The Amberton Beach Bar and Kitchen, Eglinton

Eglinton is a little out of the way, especially for those who don’t live in the northern suburbs but it’s well worth a visit to try out The Amberton Beach Bar and Kitchen. Opened in 2019, the Amberton is an ideal place to enjoy a sundowner while watching the sun go down over the Indian Ocean, not forgetting its food offerings. There is a winning combination here – good food, good service and great views.

The Amberton bills itself as family-friendly and it has a small, well-equipped light house themed playground that is ideal for grandkids to enjoy while parents and grandparents can relax in the extensive outdoor seating. Most of the seating takes advantage of spectacular Indian Ocean views, and patrons can get even closer by bagging one of the deckchairs on the patio.

Inside the Amberton, the ocean is still on show from the many windows and different seating arrangements, while the open kitchen gives patrons a view of how their meals are cooked.

We visited on a busy Friday lunchtime and took some time choosing from the men, which features share plates and specials. The Amberton showcases meat from the Melaleuka Farm in North Dandelup. Raw meat products are available to buy in the restaurant or online. Every staff member was very friendly and helpful. Service was quick and unobtrusive.

We were all tempted by the steaks on the specials menu but decided that such a large meal was better kept for later in the day.

My husband and a friend both ordered The Amberton burger ($26). The juicy meat was of course from Melaleuka Farm and the potato bun was filled with bacon, cheddar, red onion, iceberg lettuce and tomato enhanced by sriracha aioli, served with chips and bread and butter pickles – which turned out to be cucumber and onion. Who knew?

Another friend decided on the fish and chips ($28), while I went for three of the tapas-style share plates – Sweet potato fries ($14), Jalapeno poppers ($15) and Cheeseburger spring rolls ($16). The burgers were declared good, and the chips excellent. The fish was ‘good eating’ and ‘I would definitely order that again’ so a thumbs up there.

My sweet potato fries were thin and very crisp. I like sweet potato but often sweet potato fries are disappointingly soggy, but not at the Amberton.

The cheeseburger spring rolls were excellent but the jalapeno poppers were far too spicy-hot for me to eat. My husband, who loves spicy food, couldn’t eat them either. I did mention this to our server, who said she would tell the chef and that I wasn’t the first to complain about the poppers. Portion sizes are good – so good that none of us could manage a dessert, although the Cinnamon charred pineapple and the Honey crème brulee (both $14) were very tempting.

As well as the normal menu, the Amberton offers a Chef’s Journey meal from Monday to Thursday. This five-course degustation costs $69 per person with optional wine pairing at $25.

Any restaurant that puts its bar before its kitchen in its name has to be serious about its beverages. And The Amberton Beach Bar and Kitchen is no exception. It has an extensive beer and cocktail list. Gin lovers are well catered for with no less than 18 gins appearing on the Gintonica menu.

Just a word of warning if you have an older car – the Amberton’s address will not show up on your GPS. Just head for the sea and when you see the giant lighthouse (kid’s park) you are nearly there!

The Amberton Beach Bar and Kitchen

Address: 2 Idyllic View, Eglinton

Phone: 08 9540 3020

Reservations: Yes

Opening hours: Seven days, 11am until late.

Gluten-free options: Yes

Vegetarian options: Yes

Restrooms: Clean and accessible

Parking: Lots of parking close by

Website: www.theambie.com.au

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.