Ah Um is not easily pigeonholed. A 25-seat dining room which you enter through a sliding door at the back of Astral Weeks, the Chinatown listening bar that’s won fans for offering a point of difference in Perth’s bar scene. It’s dimly lit, discreet, and acoustically optimised.
Whereas some restaurants conceal sound systems, a duo of speakers built and installed by Sydney-based Translate Sound aren’t just a passive prop playing background music; they’re a part of the experience. The sound that at points verges on the cinematic, is anything but quiet, though conversation still flows easily. A feat of auditory alchemy that is perhaps rare.
Beyond aesthetics, and the vibe, chef Branden Scott is working a minimalistic menu that feels wholly appropriate. There are shades of his days at Wines of While, with a kitchen nimble enough to change the menu daily if required. It’s all down to the produce and how the ideas flow. There are oysters, and the snap crackle and pop of prawn crackers with a beef tartare bound with kanzuri, a traditional Japanese fermented chilli paste; a piquant and left of centre rendition of an ever-popular dish. Crisp pomme dauphine, essentially bite sized potato puffs with Ossau-Iratty, a Basque sheep’s milk cheese, could have you hitting repeat. Grass-fed sirloin takes you in another geographic direction thanks to judicious use of curry leaf.
On paper it could be terribly muddled and even pretentious, the name, incidentally, derived from jazz luminary Charles Mingus’ album from 1959. But it works, imbued with charm, and a level of thinking beyond just food. It’s an experience in the best possible sense.
In other news
