Restaurant and food reviews from Perth, Australia

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Globe Wine Bar and Restaurant, Perth

Restaurants in five star hotels often provide a mix of international cuisine, and usually the quality is pretty decent.  The Parmelia Hilton in Perth is an example of a hotel that has more than one attached restaurant, one of which is The Globe Wine Bar and Restaurant.  Its location is of course well suited to people staying at the Parmelia Hilton but also, as in my case, great for catching up with friends after work in the city.


As its name states, Globe Wine Bar and Restaurant has both a wine bar and a restaurant.  The wine bar is up the front, separated by a bar and a dividing shelf-wall, and offers casual seating and sofas where you can relax and mingle with friends or business associates.  I had previously caught up with an interstate friend in the wine bar one night and been quite satisfied with the modern casual atmosphere, and on another occasion dined there for a friend’s birthday dinner.  With that in mind I knew my intentions of coupling courses of food on offer with good wine would be catered for.


Globe Wine Bar and Restaurant has a modern design with stylish lines and décor.  Inside, the ambient lighting is warm and the kitchen is open and the staff well groomed, well mannered, and friendly.  The restaurant definitely caters to the fine diner, but in a casual and relaxed way (which personally I feel more comfortable in).


The menu looks like a seasonal menu and has a range of entrees, mains, and desserts including vegetarian options.  Prices are pretty normal for hotel restaurant food ranging on average from $30 to $45 for most main courses.  To accompany the meals, an extensive wine list is available by the bottle and some by the glass.

Coconut Tempura Prawns (entree) - $21

This dish was described as having celeriac remoulade, saffron and black caviar emulsion, mizuna leaves.

The prawns were coated with what seemed to be a desiccated coconut batter which had a distinct coconut taste.  The batter was not heavy and had a light crispness to it that did live up to the coconut tempura batter in its name.  The prawns inside were cooked just right and the batter was tightly coated around the prawns.

The dressing/emulsion decoratively placed around the coconut tempura prawns was creamy but subtle in flavour.  It was also not overdone so that the flavour of the coconut tempura prawns would still be prominent.  The caviar was a nice touch to the dish both visually and giving it that bit of extra classy taste.

The celeriac remoulade bed was a nice combination to place the coconut tempura prawns on but was very (intentionally) salty for what I would have preferred.  The celeriac was otherwise well matched to the creamy remoulade sauce.  Overall this was a well composed dish.

Scallops seared in ginger and coriander (entree) - $22

This dish was described as having crisp wonton, potato puree, trio of capsicum salsa soy dashi dressing.

The scallops were nicely cooked through and were visually appealing in presentation with the other ingredients.  Overall, combining the ingredients worked well together giving it a slight Asian flavour.

Cinnamon salted duck breast - $42

This dish was described as being served with: fondant, potato, ginger bread, with orange infused duck farce white bean puree.

The duck was cooked well and not fatty (nor oily).  It was cooked about medium and was tender and accompanied with a light sauce.  Thus overall the duck dish was a light dish that had no strong additives to mask the core flavours.

The gingerbread was soft, not crumbly, and an interesting addition to the duck dish.  The potatoes were cut into neat cylindrical shapes and were soft on the inside and golden on the outside.

Angus sirloin - $43

This dish was described as being served with smokey barbecue jus and honey mustard hollandaise.

The steak was ordered medium rare and it came out cooked just right.  The steak was juicy and coated giving it a natural yet enhanced flavour.  The steak was also served with a honey mustard hollaindaise sauce that was a nice non-standard sauce to go with the steak.

The dish also came with fries that were neatly cut into thick blocks and tidily stacked like a two per layer Jenga that gave an attractive presentation.

Unfortunately for us, our appetites ran only as far as an entrée, main and wine so we didn’t get a chance to sample any desserts.

Overall, Globe Wine Bar and Restaurant is a worthy five star hotel restaurant.  The atmosphere isn’t pretentious and rather is more stylishly casual, and the food and wine is matched to the setting.

Points to note: The food options are in line with international hotel restaurant standards, and made with thought through ingredients and combinations.  My experience showed the food tends to rely on the subtle core flavours of the varied ingredients whilst also providing individuality in the presentation and make-up of most dishes.  The wine list is also quite extensive.

Go for: Fine dining in a relaxed and casual atmosphere in Perth city.



Globe Wine Bar and Restaurant
Parmelia Hilton Perth Hotel
14 Mill Street
PERTH WA 6000
(08) 9215 2421

Trading Hours
Monday to Friday - 6:30am to 12 midnight
Saturday and Sunday - 7am to 12 midnight

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