Last Friday Jex took me out for dinner and to explore the Northbridge area. The last time I visited Perth I only stayed for two weeks and my exploration of the city was limited to the central business district, where we were staying. If you go on Tripadvisor and look up Northbridge it will say that it's
"Perth's cultural and entertainment center" and you'll see a lot of negative reviews about the neighborhood. Well, as an area known for its night life, I didn't really expect much.
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| The view from our room |
Despite having numerous good restaurants we decided not to have dinner in Northbridge but in The Burger Bistro along Shafto Lane. Jex has eaten there a lot of times so we were sure they had good food.
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| Shafto Lane |
Shafto Lane is an interesting alley lined with small restaurants and bars, a number of which are still open after 4 pm. No food for dinner? Lazy to cook? Nothing open nearby? Go here! It kind of feels like an alley version of Kapitolyo...but cleaner and brighter.
The Burger Bistro, obviously, serves burgers. Very good burgers. The prices, when converted to Philippine Peso, will get you a burger in a high-end restaurant in Manila, but in Perth they're pretty standard and are not that expensive. The place is roomy with some outdoor seating. When we sat down there was a already a small group of friends starting their Friday night with a round of drinks and a few other tables with solo diners. Towards the end of our meal more groups started coming in. The place is pretty popular.
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| My forever date |
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| Our table number holder... |
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| ...is a giant paperclip! |
Their
menu is pretty simple and includes a good selection of burgers and a few sides and salads. For the carb-averse people they have a "no carb" option wherein instead of a bun you get your burger patty on a bed of salad greens. Jex told me I could get this if I wanted. "
Salad?! I'm here to have burger!" was my response.
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| See meme doodle on the board? I only noticed it while post-processing the photos. |
They have different beers and sodas on the menu, too. They have glass bottle Coke, too! As in the old school-looking ones like that you can usually only get in
sari-sari stores. I only see PET-bottled Coke in supermarkets now. Chilled glass-bottled drinks always taste way better than their canned or PET-bottled versions.
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His: Blue Steel - CAAB Angus beef, danish blue cheese folded through garlic mayo, salad ($16.50)
Mine: The Beef Big Smoke - CAAB Angus beef, pancetta bacon, emmental cheese, salad, garlic mayo, smokey barbeque sauce ($15.50) |
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| Cross section |
Jex ordered the Blue Steel while I ordered the Beef Big Smoke. Where do I begin? The greens are fresh, they don't skimp on sauce, the sourdough buns are crunchy and perfect (though, my upper palate got bruised). And that beef patty? Cooked just right and oozing with flavor. The Burger Bistro prides itself in serving top quality beef patties. Let me quote a portion of their menu.
All our beef is sourced from top quality, single cut,
Certified Australia Angus Beef (CAAB).
We serve our patties with a slightly pink centre enhancing flavour.
If you would like your patty well done, please let us know.
All our beef patties are simply seasoned with salt
and pepper, no additives, no bulkers.
All our beef patties are lovingly hand made on the site.
We never freeze our patties.
All our burgers are served on New Norcia Spelt Sourdough buns.
Definitely, the Burger Bistro does not disappoint the carnivore in me. I will probably ask Jex to take me back there a few more times before our trip ends. They have a few other burgers I want to try.
After dinner we started making our way to Northbridge. If you're walking you will need to cross a bridge on the northern part of Perth CBD, literally, to get to the Northbridge area. Aside from a booming night life and numerous Asian restaurants the neighborhood also has the State Theatre Centre of WA, State Library of WA, and the Western Australian Museum.
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| Pretty lobby at the State Theatre Centre |
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| Disco path at the State Theatre Centre |
We just walked around and kind of got lost somewhere in between. Thank you Google maps. If all else fails just walk towards well-lit areas and with lots of people or noise.
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| Intersection archway at the Northbridge Piazza |
There weren't as much people as I expected. I think it was because it was still too early for people to be already out of bars and clubs.
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| Ben & Jerry's ice cream truck! |
We found a Ben & Jerry's ice cream truck in the open area between the library and the museum. I was tempted to buy a cup, despite the cold weather. I ended up not buying anything for fear of getting an upset tummy during our long walk home.
Setting aside its shady reputation Northbridge is pretty interesting to explore. The foodie side of me is drawn to it because of the restaurant choices. I will do more research and find specific places to try soon. As long as you stay alert and aware of your surroundings while in the area, I think you should be okay. It's not a place to bring young ones, though. Bring them somewhere brighter, like the Forrest Chase mall on the other side of the bridge.
The Burger Bistro
Shop 16, Shafto Lane (between Hay St and Murray st, west end of city)
Perth, 6000
Store Hours:
MON-THUR -- (lunch) 11:00AM - 3:00PM
MON-THUR -- (dinner) 5:00PM - 9:00PM (last order)
FRI -- All day from 11:00AM - LATE
SAT -- All day from 11:30AM - 9:00PM (last order)
SUN -- CLOSED
