A casual diner in a Northern Beaches shopping centre wholly exceeds expectations for food and wine ambition and execution.
For some, the site – part of the reinvigorated Karrinyup Shopping Centre – will be anathema. Others, a convenient bonus. Whichever way you kick, there’s no denying Dandelion is a compelling addition to Perth’s eating-out landscape. Bar down, diner up, it’s casual and breezy, but talks up, not down, to its customers. Where a straight bat might have sufficed, exec-chef Chase Weber has created an exciting, even challenging, menu, and set up a kitchen that executes his modern-Asian style with, well, great style. So there’s a little Thai influence, a little Japanese and Vietnamese, too.
Dandelion – bar down, diner up – is casual and breezy, but it talks up, not down, to its customers.
Here, refined cooking combined with excellent produce leads to exciting dishes – we’re looking at you Abrolhos scallop crudo with apple and white soy, or the sublime compressed watermelon with fishy ocean-trout floss – and a true social, sharing concept. Depth within the group (The Royal; The Standard) means Dandelion comes with experience, and you can see it in the wine list and overall maturity of the enterprise. In short, Dandelion makes a compelling case, not only for the joy of a well-executed mod-Asian menu but, in fact, for the potential of shopping-centre dining, too.
