Perth Voice Interactive

THE Windsor finally has some competition.

The iconic South Perth hotel has had a monopoly on the pub-lunch market for years with locals forced to jump on the ferry into the city to find another casual watering hole.

With the arrival of The Station, that’s all changed.

Situated in the old heritage-listed 1908 South Perth Police Station and Quarters, the venue is a stunning mix of period features and sympathetic modern touches (the curved overhang is gorgeous).

Originally a two-cell station with living quarters for the constable and his family – he got around the suburb on his trusty bike – it remained in operation until 2002.

The Station has two venues – the pub/leafy alfresco on the ground floor and the restaurant Ludo in the basement, which specialises in “nouveau European” cuisine.

During the super-hot Easter holidays, I took the family there for a casual lunch.

The gorgeous alfresco was bursting at the seams with a mix of sweaty families exiting the zoo, local business folk (you can spot a realtor a mile off) and nuclear families like us.

There wasn’t a spot to be had in the beer garden, but there was plenty inside and we managed to secure a table in a glass patio just shy of the alfresco, providing the best of both worlds.

The bar menu had a nice mix of share plates, mains, from the grill, burgers, pizzas and salads.

All the bases were covered and if you wanted to go full caveman there was a wagyu burger or rib eye on the bone (350g) or if you fancied something more sophisticated there was Duck Confit and Kingfish Crudo. There was also a kids menu with all the old favourites like fish and chips, Margherita pizza, pasta and chicken strips.

Overall, it was a nicely balanced pub-style menu with some up-market surprises.

I ordered at the outside bar and the service was extremely friendly with plenty of smiles and chat from the young lady behind the beer pumps. Positioned on a corner, there was a lovely breeze sweeping through the alfresco, providing cool relief for punters during an unusually hot Easter. 

It wasn’t long before the waiter arrived with my Panko Crusted Pork Cutlet ($30).

It was a huge serve with two giant slices of pork (one still on the bone).

Pork is notoriously hard to cook because of its low fat content (it easily dries out) but this was spot on with tender, succulent meat.

I’m not usually a fan of panko coating, but this was a light and tasty incarnation that didn’t leave a greasy trail on your chin.

The pork was served with sautéed red cabbage, rustic Belgian-style frites and a dainty pot of mushroom gravy.

The cabbage was en pointe and the skin-on fries were delicious.

The mushroom gravy was good quality but it was more of a jus, and when you poured it over the cutlets it got soaked up by the panko breadcrumbs and the flavour seemed to get lost.

A thicker traditional-style gravy might have been better, as towards the end the meal was getting a bit monotonous and I needed more sauce. That aside, it was a top dish and very enjoyable.

Across the table my wife “Special K” was tucking into her Lamb Pappardelle ($32).

I was salivating just looking at this one – mounds of slow cooked lamb mingling with fresh pappardelle and pecorino cheese.

“Wow, I’m getting that full rich flavour you only get with slow-cooked meat,” noted my wife.

“It’s a comfort-food classic but also feels slightly refined with high quality ingredients.

“It’s a huge serve and I’m struggling to finish it. This will be a favourite with locals come winter. Top notch.”

My young kids, Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles, rounded off the meal by sharing an adult Margherita pizza ($22) and a side of Rustic Fries ($11).

Hats off to The Station waiter, who told us the first pizza they made for our kids was burnt, so they offered us some free soft drinks while we waited for another to be made.

It wasn’t long before the new one was on the table – a huge Margherita topped with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and sugo di pomodoro.

We needn’t have bothered with the fries as the kids struggled to finish the delicious pizza.

It was a great lunch with the venue, service and food all getting top marks. 

The Station is owned by the same folk who redeveloped The Old Synagogue in Fremantle into a highly successful multi-venue hospitality site, so they know what they are doing.

The Station
1 Mends St, South Perth
thestationsouthperth.com.au

by STEPHEN POLLOCK