Two months before – frantic clicking and refreshing of the booking form at 10am on the booking release day. Two months later, we are finally at Marumo!

Marumo is a popular fine dining institution among Perth locals with a specialty in omakase style Japanese cuisine, priced at $60 per person (including green tea). It’s fully booked every night and you definitely have to book ahead to secure a table. Marumo has always been on my wishlist and I’m so happy that we managed to score a booking at Marumo. Although it’s located along Stirling Highway, with just a blink you could miss it easily. The interior of Marumo is simple and minimalistic and seats 30 guests. It’s BYO but we chose to enjoy the lovely green tea with our omakase.

Not long after we were seated, a complimentary amuse bouche arrived on the table. It’s a cold squid salad which is flavoursome, tangy in taste with a bit of spice.

First course was the chilled edamame soup with seaweed oil, lobster and salmon ikura. Delicate, fresh and yet creamy in texture, this is a soup which definitely shouts summer. The salmon ikura gave a burst of salty flavours which balanced well with the sweetness of the lobster.

Second course. Beef with shimeiji mushrooms and bamboo shoot. Here’s Elwyn’s review of the dish: The mushrooms encompassed a variety of flavours from sweet, tangy, sour to a hint of spice. However, the beef had a slight chewy texture on it but it was cooked to perfection. Overall, it was a lovely dish.

Third course. Soft shell crab and watermelon. The soft shell crab was crunchy on the outside. One thing noticeable about this dish was the explosion of juices from the soft shell crab when you bite into it. The sweetness of the watermelon gave a refreshing aspect to the dish, complementing well with the sourness of the vegetable. 

Fourth course. The Chef’s selection of sashimi featured yellowtail hamachi, Tasmanian salmon and Hokkaido Scallop, above a layer of ice. The sashimi overall was very fresh in flavour. Elwyn reckons it’s probably one of the best sashimi he’s ever had. The stand out from the selection would be the delicious, sweet Hokkaido scallops. 

Fifth course. Torched Tasmanian salmon belly and tiger prawn tempura sushi. Elwyn’s verdict: Two words. Smoky and crispy . With one bite, there’s a slight smokey flavour with a creamy texture from the salmon belly along with crispy textures of the prawn tempura and ebiko on top. 

Before starting the sixth course, we were treated to an orange sorbet palate cleanser. It’s tangy, fresh, sweet and refreshing. The perfect way to cleanse the mouth. And, our next dish awaits.

Sixth course. Duck, apricot and parsnip. The sweetness of the duck complements well with the smooth, creamy parsnip puree. There was also a nice texture to the duck with a hint of sweetness from the soy yuzu sauce. The duck crackle on top adds a good crunch to top off this lovely dish.

Last but not least. Seventh course. Dark chocolate, peach and yuzu. We couldn’t ask for a better dessert to finish off the seventh course. Here’s Elwyn’s verdict: This dessert was strategically placed to give you three textures in one bite. The chocolate mousse was so smooth that it breaks down with just your tongue. The lemon sorbet melts nicely and required a bit of a chew but it was soon met with a final crunch of yuzu. The chocolate was not overly sweet, the sorbet, tangy and finally topped with a light sweet yuzu. A matchmake in heaven.

Was it worth the wait? Oh yeah! We loved it from the start to finish and enjoyed the 3 hours of our Marumo experience! Priced at $60 per person, it’s value for money for high quality food and presentation with attention to detail from Chef Moe’s expertise. The service was excellent – our water and tea were constantly refilled.  Marumo is one hidden gem (or maybe not so hidden?) in the heart of Nedlands which we highly recommend to you.