Metro Bar and Bistro

A few months or so back the radio at work was tund to 96fm and one of the competitions which they ran in an effort to keep people listening all day was to name a Song of the Day in the morning and then when you heard it later in the afternoon you needed to ring through, be caller 10 and you’d win a prize. As luck would have it one day I was still at work after 4pm, I heard the song, got to dialing and was the lucky caller! So I won $150 to spend at Metro Bar and Bistro. Now I wont lie, I hadn’t been there before and had never really heard of it. But hey a great reason to give it a visit. Our first effort to go their for lunch on a Saturday was thwarted but the second time around I had gotten in touch with them to make a booking and we were set to go there on a Thursday night.

What I hadn’t given much consideration to was the fact that the Thursday I had chosen was CHOGM eve so I wondered whether it would actually be possible for me to get to a restaurant deep in the heart of the lock down area… so I put a call in to ask them if their patrons had had any bothers getting there. They outlined that the easiest way in was up the stairs across from Mill Street and that when we arrive we should let the police know we had a booking. Tehehe nothing like a little excitement with a dinner booking. We had parked at the train station and walking through the city it definitely had a deserted feel to it. Thankfully though we made it to Metro Bar and Bistro without event. Its the located at the bottom on the Medina Hotel directly opposite the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre.

They weren’t packing a big crowd on this particular evening, but I would have said that this was due in part to similar concerns by others as to the ease that you’d actually be able to get there. We were swiftly taken to a table and began looking through the menus. Decor wise, I liked it. Quite open and I thought the large feather arrangements worked well.

We started with a bottle of chardonnay…. at the time I know I found the name entertaining, but for the life of me I cannot remember what it was or find details of it on their website. It wasn’t bad. Probably a touch sweeter than we would have hoped.

Then for our entrees we shared the “UPSCALE” tasting plate ($32). I”ll admit that when it was brought out I probably wasn’t overly impressed with the presentation. It all smelled very nice, but perhaps it was the big loaf of bread just plonked in the centre probably didn’t do it for me. But more important than looks, how did it all taste….

I started with the pork belly and with a little of that and a little of the red chilli on my fork, it was definitely a tasty mouthful. I was definitely more encouraged about the plate after this first delicious bite. The chilli especially added a nice element of heat to the pork.

Goat’s cheese pearls…. hmmm they weren’t the prettiest but me oh my! Deep fried little wonders – the indulgently soft and a little salty cheese with the spicey tomato sauce underneath. Very nice! It was so on as to who would get the third one…

The final two items on the plate were the Red Wine braised short rib, which was full of flavour and then the 5 spice Calamari, which I also really enjoyed, nothing chewy about it.

I might have been unimpressed by the look of the loaf we were given but it was wonderfully crusty on the outside and soft in the middle and it helped to soak up some of the nice sauces that remained on the tasting plate.

So then it was time for the mains and I was intriguied by the sound of the duck dish – Duck confit with gin and blueberry jus, crisp potato rocket salad ($36). It was a generous serve of duck, which had been perfectly cooked. I didn’t really like the taste of the sauce though. The blueberries gave it a nice sweetness but there was something about the sauce as a whole that I just didn’t like, could have been the gin. The salad was nice and refreshing though, with its potato wedges decoratively included. In all… in my year of the duck, this dish wasn’t going to be making it to the top.

Across the table GG was a lot more complimentary of his meal – Crispy Skinned Barramundi with truffle butter, green pea puree and fried tarragon ($38). A decent sized piece of fish with the truffle butter melting across the top. That and the crunchy vegies were said to have been very tasty.

We decided we’d pass on dessert, both feeling more than comfortable after our two courses. So while the food for me had been a little hit and miss I cannot fault the service. We had a younger waitress and she was an absolute gem. The right balance of friendly and attentive and she’d made the experience of dining at Metro’s all the more memorable.

I’d be willing to give it another go. There were several items of their quite extensive menu that looked like they’d be worth a look…. definitely worth a return visit 🙂