The exotic African theme restaurant has finally touched down in Perth and is definitely worth the visit. Meat and Wine co is located in St Georges Terrace so the heritage feel of authenticity is there with a twist of a modern flare. The attached whiskey bar of course, excited me with the hanging chandeliers, decorated ceiling and intricately carved skirting that has all been maintained from the old building.
The first thing I did (no surprise) was grab the cocktail list. It was so hard to choose from as all the cocktails looked so intriguing and different from the classics you always see. The only solution to this was to try them all. Beginning with the ‘Spiced Jungle Bird’ and ‘Blood orange Mojito’ I headed to the bar to get some action snaps. The jungle bird consists of Baron Samedi Spiced Rum, Campari, Pineapple Juice and Fresh Lime served straight up. Holy moly, this cocktail was honestly something else. You always know it is revolutionary when you taste something, and theres nothing you can compare it to, its such a unique taste you’ve never had before. If you closed your eyes and had a few sips, it would feel like you are in the tropical Bahamas with your sun hat, lounging by the beach in a hammock. Next was the Blood orange Mojito composed of Bacardi White Rum, Blood Orange liqueur, lime and sugar. The blood orange liqueur is what makes this drink so uniquely different from the classic mojito. These two drinks are definitely what you order if you are feeling tropical, fruity and rummy.
With our first cocktails, we began entrees. With some guidance from the waitress, the pork belly and panna cotta were our final picks. The parmesan panna cotta had been there number 1 order so far and according to their head chef, it was their favourite dish, so of course we had to try it out. And am I glad we did… the Parmesan panna cotta with cherry tomatoes, balsamic glaze and lavosh bark is just one of those dishes you can honestly have for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So rich, smooth and decadent, the panna cotta was the star of the entire night. The southern chilli glazed pork belly was also incredible, served with a lettuce, apple, onion and jalapeno salad. The mouth-watering basting on the pork was so succulent and divine. Although I did not want to eat it all to save room for the main to come, it was just too good that you cannot stop eating.
Whilst waiting for our mains, a wine specialist approached us, giving us the low-down about wine pairings with the steaks. With an extensive steak menu ranging from grass to grain fed, monte, shorthorn or wagyu, the wine list compares different notes to the time of cooking and tenderness of the steak. It was very impressive to see the intricate detail gone behind ensuring perfection on the menu. The steaks on the menu give an honest paddock to plate experience as you are told the ageing, hormones, feed and breed of the cattle. We ordered the Rib-Eye Shorthorn medium rare paired with a Red wine jus and hot African chilli sauce. The steak itself, as expected was so tender, melting in your mouth with every bite. The half rack of Pork ribs was just as memorable. Just like the entree pork belly, the ribs were incredibly juicy. With that, we also ordered one of their famous skewers. The Portuguese chicken was our order of choice, served with crunchy chips. The chicken was cooked to perfection with a juicy inside and a spicy kick to the outside. Overall, our mains were exceptional, as expected.
The next cocktails we delved into were the ‘East 8 Hold up’ and ‘Frangelico Caprioska’. I was very excited to try the Frangelico caprisoka that consisted of Frangelico, Yuzu Syrup, lime and sugar. I have never seen frangelico and yuzu paired together and was very keen to see what the combination would turn out like. To my suprise, this was one of the favourite cocktails of the night (following the Jungle Bird) as it was so incredibly tasty and unique. The caprioska tasted exactly as it is stated: a frangelico citrus flavoured drink. The citrus did the frangelico such justice, and this is definitely the type of drink you go home and try to replicate. The ‘East 8 hold up’ compromised of Skyy Vodka, Aperol, pineapple Juice, lime juice, passionfruit and gave syrup. This was also a tropical summer drink with flavours of pineapple and fresh lush fruits.
Whilst waiting for dessert, I thought I may as well try another cocktail just to get a sense of their menu. The ‘Raspberry Beret’ was the next choice. Made up of Cinzano 1757 Bianco Vermouth, Bulldog Gin, lemon Juice, sugar and raspberries served in a wine glass, this cocktail is the one to order for all the berry lovers out there. The raspberry beret tasted like pure crushed raspberries as you dangerously cannot taste the alcohol. The bright crimson colour with a lemon peel on the side gave the drink a big wow factor as it looked as pretty as it tasted.
For dessert, we were advised to try the ‘Grand Finale’, a selection of all the individual desserts: Chocolate & Hazelnut Fondant, Creme Brulee, Tiramisu and Pineapple Pavlova. The fondant was extremely gooey in the middle as soon as we opened it up, the chocolate sauce oozed out; always a good sign of a fondant. The creme brulee had a beautiful crispy crack on the top (and was my favourite dessert of all). Although I am not a big fan of tiramisu (surprisingly since its the #1 coffee dessert), this was note worthy as it wasn’t too heavy in cream ratio to lady fingers like normal tiramisu’s. The pineapple pavlova complimented the other desserts rather well as the fresh fruit on top was a refreshing cleaner palette in comparison with the other heavy desserts.
When there is a dessert cocktail on the menu, theres just no questioning whether to get it or not. The ‘Liquid dessert’ menu’s prize winner is the ‘Crumble’ consisting of Chambord, Apple Schnapps, Limoncello, apple and lemon juice served in a sweet pastry crumbed martini glass. As expected, this cocktail was for the sweet-tooths out there. It really was admirable though as you could taste all the flavours of apple, lemon and chambord all in one sip.
Overall, Meat and wine co is a must-try in Perth if you’re after good quality meat (notably their vegetarian options are quite extensive too) and exceptional quality of service, food and atmosphere.
