Rediscovering Northbridge

Asian cooking aromas waft in the air on a balmy evening. Bar music and noisy patrons mix with occasional sirens from police, ambulance and fire brigade. Cars, traffic lights, waves of pedestrians hastily heading for a night out. Bright lights turning streets into a kaleidoscope of colour. There seems to be a bit of everywhere here: Korea, Thailand, China, Mexico, Italy, Greece and much more.

So, where are we?

We find ourselves on an extended staycation of four weeks in an apartment smack bang in the middle of multicultural Northbridge, an inner-city suburb of Perth.

Before the 1860s, Northbridge was mostly swamp. The land was drained and in the 1890s the gold boom created a building boom. Waves of Greek and Italian immigrants arrived and settled in the Northbridge area. Adding to the rich mix, people from Asia arrived, resulting in a melting pot of different cultures and cuisine. Today, Northbridge with all its pubs, bars, restaurants, music scene and nightclubs is Perth’s main nightlife hub.

Up to now we have never visited Northbridge more than a few hours, usually just for a meal with friends. Now we have a great opportunity to immerse ourselves in the Northbridge vibe, just as we did in Bologna.

With time being our friend, we have come up with just some of our personal favourite spots in Northbridge.

ITALIAN EXPERIENCE

Vetrina on Newcastle

We can see a café from our second story balcony. So naturally we got our selves coffees on day one. A hole in the wall for takeaways with a bit of alfresco and inside seating as well. Most mornings I would cross the road and order takeaway flat whites. After a few days, the barristers know my name and the coffee order without asking. The coffee is excellent.

Re Store

In 1936, John and Maria Re opened an Italian style grocery store on the corner of Lake and Aberdeen Street. It has successfully served customers ever since and that’s where we find ourselves today. Seated on high timber stools we enjoy a big mug of great coffee. We strolled up and down the isles inspecting products and pretending we were in Italy.

No Mafia

We often try to seek out culinary venues where we can enjoy a view and the Italian “No Mafia” restaurant fits the bill. While tasting a selection of antipasti and refreshing Aperol spritz drinks, we sit at a balcony overlooking bustling William Street. People watching with a bit of Italian cuisine is a pretty good combination.

Pietro Gelateria

On one particularly warm day in Northbridge, we stepped out in search of gelato. Pietro Gelateria in William Street lured us off the hot pavement and we succumbed to a big serving of icey delight. The traditionally made gelato is made daily on the premises. The staff create new weekly ideas for gelato. Burnt butterm honey and sage was one of those.

GREEK EXPERIENCE

Kakulas Brothers

In1929, the Kakulas’s from the Greek Island of Kastellorizo set up a continental groceries store in William Street. We have been coming here to shop for three decades. I remember back then standing at the counter admiring 80 -plus year-old Stavros and Michael Kakulas using nothing but mental arithmetic, pen and paper to add up totals faster than a calculator. The moment we walk through the front door it’s a sensory party full of exotic sights, smells and sounds. Shopping here involves scooping out all sorts of grains, pulses, spices and other products from hessian bags jammed together. Nothing much has changed in Kakulas Brothers over the passing decades and it’s a wonder to behold.

Brika Greek Restaurant

Just around the corner from our staycation we discover a Greek restaurant frequented by the local Greek community. This place oozes so much atmosphere we could be sipping retsina in a taverna in Naxos.

Donut Worry

I never knew it was such a thing as a Greek donut, known as Loukoumades. Fancying something sweet, we walk into brilliantly named Donut Worry. The shop off Williams Street has a sort of Greek/funky Asian vibe going. The loukoumades come with a wide assortment of sweetly flavoured toppings, a departure from the traditional Greek version. We certainly had our sweet fix.

ASIAN EXPERIENCE

Authentic Bites, Dumpling House

There are a lot of Asian cuisine restaurants on offer in Northbridge. When we walked into always busy Authentic Bites, we found a table and was served by a robot. A bit of quirky fun or a window into our dinning out future. What ever it is, the dumplings are so tasty and remind us of our China adventures.

China Town

When entering China Town off James Street, we are struck by the colour, noise, crowds and the intoxicating mix of cooking aromas. Northbridge is an Asian hub and China Town is the epicentre of activity with plenty of busy restaurants and festivals.

Asian Supermarkets

Walking into one of several Asian Supermarkets is a travelling experience. The aisles are lined with shelves of grocery products labelled in Asian writing, some of which we have never come across before.

BAR EXPERIENCE

Ellington Jazz Club

There is so much diversity in entertainment within walking distance of our accommodation. While Jane likes jazz, I love Jazz. So, imagine my delight at staying only a few hundred metres from Ellington Jazz Club. The club has live music almost every night of the week. It has a cool retro New York jazz bar vibe and is my favourite intimate live music venue. Sometime ago we caught up with a group of talented musicians playing tunes from the iconic 80s band, Police. It was a sublime musical experience.

AGWA Time Bar

We are always up for surprises, especially when its some where different to enjoy a drink. While staying in Northbridge we always pass the Art Gallery of Western Australia on the way to the train station. When we heard about a hidden popup bar deep in the confines of the building, we were intrigued. On our arrival at the art gallery, we are ushered down alley ways to an expansive old section in an otherwise modern building. We enter and find ourselves in a speakeasy style bar. Seated at a table drinks are served with cool music from a jazz pianist and bass player. This setup is only temporary, coinciding with the TIME.RONE exhibition in the art gallery complex. The amazing part of all this is where the hell are we in this old part of a modern building. Its only until we are outside and see a magnificent heritage building facing the WA Museum. The Centenary Galleries was built in 1905 and that is where the Time Bar is hidden.

Fallow

Northbridge is very well served with drinking establishments and our latest favourite is the Fallow. When we first popped into Fallow in William Street for a happy hour wine it was love at first sight. I like retro style bars/restaurants with unique heritage furnishings and this one ticks a lot of boxes. The building is more than 120 years old and began life as a general store. Sitting at a table with views overlooking busy William Street is a great way to enjoy a beverage.