flavour. As the serving was large, the Tiramisu is best to be shared.

Creme Brulee

Tiramisu for Two

I left the best for the last on purpose. The others had the waffle and rhubarb crumble ($11). Those who had this gave very positive reviews for this dessert. I managed to sneak a taste of the waffle. My verdict? It was really good! The waffle was soft and fluffy and the rhubarb crumble was just spot on. There were also no overpowering flavours from the rhubarb! I think the waffle and rhubarb crumble will be a very popular dessert at Kava.

Waffle and rhubarb crumble ($11)

It was such a lovely, casual evening meeting fellow foodies and regulars of Kava Cafe while indulging in some heart warming food. The ambience and atmosphere was homely, making it very comfortable to dine. With Kava’s seasonal menus and delicious food, I am sure it will be a success among locals. Come for a cup of coffee and breakfast to kickstart your day and finish off your day with a heart warming dinner at Kava Cafe.

I would like to thank Hamond for the invitation to attend the Food Tasting night at Kava Cafe.