KARIJINI DINING EXPERIENCE GOES DOWN WELL

BY CONRAD MCLEAN

Melissa Palinkas comments on the meal. Credit: Ngaarda Media.

The Karijini Experience on Banjima Country in the Pilbara laid on quite a spread of excitements this week, but special approbation must be shown to the Eco Retreat Dining Experience.

The dinner took place at the Karijini Eco Retreat, which is located just by Joffrey’s Gorge.

Fremantle based Chef Melissa Palinkas joined forces with the Resort kitchen to design a ten course Degustation experience, inspired by traditional Australian cuisine.

There were some real moments of creative brilliance throughout the whole thing.

The dinner was a show of traditional Australian food mixed with high end western dining. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the Emu Tartar, one of the most unusual foods I’ve ever tasted in this country.

Tartar is an uncooked meat dish, usually reserved for beef, treated for taste and safety. Around the world you can usually find uncooked meat dishes which are treated in acids and brines to kill dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella. Treating the meat rather than cooking it chemically changes, but lets it retain it’s raw texture.

In this case the Emu Tartar came soft, fresh and cold. It was well seasoned and served with a crunchy Greek fried Katafi pastry.

I’m told this Emu had to be cured in brine for 5 hours. It’s a work of creativity.

Emu Tartar. Credit: Ngaarda Media

The Bush Thyme Damper was amazing and came served as one would find a gourmet dinner roll. What made the Damper amazing was it’s infusion of Australian bush herbs. It came with a lovely roast garlic and black pepper butter.

Bush Thyme Damper. Credit: Ngaarda Media

I enjoyed the Crocodile Dumplings which came with lemon myrtle and desert limes. Those desert limes just pops in your mouth.

I’m used to Crocodile being served as a fillet for it’s texture. In some ways that sensation gets compromised when you mince it and put it into a dumpling.

Crocodile Dumplings. Credit: Ngaarda Media

the Kangaroo stole the show. It came served in a way that demonstrated the chef’s ability to manipulate the character of the food. The Kangaroo was served as balls skewered on a twig of Salt Bush, Kebab style.

But on the same plate besides the skewer, we had the Kangaroo made to a soft rich mince-like texture.

Underneath both those servings of Kangaroo was Pumpkin Puree, bursting with flavour. I’m a red meat lover and I really enjoyed what the chef was able to do with the Kangaroo.

If I had to pick a downside it would be the time we waited between courses. I was instructed by the editorial staff not to eat beforehand, because the degustation would last ten courses.

The wait time combined with the fact that this was Degustation, and therefore consisted of very small portions, meant that I got super hungry. We left early before dessert was even served because I wanted to get home and fill my belly.

I saw a child at the event, and I know kids are bottomless pits. I did wonder how he was handling the wait between courses.

So in conclusion, the food was great, I’m just sorry there wasn’t more of it, sooner.