Last week was a bit of a splurge. Not so great for the bank balance, but good for the taste buds. We sampled FIVE new Perth eateries.
The Classroom
We hit up The Classroom for a midweek dinner with some friends. None of us had been before but we had heard they had some awesome cocktails and the menu on the website looked pretty tempting, so we hopped over to Belmont.
It was pretty busy when we arrived but we managed to get a small, and somewhat impractical, table to start the night off. Beer all round for the rest of them but, as it was payday for me, I went for one of the much hyped cocktails. Setting me back nearly $20, served up in a glass jar mug thingy, it was fairly unusual so I wasn't to bothered about the price.
We each chose a dish; Squid with Watermelon, Maple glazed beef rib, Chicken drumsticks and tomato and mozzarella salad. The meals were a mixture of hits and misses. The squid and watermelon were an unusual combination that we all enjoyed and they couldn't really go wrong with the beef rib, which came with a gorgeous basil sauce. The drumsticks, however, were a bit bland and very expensive for the mall portion of a cheap cut. The tomato and mozzarella salad was basically a bowl of tomatoes, dressing and two minuscule portions of mozzarella. It tasted ok but was fairly unbalanced and lacking in flavour, but then again I am not the biggest fan of cooked tomatoes.
The interior was cute, with a strong school theme carried throughout. Shelves full of books, school bags on the wall and lockers behind the bar displaying the array of alcohol. Even the menus were glued into exercise books. It was all cute but it somehow felt, like the food, it hadn't reached it's full potential and things were a little confused. Still, if you are looking for an unusual experience and a good cocktails, its definitely worth a visit.
1/356 Charles Street, North Perth WA 6006
La Cholita
We have been doing a little tour of Perth's Mexican joints lately, and it's hard not too. They are popping up everywhere! Although, like everything, this one was new for me, it seems to be an old favourite for many.
And it's not hard to see why. They have a great atmosphere and they just seem to have it all together.
We were lead to a generous booth seat very quickly and got down to ordering some drinks and nibbles as soon as we sat down. It was hard to choose our drinks so quickly considering the monumental drinks menu, but I went for a 'Bloody Margarita' and Flour Tortilla chips with guacamole for the table that were so good we gobbled them down in a matter of moment. More were ordered.
At my insistence we hit the tacos and quesidillas, as I often find that main meals in Mexican joints can drift away from authenticity when chefs attempt to shoe horn the amazing flavours of Mexico into Westerner friendly dishes. However, I had my arm twisted towards the prawns with almond sauce.
We were pretty happy with the food. My favourite was the pork taco, juicy deliciousness wrapped up in a corn tortilla. All the dishes were subtle on flavouring and not weighed down with cheese, sour cream or other tex-mex style adorning.
As with most Mexican places over in Perth, the dishes were very expensive for what you got. As predicted, the biggest disappointment was the prawn main dish ordered. Tasty but a little confused and not quite up to the standard of the other dishes we chose.
The crowning glory, however, was the second cocktail I ordered. 'The Aztec' was AMAZING! Tequila, chocolate and chili!?!? It was like the most heavenly desert drink, fit for the gods. More were ordered and will be when we return, very soon!
279 William Street, Northbridge WA 6003
Estia
I was super excited about hitting up a Greek place when I first arrived in Perth. People had told me that, like many Asian varieties, Greek food was very well represented here due to the many generations of Greeks who have made Australia their home.
However, one of my first meals out in Perth was to a Greek restaurant and I was sorely disappointed. So my craving had still not been satisfied.
Last week, on the way home from work, we saw a restaurant packed out with patrons and remarked that we should check it out sometime. Not knowing what type of place it was, we headed over on a whim for a late Saturday lunch and I was thrilled to find it was Greek.
Now the food was great, beautiful even, and very cheap. But what made this place such a pleasure to eat in was...Vassi.
The owner extraordinaire, Vassi worked the restaurant like a talk show host. Chatting to us all, cracking jokes and generally making everyone feel very happy. It was such a lovely feeling to have a chat and shake hands with the owner of this year old place and tell him just how much we enjoyed the food.
Simple, modern and tasty food, this Greek place satisfied my craving and left me wanting to come back for more. With the windows fully open to the crisp, contemporary decor, on a very sunny afternoon, we plunged into the generous dishes but some how found room for an even more generous dessert sharing plate. We were stuffed and filled with joy at finding such a little gem.
I can't wait to pay Vassi and his family a visit again!
836 Beaufort St, Inglewood, 6052
http://estiarestaurant.com.au/
