Every time I visit Joondalup Resort, I feel immediately at ease. It’s so laid back and friendly. Bistro 38 is a favourite of ours – and not just because Chef works there! It’s nice and close to home. The resort is also a bit special to us, as we got married there, many moons ago! The bistro is amongst the stunning, manicured gardens, overlooking the pool – a fab outdoor dining place on a sunny day. My birthday High Tea was held there too, it was the perfect setting. 
Anyhoo, getting a bit off subject there… On this occasion we dined indoors, since the weather was a bit cooler. We were with my parents and little chef. He was well catered for. He was given a complimentary drawing pack on our arrival and his meal of fish and chips came out as we got our entrée. The four of us shared 2 platters. Share plates are a favourite of ours, as we like to try as many things as possible!!
ENTRÉE
House smoked salmon, horseradish cream, rice stuffed calamari, tomato tarragon grilled prawns, salt cod croquette, aioli ($16pp).
The melt -in–your-mouth-calamari was delicious. It was stuffed with saffron pilaf rice and came in a little bowl of tomato fondue.
Char grilled lamb cutlets, pear chutney, duck & chicken liver parfait, rabbit rillettes, deli meats, pickles ($15pp). Each morsel on this platter was delish. Everything is made in-house. Included with the deli meats is lamb ham. We’d never encountered this before and it was very tasty. I have to admit I didn’t try my food nemesis… the confit rabbit!! I was assured that it was full of flavour, and a little game-y. It is probably the only thing I will flatly refuse to eat. Having had pet rabbits as a child, for me it would be akin to eating a Labrador!
MAINS
Char grilled chicken supreme, chimichurri, eggplant caviar ($29). The grilled chicken had been marinated in the chimichurri spice mix, then sous vide. It was very tender and full of lemon-herb flavours, with a touch of spice. The roasted eggplant caviar was a great accompaniment. We also shared some sides of seasonal veg and potato mash. 
Pork belly roulade, silver beet, rhubarb purée, crackle, jus ($32)
The pork belly had been rubbed with fennel seed, thyme and parsley, it’s then rolled and confit. It was nice to see pork belly served a bit differently, and not in the usual cubed way. It was very moist. I also loved the pork crackle garnish, little spirals of jaw cracking joy!!
As always, the service was very warm and welcoming. The dining room, despite being mid-week, was fairly busy and had a good atmosphere. If you feel in need of a break, even spending a few hours at Joondalup Resort makes me feel like I’ve got away from the hustle and bustle of Perth life.
*** Disclaimer – in case you didn’t read at the top of the page, my husband works at Joondalup Resort. If you’d like to take this post with a pinch of salt that’s up to you. The resort was a fave of ours long before Chef worked there. I assure you, if I didn’t think the food was good or if I couldn’t remain impartial I wouldn’t have blogged about it 🙂 🙂 ***
***BISTRO 38 is in the Perth Entertainment Book***
“The Kangaroo Arms” @Joondalup Resort
The resort’s pub offers a casual pub food menu. It’s an English-style pub, popular with the Connolly locals and often has an EPL game on and other sports showing too. We thought “The Kanga” is good place for a pre/post dinner drink.