Balthazar Restaurant, Perth

Balthazar Restaurant Review

It’s hard to believe that once upon a time, in 1938, Perth’s tallest building only stretched to eleven storeys high. But that’s the case with the Lawson Apartment Building on The Esplanade. A well-preserved Art Deco, corner building, its other claim to fame is that it houses the Balthazar Restaurant on the ground floor.

We booked Balthazar for a midweek lunch after hearing good reports about the food. I have to admit that I thought Balthazar was past its prime, having first opened in 1998. I was wrong – not for the first time!

Balthazar was given a revamp by new owners in 2016 and it is back to its former hallowed status on the Perth good dining scene, being named at number 24 in the top 100 restaurants in the recent West Australian 2021 Good Food Guide.

Instead of trying to find parking in the CBD we took the train to Elizabeth Quay and walked the short distance to the restaurant.

We were greeted by two staff members when we arrived and shown to our table. I wondered if the restaurant would have retained the white tablecloth look but no it was polished wood tables and comfortable seating.

Balthazar has an extensive wine list with an emphasis on WA wines but with a good proportion of wines from Europe and over east. I decided on a glass of French sauvignon blanc ($13) while my husband had a glass of Victorian pinot noir ($16). Balthazar‘s wines are obviously a very important part of its business as wine bottles are on display everywhere. A quirky method of storing extra seating was interesting – chairs hanging on the walls and above the door.

The menu is not large with seven entrees, seven mains, three sides and four desserts. My husband chose the caramelised onion tart, aged cheddar and walnuts ($23) and I went for the razorback prawn and scallop carpaccio, tobiko (flying fish roe) and whipped hazelnut ($25). Both were beautifully presented and delicious – my carpaccio was so thin, I had to scrape it from the plate. The whipped hazelnut was perfect with the delicate fish.

For mains I opted for the Pork belly, Jerusalem artichoke, pear and prune ($38) and my husband ordered the Seafood spaghettini, salted roe, garlic, prawn oil ($36). The spaghettini was full of mussels, prawns and fish with the delicate prawn oil just enough to coat the pasta – another thumbs up dish.

My pork belly came in a round rather than the usual small square. The crackling was crisp and pork good but not the melt-in-the mouth softness that I had been expecting. The Jerusalem artichokes were excellent – very crispy as were the Duck fat potatoes ($15) that comprised our side dish.

A good amount of space between courses, which we both enjoy, gave us time to study our surroundings and our fellow diners. We had an early reservation and the restaurant was relatively empty when we arrived but it soon started to fill up. Being in the CBD, Balthazar attracts a business crowd and we amused ourselves at guessing which ‘business’ tables held members of the legal fraternity from the nearby Supreme Court.

Sadly we could not manage dessert but I did have my eye on the ice cream terrine with lime and white chocolate ($17.5) or maybe the mille-feuille, apple, cinnamon, goat’s milk ($20).

Balthazar is a lovely restaurant with a cosy ambience and very professional, friendly staff. I felt that the prices were high but taking into account the excellent ingredients, pinpoint cooking, perfect seasoning and lovely presentations – put Balthazar on your lists for good restaurants to try.

Address: 6 the Esplanade, Perth

Phone: 08 9421 1206

Reservations: Yes

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 12pm-12am, Saturday, 6pm-12am, Sunday – closed.

Gluten-free options: On request

Vegetarian options: Yes

Restrooms: Clean but no wheelchair access

Parking: Various car parks in the CBD.

Website: www.balthazar.com.au

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About Hazel Broomhead

My name is Hazel and I am a Perth senior!

Originally from Edinburgh in Scotland, my husband and I moved to New Zealand with our children in 1974. As my husband is in the oil business, we moved to several other countries including the Sultanate of Oman, the Netherlands, Singapore, the Philippines, the USA, Russia and Kazakhstan during the next 36 years before retiring to Perth.

We have six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren who live in different parts of the globe – New Zealand, Scotland and Colombia - which makes a great excuse for us to travel and visit.

My career background is in radio and print journalism in Scotland and New Zealand as well as public relations in various other countries.

We love to eat out, walk, travel and enjoy the wonderful lifestyle here in Western Australia.