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We’ve been semi-frequent attendees at Crown Towers Perth over the last few years since our wedding in 2021. We stayed for a week for our “mini-moon” due to borders being closed, and made a concerted effort to try as many of the fine dining options as we could – we were only unable to dine at Nobu on that occasion, but we were able to book in several months later. At that time, I remember being underwhelmed by my Rockpool experience (why did I order pasta at a grill???), I really enjoyed Silks and Bistro Guillaume, but I began a bit of a love affair with Modo Mio – which we have frequented several times since, going for special occasions and birthdays. We’ve also taken advantage of the room service, which has been consistently excellent (though breakfast is fairly ho-humm). In fact, following our first stay, the room service dinner on our final night would have been my husband’s favourite. Poolside dining is also well and truly worth it.

On our stay in October we celebrated our second wedding anniversary. We spent most of our time by the pool, and generally had poolside service, room service and Crystal Club, so this was more of a relaxing stay as opposed to culinary exploration. Being in my second trimester, I was just establishing my maternity wardrobe and didn’t yet feel equipped to dress for fine dining.

We most recently attended for our baby moon just last week, with only four weeks to go until we become a family of three. This time I had a fully kitted out maternity wardrobe, and I was determined to fit in as much of the pregnancy-safe fun-foods as possible, given I have no idea what eating out is going to look like for the foreseeable future!

Night One – Room Service

Hot tip – we usually arrive a little bit late to avoid the lengthy queues when checking in. Now at eight months pregnant, I did not want to be standing any longer than I needed to. We’d also had a big day of running errands, getting quotes for home improvements and it was an almost 40 degree day, so we had agreed that the room service menu would do for the first night. We didn’t even make it to the pool that day!

Now as a millennial, I love being able to scroll through the menu and select my options to “add to cart” – you can even add notes for the kitchen to your order. If you’ve never stayed at Crown Towers before, each room has a tablet which controls many facets of the room (temperature, drapes and sheers, lighting etc), you can book restaurants within the facility and this is where you order room service from. I ordered the Nasi Goreng, and noted that I was pregnant so to please insure the egg was completely cooked through (I can’t tell you how much I have been missing runny/gooey egg yolks of late!)

My husband ordered the steak sandwich, which came with fries and a mini Bundaberg tomato relish (I love these little jars so much!), a Mac and Cheese, plus we ordered a Sticky Date Pudding to share. When you order, you can select a delivery time, or an estimate is given if you want your food as soon as possible. I’ve found the food consistently comes on the earlier side when I’ve ordered at Crown in the past, which is the opposite to my experience at other hotels around the world!

Nasi Goreng

The egg was perfectly cooked for my needs, the rice was delicious as was the satay chicken skewers with sauce. The Kimchi was definitely my favourite, despite my poor tolerance to most things spicy – an absolute Flavour Bomb!

Steak Sandwich and Mac ‘n’ Cheese

I have it on good authority that this was exceptional (I made a pretty mean Steak Sammy earlier this week, which didn’t quite garner the same enthusiasm). The chips were good (that shouldn’t be difficult to achieve, right? See Rockpool review below), the mac ’n’ cheese was quite rich but perhaps not as thick as the one we make ourselves, we probably wouldn’t order it again.

Dessert – Sticky Date

The sticky date wasn’t terribly exciting. We popped the ice cream in the bar fridge as soon as our dinner arrived to slow the melting process until we were ready. I took one bite of the pudding and found the texture quite grainy and unappealing. While the majority of foods we’ve enjoyed across Crown have that made-in-house flavour, this definitely had the vibe of a pre-packaged, supermarket dessert. We also agreed we would not be ordering this again. It was the only dessert on the room service menu that we could both agree on and was also a pregnancy safe option.

Something that was new on this occasion was a $7 surcharge for room service, hence we had decided not to dine this way for the rest of our stay. On our stay before this, we had ordered room service almost every night. Once you’ve finished eating, you simply pop the tray outside your room near the door and book collection via the room services menu.

Day Two

Breakfast at Epicurean

I’d previously been instructed to avoid buffets during my pregnancy, and I was reluctant to choose this option at any point during our stay, but my husband really wanted at least one Epicurean breakfast, so naturally we compromised and we had Epicurean for breakfast… I figured beforehand that I could be smart about the options I choose, and while I probably wouldn’t get the value for money most people go for when going to a buffet, I was sure I would be satiated. Plus, if there was ever a buffet that was going to be suitable for pregnant women, it would be at Epicurean, where there is the highest standard of cleanliness, a fast turn over of food and extremely helpful staff. As we didn’t go here during our previous stay, it had been almost a year since we had dined here, at which time I wasn’t pregnant, and the layout had changed a bit. At the hot food station, I witnessed one chef taking some skirt steak off the grill, slice it and place it on display, so I felt safe in adding this to my plate as it had only just come off the heat, and no one had come in contact with it yet. Same with the bacon. I avoided all of the egg varieties and just added mushrooms, tomatoes, potato gems, home made baked beans, a bread roll with butter and a freshly steamed BBQ pork bun. The only let down here was the baked beans – they just seem to be missing something. When we stayed a few years back, we had Epicurean for breakfast a few times but on one occasion we went to the Atrium to try something different. The menu was largely the same though with a bit less variety, but their baked beans were better. There was no significant difference in price between the two, but the Atrium charges extra for things like hot chocolates and cappuccinos.

I went back for a second plate of mainly pastries, which is what I originally had in mind for my “safe” breakfast buffet options. The churros are covered in chocolate sauce, but were better without. I ended up just having a few bites of most of the things on this plate, as I’d clearly overdone it at this point. The donut had a Nutella filling, the chocolate brioche was perhaps a little dry at this stage, but the Pain au chocolat was on point. Just for balance, I had to get a couple more of the BBQ pork buns as I saw them come straight from the steamer.

So I unexpectedly found that at eight months pregnant, I could indeed find quite a few “safe” options to eat. If I had bothered to ask staff a few questions, I may have found there was more that I could have had (I kept eyeing off the cut up fruit!) Also, due to a slight breakdown in communication, we did end up going to Epicurean again later in the week and as soon as we were seated, the staff asked if I would like a freshly made omelette with several inclusions to choose from – tomato, cheese, ham, mushroom and chili. I’ve been too scared to cook eggs for myself as I’ve always preferred them slightly undercooked, but during pregnancy I’ve been finding myself going to the other extreme, and overcooked eggs are revolting! Having them prepared for me in a first class kitchen was such a relief, and I had eggs for breakfast in some capacity almost every day.

Lunch at the Poolside Bar

There are several ways to order by the pool at Crown Towers. You can go up to the bar and order, flag down one of the many waitstaff that are walking around, or the sun loungers each have a QR code and an identification number on them that takes you to a menu – the millennial preferred way. You can also charge everything to your room, so no need to bring your wallet. We had lunch by the pool on a couple of occasions, and due to the almost 40 degree heat most days, we were knocking back the non-alcoholic slushies fairly regularly. Given we had a large breakfast and had booked to attend Rockpool that evening, we only wanted a light lunch. The vegetarian spring rolls and serve of chips were quite substantial though, and I don’t think we got through it all. Also worth mentioning, the spring rolls are served with a sweet chili Aioli, and the chips were served with ketchup and aioli. The staff member I queried indicated that the aioli was made in house, so to be on the safe side, I went without. Later in the week, we had Satay skewers and wedges by the pool. The satay sticks with the rice cakes have a fairly authentic Asian fusion flavour, the sauce is umami as it gets, and despite how spicy it was, I may have been discretely trying to lick the cup clean! These were also the best wedges I’ve ever had – not doughy or powdery, with just the right amount of crunch. I’m also a big fan of dipping into the sour cream and then the sweet chili sauce (don’t get that the wrong way around, it doesn’t work – and my husband would not be happy about his sour cream being “contaminated”)

All in all, we’ve never had a bad experience when ordering by the pool.

Dinner at Rockpool

We’ve been to Rockpool a few times previously, both for lunch and dinner. Each time we’ve been, I’ve been a bit underwhelmed by the food itself – the dining experience as far as the atmosphere and service goes has consistently been first-class. My expectations going into this dinner were certainly not high, but I try to keep an open mind… especially when my obstetrician had told me that I could eat Australian beef medium rare!

The ambience in Rockpool – even the long entrance before getting to the restaurant itself – instantly creates a sense that you are entering somewhere special. This is something that could be said for most of the higher end establishments within the complex, and is something they all do really well, and each with their own flair. We were promptly escorted to our seats and provided the menus – I’m always a little bit transfixed by the pendant lights they have strategically placed over each table, I definitely spend too much time wondering how easy they are to move around as they change table configurations for different bookings! On the first page of the menu, you’ll see the Rockpool House Rules:

I definitely know a few people who wouldn’t pass these!

One thing that really sets the tone of the dining experience for me is the complimentary bread. While you are perusing the menu, warm sourdough and cultured butter (with the Little Rock salt dish to boot!) is brought out to sustain you until your food arrives. Choosing my main took a bit longer than usual (despite my habit of browsing all menus online before hand) as, despite getting the tick of approval from my obstetrician, there is still A LOT of items on the menu that aren’t suitable during pregnancy. That, and I didn’t feel like steak. I’d made the mistake of ordering the pasta before, and at what worked out to be around $8 per piece of pasta, I can make better gourmet pastas at home. Hell, I was at a grill, and to do the place justice, I really felt I needed to order something off the grill. This left the Pork Belly, while my husband ordered the Sirloin. He also ordered hand cut chips, because you can’t have steak without chips, right? Which meant I needed to order a side as well. I opted for the Charcoal Roasted Pumpkin and Sweet Potato with Burnt Butter and Garlic Yoghurt – because I’m a creature of habit, it turns out I had actually ordered this dish last time too.

The Pork Belly.

O.M.G.

I’m ruined now. Pork belly is so easy to get wrong, and so hard to get right (going by the new standard that had been set by THIS pork belly). Hell I had the pork belly at my own wedding and was dismally disappointed. For me, this was the pork belly that all other pork belly’s should aspire to. There was a thin crispy layer on the outside, but the entirety of the inside was consistent in texture – no fatty bits, just extremely tender and juicy. I hope they never remove this from the menu as I will struggle to order anything else on future visits. I wish I knew what their secret here was, but I suspect it largely comes down to the quality of the pork they’ve used, and I don’t think I’ve encountered this at even the best of Perth’s butchers. Rockpool seem to be the gatekeepers of the world’s best pork belly! The underlying sauce was quite spicy, but this definitely didn’t detract from the hero of the dish.

While I was enjoying my pork belly, I was also watching my husband eating his Sirloin. His knife appeared to just glide through the steak like a hot knife through butter, but his face remained expressionless. I commented that his steak looked extremely tender (after previously querying why he ordered the steak “medium” instead of “medium-rare”) His response indicated that “looks can be deceiving” and he gave me a piece to try. Immediately I was picturing a supermarket cut, but definitely not the way I would cook it. It didn’t taste any better than a $30 steak you could buy just about anywhere, and I could taste his disappointment at spending almost $100 on this particular steak. It could only be salvaged by drowning in the Béarnaise sauce that comes complimentary. I know – blasphemy!

It gets worse though.

While my pumpkin and sweet potato side was heavenly and full of flavour, somehow the hand cut chips at a steak house were just… wrong. They had been overcooked to the point of not being recognizable as something that had once come from a potato. They didn’t even look right. They appeared to have been sitting somewhere for an extended period – think of chips you’ve left behind and look at several hours after they’ve been cooked. Who knew a place that could nail a pork belly could also ruin a universal staple?

Dessert – Peaches and Cream Sundae with Malt Syrup and Crystalized Pistachio.

I generally won’t order both entree and dessert when I go out, and for this entire trip I went for dessert – under the pretense that my husband would “share” them with me, especially since the tiny human is encroaching on my stomach volume. The waitstaff were extremely helpful when it came to ordering dessert, as it was all made in house so I wasn’t sure what may have included raw eggs and such. The waiter double checked with the chef and came back with a list of items I could safely consume, and explained how they were made. Now pistachios are one of those few foods that are my absolute kryptonite, so I couldn’t go past this Peaches and Cream Sundae with Malt Syrup and Crystalised Pistachios. Lucky for me, my husband was pretty full (as was I but hey, I was NOT missing dessert) so he barely had a bite of this, allowing me to savour every last bite. I was taken back to a trip to Paris 13 years ago, where I encountered the creme brûlée that ruined all others for me, and all these years later, I can still remember the taste and texture of that momentous occasion. An experience I had never encountered since… until now. At this point I think I’d forgotten all about the heavenly pork belly, this sundae was suddenly my whole world. The homemade peach ice cream, the fresh sliced peaches, the malt syrup that in no way resembled the overpowering syrups from the supermarket… and crystalised pistachios, who thought of this? I can tell you, the first thing I did when we got back to our room, was call my mother and tell her all about dinner and specifically that dessert.

What confuses me profoundly is – how were mine and my husband’s experiences at Rockpool at complete odds with each other?

Day Three

We spent most of day three at the “Monet in Paris” exhibit located in the car park outside of Crown Casino. The fit out is very cool, and we attended a very similar exhibition in 2022 called “Van Gogh Alive.” We also had lunch here (so not part of the Crown dining experience) and despite the waitstaff actually being French, the food in no way resembled anything I ate while in Paris. Again, I was limited by which foods were pregnancy safe which pretty much left me with the choice of a cheeseburger with French onions. The patty in this just tasted like your budget burger patty from the supermarket, think of the absolute cheapest, fattiest, greasiest patty you’ve come across. No Coca-Cola on offer here either – there was a supposed French Cola on available with a unique name – it didn’t taste terrible, but the after taste was sickly sweet.

Breakfast at Epicurean (by the pool)

Back to breakfast – we went to Epicurean, but not the buffet. In the pool area, there is an à la carte Epicurean, which facilitates the pool side dining. It actually connects to the restaurant inside, so I suspect they use the same kitchen. I was craving fruit at this point, and something light given all the rich food we’ve been consuming. One of the no-no’s during pregnancy is consuming precut fruit. I asked whether the yoghurt and seasonal fruit was freshly cut, and I was assured that it was, while my husband ordered the pancakes.

The yoghurt was plain yoghurt and there seemed to be something missing. Given some of the fruit seemed to be underripe, it probably would have benefit from a oculi’s drizzled through it, as it was quite bland. I asked my husband how his pancakes were, and he said they were fine but a bit dry. At this point I am really missing Eggs Benedict!

Dinner at Modo Mio

We had intended to go to Bistro Guillaume for dinner, not expecting it would be difficult to get a table for two mid-week. It would seem I just left it too late to book entirely, so I was able to book BG for the following evening (albeit at 8:30 – I’ve never eaten dinner that late!) so we tried our luck walking into Modo Mio. There was plenty of seating, despite being unable to make an online booking, so I think the system must be closed the evening of.

Now, Modo Mio has long been one of my favourite Italian restaurants, and the one I’ve frequented the most at Crown over the years. I have some core memories associated with the food at that place (not sure I’ve come across better gnocchi in Perth thus far) but at this point, it had been a little over a year since our last visit. I was straight away confronted by a drastic overhaul of the menu and – at a glance – it seemed not for the better.

There was no gnocchi. No eggplant caponata. Even their garlic bread with grated Parmesan on top had disappeared!

It’s okay, that’s not a deal breaker, I am a creature of habit and when I find something I like, I tend to stick to it. This was an opportunity to try something different. Although… this was an Italian restaurant that now had a very limited range of gourmet pastas on the menu, and even those were now only available as “small bites.” We were also given the Chef’s tasting menus, which when considering the variety and price point of the overall menu, seemed to be reasonable value. I went through the $99 Experience Menu, and identified the carpaccio as my only threat. I queried this with the waitstaff assigned to our table, advised him that I was pregnant and asked whether there was an alternative on offer that would be suitable. I was a bit disappointed that he didn’t seem interested in consulting with the kitchen, he just told me no changes were allowed. Unfortunately, this was also a dish my husband would not deign to try, which wouldn’t have mattered if I wasn’t pregnant, but he felt it was too much of a waste to bother with this menu.

What we did order: previously this was complimentary but we ordered a serve of warm bread. At $3 a serve it was hardly going to break the bank, but I was already disappointed at the lack of garlic bread. We also ordered the Ravioli with porcini mushrooms and duck, and the fried eggplant involtini for entree. Each of these were comprised of three pieces. The ravioli was still as good as when I’d had it previously, but at $24 for three pieces, it did not compete with the full bowl I had for around $34 just a year earlier. The eggplant was fine, perhaps slightly undercooked and it wasn’t completely tender through each bite. This didn’t hold a candle to the caponata on their previous menu.

I struggled to land on a main dish. I ended up ordering the 500g Pork ribs plate, while my husband ordered the 200g Black Angus Beef Fillet. My ribs were fork tender, and I could not complain about the texture. I am generally reluctant to order ribs out, as they can be really messy, but all of the meat just fell off the bone with little effort. I didn’t get any obvious fig flavour on my ribs, and the Rosemary on top simply did not work. Regrettably, I ordered the honey glazed carrots (because no good deed goes unpunished) instead of the Rosemary garlic potatoes we’ve had previously and were always a hit. Maybe on some occasions I should actually listen to my husband!

Again, we shared dessert. I ordered the pannacotta which was another dish that had changed drastically since last time, though I couldn’t fault this dessert. The texture was silky, and on this occasion they had crumbled the amaretto biscuits beside it. This didn’t seem quite as decadent as their previous menu, but sometimes less is more, and this pannacotta was as good as any other one I’ve had. I didn’t order a hot chocolate on this occasion as I was ready to explode, but if you find yourself at Modo Mio sometime I highly recommend them – they are made with real chocolate that comes separate to your hot milk for you to add to taste, and melt yourself. I’d advise against tipping all the chocolate in as my mum did when I took her, as it can be very rich!

So in short, the Modo Mio verdict: I would definitely go again as I absolutely MUST try the experience menu. I am disappointed that so many amazing dishes have disappeared from their menu, but I would be willing to try some other items when I don’t have to worry about pregnancy safe foods. Ribs and steak don’t generally scream Italian Cuisine for most people, and though the quality of our mains was exemplary, it just didn’t feel like we were eating Italian food. The staff out the front were more than accommodating given we didn’t have a booking for the evening.

Day Four – Bistro Guillaume

We had our second Epicurean breakfast and a poolside lunch on this day, gearing up for our uncharacteristically late dinner at Bistro Guillaume. At this point, we had only been to this restaurant once, and it was the first we tried on our mini-moon. Last time I ordered the Charcuterie board (not something I could have this time sadly) and the Parisian Gnocchi. Thankfully, there had been minimal changes to the menu here. I did find the entree options quite limiting for pregnancy, and the only dish I would have been able to consume was the French Onion Soup. I ordered the Duck A L’Orange, while my husband ordered the Half Mount Barker Chicken. We also ordered the pumpkin gratin and the French fries (seeing a pattern here?) for sides. Interestingly, the waitress commented on my being pregnant and suggested having the duck well-done. I always thought that, much like chicken, all poultry needed to be cooked to 75 degrees to be considered food-safe.

My main was acceptable, not the juiciest duck I’ve had but I’m wondering if, due to the waitresses comments, it may have been overcooked. The jus was nice but didn’t have the punch I would normally associate with Duck A L’Orange. The sweet potato was absolutely divine and something I’d have loved to have been able to order as a side. The pumpkin gratin in no way resembled anything I would associate with gratin. These were just chunks of pumpkin that were roasted with a dusting of cheese and not much else. The pumpkin did not appear to be completely cooked through either, and were a far cry from the dish I had at Rockpool a few days earlier. My husband maintains that his chicken was the best dish of the trip, and Rockpool could definitely learn a thing or two about how to prep potatoes from this place.

For dessert, the daily special was a cherry parfait, but again, parfait is on the no-go list. I am interested to go back and try the strawberry soufflé, as this is also a pregnancy taboo. I let my husband choose this time, knowing full well that he would opt for the chocolate fondant. As I was unsure as to whether the lava-like centre was egg based or not, I stuck to the outer layer and the espresso ice cream.

We finished our meal at almost 10pm, and proceeded back to our room for our final nights stay.

Day Five – Breakfast and departure.

The last day is always rushed, after sleeping in and trying to pack everything, double and triple checking nothing is left behind, there is only time for breakfast before the 11am checkout. I also prefer to check out before the literal eleventh hour to skip the queue. Crown Towers does offer an express checkout though, where you slot your room keys into a box near the escalator. As I had several room charges, including a treat from the mini-bar, it’s my preference to finalize everything in person.

I really felt like a big breakfast for our final meal, and I suggested we head to the Lobby Lounge that sits outside of the Crown Metropol. Aside from the lounge area, during the day they allow access to the seated area outside La Vie, which is far more comfortable with a full sized baby bump when compared to leaning over a coffee table to eat. Naturally they ask how you would like your eggs – sunny side up or over easy. I just explained that I was pregnant and could I just have the egg completely cooked through.

When my meal came, the eggs were perfect – as good as a fully cooked egg can taste. The baked beans were the best in the precinct, the hash brown was perhaps a little on the crispy side, and the remaining elements were also more than satisfactory. Here’s the thing though – I’ve never liked breakfast sausages. I tried to palm mine off to my husband in exchange for his baked beans, but he is evidently also not a big fan of breakfast sausages, though he’s always happy to let me have his baked beans (apparently there are some traumatic childhood memories associated with the tinned stuff and now he won’t touch them). I did eat one of the sausages and I will admit – as far as these go, the ones from the Lobby Lounge are without a doubt the best I’ve had. I just couldn’t bring myself to finish both of them though.

The overall Crown Experience

This was probably a more lack-luster stay for, especially compared to our previous visit (where we received several upgrades, spent a day at Crown Spa and indulged in different ways). There were a few things that were less impressive, and a few quirks to our room.

• The bath tub would continuously lose water while the plug was closed, and quite quickly. Not only a waste of water but the bath itself didn’t get to last long either!
• The bath robes were missing. These usually hang inside the wardrobe with a sign advising that you can purchase your own, and these were only for the duration of your stay. We’ve used them during every stay we’ve had at Crown Towers. I did call up for our room to be made up and requested the robes and a firmer pillow for my husband at the same time. The next day, the robes had been removed again – I hadn’t even had the chance to use mine yet!
• The overall cleanliness of the facility seems to have dropped. On the day of our arrival, we noticed bits of rubbish in one of the lifts and in certain places on our floor. These remained for several days. We even spotted a large, used bandaid sitting atop some of the plants near the escalator when leaving the pool area, which was there for the duration of our stay.

Bits to love that I haven’t yet mentioned:

• Crown Spa – pricey but worth every cent. I had a pregnancy massage on our previous visit, and all services exceeding an hour include access to the aqua retreat. This was the absolute height of luxury. I sincerely hope that this is what heaven is like! If you are not a hotel guest, bookings include valet parking which can be validated at the spa. Also, if you are a Crown Rewards Member, you can receive discounts on their services as you progress through the different tiers.
• Crown Rewards membership – be sure to present your Crown Rewards card (complimentary) everywhere you spend at Crown. It can take a bit to accrue enough credits to move up in levels, but you also accrue a dollar amount that can be used at many of the facilities there. We’ve enough credits from our stay for another dining experience without having to pay for anything out of pocket.
• 5 star service – while we didn’t get the exciting upgrades this time, we’ve consistently had world class service each and every visit. Ahead of my wedding, I emailed the resort with several hopeful requests and I was surprised even then at how accommodating they were.
• The shower gel – my husband and I are both a little bit obsessed with this stuff. We usually like to bring a bubble bath bar from Lush to use in the bath but this time it had completely slipped my mind. We used some of the shower gel under running water while filling up the tub, and this did the trick. While I prefer my own shampoo and conditioner, I’m trying to remember to grab these from hotel stays to donate to “Share the Dignity – it’s in the bag.”
• TV in the bath – this is probably more something my husband enjoyed, as I preferred the sound of silence or the running water filling up the tub. He enjoyed watching the cricket while laying in the tub, and as someone that clocks the 2m mark, the size of the tub is another plus. The speaker for the TV is overhead and you can easily hear it over running water.