Ace Pizza, 6003

By sights and sounds, you could compare Ace Pizza to a hip late-night pizza joint somewhere in NY. 'PIZZA CLUB' in green neon lights casts a rascal Goosebumps glow and sets you in the mood for fun and revelry. Or gorging and boozing, whichever way you want to put it.

"Black Doctor": Cynar, mint, lemon, Chinotto

The kitchen serves wood-fired rustic goodness of the Italian persuasion, plus some cheeky things like, Fried Mac n' Cheese bites, $7 and Tiramisu Donuts, $5. Blistered thin crust pizzas, with clever toppings, are pretty damn fine. Not as chewy or melt-away good as my favourite ones at Dough, but they still hit the spot. My pick is the Amalfi, $22; juicy prawns on a sensational tomato base, spruced with lemon, garlic, basil and jumbo salty capers.

What you must know is that Ace is so much more than just pizza. So much more. Get some Meatballs soused in pepperoni sauce, $12, and Chop Chop Beef, $14 on your bill.  Make sure you order something from the wood grill, too. Flat Iron Quail, $17 with charred orange, polenta chips and herbed aioli is succulent. And to cut through all that meat, try the wood fired beets n salted ricotta, $16.

The most fun you can have at this Beaufort St. establishment is with the Ace soft serve, $7. Its DIY dessert! A swirl of vanilla ice cream comes with nuggets of honeycomb, biscuit and squeezey bottles of chocolate and salty-sweet caramel sauce. The fastest way to lose your manners (and waistline) at the dinner table!

Back: Tiramisu Donut, $7. Front: Ace Soft Serve, $7: yummy, nostalgic, fun

Ace calls out for drinking almost as much as it does eating. The dark decoration, likeable staff and Americano-Italaliano cocktails with canny names, make you wanna stay awhile. And this place has that potential to become a late night eating and drinking institution.  I hope their existence will wake up this section of no-mans-land on Beaufort St.. Its fun, its delicious and its downright rad. Open 'til late 7 days a week means late night eating that doesn't involve a greasy kebab, is now at our disposal. Ace!

Eats: 4/5 (Bold, meaty, designed with cheek and flair. Eat like a kid!)
Vibes: 4/5 (Fun, hipster, troublemaker)
Service: 4.5/5 (Charismatic, sharp and food is served hot n' fast)
Bang for your buck: 3/4 (Desserts: $5-$7, Pizzas: $17 for simple -$22 for seafood)

Perth's Mexican - the ones worth knowing

They all serve a different purpose. In order of deliciousness...

1. el PÚBLICO for when I want a buzz (tequila optional), and brilliant food - tasty, imaginative and authentic Mexican flavours with a contemporary flair. Order the ‘Esquites’. Please. The humble street corn is not to be underestimated! el PÚBLICO are my numero uno in this league, by a mile. 

Clockwise top Left: Chicken Tamales,  back room dining, cheese and onion taco, the bar, 'esquites'  dish

2. The Flying Taco is for when I want a cheesey, gratifying burrito. The prices are a bit on the tall side, but one of their crispy slow cooked pork and pineapple burritos never fails to satisfy my comfort food yearning. 

One 'Carnitas' burrito ready to be devoured 

3. Casa Mexicana - El Compa. Fuss-free menu, casual festive decor and bang on margaritas – this newcomer is an ideal starting point for a casual fun night with friends…Unfortunately there is not great bump for your buck. Tacos go for $7 a pop. Note that they roll their soft tortillas in-house however, and you can taste the difference.

Margaritas and fish tacos at Casa Mexicana- El Compa

4. La Cholita is when you want Tequila cocktails, a good time vibe, and some Mexican shares to go with. I would never seek out La Cholita to indulge my Mexican craving alone. Not substantial enough and secondly, I’m not going to wait the standard 2 hours to get my taco fix.

Dim lights and night time tequila induced revelry

RAAH, 6003

There's a bit of a shortage of Middle Eastern restaurants in Perth and so I find RAAH worthy of its spot on our well-loved and ever lively Beaufort St.  The restaurant is very ambient inside, draped with Moorish trinkets and carved wooden furnishings. Veiled (literally, veiled) from the bustle of Beaufort St, you feel very secluded from the happenings outside which I though was a bit odd. I would say the best part of this location is the buzz of Beaufort St., no? Forgetting this, the dimmed red lighting and covered windows make for a different kind of exotic ambience which is still as appealing. Tip: If you book ahead - ask for a cosy and comfortable booth.

For starters we ordered the Silky hummus with minted lamb, almonds and turkish bread $10. The hummus was definitely silky smooth - a pleasure to eat, but I would have like a bit more garlic.

Silk hummus, turkish bread $10

My favourite entree was suprisingly the Pastirma and goats cheese gozleme, although they were nothing like the gozleme I know. I'd describe these better as a samosas. The Patrami - which Wikipedia has just told me is "highly seasoned, air-dried cured beef"; was salty, rich and delicious.

Pastirma, goats cheese gozleme $12

The preserved lemon, chilli and coriander prawns were my least favourite. I couldn't really taste any of the seasoning nor could I appreciate the would-be-tender prawn. I think these were overcooked - a little bit tough and quite a strong charred taste.

Preserved lemon, chilli and coriander prawns $14 for 4

For mains we shared the Yoghurt Marinated Goat, $30 and the Sweet potato, lentil and sweet raisin tagine $26. The Goat was the consensus as the dish of the night. Between four of us three entrees and two mains was just enough, give or take a side of pilaf.

Yoghurt marinated Goat $30

Sweet potato, lentil tagine $26

RAAH was an enjoyable meal and the service was one of the better experiences I've had lately. The total bill was $96 for four of us - not bad.  I think there's still room for amazement though. There were no Oh-My-God moments.

Food: 3.5/5
Service: 4.5/5
Ambience: 4/5

P'tite Ardoise Bistro, 6003

I had been eager to try P’tite Ardoise ever since I saw the cute chalkboard sign had been raised outside its doors on Beaufort St in July. The name transaltes to "Little Blackboard” which nakes for a recurring motif around the restaurant. I found myself playing a game of spot the baby blackboards, picking them out on the menu, the napkins, on the waitstaff as well as bearing the tasty bonne bouche!

After being warmly greetd by the staff and seated at our table for 8, we all took a very lengthy look at the menu. It was so hard to choose! After changing my mind about 4 times, I settled on sharing ‘Snails My Way’ for entrée and the casserole of the day, which was seafood, for main.

Orders in, the doting waitstaff moved around our table with baskets of freshly baked assorted breads. I love that we got to choose what bread took our fancy (seeded? Herbed? Baguette?) and whether we even wanted bread to begin with. I usually shun carbs before my meal so I can squeeze in dessert, but the bread (along with trio of butter, e.v.o. and olive tepenade) looked to good to pass up.

The snails arrived; three ramekins lined up on a rectangular slate. I was a snails virgin before this night and I definitely chose the right time and place to try, because these were delicious. Sealed under a toasted circle of buttery bread, in a luscious sauce of cream, herbs and tomato – simply yummy!

The mains were excellent too. Each of the Pork, Beef and Salmon were paired with the sweetnees of apple or pear and sealed with a lusty wine reduction. Each element of my casserole; the catfish, the prawns, the clams, the potato; cooking was timed perfectly. The accomapnying sauce was really delicious too. Despite a reluctance towards parsley, I ended up spooning it up like it was soup.

The vegetarian main was "superbly tasty” according to my company. The French aren’t famous for their ‘tolerance' for vegetarians, so this was another gold star to P’tite Ardoise’ name. The last authentic French meal I had in Perth was at La Caascade and whislt delicious I ended up leaving the restaurant feeling like I’d ingested the furniture too. P’tite Ardoise remains true to its Noman roots in flavour, but not in terms of heaviness.

Extra- mile service is where P’tite Ardoise truly distinguish themselves. I really respect their attention to detail. The owner, who I must mention was humbly dressed it the same uniform of black slacks and yellow waistcoat as her waitstaff, asked me discrettly between courses if were celebrating a Birthday and should she bring a candle with dessert. Well she didn’t just add a candle to birthday boys dessert but presented us with an additional little cake on a plate decorated with ‘HAPPY BRITHDAY’ in chocolate.

Other details I was impressed by were the vegetables that came as a side with every main - they were cooked just right and complemented the dishes perfectly. The sweet-tooth in me also adored the wooden box they brought around at the end of the meal. It was brimming with strawberry clouds and Carambars - a quintessentially French confection, ensuring your night ended on one final (sugar) high.

Whilst the standard of food and service is 5 star, there is no ego at P'tite Ardoise. Seen in the modest surroundings of pale yellow and burgundy (very Old-France), to the friendly service, the demeanour here is warm and unpretentious. From the first encounters when you walk in the bistro's narrow wooden door, to the personal meet and greet from the Head Chef at the end of your meal; its clear this is a restaurant that really understands the concept of dining experience. The owners are clearly very passionate about what they do and want to share what they know about good food with you.

I'm giving P'tite Ardoise Bistro top marks. Me and my fellow diners are already talking about going back. Can't wait.

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Mood: 4/5

The Brisbane Hotel, 6003

Grilled Tasmanian Salmon, Niçoise Salad

I'm a big fan of The Brisbane Hotel or what is referred to by some as "the Brizzie".  The service is excellent, the food is consistently good and the atmosphere reminds me a little of being in a Balinese resort.   They do salt and pepper squid SO well - tiny pieces of squid rings in light crispy batter, never thick and chewy like some crappy calamari I find too often (Sienas is a good example).   Their modern take on the Salmon Niçoise is my favourite, and I order this almost every time I'm here for dinner, it's that delicious...this is unlike me too, as I usually like to try as many different menu items possible. I'd hate to get in a food-rut...after all variety truly is the spice of life!   The pizzas at The Brisbane are super yummy as well; bases not too thick, not too thin and the toppings are a original, yet restrained (unlike some other pizza places that get a bit carried away with the gourmet toppings - here's looking at you Little Caesars).  I'd highly recommend The Brisbane for get-togethers on lazy Sunday afternoons - it's a great space and the homemade sausage rolls, dips and other shares always go down a treat with groups...the Mojitos are awesome too!

Food: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Ambiance: 4/5

Price: $$

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