Food
You’ll find a lot to eat on William Street north of the CBD. With everything happening with rent in the city, a lot of young operators have set up shop here. The street is lined by trees and there’s this sense of being able to walk on country and get a sense of where you are. Wines of While is a natural wine bar that attracts a crowd; and I really like No Mafia, a pasta bar overlooking the street.
I love Peoples Cafeteria: the whole place is halfway between a community kitchen and an à la carte restaurant. It’s so friendly and unpretentious. You go in there and sit on these ballroom chairs and eat this homemade style of cooking served as a buffet. It calls into question, how do we feed people? I don’t think there’s anything else like that in Perth. I think that’s why I like it so much, it’s just so unexpected.
We got married at Little Way in Nedlands, and love the food. It’s the most beautiful venue because it’s green and overgrown – we didn’t even have to decorate it. It has different zones including two courtyards. It’s very brunch, but the food is modern. They do mushroom gnocchi and seafood pasta plus delicious cocktails and desserts. We go for breakfast and get the shakshuka. They’ve got the time and skill to produce that kind of brunch food, not just the regular stuff.
Inspiration
The new museum Boola Bardip is fantastic and has great awareness of West Australian Aboriginal culture. It’s got great presence, but it also references fantastic star knowledge from Yamatji country. There’s also a great display about rising sea levels, including a story from my mob down on the south coast.
Because Boola Bardip is a new museum, it has the sentiments of where we’re going and how we started. It’s a great place to check in because it’s so recent and much more relevant, I think, to where Perth people are now.
Neighbourhood
Inglewood has gone way up recently. Hoodburger (a popular burger restaurant with an attached wine bar) is down there, there’s a sensational nail salon called Kustom Klaws which has a big neon sign in the window and an all-pink leopard print interior.
We’re also big fans of the Civic. It’s an unpretentious, fun pub. Not trendy at all and dog-friendly, plus you can get a great bowl of chips. My partner Dave usually gets a steak sandwich while we’re there.
Green space
John Oldham Park is just outside the CBD and is stunning. Although there’s a bus stop out the front, it’s quite hidden. Inside it’s beautiful – there’s even a waterfall.
People in Perth want to walk places. We have fantastic weather and this beautiful river. It feels like the city is settling in a little bit and wants to be more accessible to walkers.
Nightlife
Si Paradiso on Beaufort Street is wonderful because it’s open air. I think it appeals to our beer garden culture, where we can sit outside and be in the shade. I don’t like being inside places any more, which is why I like festival season because everything is outside.
At night, Si Paradiso is great. The pizza is consistently delicious and it sometimes stages ticketed dance music events.
Stay
We had a staycation at Alex hotel (from $243 p/n) after our wedding, it’s all small rooms and there’s a rooftop as well, which is nice. I really loved the breakfast with Bread in Common bread. It was a very relaxed way to start the day. And because you’re staying in the city, you’ve got great food and stuff to do all around.
