THE view from Bathers Beach House is arguably one of the best in Perth. If you book your table at the right time you’ll be able to catch a magnificent sunset over the beautiful Indian Ocean. It’s so romantic.
It was the perfect setting for a long-awaited “date night” for Kylie and I. With a one-year-old keeping us busy, nights on our own are seldom had but, thanks to the world’s best nana—who doesn’t mind driving all the way from Toodyay to babysit—they’re something we’re starting to get used to again.
Other than a noticeably odd offering of steamed pork and prawn buns ($14), Bathers Beach House boasts a no-fuss ocean and earth themed menu that isn’t fancy, but doesn’t fall flat either. It’s perfect for the casual diner after a dip out front and great if you’re looking for a more intimate affair.
The fish and chips ($24) seem to be really popular. They’re served with two huge pieces of fish and are more than enough to share. Kylie and I were after something with more depth so we chose the kangaroo as a starter. Roo is a delicate meat so I’m always nervous about ordering it. This fillet was cooked perfectly rare and served with a generous amount of bush tomato chutney and dotted with fennel seeds. A few micro herbs would have been better then the daggy sprouts and spring onions strewn over top but other than that niggle the dish was faultless.
Kylie can’t go anywhere without ordering calamari. Here it’s a massive portion of beautifully tender squid served with a delicious garlic and citrus aioli. Unfortunately we had to remove most of the salt and pepper batter because it was leaving a gluggy, floury paste in our mouths. A few more minutes in the deep frier and it would have been spot on.
The mains more then made up for the mishap with the calamari starter. I ordered a flamed sirloin steak, a 300g whopper. It’s a little overpriced ($32) considering it’s served with a field mushroom, half a roast tomato and five onion rings but I haven’t eaten steak this good in a very long time, the thick cut seasoned perfectly with a good crack of pepper and pink enough in the middle to meet my medium-well done standards. The mushie was sweet, earthy and not overcooked. Unfortunately the onion rings were underwhelming and cold.
Kylie raved about her open ravioli and commented she’d be keen to make it at home—lucky me. The tuscan vegetables were cooked so they still had crunch and were bathed in just the right amount of basil cream. Her only grumble was a lack of goats feta—it seems whenever it’s mentioned on any menu these days you should only expect a tiny hint of a morsel.
Grizzle aside I love this place. I love its casual dining room, stunning location and simple food. Plenty of Urban Spoon’s keyboard warriors complain about the staff but on this night we found them to be attentive without being annoying and that’s all I expect.
Bathers Beach House
47 Mews Rd, Fremantle
9335 2911
bathersbeachhouse.com.au
