Bar & Bites: An A to Z of Perth’s best and worst food and drink experiences for 2024

Well, I’m stuffed. It’s been a huge 2024 for Bar & Bites — the year West Aussie dining and drinking cranked up a few notches with the arrival of some world class venues, some daring dishes and the continued emergence of a genuine cocktail culture. Time to chew through the year that was, from A-Z. A is for Albany While the southern city missed out on being WA’s capital, Albany consoles itself with top notch wineries (hello, organic vineyard Oranje Tractor, a favourite of King Charles, who visited as the Prince of Wales) and farm-fresh produce plus excellent rock oysters. The Great Southern port also boasts cracking pubs and a (mostly) fabulous dining scene, led by Amy Hamilton’s brilliant Liberte. Local craft brewer Wilson recently took over the historic White Star Hotel on Stirling Terrace . . . it’s all happening in Albany. B is for bowls Not lawn bowls but self-contained meals-for-one served in bowls. Whether you’re visiting clean-eating temple Magic Apple overlooking Cottesloe Beach or hitting up Ribs & Burgers for a protein fix or a nutritious noodle or rice takeaway feed from Gigi’s Bowls in Leederville, bowls are good-value, well-rounded convenience meals designed to banish those tummy rumbles. Of course, the original and best bowl is a big steaming serve of ramen noodle soup — and Perth seems to have no shortage of options there. Bar & Bites’ favourite is the chicken ramen at Tosaka on William Street, Northbridge. C is for cocktails Cocktail kings and queens ruled the potent Perth bar scene in 2024. Whether visiting Crown Perth or slipping into a small inner-city bar, lovers of spirit-based beverages have never had more choice. Special mention goes to Gibney bar boss James Gentile, whose smoked negroni and signature Gibney Gibson both evoked shock and awe, and Bar Love regular Brendan Scott Grey, who not only mentors local up-and-coming mixologists (including rising star Jac Landmark) but also brought Japanese legend Hidetsugu Ueno of Tokyo’s Bar High Five to town this year. There’s no excuse to drink an espresso martini ever again. D is for Dear Darnell’s Speaking of great bars, Dear Darnell’s in Witchcliffe is one of WA’s best. Three resourceful locals have transformed a former trading post into a rustic pub constructed out of old harvesters, windmills, vintage circular bar and a couple of red bench seats from WA Parliament’s Upper House. Best of all, there’s cold craft beers on tap, a solid wine list and, yep, good cocktails. The woodfired oven in head chef William Yarwood’s kitchen keeps pizzas flying from midday till late from Thursday to Sunday, plus flamed-licked dishes ranging from octopus to gnocchi. Dear Darnell’s rocks. Opening hours correct at time of publication. E is for the Exchange Hotel Regional pubs no longer resemble the front bar in Wake In Fright, with plenty of heritage hotels getting a spruce up and reopening as family-friendly community hubs with elevated food offerings and drink options beyond cold lager. Pinjarra’s historic Exchange Hotel, the Busselton Pavilion and Serpentine Falls Tavern are among the new brigade popular with locals and attracting visitors. That said, B&B can recommend a trip into the Perth Hills for a pub feed at the Parkerville Tavern, Mt Helena Tavern or Mundaring Weir Hotel. Be warned, these places “go off” on a sunny day. F is for Feral The cost-of-living crisis plus too much of a good thing has caused well-publicised travails for the craft beer industry. However, there was some great news locally in May, when WA companies Nail Brewing Co and Beerfarm bought iconic local brand Feral Brewing Company and its Bassendean production facilities from Coca-Cola. The deal meant Margaret River-based Beerfarm can increase production with an eye on oversea markets, while Nail would continue making Feral’s beloved brews alongside its own favourites. Jindong mavericks Rocky Ridge also bucked market trends, purchasing Thunder Road Brewing in Melbourne to establish an east coast taproom. Closer to home, Rocky Ridge should open its new Duncraig venue this summer. If that wasn’t enough good news, West Perth-based funsters Phat Brew Club completed a successful crowdfunded campaign for a taproom and kitchen at Hillarys Boat Harbour. Cheers all round. G is for Gibney G is also for game changer. George Kailis’ coastal brasserie and grill on the corner of Marine Parade and Gibney Street, Cottesloe, is the perfect storm of food, drinks, service and atmosphere — uncharted territory for the Perth dining scene. Young-ish head chef James Cole Bowen’s dishes combine the best WA produce with restrained finesse, while James Gentile’s cocktails and Kailis Hospitality Group sommelier Nina Throsby’s wine list are arguably peerless in P-town. The most enjoyable dining experience in town, Gibney is designed for long lunches with your eyes off the clock. Hell, you may as well throw your watch into the Indian Ocean. In a landmark year, Kailis also opened Magic Apple and kept another beach-side diner in The Shorehouse purring along. Impressive. H is for hotel restaurants Gibney and Liberte prove that great food and service are not enough to make a restaurant sing. You need ambience, a buzz, a vibe. Without naming names for fear of causing conniptions, there are a few joints around town with very good tucker served in soulless rooms that make the whole experience an utter disappointment. The common denominator is that they’re usually cavernous hotel restaurants. The most notable exception to this rule is Wildflower, the rooftop fine-diner at COMO The Treasury. I is for Irish Sales of Guinness and Magners’ cider went through the roof in 2024. Given both originated in Ireland and Perth has a very healthy population of folks from the Emerald Isle, with more arriving to either permanently locate or make their fortune in trades or on mine sites, there’s no prizes for guessing why these beverages enjoyed bumper sales. Fun fact: about 40 per cent of all the Guinness consumed in Australia is in WA. J is for juniper Juniper berries are the one constant ingredient in gin, but Australian gin is making waves internationally thanks to the inclusion of local, native ingredients such as lemon myrtle, strawberry gum, saltbush, pepperberries and sandalwood. There are now more than 300 distilleries in Australia and some of the best making gin are right here in WA. There’s Amberches, Beyond, Rainfall, Republic of Fremantle, Spirit of Little Things and West Winds. Swan Valley favourite Old Young’s unveiled plans in October to partly crowdfund a $30 million distillery with a restaurant, visitor centre and secret bar in the Swan Valley. Founder James Young explained that, in this oversaturated gin market, it was either go hard or go home. K is for Karla Noongar for “fire”, Karla is the jewel in the crown of Stories, the do-over of Yagan Square which relaunched in April as an enormous 4000sqm venue boasting 11 bars, three restaurants and a silly train-themed speakeasy called Fat Controller. Owners and operators Nokturnl, who are also behind successful multi-option venues The Beaufort in Highgate, The Old Synagogue in Fremantle and The Station in South Perth, proved that if you build it, they will come. Perth party people have filled the Rooftop bar, while folks have been generally positive about Italian diner Alba and Mediterranean “fun-diner” Ugly Baby. Spice temple Karla is the pick of the bunch, with mod-Asian dishes with Aussie attitude and ingredients making sparks fly. L is for liquor licensing laws The AHA is pushing for the next State Government to amend the booze rules to allow pubs, bars and hotels to serve alcoholic beverages without a meal on Christmas Day and Good Friday. The current rules are outdated, antiquated and under-hydrated. Let’s hope the next Good Friday is a great Friday, where adults can pop down the pub for a beer with their mates or sip a nice dry white at their favourite wine bar. The days of the likes of Ned Flanders running our State are over. M is for Miss Chow’s Full-time diamond trader and part-time dumpling queen Jacquie Chan expanded her dining empire in 2024, with another Miss Chow’s opening on Edwards Wines in Margaret River and bar, distillery and restaurant Moon & Mary launching in Freo. The restaurateur is on a mission to “make Asian food sexy”, and her unfussy mod-Asian tucker is a hit with Perth diners. M is also for Milky Lane, with the maximalist burger and shake brand now boasting outposts in Elizabeth Quay, Curtin, Currambine and its biggest venue so far in Bunbury. N is for no booze The non-alcoholic drinks sector enjoyed another boom year, particularly booze-free beer brands, such as the east coast’s Heaps Normal and the WA-based Lightning Minds. While the significant numbers of young people embracing sobriety is pushing sales, 78 per cent of no and low-alcohol consumers also drink full-strength. According to ANZ’s recent annual Food For Thought report, zero-alc beer sales in Australia are projected to double to 300 million litres by 2028. Meanwhile, on-premises sales of alcohol-free spirits, including Margaret River mob Ovant Distillations, are bubbling away. O is for omakase The not-so-humble Japanese omakase, or chef’s choice degustation, is a rare treat. A multi-course journey from a seat overlooking a small kitchen as a chef shares his inspiration. Perth has several excellent omakase restaurants, including Marumo in Nedlands, Tora Sushi in Leederville and Haku Omakase in Victoria Park — most of which are harder to get into than a Chupa Chup. Then there’s the omakase at Papi Katsu, the underground izakaya that opened in Brookfield Place in May this year. The Sesh Mafia hospitality squad recently recruited former 6HEAD chef Shane Middleton and let him loose to create a dazzling omakase for up to seven diners at a time with too many highlights to mention — plus some I’d prefer people experience for themselves without expectations. Let’s just say there’s loads of WA seafood (but not as you know it), smoke and flames, nitrous oxide and something special I’ll just call a McPapi Meal. P is for Papi Katsu Next to Gibney, Papi Katsu was the most talked about opening of 2024. The rowdy neon-lit Japanese diner packed in the party people wanting fine cuisine and boozy drinks, much like the crew frequenting owners Sesh Mafia’s first opening, Shui in Subiaco. The Sesh Mafia squad, which includes chefs Leigh Power and Chase Weber, are on a (sushi) roll. They opened cocktail bar Margot’s in Northbridge and are poised to unveil Mexican cerveza joint Lupe’s in the city and charcoal chicken joint Larry’s in Subi. The latter was inspired by co-owner Benny Tua’s trip to the Middle East and an infamous episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. We expect the flame-seared chook at Larry’s to be pretty, pretty, pretty good. Q is for Quorn Has the heat gone out of plant-based meat substitutes? Recent reports of Monde Nissin Corporation cutting back operations and shedding jobs at UK-based Quorn Foods suggest so. Like most omnivores, B&B doesn’t mind a vegetarian meal but if there’s a burger on the menu, it better be real meat. A local restaurant owner once tried to sneak an Impossible Burger past my gullet and it did not end well. Give me a lentil patty or eggplant parmi any day over fake meat. R is for Rotto That will change with the imminent opening of The Lodge Wadjemup, a hotel, restaurant, bar and cafe complex from hospo veterans Miles Hull and Graeme Dick. The sprawling $40 million hospitality and accommodation project completely reimagines the old Karma site and will boast 100-plus hotel rooms, most of them overlooking Garden Lake. Former Il Lido chef Mat Powell will run Sunsets Bar and Dining, offering Mediterranean tucker for up to 500 diners, while casual kiosk Pelicans will flog soft serve ice-cream. Since November 1, Havza has plated up excellent Greek and Turkish coastal cuisine prepared in a shipping container perched above The Basin. Rotto is going off like a quokka in a sock. S is for Starbucks Like character Gretchen Wieners trying to make “fetch” happen in Mean Girls, the American coffee-and-random-other-stuff chain is making another push into the Aussie market, specifically WA. In October, Starbucks opened an outlet in Piara Waters, the first of a caffeinated onslaught tipped to spawn 11 venues by the end of 2025. Inexplicably, hundreds lined up for a cup of joe, but the coffee buzz will soon wear off and, hopefully, the ‘Bucks will stop. As Regina George would say: “Gretchen, stop trying to make peppermint mocha frappuccino happen!” T is for Tacos The humble Mexican staple is the most shared street food on social media platform TikTok. More than 1.8 million posts featured tacos, according to a study commissioned by digital financial service provider Remitly, streets ahead of India dish pani puri (734,000 posts) and hot dogs (654,000). That’s a lot of tortillas, meat, salsa, cheese, guacamole and sour cream. Other dishes in the Top 10 are waffles, croissants, tamales, empanadas, pho, ceviche and crepes. Apparently unphotogenic, meat pies landed at No. 63. U is for Unnecessary That arty smear of sauce across half the plate? Unnecessary. The drizzle of balsamic vinegar around the rim of a bowl? Unnecessary. The elaborate garnish the size of a small shrub in that cocktail? Unnecessary. The decision to tell staff not to hold Australia Day celebrations in your pubs? Unnecessary. V is for vino Perth’s love affair with wine bars continues unabated. From the Beaconsfield Wine Bar and Powell’s Fromagerie and Wine Bar to the cluster of enotecas near the top of inner-city William Street (Wines of While, Vincent Wine, Margot’s, Tom’s and Bar Love), it seems Perth punters can’t get enough of the red and white stuff. The rise and rise of wine bars went hand-in-hand with the proliferation of French bistros and Italian trattorias. Notably additions to the Perth dining scene included Mistelle and Bacco, two impressive eateries in the otherwise sleepy suburb of Shenton Park. Meanwhile, Lulu’s Little Bistro brought BYO back to the inner-city. However, it wasn’t all wine and roses, with Enoteca Centro pulling its last cork in May after only opening late last year. W is for Wildflower State Buildings’ long-serving executive chef Kim Brennan left big shoes when he departed in May. Luckily, the folks behind the popular city hospitality hub found a diverse and talented range of new talent, including young South West native Jessica Roe, who has taken over Petition Kitchen after stints at Bistro Guillaume and the Mumballup tavern. Most exciting is Paul Wilson, the Sydneysider with experience cheffing at Michelin-star diners in Europe, luxury island resorts and for the Crown Prince of Fujairah in the UAE, who has brought fresh excitement and energy to the menu at rooftop fine diner Wildflower. His debut Kambarang menu showcased exquisite presentation and local produce, and reassured all that one of Perth’s best restaurants is in very steady hands. X is for XO sauce The spicy seafood sauce from Hong Kong is called XO as in “extra old”, a la cognac. While neither that old nor boozy, this condiment or marinade certainly possesses intoxicating flavours. Two of my favourite dishes of the year featured the sauce: the XO snails at Restaurant Hubert in Sydney knocked my shell off while chef Brendan Pratt’s flash roasted Geographe Bay squid basted with house-made XO sauce make it worth visiting Busselton Pavilion. Perhaps XO stands for “kiss and hug”? Y is for Yo-Chi What’s with all the hype around Yo-Chi? It’s just frozen yoghurt and acai, right? These places always seemed packed with folks making their own cups of fro-yo with toppings. It’s a bit like bubble tea — tried some recently and it felt like an overpriced Icee but with globules. Anyway, there’s currently eight Yo-Chi stores in WA but by the time you read to the end of this sentence, there’ll probably be a couple more. They’re everywhere. I hear they’re opening a Yo-Chi inside a Yo-Chi soon. Z is for ziplock bags Still digesting the news that Tupperware has filed for bankruptcy and will close Australian operations? Where does that leave leftovers? The good news is that ziplock bags do the same job, squeeze into nooks and crannies better (especially in the freezer) and I’ll never spend 20 minutes looking for the bloody lid that fits the container into which I just scraped three meals’ worth of bolognese.