One of my beautiful friends, Miss G, had returned from Melbourne after a whopping 8 years away. It felt like I hadn’t seen her in forever. So when I got an invite from owner Kate Ayris to dine at the new Stix Bar and Restaurant, it seemed like the perfect spot for a welcome home cocktail and dinner, overlooking our beautiful home city. 
You haven’t heard of Stix?! It opened just a few months ago, in an area of Burswood a little off the beaten track. It’s hardly in the sticks though (hehe) – it is found a short walk from Crown – at the base of a swanky apartment building.
Stix has a wonderful view over the Swan River to the Perth city skyline, so I purposely booked an early dinner, so we could enjoy the sunset.
The kitchen is run by Head Chef Francois Morabito who was also once Head Chef at Paris’ two-star Michelin restaurant La Vieille Fontaine. In Perth, I have previously enjoyed his food at Bistro Des Artistes, in Subiaco.
It’s a chic venue, perfect for a pre show or pre dinner drink. A cocktail felt like a fitting choice – the French Martini was absolutely delish and may just be my new favourite!
Miss G chose a nice drop of prosecco.
Kate asked us if we’d like to choose from the menu or to opt for the degustation ($80pp). In the interests of seeing as much as Chef Francois’s menu as possible – the dego made sense and everyone knows I DO enjoy a dego! At Stix, the menu has a lot of French elements, but it also has a very international feel – with Asian, Spanish and many more influences.
We start our feast with three spreads. A smoked tomato butter, whipped pork and a red radish butter were presented beautifully. I particularly savour the whipped pork – of course! Also on the board are organic olives, sourced locally from Moore River and delicate parmesan tuiles, we had freshly baked bread on the side.
The Jamon, draped on delicious tomato bread, is mouth-watering. The Spanish ham has been aged for a whopping 30-months and is full of flavour.
The Carnarvon pink snapper tartare, served with passion fruit and Pemberton finger lime, is as lovely as it looks. The salmon is so fresh and complimented by the sweet and tangy fruity flavours.
Thinly sliced seared beef tataki is very tasty, marinated in rice wine, ginger and chilli. It suddenly dawns on me how fussy G is with food – as I glance over at Miss G and she appears to be enjoying it too. Phew!
Next up is the crispy crust salmon, wrapped in a thin pastry crust, tasty vegetable ratatouille and roasted asparagus. The salmon was a touch overcooked for my liking, but I like it nonetheless and really enjoy the crisp pastry.
A perfectly cooked Peking-style duck breast is brimming with authentic Asian flavours. I love hoisin sauce, which is tossed through the wok fried vegetables.
Onto the sweets and a bowl of fresh strawberries and a refreshing basil sorbet really hits the spot.
There is also a cheese course, but we are really struggling at this point and advise our waiter that we sadly have no room – I’m sure it is very tasty! So instead we finish on the penultimate course – a scrumptious rhubarb éclair.
Thank you to Kate, Francois and their teams for having us for dinner at Stix Bar and Restaurant. We really enjoyed it and I’d absolutely recommend that you try Stix too. It has a warm atmosphere, luxurious interior, great food – full of flavour and technique, decedent drinks and million dollar view.
What beautiful place! I guess I should try that French Martini! 🙂