Review

Caper is chef Dan Bark and partner, Tanjira “Fay” Tragoolvongse’s tribute to modern American cuisine, as playful and lively as the name, and a fun alternative to Cadence their adjoining fine dining flagship. Caper deserves praise for the talented kitchen team’s commitment to premium ingredients and elevated simplicity, with many home-comfort classics. Begin with a cocktail in the 1920s art-deco-themed bar, then start with a couple of snack bites: jalapeno cheddar biscuit with whipped honey butter and pickled jalapeno, guaranteed to make you smile, and Caper’s chicken wings, with options of buffalo and ranch or Szechuan and honey Dijon sauces. Appetisers beckon with beef tartare, given twists of gochujang and fresh pear, for added punch and freshness and a memorable Burrata with red shrimp, and heirloom tomatoes. For grilled mains, go for 120-day grain-fed Australian hanger steak with mashed or fried potatoes, broccolini or scallion kimchi or Korean pork ribs with gochujang barbecue sauce. Seafood dishes include pan-seared seabass in rich Romesco sauce, and Hokkaido scallops in a stunning barley risotto drizzled with piquant caper sauce. For dessert there’s banana bread and bacon, a legendary partnership with bacon ice cream and rum maple syrup and New York cheesecake with orange marmalade, lemon curd, honeycomb, and fennel. The beverage list has a wide range of global wines, several by glass.