399

Who doesn’t love a bar that opens before noon, especially if it’s peddling a Bloody Mary as fine as Bar399’s (on weekends and public holidays, it gets bundled with a heart-starting fry-up as part of the restorative $20 Bloody Breakfast). It seems we’re not alone in our admiration, either. At full flight, this thin skylight-lit room presents as a cross section of Northbridge’s eclectic population. Some, admittedly, come to refuel on tapas-like bites – Scotch quail eggs, say, or marinated local occy – but it’s undoubtedly the grog that packs ‘em in. While beer and wine offerings are broken down on the blackboard, ordering cocktails is a team effort involving you, your bartender and 399’s seriously impressive alphabet of booze: you say what you’re feeling, they pitch some ideas at you, repeat until an agreement has been reached. Bar room negotiations might yield the likes of a pert Hemingway that strikes the perfect balance between sweet and sour. Or how about a refreshing, meticulously built Tom Collins, an ideal tonic for Perth’s balmy summer’s nights? Reflecting the pommy roots of owner Gary Beadle, gin is a strong suit and staff will gladly suggest the juniper-laced spirit best suited to your libation. Seven day trading from morning to night means Bar399 really is your oyster – shucker-about-town Jerry Fraser regularly flips the lid on bivalves here – but for ours, this inner-city joint is best appreciated on a lazy (weekend) afternoon.