BAR OF THE YEAR Liberté

The space might be a Francophile’s dream – Parisian tat and zinc tables in the front bar, vintage Belle Époque glamour in the dining room – but this plucky watering hole draws key inspiration from the Great Southern region. Local names are front and centre on a drinks list celebrating maverick brewers and free-thinking vignerons. A good bar, after all, is all about looking after locals. Then there’s bar manager Keryn Giles, a quietly spoken cocktail force to be reckoned with. She knows her way around the classics but her inventive creations starring local brandy, honey, and cold-brew coffee exemplify her think-globalshake-local approach. And whether owner-chef Amy Hamilton is celebrating underappreciated seafood or unconditionally supporting the little guys, (“I always pay small producers first,” she says), she’s also all about maximising her home-court advantage. “The isolation forces a sort of creativity,” she says. “When I started, I was looking at French and Vietnamese cooking, but I think the key to Liberté is how we interpret those flavours through Great Southern ingredients.”

Liberté, 160-162 Stirling Tce, Albany, WA, (08) 9847 4797