Old Young's Kitchen — Restaurant in Henley Brook

I didn’t want to write this review… …but not sharing with others would be a carnal sin.

You know when you walk away from a restaurant, and you think the food was good but it wasn’t great? You know when you think back about having traveled such a long way only to leave thinking it’s all hot air? You know when you think, “Oh my gosh, is this waiter ever going to come to check on us”? You know when you’re at a restaurant, getting that feeling that you just want to leave? Well, this is not one of those restaurants. Even when I have a really great experience at a restaurant, I never hand out 5 stars. That is reserved for those who distinguish themselves from others, such as Old Young’s Kitchen in the Swan Valley. Big kudos to Sas a.k.a Samantha, our waitress, with her great personality and attentive table service. She was knowledgeable, personable and overall, on the ball. Service in Perth is generally, well just substandard. Sas proved that good service, does not necessarily have to confined to a Silver Service establishment with a price tag fit for Elon Musk. The food was a little left field for me, but I guess that’s Old Young’s. I’m a picky eater and I felt a sense of accomplishment venturing into culinary areas, where I would not normally go. (Thanks again Sas) Portions are small and lends itself to a plate sharing experience. The craftsmanship is not just limited to the kitchen and front of house, but certain ooze from bar. Mocktails are a very difficult facet on the drinks menu to pull off well, and often I experience it to be, “Meh”. Often notes and flavors are carried by the alcohol and Old Young’s Mocktails managed to achieve this by exception in this instance. The Clarified Pina Colada is a clever riff on the original that can be enjoyed by the layman and admired by the foodie alike for its technical complexity. The atmosphere is roomy, and tables are spacious. When the weather is good the outdoor area is spectacular, and you get the sense that you are dinning at nan’s back garden. Our party of four lingered longer than expected and soaked up the sunshine and an extra round of drinks. While it’s a bit of money, I did not feel ripped off and will certainly return for the both the experience and the...

The perfect and unforgettable experience for us!! 💖💖💖 The foods were amazing, the place was wonderful and the staff and service was really outstanding. We took our mother in law last May 1 to the restaurant for an early mothers day treat as my husband goes away on the actual mothers day. Luckily we were able to get a table for the 5 of us, and it only took 20-30 mins drive from Joondalup. And it was a well worth it the drive. When we got there, you will be amazed with picturesque view on the outside. You'll see trees, arch with vines perfect for picture taking. I was thinking the restaurant was small. But there's tables indoor and an outdoor setting for big gatherings or just a small group. We were seated outside with the view of the garden. What I really love most of the entire experience was the menu as my in law was intolerant to gluten and dairy. Seeing her face lit up as she checked out the menu was priceless, as not much restaurants offer gluten and dairy free foods. I expected much of the restaurant as it was busy and full on that day as well as the menu sounds good. And I was blown away by the presentation and the taste. I wasn't able to take a picture of our mains as we just enjoyed every minute of how delicious they were and having a 4 years old who wants to be all over the place. I ordered the beef shoulder which is very tender and melts in your mouth. My husband got the gnocchi which is very good and by far the best we ever had in a long time. And my mother in law had the market fish which she really enjoyed. And for the desserts we got the dark chocolate ganache and burnt meringue to share which was very delicious. The staff who assisted us was very nice and he made sure that the foods we ordered specially for my in law doesn't have any gluten, dairy or garlic in it. I highly recommend the restaurant as it's superb menu and quality service. Will definitely go back and try their...

After hearing rave reviews about the establishment, I made a reservation for 11 pax for lunch and was informed by Old Young’s kitchen that groups of 10 or more will have to go on to their $79 per head Feed Me Menu, which takes you through a select shared style menu over 4 savoury courses, to try about 8 different dishes. Having had good experiences with “feed me” menus at other establishments and also being given no other choices. we accepted their proposal.

Upon arrival at the restaurant, I asked for a rough menu as to what was to be served that afternoon and was told that there wasn’t one, and that the selection of dishes to be served was left up to the chef. No enquiry about any dishes we would have liked to try etc.

For 11 adults, we were served the following dishes: Olives x 3 servings. Sourdough bread x 3 servings of 4 pcs each. Beetroot, cottage cheese, apple, burnt butter crumb x 3 servings Crocodile chorizo x 3 servings. Emu meat pastrami x 3 servings. Mussels x 3 servings. Steamed greens (which was essentially stir fried kailan) x 3 servings Lamb x 6 servings (without an option to have selected fish or any of the other mains as an alternative)

Having frequented other establishments with similar feed me menus, I’d like to think that we had a rough standard for comparison and left the meal rather disappointed with the quality and quantity of food served for the price that we were charged. In terms of bang for buck, it would have made more sense for me to have booked two separate table bookings, where we would then be able to select the dishes we would have liked instead.

On balance, the price that was charged for the “feed me” menu did not commensurate with the quality of food and portions served. I’d highly recommend against the feed me menu, or else be forewarned that you may leave completely dissatisfied...