The Armada Bar & Grill

Eat, Good Life

A WISE man once told me to dine out only at restaurants employing chefs and apprentices where, he said, the food is better and the range on offer is wider and more interesting and I would be patronising the development of cheffing and their skills as an art. If he were alive today, he would have been in raptures about what executive chef Bonny Sulistyo is creating at the Travelodge Perth Armada Restaurant.

Bonny's style of cuisine is best explained as "post-alternate Australian cuisine". Most people are familiar with the Fusion style of East meets West, but the food Bonny creates is the next step and the new winter menu he has created for the Travelodge Perth is indicative of exciting periods ahead in Perth's dining scene.

Bonny says his experiences while working at the Parmelia Hilton have certainly influenced the chef he is today and one of his most notable influences was Cheong Liew, who was premier guest chef at the time.

"Working with him was truly inspiring because he introduced me to the art of bringing out the flavors in all foods," says Bonny.

Bonny has always felt a profound connection with his profession - he's sure this had a lot to do with his family background, as both parents were Executive Chefs in their careers. As a child, so many of his memories involved the family surrounded by sumptuous food.

"My mother and father were extraordinary chefs with a natural flair for uniting produce and flavours to create sensational eating experiences," says Bonny.

"My father, who passed away several years ago, had such an artistic way with presenting his dishes, which I feel has greatly influenced the ways I plate my own dishes.

Like a lot of people, I still think my mum is one of the best cooks around - I make sure I visit her in Bali as frequently as possible; her food still amazes me and inspires my own cooking."

Our refreshing starter was certainly an example of Bonny's pedigree and the talent he has acquired and developed. It was a knockout salad of shaved cuttlefish, fennel, pink grapefruit, celery and tomato consommé jelly, lightly seasoned with lime zest and served with a Kapuka 2008 Malborough Sauvignon Blanc.

In a return to "slow cooking" our entrée, the Twice Cooked Beef and Mushroom Pudding, was an outstanding dish. Its' lean beef wrapped in freshly made suet pastry and steamed, then finished in a hot oven and served with a leek and cauliflower cream sauce.

We also sampled one of Bonny's newest entrée creations, the Crab and Corn Gnocchi. Although gnocchi is rarely a favourite of mine, this dish changed my mind because the gnocchi was light and soft, and the hint of lime zest balanced the flavours perfectly.

Bonny says he has been working on refining Australian favourites using the freshest ingredients available. "For instance, using Australian game and incorporating our glorious natural herbs that have been traditionally overlooked, gives me great pleasure," he says. "To me, this is an advance in fusion cooking which emphasis's Australian ingredients as the Western component."

The Twice Cooked Ox Cheeks Bourguignon with Potato Colcannon was our delicious main dish, served with a Bleasdale Mulberry Tree 2005 Cabernet Sauvigon. The Western Australian-grown ox cheeks were cooked in Beaujolais with a juniper berry jus and served with Scottish-style mash potato, bacon and spring onion and topped with vegetable ribbons and semi-cured tomatoes.

For dessert, we couldn't resist the Honey and Ricotta Cheese Pannacotta. This cold-set Italian pudding served with Espresso sauce, vanilla bean ice cream and glazed dates, which rounded off the meal delightfully.

Bonny believes we are a product of all of the experiences we have, which includes the people that we meet. "I have learnt something from every chef I have ever worked with, so I am proud of the menu I have created here at Armada, which I feel reflects my journey as a creative chef," he says.

"The teams I work with are talented and have responded so well to the elements I have introduced here. Being executive chef for the Travelodge Perth has been a great journey in my development to lead and manage, and every day has been inspirational and motivating to achieve and learn further what I can contribute towards pleasuring a person's palate."

The Armada winter menu is not only a return to glorious slow cooking, but it's full of interesting and tantalising flavours (but not too much flavour that it overpowers or exhausts the diner). You'll be able to make it through a three-course meal ($50-$55) that's not only satisfying but a return to dining out as a truly delightful occasion.

Bonny says Australia has been a great training ground for him. "The ingredients I use are not limited to their location given that we are so diverse, blending us into a refreshing cocktail of cultures," he says. "Recipes flow as a result of experiences and various applications of creative approaches born of knowledge."

"My influence to the industry is to live a good life learning and appreciating a balance of work, rest and play."

The passion of life is what Bonny says he craves and without the source being the food we consume, we limit ourselves from achieving great things. As his former head chef Sunny De Campo used to say, "Eat, good life."

By Kate Malkovic