3 Restaurants that transport you overseas without ever taking off

The power of the palette

Some of my fondest memories are moments in time overseas – immersed in another culture – fattening my senses on incredible food, drink and ambience. Like the sandwich we once ate sitting on bollards in Piazza Della Signoria – the nutty taste of the olive oil that had been slathered onto the fresh ciabatta bread, the juicy buffalo cheese nestled next to the salty jamon -utter momentary Italian perfection.

Such is the power of food. I felt hugged by Florence. Loved by Italy. Started espousing the usual “let’s move here” rhetoric. Such were my emotions captured by the influence of this incredible food.

But it’s not just romantic Italy that has transported me to a feeling of flow. We’ve eaten fish Amok in Cambodia that brought my taste buds to life and made me swear we’d cook Cambodian as a staple for the rest of our lives. We’ve dined on the most incredible Wagyu – like nothing you’ve ever sampled in Australia – in the Wagyu motherland of Japan, where the fat and salt marry and melt in your mouth like butter and you feel like you’d never really understood meat until that mouthful of food hit your lips.

Food is incredible. Taste is such a powerful instigator of emotion. It’s such a privilege to be able to travel and feed this sense in the most holistic and delightful way.

But what do you do when you can’t travel?

Most of us can infact now relate to this, thanks to Covid. Our personal situation however, is slightly different. Slightly more complicated. In that it’s ongoing, has been ongoing for about 4 years, and currently has no end in sight. But that is totally OK.

You see, Rog & I are Carers. To an incredible, light of our life, centre of our heart, little girl. Our daughter is Autistic and non-speaking. She struggles intensely with change and transitions which as you can imagine can make travel almost impossible. Or as in our case, actually impossible. The stress and chaos caused by the extremely unfamiliar simply means we can’t do it.

So after years of being strapped well and truly into the Perth life, we’ve had to get creative and think of other ways to transport ourselves into the lands far far away.

That is, until we are able to travel once again.

And funnily enough, our influence for just how to do this has in fact come from our inspirational girl. Ever the teacher in our lives, she has highlighted just how important and powerful it can be when we pay attention to our senses. And so, with that in mind, over the past couple of years we’ve made a deliberate choice to eat at restaurants that would be a FEAST for our senses. Eateries which, by simply crossing the threshold, would take us out of Perth and into another world of feeling and joy.

And let me tell you, Perth can really deliver on this brief! We have some truly MAGNIFICENT restaurants. It is clear that whoever is behind these establishments, believes with their heart and soul in the experience they are creating. They want you to be fully immersed in your time there, paying attention to all the details – big and small – that can add a sense of adventure and a cross-continent sensation.

3 of Perth’s top teleporting restaurants

1. Nippon Bar & Kitchen – Japan

An unassuming CBD restaurant often full of mid-day punters, this restaurant was a real surprise to us. Having lived in Japan we are not gentle critics on attempts to deliver the cuisine in Perth, but we can happily say Nippon Bar & Kitchen do an excellent job of taking us right back to our time in the snow.

From the cold pint glasses to serve the Sapporo (an absolute MUST in Japan), to the delectably fresh sashimi, everything has an intense and authentic flavour. The tempura batter is floaty and the wagyu tataki is thin and DELICOUS.

2. La Bastide – France

My 39th birthday lunch spot. It’s a true nod to classic French bistro dining. The artwork and décor are sublime, I squealed as we arrived  – J’adore everything French cuisine! What monster doesn’t love cheese, butter, baguette, rich and creamy food…it’s a recipe for digestive disaster and culinary treasures!

Some of our favourites for the true French connection included, Pâté (Mousse de canard maison), the bread and salty butter (literally- it’s that good), the steak tartare and the phenomenal (highest score given by Rob Broadfield in 2022) praise winning duck. This is duck like no other – soft, supple and oh so very juicy. It is what duck should be, is meant to be. And it made me swoon.

3. Lions & Tigers – India

Now admittedly, I haven’t actually visited India yet. Much to our heartbreak, we are in fact not able to attend my brother’s wedding at the end of this year which is happening in India (he is marrying an incredible woman from Mumbai who we adore).

So, until we are able to get over to this beautiful land, we are visiting Lions & Tigers in Fremantle to get our introductory immersion fix. We love it so much that Rog recently had his 40th dinner with the lads there.

The Sourdough Naan with whipped ghee (drool), kingfish ceviche with coconut and, burrata with roasted grapes and lotus chips are just some of the flavoursome feasts you can expect to whisk you away when dining here.