Perth Voice Interactive

WHEN I perused the menu at the Como Hotel and saw the “Doggies” section, I had a flashback to Trump’s bizarre rant about Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating pets.

Thankfully the Como isn’t serving up Poodle Parmis, Bulldog Burgers or Loaded Chihuahua Fries, it’s actually providing free dog snacks and bowls of water for customers’ pooches.

It was a lovely touch, and a mum and daughter sitting next to me took advantage of the offer to get “Trixiebell” some bone-shaped treats.

But I wasn’t here for dog biscuits or tins of Chum, I wanted to sample the human menu, which had a nice range of share plates, pub classics, from the grill, and desserts.

All the old favourites were covered with steak sandwich, burgers, and fish and chips, as well as some nice flourishes like Seafood Pie, Lemon thyme half chicken, zucchini chips, and pumpkin and feta pizza.

There were daily specials like ratatouille pie and truffle polenta bites, lots of mid-week offers, and a kids menu with $12 dishes.

All in all, plenty to choose from and something for everyone, even your beloved Butch.

On a Tuesday lunchtime during the school holidays the place was surprisingly quiet with only a handful of pensioners at various tables and the odd tradie nursing a pint.

Maybe a lot of folk were on holiday or interest rates were hammering their wallets, as after the Como had a multi-million dollar facelift in 2020, it was bursting at the seams.

The hotel courtyard is still a delightful place to enjoy an alfresco meal with plenty of shade from the trees, palms and art deco architecture.

After ordering via the QR code – how long before it’s just robots delivering food and humans are completely removed from the ordering process? – my wife “Special K” was tucking into her halloumi and red pepper salad ($24).

“It’s a delicious salad with the smoky charred zucchini and eggplant offseting the creamy halloumi,” she noted.

“There’s plenty of fresh greens, with the red pepper adding a sweetness, and the pine nuts give it some texture.

“It’s great value – there’s lots of it with high-quality ingredients. Sometimes after a salad, I’m still hungry, but this is filling.”

Across the table my young kids were getting hoed into their cheeseburger and chips ($12 from the childrens menu).

With two sliders and a good portion of chunky fries, it was well priced. I had a sneaky taste and the chips were some of the best I’ve had at a hotel – super crunchy, perfect seasoning and fluffy in the middle.

The cheeseburgers were good quality and it was a massive serve – my kids struggled to finish them (maybe one slightly larger burger would have been better and less bread).

I was busy tucking into my delicious marinated Fremantle Octopus ($21).

I’ve had my fair share of tough octopus in pubs, but this was en pointe with several large tender chunks and a gorgeous romesco sauce that was well balanced and not too rich. A delicious share plate.

The beef souvlaki skewers (four for $18) were also good value and had a lovely smoky chargrilled tang.

My wife thought they were slightly over, but the meat was high quality and I enjoyed dunking them in the refreshing tzatziki. Again a big serve and I ended up taking two skewers home in a doggie bag (yes, dogs again).

The service was quick and efficient, although the young boy serving had all the joie de vivre of a wet tea towel and sounded like Shaggy from Scooby Doo on sedatives.

We had a great meal at the Como Hotel and next time we might even bring along “Big Bonzer”, our delightful slobbering St Bernard.

Como Hotel
241 Canning Highway, Como
comohotel.com.au
9367 6666

by STEPHEN POLLOCK