bar rogue
2/515 Beaufort St, Perth
barrogue.com.au
GO FOR: The food of up-and-coming talent Sofika Boulton
Sommelier Sarah Atkinson and her chef husband Liam have scored another hit with lively Highgate newcomer Bar Rogue. Their much-loved French wine bar come neo-bistro Le Rebelle is just minutes away. But while the spaces are alike – split level, shaped around a front bar with a dining room and kitchen in the back – there’s a different vibe at Bar Rogue. Meanwhile the kitchen is turning out some of Perth’s most impressive bar fare, and will have you ordering another round. Atkinson and her team have shaped a wine list that lives up to the promise of the ‘fancy’ list from up the road plus classic aperitifs and cocktails. A great example of what Perth’s hospitality scene does best. MAX BREARLEY
Balthazar
6 The Esplanade, Perth,
balthazar.com.au
GO FOR: Enrico Cancedda’s duck liver parfait
Year on year, Balthazar’s small front bar has carved out its own reputation among the CBD’s wine savvy crowd. Owners Emma Ferguson and Daniel Morris have form in the wine world, as owners of No Mafia in Northbridge and the short lived but well-conceived Los Bravos. At Balthazar their focus is premium with an attitude that’s unfettered by parochialism. You’re as likely to have them crack a bottle of low-intervention Dormilona Blanc de Blancs Pet-Nat from Margaret River as you are Pol Roger, Krug or Taittinger. For those wanting to explore closer to home, their handle on West Australian wine is formidable, but equally their cellar is crammed with drops from “over east” and overseas. Come early, often, stay late, and explore the list.
MAX BREARLEY
mr chapple
92 South Tce, Fremantle,
theoldsynagogue.com.au
GO FOR: The monthly rotating list curated by local experts
The newly developed Old Synagogue in Fremantle centre is home to a rich assortment of venues, but there’s something special about Mr Chapple. Its exposed brick and rich wooden decor give it a certain warmth, and local touches create a laid-back friendliness that’s become typical of Freo hospitality. One such touch is the rotating wine list, curated monthly by the experts at nearby Old Bridge Cellars – one of Perth’s most-esteemed wine stores. Each month, the Old Bridge aficionados pick a dozen of their top drops to be served at Mr Chapple for the month ahead. To celebrate the new list, Mr Chapple hosts a monthly tasting night where you can try the 12 featured wines, graze on canapes and even meet some of the winemakers. They do a fantastic brunch as well.
Kirsty Petrides
Picada
480 Hay St, Perth, picada.com.au
GO FOR: The exciting Spanish and South American wine list
The latest venue from esteemed Perth chef Graham Arthur is like taking a trip to Catalonia, minus the airfare. Arthur has had a hand in bringing restaurants like Balthazar and Duende to the people of Perth, and now he’s dropped a taste of Spain right in the city’s west end. Spanish varieties dance alongside Australian favourites, with the additional peppering of hard-to-find Chilean and Argentinian options, like carménère from Chile’s Colchagua region and malbec from Mendoza’s Uco Valley. The flavoursome beef empanada from the tapas menu is not to be missed, and pairs beautifully with a glass of Spanish Verdejo - a light-bodied white that is grown almost exclusively in Spain’s Rueda wine region. Pull up a chair at one of their alfresco tables in the afternoon sun and get travelling.
Kirsty Petrides
isola bar
Colebatch Ave, Rottnest Island
isolabarecibo.com.au
GO FOR: Tantalising taste of Italy with a distinctly Australian view
WA’s favourite playground, ‘Rotto’ had never quite lived up to its culinary promise – with one visitor memorably describing it as “overpriced socialist nostalgia with a side of fries”. How a year can change everything. Delectably harnessing its Australia-meets-the-Med allure, Isola has dialled up the island’s indulgence index with an Italian-driven wine list that avoids all the clichés. Sardinian vermentino and Abruzzese pecorino by the glass, a suite of prosecco for all budgets and a show-stopping line-up of Barolo and Barbaresco. The cuisine is at once disarming and dextrous: wood-fired Shark Bay prawns framed by sensuously aromatic caper butter, and a simple but sensorial spaghetti, accented with pecorino and generous lashings of fresh Manjimup truffle. Drop anchor at Rotto’s finest. Julian Tompkin
Frui Momento
3478 Caves Rd, Wilyabrup
fruimomento.com.au
GO FOR: A winery setting with a wine bar selection
What do you get when you combine a stunning wine estate, one of the state’s top winemakers, and a seriously in-demand chef? A top-notch drinking and dining experience in the heart of Margaret River. Seth James’ food is succinct, and if you’re keen for a casual bite you can skip the set course menu for the cold bar and caviar selection. Larry Cherubino’s style is firmly stamped on the interiors, with the high vaulted ceilings and wooden beams balanced with slick edges and classy soft furnishings. This is one of the best wine lists and locations to sip in regional WA. Alongside current and museum Cherubino wines are a solid selection of imports and the icons of the Margaret River wine region. Cassandra Charlick
treehouse wine bar
50B Brockman St, Pemberton treehousewinebar.com.au
GO FOR: A solid range of local wines and genuine hospitality
This is the local wine bar that you’d live in if it was around the corner. A haunt for locals and travellers, Treehouse Tapas and Wine Bar is as apt for a romantic date night as it is for a family catch-up. Owners Pauline and Mitch have created a little haven in regional WA in their quirky and very relaxed Pemberton wine bar. Wine is limited to local producers, and options by the glass change regularly. In a region where cellar doors are limited, it’s a great spot to sample the wines. Simple dishes are cooked behind the counter – this is tapas, after all. Mitch’s Burmese heritage gets a nod, too, with several dishes on the menu from his mother’s recipe book. Cassandra Charlick
Nieuw Ruin
12 Norfolk St, Fremantle, nruin.com
GO FOR: Novel-length wine list headlined by enigmatic varietals.
Fremantle may be the birthplace of Australian craft beer, but it also so happens to be fronting the pack when it comes to WA wine culture. Nieuw Ruin is a celebration of the idiosyncratic, a place that feels equally vintage as unorthodox, and where every detail tells a story. While aesthetically homely, there is nothing lounging about the wine list – 300+ bottles in total. This fantasia of juice is a tribute to fine-grained nuance, small-batch producers at the pointy-end of their craft, with a discerning eye for the anomalous: furmint, grignolino, malvasia, verdicchio, grolleau and tavkveri. Amber wines, too, are treated seriously – very seriously. The food menu equally sings to its own seductive tune: truffled pork head meatballs, charcoal cuttlefish and local Wagin duck liver parfait tempered with spiced prunes. Out with the old, in with the Nieuw. Julian Tompkin
All photography supplied by venues.