Perth Voice Interactive

“MANATON. Manaton!” a French mate repeated with growing frustration some years ago. He’d been talking about the music group Manhattan Transfer, but ever since I’ve thought of that swampy island city as Manaton.

So here I was at Manaton’s on Hay, an unprepossessing eatery getting good reviews on social media and smiling at the memory.

The place was pumping, with a number of punters grabbing take-away, and quite a lot of construction workers coming and going.

The young flouro-clad lads staying seemed to be chowing down on the Manhattan “man” burger ($14.90), a man-sized monster, so big a skewer was needed to stop the slabs of meat sliding to the table.

Ravenous, my friend and I gave in to the temptation of a large bowl of chips as an entree ($5).

“Golden and crispy in a pretty wicker basket, tasty and spicy…with just enough small crunchy ones to not have to fight,” he waxed lyrically, as we swarmed like a pair of starving seagulls.

Manhattan’s on Hay is a far cry from fine dining, or even a trendy cafe/eatery, but the food was great — basic, but great: think more pre-trendy Meapacking District and less Fifth Avenue.

The service was fantastic, the guy behind the counter buzzing with efficiency, dealing with a flood of customers, his beaming smile never slipping.

As well as the burgers there’s an Asian menu which we both went for, a green chicken curry for my friend and a seafood laksa for me (both $11.90).

“The chicken is amazingly tender, and the broccoli actually tastes like a vegetable,” was the verdict.

“And I liked the portion size, not too big and not too small.”

My laksa, a mix of thick egg noodles and fine rice ones, was great, rich and oily, with a chilli kick.

The pleasant seafood flavour, which didn’t overwhelm, came from the sauce, as there wasn’t a lot of actual seafood in the mix.

Manhattan’s on Hay doesn’t pretend to be anything but what it is, a down-to-earth eatery for the varied mix of city workers heading in for a lunch. And every big city needs a place like that.

by JENNY D’ANGER

Manhattan’s on Hay
230 Hay Street, Perth
open 7 days 7.30am–2.30pm,
and for dinner |9202 1112