654014 Mon Sep 21 18:50:23 -0700 2009 11 37 Australia/New Zealand 0 5047709 I'm staying this week at the Burswood complex, and have searched this board for suggestions in the Perth area. We ate last night at Nahm, and had a superb meal. Many thanks for that tip. The other restaurants that seem to get considerable praise include: Jacksons Star Anise Must Little Creatures I would be very grateful for your collective thoughts about how to rate these restaurants, and about whether there are other places to consider. In particular, I'd be interested in places in the Central Business District or Northbridge. (Just tried to make a reservation and Jacksons and learned that it is closed for reservations) Thanks! Mon Sep 21 18:50:23 -0700 2009 34201 Jeremy M 1 5048084 Jeremy - I can only comment on the food at LC, it isn't sophisticated but it is exactly what you need in a brewery. There are two sections, one does really good burgers made with fresh ground beef (not moulded), the other does siple food including great pizza. I loved my visit, the beer is good, the atmosphere fantastic and the soundtrack unbeatable. It is a great contrast to the sophistication of Nahm (which, as you say, is amazing). We went to Must for a drink prior to dinner at Nahm and it was OK. The food looked fine, but the lack of WA wines by the glass and high number of European wines irritated me. If I am in prime wine country I want to try he best of the local wines, sure have some imports, but don't let them crowd out the locals (this applied to both Musts - Perth and Margaret River). I did notice a very good looking place down near the ferry terminal in Perth, it was in an old building just on the edge of the city facing the parkland (and the terminal). I believe it is a great spot for wine (looked clubby) and the menu did look really interesting. Sorry I can't recall the name but a local would know it, it looked very Melbourne. Mon Sep 21 22:14:40 -0700 2009 5047709 64584 PhilD 2 5048116 Phil, Many thanks for your quick and very helpful reply, which I really appreciate. I'll try to get to LC on Friday evening, and will look for the Ferry terminal spot as well. On the subject of WA wines, are there any that you would recommend particularly? I'm woefully ignorant in that area, and would be very grateful for your thoughts. Thanks and best regards, Jeremy Mon Sep 21 22:50:23 -0700 2009 5048084 34201 Jeremy M 1 5048196 I'm with Phil on Little Creatures, its a great place to have simple food with a few beers. You don't go there for the food. (You can also have great fish and chips nearby at Kailis if that's more your thing). The word around town from my mining chums is in East Perth, called Amuse. Haven't visited or personal experience yet. I like Star Anise, its smart and quite clever but it hasn't changed much in a few years. Must is one of my favourite spots in Perth, but it can be really, really loud. The food is good to very good, depending what they have on - their charcuterie is excellent. But the noise from the bar can be overwhelming. They used to have a fabulous selection of vintage WA wines but got cleared out pretty early in the piece ie sold up. Most of their list is current vintage and, as Phil said, leans toward interstate and international. Phil, by jetty do you mean Barrack Street, or South Perth? Jeremy, re wines, I'm sure Phil will share his recent trips to Margaret River with you. Generally WA is well known for cabernet and blends; lots of great wineries. Look out for cooler climate stuff from Great Southern, it is generally quite good value. Howard Park do a range of reds from different vineyards which would be a good introduction if you see it anywhere. Cullen and Moss Wood are the two top rated wineries for red, with Leeuwin Estate for chardonnay, but you will pay for back vintages of these Tue Sep 22 00:46:04 -0700 2009 5047709 236726 mr_gimlet 2 5048241 After looking at some reviews I think the one I saw was Balthazar (6 The Esplanade) near Barrack Street. Is it any good? For wine we really liked Woodlands, Eagle Vale, Rockfield and Brownhill cab sav blends. For us they are quite reminiscent of left bank Bordeaux's (St Estephe, Paulliac etc) Tue Sep 22 02:04:11 -0700 2009 5048196 64584 PhilD 3 5050390 We tried Balthazar last night and it was terrific. We statred with oysters - very fresh and very flavorful - and a try of mixed starters - lamb in a patry wrap, duck in a peanut sauce an something else, all very good. Mains were venison, lamb ribs, and gnocchi with buffalo mozzarella. All were excellent, though the gnocchi perhaps a litle too heavy. The staff pointed us to a nice local riesling and a Margaret River cab, both of which we enjoyed. Service was helpful and very friendly. The first courses arrived a little slowly, so they comped them. That struck me as far too generous. Also a very, nice feel to the place. A fine experience all around. Thanks for the tip! Tue Sep 22 16:04:02 -0700 2009 5048241 34201 Jeremy M 4 5057481 I just wanted to close the circle and to say thanks again to the posters here for their fine advice. I'm leaving Perth tomorrow morning, but had several terrific meals here. After Nahm and Balthazar, we had the following experiences. Palais 85. This is a newish place on the South Esplanade, opposite the Ferris Wheel. It has a lovely view. It was recommended by the staff at the Burswood Intercontinental - something that probably should have counseled against going there. It calls itself a fusion place. The decor is tired - surprising for a place that opened this summer. The food was fine, but not exceptional, and rather overpriced. The oysters (from Albany) were very fresh, and quite sweet. My corn crabcake was tasty, but a bit dry. The lemongrass filet was much less flavorful than the name would suggest. My colleague said the lamb ribs were dry. We had some nice wines, a Cape Mentelle Chardonnay and a Cullen cab/merlot blend. Lamont's. Very fine meal in a very nice room. Oysters (fried this time) were top notch. Very nice salads, risotto, barramundi, tuna, and lamb. Good Lamont's cab/merlot. Enjoyed this much more than Palais, despite the shorter write-up. Little Creatures. Just returned from a great meal on a Friday night. Great building, great food, great atmosphere, terrific beer (tried LC's pilsner and bright ale). Pizzas had good crusts and interesting toppings. Chips were top notch. Excellent lamb chops. That place is certainly worth the trip. Thanks again! Fri Sep 25 07:33:35 -0700 2009 5050390 34201 Jeremy M 1 5048246 If you have the time and transportation, please take a trip down south to Margaret River area, it is a wow. In forest is a shop for Eucalyptus wood products that is world class. Vineyards such as Leewin and Cape Mentelle are great for visiting and my number one. The Australian version of Maryland blue crabs, pale blue when live and with even sweeter meat than the US variety, bought a bunch and cooked on my return to Perth. They alone made the trip worth it. One of the best 2 days l have ever experienced. Tue Sep 22 02:25:32 -0700 2009 5047709 71113 Delucacheesemonger 1 5078866 Too late for you but just wanted to mention The Silver Spoon in Vic Park. Tried the new menu on Sat night and it was very interesting: chacuterie, croquettes, crab linguine and lamb all beautifully prepared. Interesting and fairly priced winelist as well. Sun Oct 04 17:47:30 -0700 2009 5047709 191497 higgy 1 5121927 I realise the original poster has left already, but I have to recommend Restaurant Amuse (as mentioned by another poster). Unequivocally the best restaurant in Perth at the moment. Gourmet Traveller agrees; it's currently the city's only two-star. I've been there three times and every dish has been exemplary. Thu Oct 22 00:01:22 -0700 2009 5047709 1118241 MattC 1 5123571 I did business trips to Perth twice a year from 2006-2008, and always thought Jacksons was the stand-out eatery there Star Anise, whilst admirable for it's adventerousness, was wanky & showy, and not especially tasty And I only went to Must on one occasion, and didnt think it was remarkable. Ditto Balthazar I had a number of good experiences at Ha-Lu (in Mt Hawthorn), though Thu Oct 22 14:49:43 -0700 2009 5047709 1083902 Onara 2 5124466 Amuse is relatively new. I think it opened in late-07 but has only really hit its stride in the last year or 18 months. If you ever come back to Perth I strongly recommend Amuse. Thu Oct 22 22:45:07 -0700 2009 5123571 1118241 MattC