Sue McDonald, Truly Scrumptious
+4
The Dainty Dowager is on the main Beaufort Street strip just past Clarence Street, and the first thing that you notice is the warm welcome. There are obviously many regulars here judging by the number of hugs and warm greetings that the head waitress dishes out. We were seated at a regular table (there are also high bar tables that you can perch at), and considering that it was only 6:30pm the place was buzzing, noisy and vibrant.
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Yummo!!! We were looking for somewhere that served great food, and in a casual environment, as I was still dressed in shorts and jandals (thongs) after a bit of Christmas shopping around town on a lovely hot afternoon. Part of that expedition took us to Mt Lawley, which we hadn’t been to for ages, so decided to head back there to soak up the casual, yet vibrant feels of the street. While waiting for Dainty’s to open at 5:30pm, we stopped for a refreshing thirst quencher at The Queens (but that’s another review), then it was just a very short walk up the road to the Dainty Dowager.
Upon entering, my wife asked, “Are you sure we haven’t been here before?” After chatting with our friendly host, and commenting on the cool ceiling decorations, we learned that the restaurant is owned by the same people who own The Low Key Chow House, which we have dined at and thoroughly enjoyed before. Our host was very friendly, obliging and helpful in terms of menu choices. He also scored top marks when he brought out a complimentary glass of delightful chardonnay to celebrate my wife’s recent birthday (in addition to the complimentary spicy roasted peanuts), which was the reason for our night out. A great gesture and well appreciated!
The food choices all sound so delish, that it’s a challenge to limit yourself to what you can comfortably manage! Fear not however, as they will happily arrange for any uneaten meals to be packaged as takeaways.
The pork, ginger and water chestnut dumplings of the day were amazing, as were the soft shell crab baos. The salt and pepper squid was really terrific, with a divine peanut ginger sauce, and the grilled pork belly lettuce cups were fresh and tasty. While Mrs B opted for another single crab bao (she’s just discovered how delicious these soft-shelled crabs are), I had to go for the in-house roasted char siu BBQ pork, which I chose a small rice and Chinese greens, in oyster sauce to accompany. The pork was juicy, tender and flavoursome, the rice was fluffy and generous, and the greens were perfectly crisp and tender, with the fried shallots on top making the perfect tasty garnish.
The limited dessert selection actually sounded very tempting, and sadly neither of us had the capacity to try them out, so we will certainly have to come again and try better a second time around.
The decor is rustic Chinese, with woven round trays on the ceiling, and replica vintage lamps in abundance, lighting up a dark and warmly inviting interior. While we were there just after opening at 5:30pm, the place was filling up steadily by the time we left, I can believe it would get packed later on in the evening.
Overall, highly recommended and we look forward to returning again in the near future.
The food and ambience are nice no doubt, but the wait staff were stand out. They were all young people, who were refreshingly polite, professional, and went out of their way to make our time there enjoyable. We will be back here in the near future.
Amazing food and service! A must try a cocktail they were an incredible a compliment to the meal. Our dishes were beautifully flavoured and complimented each other.
Great food and selection of red wine. Waiters were very knowledgeable!
Came with group of mates ready to eat and drink.
All came out well fed and watered :-)
A slightly confusing menu however why not give it a go. Food came out super quick which made me slightly skeptical about quality... I take that back, it was amazing.
The rice was cooked perfectly and serving size would be great for two. The dumplings were slightly a let down however as the skin was hard and felt like it needed a few more seconds in the water. The fillings too were missing some flavour (maybe some chives, pepper and salt?). The pork lettuce cups sounds like a great idea, but was difficult to “cup” the meat in it. The fried chicken bao was great and packed with so much flavour.
I recommend going for their cocktails which was a great highlight for the night.
One of my trusted eatery places in Mount Lawley. Food and service is fantastic. They had a charred fried rice with beef that's amazing their mushroom tofu mix and pork belly from the grill is also very good 👌
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We recently ate at the Dainty Dowager and the food was amazing. We had the dumplings of the day which were prawn, perfectly cooked and served with a suitably spicy dip. We'd heard their speciality is the roast duck so we ordered some and weren't disappointed. The duck was deliciously moist and tender and served slightly rare as it should be. We also shared their massamam curry. Don't expect the standard here (this is fine dining cuisine); the dish comprised one chicken breast which was superbly tender and moist served in a bowl of creamy, spicy gravy. You definitely need steamed rice to go with this dish to mop up all of that delicious sauce (and to save oneself the embarrassment of drinking the left over sauce straight from the dish, it was too good to be wasted). Our only minor gripe is that we got charged $4 for a slice of lime added to a drink....without being told it was going to cost anything when it was offered. Oh, and suspect it would be very noisy on a weekend when it's busy. Would definitely go again though.
Had a nice meal here choosing to go with the banquet/chef's choice - all of the food was great. Only criticism was that the staff seemed a bit cranky with us by the end, we were a large-ish group so probably reasonably loud but that's to be expected right? A few angry glares here and there took the service down a notch....
Enjoyed a fabulous night last night with 9 other friends. The Far East Feast was very good. Delicious dishes, plenty to go around of each dish and we were all amazed at how the food just kept coming! Thank you to the staff at Dainty's for making our little Xmas get together so enjoyable. We were all very impressed with the food and the service.
Went here on two separate occasions. First time all of the dishes were lovely and came out quickly. The only irritating this is that they don't give you a bottle of tap water rather they just fill up your glass.. we had to wait 15 minutes to get our water filled after asking someone for service..
Second time around wasn't as good as the last.
The baos (which we had ordered previously) were dry and lacking sauce. The BBQ Pork was really chewy and had a big chunk of uneatable cartilage in it. The only thing that was perfect were the noddles we got and the delicious complimentary peanuts. The only reason we came back the second time was because we really loved the food the first time we came here. After a disappointing second time I don't think we will be coming here again.
Great food and service! They were attentive and we ordered the $55 banquet. They catered a separate one for our vegetarian friend and for our last minute booking
What an amazing place. The food was sensational, fresh, tasty, and served really quickly. Easy menu to pick from and so many wonderful foods. would like to see more of the tapas style in smaller meals. The wine list was just OK. They need a few more in their selection but was very happy with our choice and the Mojitos were amazing.
Love love love this place. As soon as you walk in the door is like stepping into an underground chinese james bond-ish hideout. The menu is well executed and great to share or keep your dish to your self should you desire. The cocktails are well thought out and reasonably priced.
Great food and great service. Cocktails were unreal and the vibe was spot on. Main dish was a little underwhelming but the squid and the pork ribs were to die for.
Wow, what a find! Dainty Dowager is a must. The atmosphere is buzzing as soon as you walk in. My partner and I started with the karage chicken pops which were a delight. The seasoning was delicious and the chicken was moist. Next up were the pork belly lettuce cups as recommended by our waitress and they too did not disappoint. To finish was the sashimi fish which wasn't as enjoyable. Any good fish does not require a large dollop of sauce on the side. Overall it was a lovely evening. The menu is fantastic and I will definitely return to try a variety of dishes. Everything is reasonably priced and we were pleasantly surprised with our bill. Thank you to the staff at Dainty Dowager.
More Than Nourishment
+3.5
I went with two girlfriends on a busy Friday night. The service was prompt and the food came out quickly. We ordered the daily dumplings (pork, shrimp and coriander), karrage chicken pops, soft shell crab, Chinese greens, roast duck baos, char siu pork and rice. The pork and baos were my favourite dishes. Both were really flavoursome. Although I enjoyed it, it was on the expensive side ($100- already discounted using the entertainment book voucher). For that price, I prefer to go somewhere else but it was nice to try it out.
Came here on a date night, tried the soft shell crab and wok fried noodle. Soft shell crab was nicely seasoned and not greasy, and also well complemented with the refreshing papaya salad. wok fried noodle is juicy, and also served with my favorite sambal.
Overall, we had a good dining experience here, but the music there was quite loud for a chat and might not be suitable for those who are soft spoken.
We did the $55 FEED ME dinner, which straight away we were loving the place because it said for groups of four or more and we only had three, with one no-pork eater and they were more than happy to oblige.
Service was great. Drinks kept coming. Food kept coming. Everything was delicious. But, the dessert was the absolute star. One friend proclaimed, "who needs sex?" It was a fried bao made into an icecream sandwich. There was popcorn. There was soy ice-cream, so subtle yet so yummy!!!
Great vibes. Two thumbs up.
Great food! We had a large group and did the set menu it there was so much food you definitely didn't leave feeling hungry! Can't wait to go back again!
Great service and delicious food. Lots of different and unusual flavours. The banquet menu for 4 was great. We'll certainly be back for more.
Food was incredible! Service was great! Amazing atmosphere even for a wednesday night! We ordered perfectly! Sweet potato spring rolls, pork belly lettuce cup, best karaage chicken we ever had.. then cabbage salad, salt pepper squid and the charred rice. I give this place 10/10 and will definately be coming back again and sharing the great experience! Thanks!!
Wanted to try somewhere new for "date night" and ended up here. Awesome service, cocktails and most importantly the food was delicious and more than enough for 2. Loved everything we tried especially the dumplings and the soy ice cream sandwich which tasted like a donut with caramel ice cream and popcorn. Will definitely be going back for more.
Thoughtful modern spin on Chinese. This restaurant had packs of atmosphere, a quality curated wine list and knowledgable staff who gave spot on recommendations. Sashimi snapper served ceviche style, popcorn chicken and roast duck baos that were tasty as! Dining with the Dowager was delicious!
Held a work function for 8 people which is always a challenge considering everyone has different tastes. The booking was made on-line with ease and there were no issues when we arrived at the restaurant.
Given how many of us there were the group opted for the "Far East Feast". The food that we received was delicious and came to the table in no time at all.
The atmosphere was quite noisy but this was good for our group as we were able to be a little bit louder without feeling we were impacting anyone else's meal.
The only let down was the difficulty in trying to order drinks, staff seemed very busy and were unable to be as attentive as I would have liked.
Despite this minor issue the evening was very enjoyable,
I will soon be returning to the Dainty Dowager
Holy moly. I have never loved a place so much as here! The wait staff were amazing and the food, even better! I ordered the duck bao and the son in law eggs. Both dishes cooked to perfection, delicious and moreish! I will be back for sure!!
Went to Dainty Dowager for the first time tonight. It takes a bit of convincing to get my husband to go to fusion Asian places and he opposes the more expensive prices than other cheap Asian places. In saying this, we loved it! Ordered the dumplings, karaage chicken, Chinese greens, beef brisket curry, tofu and sashimi. All the dishes were lovely. Especially loved the tofu and the dumplings. One of the things we liked the most about our evening was the attentiveness and knowledge of the staff. We were turned away from a few places up the road because we were walk ins, but they made a real effort to welcome us. Will definitely come back to this place. 😍
Wait staff were really friendly and attentive. Got a really nice seat by the window. Dumplings were amazing! Free peanuts were a bonus & super tasty.
We walked up and down Beaufort Street looking for some food and must admit that we looked through the window and decided to continue walking down the street. Not finding anything that really grabbed us we decided to give the Dainty Dowager a go. We were not disappointed. The menu is an Asian fusion and we were impressed with the taste sensations from the small plates that we ordered. The drunken prawns were beautifully spiced... not hot, but enough to make your lips tingle. The duck bao was supurb as well. Again a good menu so we will be going back in the near future. If you ever look in the window and have second thoughts I encourage you to give it a go... it really is a culinary gem of Mt Lawley.
The lively atmosphere and edgy decor made this place feel like an exciting venue from the moment we walked in. Staff were attentive and polite throughout the evening; food was tasty and delivered to our table promptly. A fun place to go with a group of friends!
Loved the vibes, the service, the spring rolls and the bao! We also ordered noodles and prawns which weren't as nice and we didn't finish them. So if you are planning a trip I recommend trying other items on the menu (in addition to bao and spring rolls!). I would return :)
Front of house service was very good, food was fresh and come out at good times and well spread over our meal. We have been a few times now, A little pricey, but if you select the right dishes it works out well.
Yum yum yum yum! Can't get enough of this place! The staff had a cool presence about them and the interior of the place is super cool. The food came out fresh, hot and delicious! We ordered four dishes between the two of us and rolled out so full. We ordered the dumplings of the day, the pork steak, duck bao buns and the sang chow bow.. All full of flavor and very satisfying! Will have to come back here and order a few cocktails next time :)
One of my favourite new restaurants! Do yourself a favour and go with the set menu. We tried nearly everything on the menu and were very satisfied. Packed full of flavours and heaps of variety. Only let down was the price of the drinks...I paid more for 3 x cocktails then my acutal meal.
Dined here on a casual Sunday and it hit the spot like a good Sunday roast, but Asian style! You walk into a dark, well furnished restaurant and smell the roasting meats straight away.. yum! Enthusiastic staff with great product knowledge and the recommendations were spot on. Great selection of craft beers and good wines from around the world.. we will be back.
Very impressed. Got recommended here by a friend and I will be recommending now. Greeted with energetic and friendly staff and the smell of roast meat - delish. Awesome unique fittings and decor. Menu was varied and had lots on offer, we went with the dumplings of the day, duck bao, roast BBQ pork, charred chicken rice and soft shell crab and couldn't fault them. All I'd say is be prepared for a bit of chilli ;)
I think this place is very underrated. It's a great date spot or after work drinks place and the food is extremely tasty. The spring rolls were the highlight of my trip and the staff were very attentive and polite. It had a great atmosphere and I'll definitely be returning with my friends.
I ordered the brisket curry, which was absolutely delicious. Gorgeous fresh flavours, and a very decent size with a small portion of rice. I tried some of the other things that my friends ordered, and these were a bit hit and miss. The hot and sour steamboat was pricy and extremely bland. It basically tastes like miso with some prawns added in. Some of the other things on the menu sound interesting so I would like to come back and try those.
Perfect food excellent service fantastic atmosphere
Walk in short notice, and seated within 10 minutes
Try the duck bao buns.... will change your life
Another tasty Asian tapas spot that has popped up in Perth. The food is served quickly, the staff are friendly and the decor is awesome.
I've been twice and tried a few things off the menu. I personally loved the main size curries over the nibble sized stuff. I do recommend the sashimi though. Tasty!!
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Four of us came in and opted for the "Far East Feast" banquet at $55 a head (min 4ppl). It was a family style meal where everything was shared. There was plenty of food (entrees, mains, sides, dessert) and we all left stuffed. We also got 70 bucks off using two Entertainment Cards, woo!
Highlights of the meal for me were the gooey son in law eggs, the crispy soft shell crab, cola pork skewer, roast duck bao, and wok fried greens. These dishes I would order again.
Lowlights were the roasted meats especially the roast duck which was insanely salty and a bit tough. Char siu pork was a bit dry and crispy roasted pork belly was not as good as most Asian BBQ places. Also the rice was really hard and dry.
Included in the banquet were karaage chicken, beef brisket curry, Korean rice cakes, vego spring rolls and salted caramel icecream bao sandwiches. If you went through and added all the items up it comes to about $215-220 so you're not getting much of a discount going for the banquet.
Service was very attentive when we first got there but when the restaurant began to fill, it dropped off a bit. Regardless, it was a good night out and I like the decor and atmosphere of the venue! Good wine list and decent cocktail selection too.
A great experience here. Yummy food and excellent service. A good selection of tapas. We found the roast duck bao to be nice, but we tried some baos elsewhere the night before and found theirs to be just that little bit tastier. My Noble Lady Lan cocktail was good too. The dessert was yum, just wish I wasn't so full towards the end that half the dessert became a struggle to eat!
Really enjoyed dining here, could definitely come back.
I'm not much of a fan of "fusion" cuisine but these guys do it really well and respect the cuisine they make. The food is of excellent quality and flavour, and very fresh. I love their cocktails and mocktails which are stunning - the service is very welcoming and helpful although sometimes they do forget to come back but the staff are just lovely. The food, the duck bao are the must try! But pretty much anything here is good, the BBQ meats are so delicious too. I went back for the Far East feast and it was discounted on the Entertainment book by 25% but it was very generous. Usually at venues with a feast there are a couple of dishes I don't like, but I liked everything. I did think the deep fried shrimp were a touch dry but they were yummy! I would definitely recommend it here.
Had heard mixed reviews about this place so I went in skeptical- however we were very pleasantly surprised. We were a table of 5 and opted to do the banquet. It was good value for money, great variety of starters and mains. Fresh tasty dishes and nice big portions. We waddled out happily stuffed. Service was nice too. We will be back!
Love, love, love Dainty Dowager. Awesome venue, equally excellent staff and delicious food. We asked to be fed (chefs choice) and were looked after excellently. Can't wait to go back.
Great service, our drinks were always full and the food was on our table within ten minutes of ordering. We had a selection of 5 entree dishes and they all were amazing! Very busy for a Tuesday night, however based on the service you would think you were the only ones in the restaurant! 5/5 service, food and all round atmosphere
We came here for a family dinner and decided to order the "Far East feast". Cannot rave about it enough! Everything we had was so delicious and just the right spice to accommodate everyone's palates (although I definitely could have had more heat). The bbq duck was probably my least favourite as it is similar to what you get at most dim sum restaurants, but the soft shell crab with papaya salad was phenomenal. Will be back again for sure
I have eaten here twice and both times the service was really good. The ambiance is fine and the food is pretty good too. It's not spectacular, but it is good. I'd give it a 3.75, so i have rounded down to the nearest option, not up. Could probably crack a 4, but i mark harshly!
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Over the weekend, my partner and I went to Dainty Dowager for our double date with our favourite foodie couple. Dainty Dowager is by the same owners as Low Key Chow House. The décor was modern Asian with cool lanterns and woven baskets hanging from the ceiling. We were provided with complimentary peanuts (love complimentary stuff!) which had a prawn sambal salt seasoning on it and was quite moreish. Food here, is designed to be shared so I would recommend going here with a group so that you can try a lot of their dishes. In total we ordered 11 dishes (5 smaller dishes, 3 bigger dishes and 3 desserts) and we were very full and super satisfied. We had the roast duck baos – the baos was fluffy and soft and the meat was flavoursome. If I had to compare these baos to the ones at Low Key Chow House, I personally prefer the caramelised pork belly ones at Low Key Show House. The ceviche was served on a soup spoon and had a lovely mustard flavour to it. The karaage chicken pops was crispy and juicy and served with a delicious sambal sauce – I thought that was quite different but the flavours worked well. The soft shell crab with papaya salad was to die for. The daily dumplings were super tasty and I wish we had ordered more – the wonton skins were silky and the pork filling was well-seasoned.
Had dinner there tonight for the first time. Nice space and friendly staff. Roast pork was delicious and crispy. Beef brisket curry had a good kick to it and was a good size serve. Nice to see lots of gluten free options. Will definitely go again to try the rest of the menu.
Beautiful interior, great selection of food. We ordered 2 x share meals and 1 x larger meal and dessert are we're sufficiently stuffed by the time we walked out. Highly recommend the duck bao and the dumplings of the day! The dessert sticky rice balls were also amazing.
Love the decor, nice atmosphere suited to the modern Asian fusion vibes. Selected some well known Asian dishes and was disappointed that they lacked the oomph in flavour. Our pork belly looked the part, but strangely, pieces were either too chewy or too dry. Other dishes were also just ok, where crispy bits were soggy, or the broth was bland :(
Had a pleasant enough midweek dinner here. Dumplings were good, service was fine. Its a nice enough place but inhabits a weird space - too expensive for a regular midweek eat and not nice enough to be destination dining. Good fitout and nice toilets.
A new fave! Loved almost everything about this place! Beautiful service, beautiful decor. A little noisy however. I can't say I've had many skewers in my time but these were the best I've had. The duck bao were soft and the filling tasty but needed at least a bit more duck. The beef brisket was delish, lots of beef and a nice kick to the dish. The braised chicken was ok but quite sweet! Unfortunately we didn't have any cocktails or desserts, great excuse to come back ;
Had a great Malbec there last night. Love the decor. Sat up at the bar in extreme comfort and warmth and watched the busy team in the kitchen beavering away. Will definitely go back for a meal there.
This is a real treat. Loved the style of Asian and really enjoyed my wine. Staff was super nice and all the serves were generous. Price wasn't too bad, atmosphere is great. Sit at the bar or get a table... Not too happy with the double sitting - but they need to make a living. Give it a crack.
A group of 10 of us decided to go and try Dainty Dowager on a recommendation. We decided to opt for the set Banquet and it didn't disappoint. The menu was well thought out and the service was prompt and friendly. The duck bao was great and the pork belly and the soft shell crab were both outstanding! The BBQ duck was ok and my least favourite but with only one plate served between 10 of us, there wasn't much to go around. The only minor gripe I have is that it was a bit noisy so it was a bit hard to try and chat amongst 10 of us. Overall the food was great and a good night was had by all!
Being the sister restaurant of low key chow house I wasn't expecting too much as I didn't have a great experience there but Dainty Dowager is a winner.
Modern, nicely presented Asian food! The beef brisket, wood ear veges and duck baos were a stand out. Roast duck is better elsewhere and the sashimi had a bit too much vinegar otherwise everything was delicious. Bit on the expensive side but to be expected at a place like this.
Loved this place. Food was great (sashimi, BBQ pork, dumplings). Fantastic cocktails. And very friendly service. Have never been a big fan of low key chow house (which is cousin to Dainty Dowager) but this place I highly recommend.
Had a lovely dinner at daintys last night. We ordered the cola pork skewers that were delicious and I really wanted more of but my boyfriend said no. The sung Choi Bao which wasn't the best I had tasted but was still good with basil and chilli. The duck Bao which was also great! But anything with hoisin sauce is! And lastly the hor fun noodles which were amazing! The wait staff were great and made sure they asked about allergies too. overall was an awesome dinner experience!
Great food with heaps of flavour and staff are very helpful..drinks range is excellent and well priced. Honestly sons of the tasty food ive eaten in a while
Taste Test - Food.Life
+3.5
Buzzing atmosphere, friendly and helpful waitstaff serving overpriced Asian fare. $14 for 4 dumplings which didn't even contain prawn, no wonder we were the only Asians dining there that night because no sane Asian would pay that for dumplings - ha! Food was ok, nothing wow. Still it was worth a try to see what all the fuss is about.
"The thing I like about this place is that all the staff are really friendly and different to each other at the same time" - genius tipsy quote of the night. Okay, the food: fabulous choices especially if you get the banquet. Highlight for me was the soft shell crab and the perfect Cabernet Sauvignon.
Um, yum! Last Friday night snacks after the rush. Pork skewers, duck bao and a sung choi bao-style dish. All flavoursome, some with a bit of kick. Paired with a couple of drinks, we felt the prices were reasonable for such delicious food in a great-looking venue.
Service was really good, only exception was when we were trying to wave someone down to get the bill and two staff members were sat at the bar playing on their phones. It was pretty late by this stage, so perhaps they'd finished for the night or were on break.
I'll definitely be back - I want to try the steamboat next time!
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Came here last night with some friends. We had an 8pm booking but arrived early and took a seat at the bar for a pre-dinner drink - I'm a huge fan of restaurants with bars for pre-drinks! When we first arrived it was pretty quiet but by the time we were seated at our table the restaurant had filled up and was pumping. Service was a bit slow but it seemed to be the peak period so that's excusable. We ordered the karage chicken pops and pork belly lettuce cups for entree. The chicken pops were delicious but the sauce was incredibly spicy (and I like spicy foods) so burning outweighed enjoyment. The pork belly cups were nice but not great. For mains we ordered the roast duck and char sui BBQ pork - both were juicy, tender and full of flavour plus the hor fun noodles (very yummy) and wood ear mushroom vege mix. I spotted the salted chocolate ganache as soon as we checked out the menu so I couldn't say no when desert orders were taken. It was creamy and chocolatey but missing the salt element. All in all, another great restaurant addition to Beaufort Street!
We hadn't made a booking on a Friday night but the staff were very friendly and managed to squeeze us onto a table (after a quick drink next door).
Service was quick and the food was absolutely amazing. Can't wait to go back!!
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27/02/2016 - Having enjoyed Low Key Chow House in Leederville on a number of occasions, we were keen to give their sister establishment on Beaufort Street a try. The oddly named Dainty Dowager was pretty quiet on a Saturday at lunch time, allowing for a nice relaxing time in very funky and pleasant surroundings.
There are lots of tempting and tasty-sounding dishes on the menu such as Cola Marinated Pork Skewers, Drunken Crispy Whole School Prawns, Sweet Potato Noodle Spring Rolls... and that’s just a few of the smaller dishes. We opted for one large and two smaller dishes and they were more than enough to satisfy us for lunch. The Roast Duck Bao was a culinary lesson in balancing Asian flavours: sweet, salty, hot and mouthwatering. We nearly came to blows over the third boa and knew at once we should have accepted the waiter’s offer of a fourth bun. Dish of the day.
Karaage Chicken Pops were crunchy on the outside while the flesh was tender and juicy and served with a sweet sambal with just enough kick to give it a lift. Mm mmm. We were somewhat ambivalent over our large dish, Dry Fried Bee Hoon with prawns, pork, bean sprouts and carrots. This noodle dish was topped off with a mix of coriander, thai basil and mint leaves that added some great freshness and sense of adventure to the slightly oily noodles. We felt this one could have done with some peanuts and fried shallots to add a bit of crunch. All nicely washed down with a crisp Italian Pinot Grigio.
There was no room for dessert, although several on offer sounded very tempting. Lots more to explore on the Dowager’s dainty menu, including their speciality Asian-style roasts. We’ll be back.
Take Me To Foodie Heaven
+4
Here’s the best part of the night. We had the the trio of roast duck, roast pork and char siu pork. The roast pork was a winner. It’s crispy on the skin and juicy and tender with a thin layer of fat. A crunch on every bite. My dining partner, Jess (@keepcalmandjusteat) enjoyed the duck. According to her, the duck had a crispy skin and a chewy texture, making it an delectable dish.
Thank you for such a memorable VD! Visited here for the first time on the Sunday valentines day and enjoyed the set menu for 2.
Every single dish was packed full of flavour and absolutely delicious. The service from all the staff and the owner was exceptional, they gave expert tips and explanations of each dish and you were made to feel like you were the only diner despite nearly every table being full.
The dishes and cocktails were different/challenging, so perfect for foodies who are bored of the norm and want to be surprised.
Great atmosphere and venue, will most definitely be back for the tamarind eggs and roast duck bao!!! Thank you!
As a tradition, the CNY dining experience begins with tossing of a dish of colourful Yee Sang. We were really festive when we did this prosperity toss and I ended up dropping one of my chopsticks. The prosperity toss is a symbol of wishing for good fortunes to rise in the new year. The yee sang that we had that night consists of raw salmon, sesame salad, topped with peanut sauce.
My choice of medicine was the Battle of Macau mainly because it contained chartreuse in it and I haven't had chartreuse in such a long time! I remember that I used to take one or two shots of chartreuse back in the day when I went out with some friends (hahaha). This cocktail was very strong and Dwight explained that Jess and I actually picked two strongest cocktail in the list. Battle of Macau consists of Mezcal, Green Chartreuse, Aperol, lemon sorbet, Angostura bitters, fresh coriander and lychee juice.
Our final dish from the smaller dishes section of the menu was the trio of roast duck bao with spring onion, fresh herbs and hoisin ($16.50). BAM! Now this was exactly what I was waiting for! Those fluffy steamed mantou buns were the perfect vessel for the tender, flavoursome duck and the fresh accompaniments.
Being a younger sibling can be tough but Dainty Dowager is not in the shadow of its popular Leederville sibling and stands alone.
Our group of five couldn't decide what to order so we opted for the chef's menu. I love that so many tapas and share plate restaurants have jumped on this bandwagon of affordable ($50ish) approach that leaves you rolling out the door. The food kept coming out and each dish tastier than the next. And with two pregnant ladies and a shellfish allergy they were very accommodating.
Yes, yes, yes to all the barbecued meat. The duck Bao was good but not stand out, the beef brisket had me licking the bowl, the lettuce cups were fresh... And on it went.
Friendly serviced but missed the mark a few times, I think it was her first week. The manager did apologise and fix the problem.
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3.8 rating
A great place to hang out for drinks and Asian tapas in Mount Lawley.
pro: Pork belly with crispy skin was very good! You can't get much better in other cheaper Asian roast pork house either - this one is different and is served on a zigzag bed of mustard/horseradish - I could eat this again with a bowl of rice
The other standout is drunken crispy prawns-yum! Duck Bao was good as the Bao was soft but not soggy and with right amount of filling. Pork skewers were good but expensive for what it was worth though very soft and more-ish. Service was excellent from start to finish including a complimentary lotus root chip and water while waiting for a table at the bar.
Cons/so so / ok: not many but table we sat on was uneven so middle seating were slightly uncomfy. Son in law eggs were ok but not worth it. Cocktails (we had Battle of Macau. Xinhai Revolution and Sino Potugese ) were ok - a bit experimental but my fav was prob the Xinhai.
Overall it was a fun experience with a great concept and service. 😊
Great restaurant choice for small groups! So many food options from smaller tapas plates to larger mains. The concept is spot on for Beaufort street it's about time to we got a modern asian hangout! Great interior and atmosphere for the calm but trendy night life of Mt Lawley. Interior was spacious with comfortable seating making it a great place to have drinks and long chats (where you don't have to shout at each other). Last but not least friendly service :)
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I had a great experience catching up with friends for dinner at Dainty Dowager.
We didn't have a booking but were seated quickly - the restaurant wasn't full early evening on a Tuesday.
We were brought some yummy lotus root chips while we decided what to order which is a nice touch. Our group of 4 went a little nuts and ordered nearly everything off the left side of the menu.
I highly recommend the beef lettuce cups - there was SO much flavour in them and a really nice kick of chilli. Other favourites were the cola pork skewers (out of this world but a little on the small side), hor fun noodle and the char siu pork.
We really enjoyed our experience, had some great dishes and some not as great ones. The Chinese vegetables and dumplings were a bit disappointing - though it may just be that I'm comparing them with versions done really well by other restaurants around Perth (the veges at Dainty's sister restaurant Low Key/the dumplings at Miss Chow's).
The staff were really friendly and attentive, and I really love the layout of the restaurant. I should mention that the staff are really great at customizing serving sizes for your group - if something comes in a serve of 3 it was no trouble at all to add another so we could all have one.
One note though is that it's semi pricey - I know we ordered a tonne of food but didn't leave sickeningly full.
Excuse the dodgy pics - we were so excited to eat.
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A casual walk in dinner last night was brilliant at this new, Asian "Roasting House". The staff were all super friendly and attentive and the food was sensational.
We decided we'd sit in and graze all night whilst drinking their boutique beers and a bottle of cava.
Cola marinade pork skewers to start - juicy and you could taste the coals that they were cooked on - already off to a great start. Roast duck boa packed super crispy duck and the right amount of heat, Sweet potato noodle spring roll with a refreshing taste of mint, Karaage Chicken pops tasted like salt n pepper chicken again juicy and cooked well, Pork belly lettuce cups fresh bite size morsels, Drunken crispy school prawns so much flavour, Pork dumplings were great and to top it off a serving of both the roast duck which was divine and the crispy roast pork which was pure heaven.
I'd 100% recommend this place (although after my bottle of cava the Dainty Dowager signage started looking like "Dirty Dancing"). To be honest I was a little surprised that it is the sister restaurant to Low Key Chow House which I've dined a few times at and haven't been that overly impressed.... Dainty Dowager outshines her sibling for sure
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Yummo!!! We were looking for somewhere that served great food, and in a casual environment, as I was still dressed in shorts and jandals (thongs) after a bit of Christmas shopping around town on a lovely hot afternoon. Part of that expedition took us to Mt Lawley, which we hadn’t been to for ages, so decided to head back there to soak up the casual, yet vibrant feels of the street. While waiting for Dainty’s to open at 5:30pm, we stopped for a refreshing thirst quencher at The Queens (but that’s another review), then it was just a very short walk up the road to the Dainty Dowager.
Upon entering, my wife asked, “Are you sure we haven’t been here before?” After chatting with our friendly host, and commenting on the cool ceiling decorations, we learned that the restaurant is owned by the same people who own The Low Key Chow House, which we have dined at and thoroughly enjoyed before. Our host was very friendly, obliging and helpful in terms of menu choices. He also scored top marks when he brought out a complimentary glass of delightful chardonnay to celebrate my wife’s recent birthday (in addition to the complimentary spicy roasted peanuts), which was the reason for our night out. A great gesture and well appreciated!
The food choices all sound so delish, that it’s a challenge to limit yourself to what you can comfortably manage! Fear not however, as they will happily arrange for any uneaten meals to be packaged as takeaways.
The pork, ginger and water chestnut dumplings of the day were amazing, as were the soft shell crab baos. The salt and pepper squid was really terrific, with a divine peanut ginger sauce, and the grilled pork belly lettuce cups were fresh and tasty. While Mrs B opted for another single crab bao (she’s just discovered how delicious these soft-shelled crabs are), I had to go for the in-house roasted char siu BBQ pork, which I chose a small rice and Chinese greens, in oyster sauce to accompany. The pork was juicy, tender and flavoursome, the rice was fluffy and generous, and the greens were perfectly crisp and tender, with the fried shallots on top making the perfect tasty garnish.
The limited dessert selection actually sounded very tempting, and sadly neither of us had the capacity to try them out, so we will certainly have to come again and try better a second time around.
The decor is rustic Chinese, with woven round trays on the ceiling, and replica vintage lamps in abundance, lighting up a dark and warmly inviting interior. While we were there just after opening at 5:30pm, the place was filling up steadily by the time we left, I can believe it would get packed later on in the evening.
Overall, highly recommended and we look forward to returning again in the near future.
Love this place just as much as I love their sibling restaurant Low Key Chow House! Beautiful food, great ambience, amazing cocktails (they can even surprise you with a new creation) and friendly service. Definitely a new favourite (have been meaning to try for a while)!
Been here a few times now. Fantastic service, food and cocktails. Make sure you reserve your table as this place gets busy. A nice twist on Asian cuisine with a menu full of finger food so you can try several things. The waiters know their stuff here so if stuck for choice, they will recommend something based on your taste. Great atmosphere at this venue and worth a Friday/Saturday night dinner
The food was delicious. The sichuan fried chick wings was probably the best I've ever eaten, it was sweet, salty, spicy and sticky. Loved the decor and friendly service.
Delicious food! We came for one of the $25 chefs menu nights and we're absolutely stuffed it was so much food. The service was great, drinks were tasty but the food was out of this world. Highly recommended!
Good food and cocktails. Really enjoyed the food options and menue. Service was good and food came out in a timely manner. Only negative, noticed quite expensive beer and wine prices compared to other restaurants. All the same, it was a great evening.
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