Wildflower restaurant review: a caviar pastry optical illusion and a deeply confronting seafood bisque

For some reason, when I was attempting to throw some thoughts together for this column, I found myself gazing upon the hulking former WA bikie Dillan Mancuso — more specifically, a wonderful photo of him in nothing more than cotton jocks and ink, sitting on the tray of a ute post-arrest. I know I didn’t google “bikies in their jocks” but that’s about all I can say by way of explanation. Blame it on the algorithm. But it got me thinking about what it’s like to be so unexpectedly exposed. But not really in that way — more like being outed as a fraud who occasionally rides the magic carpet of gratuity when, really, I have no more business than anyone commenting on anything. But, alas, there I was a week ago, in a restaurant I admit many could not or would not choose to afford, the beneficiary of a free lunch. Yes, there really is such a thing. How, you may ask, can I objectively report on one though? I’ll try. Ascending in the lift to Wildflower, atop the former pigeon penthouse that is now the State Buildings, is a dizzying experience. I shared the ride with a couple who I will assume were paying customers. I am confident their warm welcome and their exquisite experience was in no way inferior to mine. Though I’m unsure whether they agree to the coat-room courtesy (and remember they did!) and love heady (and I mean HEADY) shellfish bisque? If so, theirs was even better. The lunch begins with a glass of bubbles. As it should. I’ll repeat a predictable gripe about wine pairing — the pours are as if measured by the tablespoon. But we get it. Totally could have done with more of the pinot noir chardonnay NV from Frazer Woods (Pemberton/Margs). Would order this fulsome, Frenchy number any day. The menu is designed around the offerings of the precinct, the first being the always unreal Long Chim. It’s a ma hor, or the classic galloping horses, and this one is not my favourite iteration ever (Longrain and also David Coomer’s at Star Anise, then Fuyu) but it’s close. This one is on a lush piece of mandarin (instead of pineapple), and is still a fission of intense flavours. It comes after a delicate, intricate pastry anointed with caviar. It looks like an optical illusion and speaks to the crazy, masterful stuff going on in this famed kitchen. The second (and tied for best) course comes from Petition — a properly coarsely chopped tartar with baby chips, a pepper berry creme fraiche (accentuating the venue’s affection for native produce), a pickled beetroot tartlet, a quenelle of parfait and shards of sourdough lavosh. And bread (and wattleseed butter) so good a fellow diner secreted a glad-wrapped piece in a folded menu for later. It was a lot. Thank God. It’s paired with a whiff of an excellent Fire Gully rosé from Margs. Then came the somewhat controversial seafood tortellini — very assertively al dente with a deeply confronting shellfish bisque redolent of literally slurping the head cheese from a crustacean. What a way to showcase the Rotto lobster, and to challenge those who don’t generally like to slide their tongue into a skull. It is luxurious. Oh, and the Forest Hill chardonnay helped. This was via the always great Post downstairs. Wildflower’s chops were on full display with a frothy dish of super medium-rare dry-aged Wagin duck with squirts of pumpkin. Nothing like you could ever achieve at home. Isn’t that the point of going out? Shout out to Marchand & Burch for their pinot. Dessert (bah) was an offensively massive wedge of offensively fabulous layered valhrona cake with raspberry from the Cape Arid tearooms. One serve could easily have done two; three maybe? Our gorgeous waiter came back with more of the outrageously indulgently named Intimations of Immortality verdelho sticky from our loves Vino Volta in the Swanny. Suffer in your jocks, as they say. * The writer was a guest of State Buildings. The verdict: 18/20 The cooking at this gem atop the State Buildings is masterful. Wildflower State Buildings, 1 Cathedral Avenue, Perth Open Wednesday-Friday, 12-2.30pm, Tuesday-Saturday, 5.30pm-late Contact 6168 7855, wildflowerperth.com.au Bookings Yes