With a subtly elegant exterior, and an urbane interior throughout,
The Bonsai Restaurant and Café Lounge is a classy addition to Roe Street, Northbridge - a distinct contrast from the cheap and cheerful eateries that cluster close within the Chinatown precinct.
The menu is contemporary Japanese cuisine stylishly plated and delightfully delicious. Simple ingredients are transformed into taste sensations and curiousity offers surprising rewards to the adventurous palate.
While the dishes are on the small side – served tapas-like, you are encouraged to order several per person – the multitude of choices does manage to work well together, with no jarring notes to take away from the overall enjoyment of the meal. Main courses can be chosen as well, and all are served in beautifully finished Japanese stoneware.
A few standouts of our evening's meal were the tahini tomatoes – punchy with a tangy sauce; the agedashi tofu and just for fun, the tokoyaki octopus.
A well lit glass cabinet touting desserts tempted two of us and I indulged in a small crème brulee done almost in the style of a crèma catalana – one of the great joys of dining is breaking
through that sugar set caramalised topper.
The Bonsai is walking distance from the Perth Train Station and the State Theatre, with ample parking at the City of Perth parking station further up Roe Street (don't try to park at the Wilson Parking closer to the restaurant – it's practically piracy).
