The Terrace Hotel

I honestly can't think of a better way to beat the heat than finding a shady outdoor spot at a pub and drinking an ice cold, freshly poured beer. That's exactly what a mate and I did on a sunny Friday afternoon at one of Perth's newest (and possibly The CBD's only) boutique hotel. For those of you that don't know, The Terrace Hotel is situated in the heritage listed St George's House (built in 1892), sticking out like a sore thumb  amongst its skyscraper neighbours on the west end of St Geroges Terrace, not at all in a bad way.

We made a last minute booking for a late lunch and were quite lucky to get in, the bar area is not that big and it seems to be quite a popular spot amongst the suits of Perth on a Friday arvo. We were greeted as soon as we walked in and promptly taken to our table. The bar's décor both inside and out is amazing. The brass riveted mahogany bar and crystal chandeliers give the whole place a sense of elegance. Outside in the tree-shaded courtyard, the simple but classy wrought iron furniture gives it a more relaxed vibe and even though you're situated next to one of the busiest streets in The CBD, you hardly realise it.

We ordered a few Sapporos on tap while we had a look at the menu. There's not an overly extensive range of food items on the menu, but when it comes to drinks - more specifically wine – you are spoilt for choice, with over 500 different wines from all around the globe on offer. Food-wise my theory is that the kitchen aims for quality not quantity – doing a few dishes well rather than an array of dishes averagely. I never quite trust a place that has a massive menu (more often than not it just means that most of the food is pre-prepared/ cooked and the microwave and deep fryer are going to get a good workout once you’ve placed your order) certainly not the case at The Terrace Hotel. I ordered the slow cooked pork belly with green apple tart, peanut & sage crumble and fried squid ($38) and my mate got the Lamb burger with harissa and fries ($25).

The food came out within 25 minutes and was presented really well on the plate. The pork belly was up there with the best I’ve ever had, the crackling was absolutely mind blowing and the sweetness of the apple tart helped cut through the saltiness of the pork belly. The pieces of fried squid and the peanut crumble were quite a nice addition too. The lamb burger was also very good, the harrisa had a good tang to it and the lamb patty was cooked perfectly.

Being part of an upmarket boutique hotel, you'd expect to receive a reasonably high standard of service, and that's exactly what we got from our waitress and the other bar staff that served us. Dining at any decent hotel bar anywhere in the world is not going to be cheap and we didn’t expect it to be, however the overall value was quite good. The meals were big enough and the quality was definitely at a level to justify the price tag, drinks on the other hand were a tad pricey ($9 for a middy) but luckily for us (and our wallets) we both had to get back to work fairly quickly so we only had a couple.

I highly recommend swinging by the Terrace Hotel the next time you’re after a good quality meal in the city, as the old saying goes, “you get what you pay for”, it won’t be the cheapest day/night out but it’ll certainly be worth it.