Perth

Who says natural wine (bars) don’t age well?

Hidden deep inside Chinatown, this intimate new restaurant from the Astral Weeks crew is an adventure worth seeking out, writes Max Veenhuyzen.

Old-school pleasure plus modern-day kitchen skills equals a neighbourhood Italian restaurant delivering the best of both worlds.

Don't be deceived by the name. Wildflower is a class act, but would you expect anything less from the debonair rooftop fine-diner atop COMO The Treasury?

The title of “cool new kids on the block” looks good on team Yiamas.

Greece is the word at this formidable newcomer where open-fire cooking and sharp restaurant craft come together.

Perth's favourite nouveau bistro unveils its wine bar spin-off that has eaters as well as drinkers in its sights.

Restaurant? Bakery? This carefully restored 1898 heritage-listed building is both.

A discreet façade in Perth's white-collar heartland.

Don't let the café-esque aesthetic fool you. Propeller is an operation of substance.

A pub, a French floral name, a modern Japanese menu. It just works.

For fans of new-wave French cuisine.

Perth is crushing hard on this fantasy of '60s Roman cool.

A changing of the kitchen guard takes a Perth CBD favourite in an unexpected but welcome new direction.

With new-look dining rooms and some of Perth's best pizza, there's no denying the allure of this inner-city tavern. And you really, really should order the Il Capo.

The Perth institution might have old-school ideals, but this polished dining room also has an eye on the now.

Truth be told, the clientele of the Highgate establishment spent longer pondering the drinks than the food. But with a new chef in the kitchen, guests might want to rethink their priorities.

What’s not to love about a place where you can swim in the ocean as an apéritif? A liberal attitude towards sandy feet and wet bathers is just one reason why Perth has fallen hard for this beachside address styled on the neighbourhood bars of Europe. While personable floor staff and a focus on new-wave […]

Where to get the best coffee, breakfast and pastries in Perth, as seen in the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide, published in August 2017.

REVIEW As neighbours go, it’s hard to picture an odder couple than the State Buildings and its basement lodger Long Chim, a faux-grunge funhouse of brash music, graffiti and food. David Thompson, Australia’s culinary ambassador to Thailand, serves conventional and uncompromising street  food at this sharply styled diner that’s turned Perth dining on its head. […]

REVIEW Check those preconceptions at the door. Sure, there are aspects of Ku De Ta Perth that recall the mothership in Bali (the waterside location, those clubby beats, Bintang for days) yet Ku De Ta’s first international spin-off is more than a giant sunlounge. The sprawling deck, for instance, serves breakfast and Italian comfort food […]

REVIEW When newly minted publican Rachael Niall reopened Wee Bar as Budburst in 2015, the neighbourhood venue fast made friends with its convivial staff, commitment to superior drinking (great wines, plus interesting spirits and beers in support) and ace French snacks (excellent charcuterie and croque-monsieur!). While this is all still true, chef Gwenael Lesle has […]

REVIEW Billie H’s proximity to fashion precinct Claremont Quarter could be hazardous to your financial health. Then again, owner Dan Goodsell’s mighty wine list at this smart-casual bar is packed with similar temptation, at least to those with a taste for bright, lively vino made by boutique  European and local vignerons. The kitchen keeps time […]

REVIEW Five years after opening its doors, this spirited bar-restaurant remains Australia’s benchmark for Mexican food. Or should we say “Mexican” food? While opening chef Sam Ward made his name by championing a traditional approach, his successor Tommy Payne has put his own twist on the menu and he isn’t afraid to use poetic license […]

REVIEW Technically speaking, Post is a hotel restaurant. But when the hotel in question, Como The Treasury, is a recent Gourmet Traveller Hotel of The Year, expectations are suitably heightened. Post, thankfully, delivers. Based in the space that once housed Perth’s first general post office, this cool room of blond timber, white walls and black […]

REVIEW Meet Petition, a set of three licensed venues within the State Buildings that patrons are free to move between, beverage in hand. While drinkers will want to make camp at the prosaically named Beer Corner and Wine Bar and Merchant, diners are best served at Kitchen, an all-day diner patrolled by upbeat staff that […]

REVIEW In an old limestone building in Fremantle, Kenny McHardy is quietly yet confidently serving some of Perth’s most satisfying food. At the heart of the Manuka Woodfire Kitchen playbook: a fierce commitment to local produce and the use of a wood-fired oven to bring out the best in each ingredient. Roasted celeriac is served […]

REVIEW Assertively flavoured Thai food can be hard to find in Melbourne, which is why the arrival of David Thompson’s street-food chain, in a theatrically decorated riverfront space at Crown, has been embraced with enthusiastic gratitude. The chicken Chiang Mai larp is unapologetically fiery but it’s also balanced, nuanced and served with a side of […]

REVIEW Nunam is a restaurant on the up. Renovations a year or two ago haven’t just brought a fresh décor and soft furnishings, but a new lease on life. Those that haven’t been back since the restaurant’s Nahm Thai days are in for a pleasant surprise, both in terms of aesthetics (Brighter! Sparser! More fun […]