Duende

~ Where Is It? ~

662 Newcastle Street  

Leederville WA 6007

~ The Setting ~

Nadie: I'd been wanting to try Duende for the longest time... so I bugged Gen to come with me one night after work. Of course, going to a fancier place like Duende meant that we had to dress up somewhat... and I got coerced into wearing make up. Boo.

Gen: I always loved the idea of spanish tapas ever since I went into this place called "Naked for Satan" in Fitzroy, Melbourne (reviews for another time!) so when Nadie asked me to Duende, it was an easy yes.  The restaurant is classy but a quirky fun ambiance (they decorated a whole wall with rugs!). They served us water in a little metal watering can which i thought was pretty funky. No need to dress up in fancy gowns but no thongs or wife beaters either!

Nadie: And don't forget the curtain of beads next to us! Loved it. Not the biggest fan of the nearly non-existent lighting. I'm all for mood lighting but I found Duende a little too dark.

Gen: It's romantic!!

 ~ The Food ~

Sweetcorn and manchego croquettes

 

Nadie: Loved these! While it did feel like the croquette was a little airy (like it wasn't jam packed with corn and cheese), these were fantastic served piping hot so that you can savour the gooey, cheesy innards.

Good enough on their own but this came with a very nice capsicum sauce... which I refused to let the waiters clear. Gen reckons I shouted at them. Well, they didn't ask if I was done before clearing the plate!

Gen: These were really yummy..! I'm personally not a big fan of cheese but the manchego wasn't one of those over powering salty cheesy need-to-drink-water-to-get-the-taste-out-of-my-mouth kinda cheese (Yes i know you get the point now). Like Nadie said, it came with a sweet capsicum sauce that really complimented the salty taste of the croquette. Also, I was really impressed about how perfectly fried the coquettes were, without the taste of "old oil".

And yes, Nadie did shout at them, swiping at them as soon as they even TOUCHED the plate!

Nadie: I still maintain that there was plenty of sauce left... therefore they should have ASKED FIRST... even if the croquettes were all gone. 

Oh. And I loved the cheese so much that I now have a wedge of Manchego in my fridge because I want to try some of it melted on toast. Ooh yeah.


Mojo chicken wings with avocado raita  $10

 

Nadie: I love chicken wings but I am notoriously wary of chicken when eating out - so I was plesantly surprised to find the chicken wings were well cooked and not dry. There was a hint of tang from lime, which I wished there was more of.

The avocado raita was creamy without being heavy (probably due to the addition of yogurt) but I felt like it was something was missing. Maybe because I'm used to having my mashed avocado, guacamole style with diced spanish onions and tomatos.

Gen: The chicken wings were really tasty! They were juicy on the inside and crisp on the outside. Combined with the smooth taste of the avocado raita, I was sold. The only thing about the raita was that it tasted a little too "grassy" without the chicken wings.


Beef cheek, sweet potato and celeriac remoulade

Shredded beef cheeks tightly rolled in a thin, crispy crepe atop a bed of mashed sweet potato, topped with celeriac remoulade. It also came with an undecipherable but yummy black sauce, smeared next to the sweet potato mash.

Nadie: Best dish of the night. There was a very nice balance of elements in this dish - tender, meaty shreds of beef cheeks with velvety sweet potato mash were a winning combination. The celeriac remoulade added a nice sour contrast to cut through the richness of the mash and the meat. It still bugs me that I have no idea what that black sauce is.

Gen: Two words: LOVED IT. We were initially quite confused when we were first served this dish because it looked like marrow! After a little prod, we realised it was just beef cheek pieces wrapped in a crepe.

The highlight for me was the sweet potato mash. I had to use all my will power to stop myself from finishing it before Nadie had any! That sweet taste of the mash plus the salty tangy flavour of the celeriac remoulade was such a fantastic contrast..! Did someone just say foodgasm? This is a MUST TRY if you ever get to Duende. The black sauce that came with the dish reminded me a little of caramelised onions.

Nadie: The black sauce reminded me of sticky, sweet soya sauce (not kicap manis... the other stuff). And yes, I noticed Gen's amazing display of willpower, so I rewarded her by sharing the last bit of sweet potato mash with her. Aren't I sweet?

Gen: -_-

Nadie: =D


K.G Whiting, saffron mash, green olive salsa

Nadie: I found the nicely cooked fish had a slight pungent aftertaste and the portion size was a little meager, as compared to the beef cheeks dish. On the other hand, there was a bit too much saffron mash, which had an amazing texture (just like the sweet potato mash) but was not as flavoursome as I would have liked. The green olive salsa provided a little saltiness and sourness to the dish.

Gen: I was a bit conflicted about this dish. After the awesome sweet potato mash I had before this, this seemed like a little bit of a letdown. Nonetheless, the texture was so smooth (if only I could get my mash to be like that!) The fish was a little small for the price but it was beautifully cooked. Very tender and melts in your mouth but it had a lil fishy taste. I thought it was pretty cool though, that the dish got served on just a black stone board.


Doughnuts with condensed milk ice cream

Gen: Warm fluffy doughnut balls served with ice cream. What more could a girl ask for? The doughnut balls were very airy and light and just gently dusted with sugar so that it is not overwhelmingly sweet. The condensed milk ice cream was a pleasant surprise as it contained quite a strong taste of cinnamon, something I wasn't quite expecting but nonetheless, was quite nice.

Nadie: Nothing beats freshly fried donuts. I would happily eat this as a late night TV snack (but first, I'd have to have a chef at my beck and call). On their own though, it would have been a bit bland, in the sense of it needed something to counteract all the heavy carbs - maybe a tart, raspberry jam or for the sugar addicts out there... dulche de leche?

The condensed milk ice cream was not what I expected. My tastebuds were anticipating a rich, milk taste but instead it received a heavily spiced cinnamon ice cream. It was a nice ice cream for sure but I was looking forward to condensed milk ice cream... which left me a little sad. So I drowned my sorrows by stuffing my face with more doughnuts. 


 Chocolate salted caramel   $4

Gen: I was quite excited when I saw this in the menu as it instantly reminded me of a salty caramel macaron (I know, it's so random). It was nicely presented in this gold writing cellophane paper which left its print on the caramel which made it look very classy. I was quite disappointed with the taste though. It was way too salty for my liking and the chocolate was really dark. I am personally more of a milk chocolate person. There was also not much of a caramel in there either. I couldn't finish it in the end and poor Nadie had to help me out (thanks love!) Would recommend it only if you're in love with salty dark chocolate.

Nadie: Caramel? What caramel? This was more like salted dark chocolate. Heavy emphasis on the salt. Between the two of us, I tend to prefer my salted caramel to have a bit more salt (thus I prefer Cimbalino's salted caramel macaron while Gen likes the ones at the Burswood) but this was a bit of overkill. It really distracted from the taste of the dark chocolate, which is a real shame because, again, between the two of us, I am more inclined towards dark chocolate than Gen is. Thank god we didn't order two. 

~ The Service~

Gen: the service crew were so polite and friendly and attentive, I could not find any fault with them. Even when Nadie had a swipe at them, they still joked and laughed with us. We were one of the last few to leave but yet, they never pressured us into leaving. They just quietly and subtly tried to clear everything else up around us, we hardly even noticed! I give them 2 thumbs up :D

Nadie: I so didn't swipe at them, you make me sound like a rabid tiger or something. Hmmph. I will agree however, that premature clearing of my capsicum sauce aside, service was excellent at Duende. All the waiters were friendly without being too familiar and we were never left wanting. 

~ Final Thoughts ~

Gen: Overall, I had a wonderful experience and would definitely go back again. We did spend quite a bit on these few dishes so remember to load up your wallet...! Great food, very tasty, very well cooked. Nothing I can complain about at all...

Nadie: I enjoyed Duende and would definitely go back... especially for those croquettes and beef cheeks! It is on the pricier end of the dining scale (we spent 100 between us, with Gen having one glass of wine) but makes a nice indulgence once in awhile.