TINY'S

Over the past few months, the ATE. team has focussed its attention primarily on relatively recent openings; new venues that (rightly so) have generated a bit of buzz. It's hard not to be excited by these places – with every initial menu drawn up, every first night of service, and every premiere bottle of wine uncorked, Perth further shakes off its "Dullsville" mantle. And it may not feel like it, but it's been happening for a while. I daresay that, compared to five years ago, this sleepy city has invigorated its wining and dining landscape in leaps and bounds. In a conversation some time ago on the merits of Perth's culture, a friend once made the comment that if you really want a certain type of experience in Perth, you can more or less get it. And I agree. He was obviously not talking in absolutes; you can't go skiing in Perth. You can't gaze upon centuries old buildings and you can't eat at a Michelin starred restaurant. But if you want a particular vibe, you can find it, somewhere. We may not have as many wine bars as Melbourne, say, but we have wine bars. We might not have as many nightclubs as Sydney, but we have nightclubs (and you can get in past 1am). Perth is more than okay.

This is not a review of Perth as a city, of course. Nor are we sponsored by Tourism WA, although that would be extremely cool and help us feel more fiscally responsible each time we decide that obviously we need a cheese plate at the end of a four-course meal. The point I'm trying to make is that, so far, we've tried to write about the newest Perth eateries because we're excited about them and we think you should be to, because they're putting Perth on the map. But to focus only on the new is to do an injustice to many established restaurants and bars that have been assiduously providing memorable experiences to locals for years. And although in relative terms Tiny's is pretty new – it opened at the end of April last year – in a city where venues seem to come and go like the Freo Doctor, it's already somewhat of a veteran.

Tiny's is a big offering from Paul Aron and Michael Forde, perhaps Perth's busiest restaurateurs whose greatest hits compilation boasts venues such as Panama Social, the various Mary Street Bakery iterations, El Publico, Cantina 663 (R.I.P.) and for those old enough to remember, Greenhouse, the CBD stomping ground of Perth's original rock star chef, Matt Stone. The Tiny's space, located at the bottom of the QV1 building, includes a semi-alfresco area and a liquor emporium, and is both an appealing bar and a restaurant focussing on modern Australian/European cuisine often touched by the flames of the wood grill or rotisserie oven.

The interiors give off a bit of a '60s vibe – all wood and lacquer and a feature wall adorned with what appears to be the largest quilt a grandma has ever knitted. Oddly, Tiny's manages to be cosy and airy at the same time. The semi-alfresco area is crowned by a huge black turbine fan which, even if it might not move fast enough to actually aerate the space, looks like it was taken from some sort of large hovercraft. I've added it to the list of things I really want for when I build my own house.

‘…chili heat that kicks like a horse’

The menu, despite being designed in a way which makes it seem like it comes from an early 2000s PC game set in Sherwood Forest, is stacked full of interesting sounding dishes with beguiling ingredients. A starter, house sourdough flatbread with whipped cheese and togaroshi ($9 + 3 for the whipped cheese) was dense and beautifully charred, although there is more cheese in a conversation between a group of dads than in the little mound of pale spread that came on the side of the plate. The togaroshi, fulfilling the role of a herbed salt, perhaps, or a dukkah, is the sort of thing that you'll either love or hate – but even if it's the latter, the bread is that good that you won't really care. Eggplant 'sticks' with za'atar, honey and marjoram ($9 each) are on the expensive side for the serving size but are appropriately moist fingers of skewered eggplant, big on caramelly flavours with the marjoram providing intriguing woody notes. Delicious, although when the honey and za'atar glaze is that good, it's almost criminal that the sticks don't come with twice as much of it. Grilled Fremantle octopus ($19) is given a Mediterranean flair with sofrito, zucchini and chickpeas and whilst the octopus is smoky and succulent and not a bit overcooked, the sofrito feels a little off-balance with a chili heat that kicks like a horse. An ambitious mouthful had me reaching for my water with tears in my eyes

The real MVP at Tiny's is the rotisserie Lilydale chicken, which is wet and dry-brined and hung in a humidifier over a two-day period, served with bread sauce flecked with n'duja, fat-dripping potatoes and green leaves pimped with parmesan and dill. Not only is this dish outstanding value ($30 for a half-chicken, $52 for a whole, sides included), it is quite frankly, shockingly tasty. If you usually refrain from ordering chicken at restaurants in fear of receiving something dry and overcooked, prepared to be astounded. The chicken skin is crisp, the flesh soft and juicy and tender as hell, the bread sauce creamy with the n'duja giving off a subtle spice. The potatoes are crisp and you'll welcome the crunch and freshness of the lettuce to counteract the softness and richness of the chicken and sauce. Who would have thought a little sprinkling of dill and parmy would lift the humble lettuce leaf to such great culinary heights. Every element of this dish is brilliant, and with a half-chicken easily serving two or three as part of a shared meal, it's little wonder this bird made the West's top 20 best dishes in Perth for 2019.

‘…it is quite frankly, shockingly tasty.’

Although we probably didn't need another side, we couldn't help but fall for the wood-grilled leeks with spring onion, lemon balm and harissa ($13), a dish which, if wood grilling was an Olympic sport, would be receiving a podium finish. The leeks, mainly cut in the round, are robust enough to take the heat of the grill and come out the other side with char and deep flavour – but it's the somewhat spicy, somewhat tangy combination of the lemon balm and harissa that really propels this plate into mouth-watering territory – the difference in impressiveness between Olympic pole-vaulting and Olympic pole-vaulting where the high bar is on fire.

It's a shame that we're limited by the capacity of the human stomach (and the fact that Tourism WA refuses to come through) because there are so many cool-sounding dishes on the menu at Tiny's, including the desserts, which we were forced to forgo. In terms of the beverage situation, it is enough to say that the presence of the onsite liquor emporium ensures interesting wine and beer choices, and that one of the bartenders, Emma Crisp, has won national and state awards; presumably not because she's been making nothing but mimosas during her time. You're in good hands. If you've yet to visit, you're running out of excuses; a year out, Tiny's continues to deliver great service and excellently-executed, engaging food in a sleek space. For that, we owe it a big thanks.