Tannic Teeth

If you’ve been trundling down St Georges Terrace in the past few months, no doubt you would have seen the construction of one of Perth’s most anticipated small bars slash restaurants. The Greenhouse.

Drawn from the valiant effort of its older sister in Melbourne, Perth’s version has the rooftop garden (complete with veggie patch, fruit trees, and herb rows) and that oh so intriguing external lattice. Yes, those are individual terracotta pots. Yes, strawberries. Hundreds of them.

The idea here is simple. Be green. Minimise the carbon foot print. Make us scratch our heads over the energy inefficient lives we live. From the straw-bale insulation to the recycled plastic-container reinforced concrete, every effort has been made to reduce, reuse and recycle. More planning has gone into this than meets the eye. It’s one of those light bulb moments, where the environment and architecture have combined. It’s the way it should have always been. Ecologically sound, holistic approached. In many ways, The Greenhouse is leading by example.

On the menu you’ll find offerings for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All ingredients are sourced from producers either biodynamic or organic. Crushed peas & basil, poached eggs & toast to break your fast, or the tomato & goats curd tart, mixed leaves, aged balsamic for a midday feast, and dinner time it looks like a tapas. Piquillo pepper & manchego croquettes and pig head & trotter terrine, pickled cherries. Yum. And very reasonably priced.

It’s an interesting little zone, the Greenhouse. It’s unbleached, organic and recycled. It’s unapologetic hippy-esque nature lends to the charm. There is a prodigiously young staff-ship who look like they’re on their way to a Copenhagen; chirpy, hard-wired for action, in the first flush of youth.

Can’t wait to see those strawberries bloom. And for the place to put down roots.

The Greenhouse

100 St. Georges Terrace
Perth WA 6000

Mon & Tues 7am – 5pm

Wed to Sat 7am -12am

It’s one of those places where you would go if you wanted to be seen.

That is, it has a VIP lounge, complete with red roped off barriers that overlook the ‘lower loft’ and bar. You would get to rub shoulders with the DJ on any given night and have first preference service. If you were lucky enough — Wolfe Lane has it for you.

Make no mistake about it. This bar is chic. Wolfe Lane echos a lofty ambition of New York – an air of exclusivity, dedecance and no expenses spared. It has high ceilings and modern low key furniture. For all the sparse decorations, the ceiling roses call the strongest from black lacquered candelabras. Less is more in this case.

The wines are a hotchpotch collection of left off centre – the beers also mimic that seam. Spirits are top shelf, and presented as you would expect. It’s a given for a bar who’s focus is on cocktails. For grumbling bellys there is a small tapas menu on offer.

Rumor has it that the Perth Fashion Festival 2009 will wind down there.

Wolfe Lane

Wolf Lane, off Murray St Perth

Phone 93224671

Wednesday – Saturday 2pm – 12am

Sunday 2pm – 10pm

Relax your purse strings and you’ll have a good time.

Here is another small bar that’s proudly Perth. Melbournites, I know you rule the roost for the Small Bar scene, but c’mon you have many more little laneways to play in. We make do with what we have, and if it’s the law chamber of an old Anglo-Dutch building, that suits us just fine.

Andaluz is one of those contemporary tapas bars. Offering a variety of tasty morsels from slow cooked rabbit and chorizo with lentils and pearl barley, to oysters with smoked tomato and Tabasco sorbet. I would still be a purist and order a fino sherry but then again I’d be temped by the international wine list or the menacing shelves of spirits on display.

The bar’s entrance is open and clean. Clever use of mirrors spawn an illusionary space that reflects the plush leather sofas beyond. Dim lighting, shadow streaked corners calling for private chit-chats are the order of the day. Break out your Romance languages and you’ll

feel right at home – though you might want to rely on ‘The Britanica’ on shelf to settle any linguistic disputes. The overall bar is, well, small. Conscientious interior design breaks up what would be a crowded bar into something mediated and tempered.

You would think the basement of a Federation-era building would hardly be the place for a Tapas Bar. But then again, you would be wrong.

Opening Hours

Noon – Midnight Monday to Thursday

Noon – 1am Friday

6pm – 1am Saturday

Basement Level, 21 Howard St, Perth CBD.

Bar hop to Helvetica when your tummy is full.

It’s one of those uber cool city bars where you’re going to have to stroll down a dark and dingy alleyway to find. Don’t ask me what I was doing down a dark and dingy alleyway to stumble across a small bar but it was worth it. OK I confess I was photographing a fellow small bar Andaluz (review coming soon) and the staff kindly showed me how to get there. The place is named after a font. Helvetica.

If first impressions count, then the entrance of Helvetica insists you have done your research. Or least have someone ‘in the know’ drag you along. It’s another city drinking establishment with a Small Bar license which means it caters to less than 100 people, and tea teetotals after twelve (extended permit for Helvetica pending).

This retro-urbaneqsue setup has an interesting beverage listing with a focus on Whisk(e)y. One may be inclined to call it a quasi-whisk(e)y bar. After all, clients may purchase bottles and have them shelved for storage, and staff will serve you from your (own) bottle every week with no extra cost. Cocktails, wine and beer form the usually holy trinity. There is a simple but good snack menu on offer. Anything more of in the way of culinary offerings is a case of watch this space.

So if the thought of queueing up next to bins and graffiti in your Sunday best on a Saturday night doesn’t dissuade you, give this place a go. The experience makes you appreciate the interior and a fine single malt a whole lot more.

Very cool. I like. I like.

Helvetica. 101 St Georges Tce (at rear and kinda off  Howard St) Perth, CBD.

Opening Hours

Sun, Mon, Tue by reservation

Wed/Thursday 3-12

Friday 12-12 (1am trading permit pending)

Saturday 4-12 (1am trading permit pending)

Sniff around Andaluz and you’ll find it.