A bastion of corporate dining, Balthazar is now firmly about good wine and good food for all.
With the advent of Elizabeth Quay and the growing neighbourhood around it, Balthazar is no longer the inconspicuous fine diner at the edge of the CBD. A midweek dinner sees the small front bar full and much of the restaurant the same. There’s no pigeonholing a demographic here. Yes, there’s suits, but there’s also beanies, boomers, and first dates.
You’d be hard pushed to find a better-cooked fish dish in Perth than the Western Australian ruby snapper, the fish of the day, basking in a saffron-infused sauce.
Leather bound and worn, the wine list is something special; the work of owners Daniel Morris and Emma Ferguson, who flex their love of old and new world. On the menu, European sensibilities meet modern Australian as you work your way from South Australian oysters – fresh, vibrant, and subtly lifted by a gin and pomegranate mignonette – to beef tartare with a vitello tonnato vibe, dabs of tuna mayonnaise adding contrast. You’d be hard pushed to find a better-cooked fish dish in Perth than the Western Australian ruby snapper, the fish of the day, basking in a saffron-infused sauce. Opened in the late 90s and still as relevant today, Balthazar is a case study in longevity and knowing your audience exceptionally well.
