Cam and Lib With Us

Perth’s best suburb?

Mount Hawthorn is a suburb of Perth that is fairly close to the CBD, we first noticed it whilst passing through on the bus ride from the city centre to Scarborough Beach. During our first couple of weeks in Perth our many bus and train journeys were spent avidly looking out of the window in an attempt to get to know as many areas of the city as possible. Mount Hawthorn was one of those places we passed through that made us share one of those looks that says ‘we need to come back here.’

Whilst we very quickly settled on Scarborough as our chosen place to live, we were forced to look further afield in search of jobs. Deciding that a car was, unfortunately, out of our current price range we began to look at bus routes and found that Mount Hawthorn was on the list of places we could reach by bus very easily. This led to a somewhat short-lived job for Lib at the Paddington Ale House (the Paddo, obviously), a job for Cam at a cafe called In Good Hands in which he is thriving, and a love for this little area of Perth.

What we like most about this place is that it seems to strike the perfect balance between having plenty to do and being small enough that you feel you can really get to know it. We always enjoy a place that really allows you to become familiar with it whilst still keeping you interested and this is exactly what Mount Hawthorn does. The main street is full of cafes and bars and little shops but will only take you about 15 minutes to walk the length of, provided you don’t get too distracted by the cafes, bars, and little shops. Venture a little further afield and you will find more places in which your thirst can be quenched or your hunger satisfied. Venture a little further still and you will have gone too far and ended up in Leederville. A very lovely place but not the aim of this exercise.

Keen to make the most of Mount Hawthorn we decided that our first official date night in Australia would be spent sampling as many bars and restaurants as we could in one night. A difficult task we can assure you but, armed with a positive attitude, anything is possible.

We began our adventure at the Oxford Hotel (it’s important to note here that hotel doesn’t actually mean hotel, in Australia hotel means pub, and also hotel, and sometimes both, and potentially sometimes neither, and pub also means pub but not, we think, hotel). It was a perfectly sunny afternoon, the air was warm but not stifling and a gentle breeze was wafting through making us look incredibly fashionable and a touch dramatic as we strutted down the street. As it often does in Australia, the weather had put us in a fantastic mood, and the glass of wine each we had enjoyed before we left home only served to contribute to this good mood. As we stepped off the street into the Oxford we were greeted with confused expressions from the small number of regulars sitting at the bar. It was also noted that the presence of Lib had doubled the number of women, which is perhaps why we received such an odd welcome. Not willing to let this setback ruin the mood we promptly ordered a pint of Single Fin and a Gin and Tonic (we’ll let you decide who you think ordered which) and began on the surprisingly difficult task of deciding where to sit. The Oxford is one of those fabulous places that seems to have a thousand different rooms, each with their own unique atmosphere. We settled on the courtyard area (being Brits we can’t resist a good Beer Garden when the opportunity presents itself) perching ourselves at a table in the corner amongst the climbing plants. We had a wonderful view of the road and spent quite some time basking in the jealous glances we received from other customers who clearly felt we had chosen the perfect table.

Fighting the urge to sack off all our plans and stay here for the rest of the night we forced ourselves to venture on. We made our way over to the high street and took up a perch at the unassuming-looking Sonny’s Bar, choosing a table on the pavement where we could enjoy a cocktail with a side of people watching. Had it not been for our dinner reservation we really would have happily sat here all night, but we had a mission that would not complete itself. Having perused the fantastic wine list and resolving to come back another time in order to do it justice we decided the moment called for a cocktail. As we sipped we watched the sun gently setting, casting a romantic glow over the leafy streets and the many passers-by and found ourselves feeling decidedly European. We very quickly decided that Sonny’s was a place in which we could easily spend a significant amount of time and money and were very excited about the prospect of returning.

Nevertheless, our mission had to remain at the forefront of our minds and we tore ourselves away from this fantastic little spot with a promise that it was not a ‘goodbye’ but an ‘until next time.’ We had intended to head for one last cocktail before dinner at Spritz, a very chic and popular Italian restaurant and bar. Foolishly believing that this walk-in only place wouldn’t be too busy on a Wednesday night. How wrong we were. As we approached we saw a queue stretching half way down the street and instead ducked into Lucy Luu, an Asian restaurant where we enjoyed a surprisingly enjoyable glass of wine before heading to our restaurant. 

This was the part of the night we had been most excited about as we had had such glowing recommendations when asking around for the perfect date night restaurant. We were absolutely not disappointed. 

La Madonna Nera is an Italian wine bar and restaurant that an estate agent would describe as cosy and is very easy to miss as you walk along the street. Through the unassuming door, however, you will find gorgeous wine, absolutely fantastic staff, and a relaxed and intimate atmosphere in which to enjoy some of the most beautiful Italian food we have had the pleasure of eating. The one drawback was, unfortunately, their wine delivery had been delayed. Despite this devastating setback we took the waiter’s recommendation and enjoyed a delicious bottle of Nebbiolo. In return for this recommendation we shared with the waiter the little game we had been playing, coming up with names of wines that would make good names for children (our future children Riesling, Madeira, and Chablis being our personal favourites). We really felt instantly welcomed and very at home and could not encourage you enough to try it for yourselves. 

With our bellies full of stunning food and delicious wine we tottered along the street to the bus stop and promptly ordered a taxi home. Collapsing into bed with smiles on our faces we contemplated our impeccable decision making. We had had a fantastic night and couldn’t wait to get back and sample even more of what Mount Hawthorn has to offer. Could it possibly get any better? We’ll see, because we can assure you that won’t be the last evening we spend there.