Bask in la belle époque at Balthazar

There are certain moments in life where you just want time to stand still, like the instant when you look into the eyes of your beloved for the first time, walking down the aisle on your wedding day or, celebrating the birth of your child. These are the moments that go deep into your heart and leave you forever altered in a marvellous way.

Balthazar is one Perth wine bar that is known to have this effect on people. Open for about ten years, it’s one of those places that doesn’t advertise, is rarely written about, but that everyone knows is one of the most memorable dining spots in town. Housed in the historic Lawson Building, this Howard Street legend beckons only the most discerning crowd.

Walking into Balthazar is reminiscent of a French-style bistro from the early 1900s. Dark chocolate furnishings, rustic taverna-style chairs, red silk lampshades hung upside down and art-nouveau wall paper adorns the walls. The owners of this establishment are clearly serious about their wine. It is estimated that Balthazar plays home to about 500 bottles which are displayed throughout the restaurant. This allegiance is testament to the name of the restaurant – Balthazar is another word for wine cellar.

The atmosphere at Balthazar is sultry and sophisticated helped in part by the mood lighting which seems to flicker like candles in a darkened room and the strains of jazz piano and Ella Fitzgerald singing the blues. My elegant finance-guy and I are die-hard romantics and Europhiles so this restaurant was right up our alley. Balthazar made me reminisce about times I had spent in Paris and trips made to the market in the south of France on my bicycle. It reminded me of how important it is to relish the simple pleasures in life.

To start we ordered the tasting plate – a medley of dates stuffed with foie-gras and wrapped in crispy prosciutto, beetroot tart with crème fraiche, rabbit and pork terrine with pistachio nuts. These morsels were sublime. The freshness of the ingredients and the delicate flavours of each perfectly presented parcel titillated our palates in anticipation of what was to come. A mango sorbet in between courses was the perfect refresher. We closed our eyes and moaned with pleasure at the sweet reprieve of the chilled mango in our mouths.

For our mains, it was unanimous - duck breast with cherry mustard, duck leg crepe and madeira sauce came highly recommended by our charming server Patrick. His suggestion of the smoked Amelia Park beef, celeriac, blue cheese and peppered popcorn was equally right on the money. Perfectly cooked the duck breast was plump and pink, fanned out on the plate. The duck leg crepe was slightly crispy and richly flavoured by the madeira velouté. The beef was succulent and contrasted beautifully with the crunch and spice of the peppered popcorn and celeriac mash.

Balthazar presents a chic Bohemian mystique evocative of la belle époque where poets such as Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Toulouse Lautrec, also known as the so called “gentlemen of the Moulin Rouge” got sloshed on absinthe and used it as a means of persuasion.

Absinthe is a drink derived from the Artemisia Absentium plant and other spices such as liquorice. Coined the “the green fairy” by poet Rimbaud, it is said to be capable of evoking vitalizing effects with sexually enhancing aphrodisiac charges enjoyed by Bohemian drinkers in the 1800s.

I will definitely be going back to Balthazar and recommend they put some of that magic love potion on their menu. Personally, I didn’t need the help of a magic potion on my date, but just in case in you need a Plan B here’s one of my favourite absinthe cocktail recipes:

Surprise Sex

1/2 measure absinthe

2 measure apple schnapps

1 measure sambuca

1 measure bacardi

1/2 measure vodka

To taste apple juice

Add ingredients to a shaker, add apple juice to match personal taste. Stir and serve.

Passion Rating★★★★★
Food:★★★★☆
Service:★★★★★
Ambiance:★★★★★
Overall:★★★★☆