Come for great charcuterie, pasta and grilled lamb: stay for a brilliant drinks list and a
spirited, free-wheeling atmosphere.
14.5/20
Italian$$
Restaurant, internet cafe, restaurant, restaurant, white 80s-era warehouse,
restaurant, restaurant, car park.
From around the time people started wearing baggy jeans to raves till when the trend resurfaced, the stretch of Roe Street between Chinatown and the William Street lights looked something like the above, give or take the occasional karaoke bar or vegan-friendly ice creamery.
But while many businesses came and went over that quarter-century stretch, there were also some constants. Constants such as the warehouse, even if it was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was supposed to be.
Although this warehouse could have been anything – was it a ho-hum cafe? A
flagging showroom spruiking the glass bricks that beautified its exterior? A precursor to the random-warehouse-as-one-day-a-week-barbecue-lair model that would one day shake up Perth’s dining scene? – one thing it wasn’t was welcoming.
For outsiders trying to look in, the message was clear: if you don’t know, don’t ask. There’s nothing for you here.
Then in late 2014, a Melbourne transplant named John Parker took over the joint, rechristened it as The Standard, and brought contemporary cocktails, a photogenic garden, plus the street cred that comes from working alongside late Victorian bar doyen Vernon Chalker (Gin Palace, Madame Brussels) to a precinct that could have done with some new blood.
The building’s mood ring went from stay out to come in, and a budding hospitality group had its cornerstone.
By the time The Standard turned 10 last year, both Northbridge and the Parker
Group had changed significantly. So much so that the group’s brains trust felt that its first-born needed some attention. Interiors were decluttered, talented artist Peta Roebuck painted a sprawling, multi-wall mural of Haring-esque squiggles that brightened the room, and the kitchen shifted its focus from Asia to Europe: or more specifically, the continent’s sun-kissed Mediterranean nations.
But while the menu touches on France – duck liver parfait toast ($9), say – and
Greece – ace grilled saganaki with burnt honey ($16) that’s squeaky and squishy in all the right places – it’s evident that Italy is the kitchen’s new North Star and, it would seem, a recurring theme within the broader Parker-verse. (Willi’s at The Royal went from wine bar to pizza bar, while Karrinyup’s Dandelion became, at least temporarily, Ciao Dandy.)
So the requisite raw fish is billed as crudo di mare ($21); a salad of radicchio, peeled orange and candied walnuts ($14) is crowned with clouds of finely shaved pecorino cheese; and frilly traffic cones of campanelle pasta ($34) slicked with sugo and the fiery Calabrian salami nduja is typical of the carb-loading options you’ll find on the menu of crowd-pleasing share dishes requiring minimal Googling from end-users.
The thing about la cucina vera, of course, is that it relies on local produce and
producers. On the creaminess of the stracciatella made by La Delizia Latticini to
counter the nduja’s latent spice. On the wheaty pleasures of the sourdough ($4) from Northbridge’s endlessly inspiring Miller and Baker. And on the porky diversity of whichever smallgoods ($24) that gun charcutier Melissa Palinkas of Ethos Deli brings around each week.
Investing in good WA produce isn’t just a marketing ploy: it’s also hugely pragmatic. When you’re feeding a venue that houses 320 from one small kitchen, outsourcing your bread, pasta and cheese production is a wise business move.
Still, it’s not as if all head chef Nicholas Woolard – formerly based in Karratha where he oversaw the Stardeck Group’s hospitality interests including small bar Blanche – does is take things out of containers. As any cook knows, it’s the little details that make or break a meal, whether it’s slicing peppery Ethos mortadella ($16) to order or patiently grilling skewers of lamb rump ($26) over charcoal till the ruffled meat crisps up just-so. Sometimes the power move is as simple as serving things at room temperature rather than fridge cold, or sneaking enough black pepper into the Parmesan butter accompanying sourdough to take it from Pizza Hut garlic bread to Roman trattoria cacio e pepe.
While you could finish with chocolate cremeaux ($14) or a filo-encased Greek
custard ($16), consider examining the cocktail list and seeing what bar manager Phil Firat Senol and co are stirring, shaking or turning into an icy, refreshing concoctions: hi Aperol Slushie! An obsession with drinks-making aside, Firat Senol is equally likeable for his warm, welcoming personality: a compliment that’s also payable to general manager Jessica Cooper and her team that are constantly on the move, running food and drinks and taking orders.
Despite being a big venue – those sitting up on the shipping container deck will no doubt relish the option to order via QR code – The Standard thinks and acts like a small bar. The food offering ticks the boxes for familiar, well-executed and delicious yet never feels like it’s insulting anyone’s intelligence. The drinks list has personality and soul galore.
Like the original, The Standard 2.0 appeals to a diverse crowd and does it all from dinner dates to snacking with friends. It’s a warehouse party, I think, that has something for everyone.
The low-down
Vibe: setting a new standard for big-scale pubs in Northbridge
Go-to dish: campanelle pasta with tomato sugo and stracciatella (nduja add-on optional yet highly recommended)
Drinks: a top-shelf range of imaginative cocktails, wines, beers and non-alcoholic options that’s au fait with current drinks trends
Cost: about $140 for two, excluding drinks
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Max Veenhuyzen is a journalist and photographer who has been writing about food, drink and travel for national and international publications for more than 20 years. He reviews restaurants for the Good Food Guide.
