WEST’S BEST
Bars and restaurants are among the shining stars of a regenerated Perth, writes Danielle McGrane
Perth has been harbouring some secrets. The first is the idea that it’s far away. In actual fact, it isn’t. The flight from Perth to Auckland is the equivalent of one movie and a couple of episodes of Modern Family away.
Another secret is that it’s become a hipster heaven . . . minus the hipsters.
With the money from the mining boom, WA’s government has been creating the kind of city that tourists will love to get lost in for its mix of small bars and eateries that rival anything Melbourne or Sydney have to offer.
The introduction of the small bar licence in 2007 has thrown the doors open to creativity. More than 100 small bars and restaurants are now open in the city, many of them themed and carrying some seriously interesting beverages.
Some of these small bars are dotted around the city’s social suburb of Northbridge and are hip yet welcoming.
Instead of twirling their curly moustaches and remaining disdainfully aloof, the bartenders here are more than happy to engage in a conversation on the selection of rums on offer, which was the case at Sneaky Tony’s, in Northbridge. But the extensive rum selection isn’t even the best thing about this bar.
For starters, this place requires a password. On weekends this is a requirement for entry but easily found on the bar’s Facebook page (facebook.com/sneakytonys).
Instead of it being a way to keep people out, the password creates a sense of fun, which continues when you step through the darkened hallway and into this underground haven.
But first you have to find the place. Ensconced down an alleyway, Sneaky Tony’s lies behind an unmarked door and, for some reason, all this mock-subterfuge makes a neat demerara rum taste all the sweeter.
At Frisk (frisksmallbar.com.au), the next bar on a walking tour conducted by the learned guides of Two Feet & a Heartbeat, there are 180 gins on offer.
A clean gin from West Perth distillery Hippocampus, mixed with tonic, is the perfect palate cleanser for the post-rum comedown.
Although Northbridge once held a reputation for its seedy nightlife, the area is now glossed with a sheen of cool. On this Wednesday night, Italian, Greek and Asian restaurants are teeming with groups of 20-somethings.
The piazza, an open green space in between the bars and restaurants, has a large screen where people gather on bean bags in the summer for outdoor movies.
Northbridge feels like it’s been injected with energy and is fast becoming an established part of the city. This is partly down to the Perth City Link project, which is sinking the Fremantle railway line and the Wellington Street Bus Station underground, leaving free and easy access between the two areas.
In place of the railway lines and the bus station will be a large open space called Yagan Square, named after the Noongar warrior leader Yagan. It will be one of the first public spaces in the city to be named after an Aboriginal person.
The area is small enough that walking to five bars in three hours is a breeze.
The next bar is possibly stretching the “small bar” description a bit.
With half the seating outside, the huge Lot 20 (lot20.co) has a sort of festival atmosphere that comes alive in the summer, particularly those nights of the week when fresh oysters are on the menu.
Across the road, the laneway beside the Alex
Hotel is a treasure trove of unique small bars.
We make a stop at The Mechanics Institute Bar (mechanicsinstitutebar.com.au), which has found its home on a heritage rooftop and was voted Australia’s best small bar for two years running by Australian Bartender magazine. An Epic Bloody Mary garnished with a cheeseburger from this too-cool-for-school establishment offers a perfect moment for soakage in the middle of the tour. Just a few doors up, Joe’s Juice Joint and Alabama Song are the kinds of places where cowboys hang out; the Americana theme runs through both bars. With booths hugging the sides and buffalo heads peering down from the walls, Alabama Song feels like it’s been transported brick-by-brick, bourbonbottle-by-bourbon-bottle, from America’s Deep South. When enough whiskies have been sampled (there are 120 types to choose from), we crawl downstairs to Joe’s Juice Joint to finish the night by listening to some good, oldfashioned rock ’n’ roll.
Thankfully, our base, the Alex Hotel, is just a few doors up the road so after all that indulgence, bed is but a crawl away.