WG Christmas Party @ the Raffles, Applecross
With picture-perfect views of the city and the magnificent Swan River, the Raffles was the perfect location for the Wandering Gourmet’s annual Christmas party. As it was held on a Sunday night, we were right on time for the groovy Sunday Sesh where there were lots of people gathered for a drink whilst listening to some great dance beats – us included.
The bar menu at the Raffles heavily features gourmet pizzas and tapas. For those who are organising food in advance for a function, you will be pleased to know that there is an additional function tapas menu available which is much more ‘gourmet-style’ than the Raffles’ Bar food menu. There is also a great range of beverages available from the well-stocked bar, with cocktails, mocktails, spirits, wine, and beer available.
We ordered numerous pizzas which were all made and baked to perfection, such as:
- Chicken, caramelised onion, oregano, black olive and lemon pizza
- A vegetarian pizza with roast pumpkin, rocket, pesto, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and pine nuts
- Shredded duck, orange, and braised leek pizza
- The Raffles’ version of a gourmet Hawaiian pizza, topped with ham, pineapple, chilli and sage
My favourite pizza as the duck, orange and leek pizza as the flavours of the gamey duck combined with a sweet and juicy orange was simply transcendent.
For our side orders, we had a bowl of fries with lemon mayonnaise. What I really loved about this dish was that the lemon perfectly complemented the mayonnaise without being too weak or overpowering. Simply put, it was perfect.
A raffle was held as part of our charity efforts for the Activ Foundation with prizes including a waffle maker, a tea and coffee hamper, a bottle of Kirrihill wine, and more. Congratulations to the prize winners on their winnings!
With perfect views, delicious food, and fantastic companions – what a magnificent start it was to the holiday season!
Shredded duck, orange, and braised leek pizza…sounds yum but do braised leeks go well in a pizza?
YES! It was great and a unanimous winner
Just a quick enquiry – Do you ever visit the review websites online before you visit the resturaunts or are you more persuaded by word-of-mouth.
Having visited some of these websites i feel that they could easily attract some patrons and deter others. While your blog is very passive and encouraging, is the internet a way to advertise a business? Or is it fast becoming a way for patrons to portray their views by hiding behind a computer screen?
Nice:)
Fab pix and fantastic description. Made me salivate.
Those have got to be some of the best looking, original, and salivating pizza’s I’ve heard of in a long time! worth an airfare I’m thinking.
Anya – yes, I do sometimes read restaurant review websites, although I am more persuaded either by word-of-mouth or whether that place looks interesting or not.
The internet is a fantastic way to advertise a business because it exposes both good and bad word-of-mouth – just like in real life. As the world is becoming increasingly digital, the internet is fast becoming a way for people to interact. As we are social beings, it is only natural for us to start creating communities or spreading our thoughts. It’s an easy way to spread our thoughts without too much cost.
In Marketing, we have a saying in regards to word-of-mouth about how a person will tell 10 people about their bad experiences, but will only tell 2 people about their good experiences.
The only negative is that people may falsify their experiences (eg due to a freebie or they were paid to), or a business owner and his or her staff may go online and spread lots of good things about their company and pretend that they aren’t the ones who are doing it.
In conclusion, I do hope that people do give real and true feedback whether it be online or real life.
Chu – thanks
Nick – fly back, fly back!
sounds good! I must check it out sometime
I’m surprised you haven’t checked it out yet, Maguro.
Have you been to Raffles at the Deco yet? The Deco is the posh restaurant part of the Raffles Hotel.
Thank you for that information Angela. I guess, like you said, although the internet is easily accessible – that can also be its downfall. I think that could also damage the cause because as you previously mentioned people will often announce when they are dissatisfied, the internet is a global broadcaster, they can definately get their message across. Thank you so much for replying to my comment. I really appreciate it.