TONIC + GINGER
You'll find something new to worship in this old synagogue.
Dare I say it, Perth is getting spoilt for choice. Our previous review was of Double Rainbow, the loud, colourful, late-night eatery at the Rechabite; the historic Rechabites Hall in Northbridge which has been developed into essentially a multi-storied party – with a rooftop bar, a basement bar, and a theatre venue. This week, we've also got a heritage development on our hands, but it's across the river. The Old Synagogue in Fremantle is the name of a precinct of venues based around – you guessed it – an old synagogue. The people coming up with the names of these places would benefit from a subscription to Merriam-Webster.
Although you'd be forgiven for thinking Tonic + Ginger is a particularly swanky swimwear brand that sells Turkish towels for hundreds of dollars a pop, it's actually a south-east Asian restaurant that cohabits the synagogue and surrounds with various other spots – Mr Chapple, a trendy but casual bar serving pizza, tidy snacks and WA craft beers; the Arbor, a mainly outdoor beer garden spread across three levels, and L'Chaim, an intimate cocktail haunt hidden somewhere underneath everything else. Tonic + Ginger has the good fortune of occupying the actual old synagogue itself, and the space is refined and tasteful with an element of liveliness. The first thing you'll notice are the soaring ceilings, from which hang an assortment of orange and ochre-tinted lamps. I'd hate to be on shift when a lightbulb needs changing. The original brick and stonework from 1902 has been retained, and high arch windows bathe the room in natural light, giving the whole place a cathedral-like air. Terracotta booth seating is offset with azure blue chairs, and big share tables dominate the centre of the floor. There's a mezzanine level as well. Decoration is mainly pottery and wine bottles and some indoor foliage. There's no Double Rainbow graffiti or pop art wall murals or those little countertop cats with swinging paws. It's quite a beautiful space.
The menu is a sprawling affair, listing some 32 dishes separated into "bites", "grazing", "feasting" and "sides". Pretty straightforward. The card is an exciting read, with dishes such as tempura broccoli, wasabi caramel, tofu curd, nori chili dust ($14), lime cured scallop salad, coconut yoghurt, curry oil, crispy garlic ($17), and smoked beets, salted black bean relish, soft kale, crispy potato fleck ($26). Feeling overwhelmed, we opted for the feed me menu option ($54pp with optional duck curry supplement + $4pp). The waiter asked if there was anything we'd particularly like to see come out – a generous sentiment which makes experiencing the “feed me” menu still feel personal. Having said that, we decided to just be surprised.
“It looked dangerous.”
First out was the "firecracker" cauliflower with bang bang sauce, herbs, and chili peanuts ($14 a la carte). It presented as a whole head of veg, liberally doused with a fiery red sauce split with oil and yoghurt, and scattered with herbs. It looked dangerous. "Firecracker" is an apt description – I've never been amazing with heat but I like to think I can generally keep myself together. Not today. The cauliflower was incendiary - absolutely delicious with the spiciness of the bang bang sauce and the coolness of the yoghurt, not to mention the texture of the peanuts and fried onion providing a crunch against the tender cauli flesh – but I felt like Gordon Ramsay on that episode of Hot Ones where he's slurping and spitting out milk like he's doing a horizontal tasting in an enormous hurry. Chili aficionados will love this; non-chili aficionados will love it too, they just won't be able to have a lot of it.
“…exquisitely presented dumplings”
Next up came four exquisitely presented dumplings; pork and garlic chive with coriander mint sambal, and steamed prawn and ginger with house chili relish (both $7 for 2 pieces, a la carte). The dumplings were perfectly formed, plump and soft and resting on their respective accompaniments, adorned with crispy shallots and artfully twined ribbons of chive. The coriander and mint sambal brought bursting freshness to the palate, the house chili relish was similarly delicious but again a little tongue-numbing. Why am I like this? A second glass of Riesling was acquired in an effort to cool the mouth region.
“…gorgeous; soft, warm, flaky and chewy.”
Next, main course – the crispy hapuka in yellow curry with roasted coconut, Asian herbs and pickled chili ($33 a la carte), and the massaman curry with braised ox cheek, shallots and kipfler potatoes ($33 a la carte). The curries came with steamed rice and paratha bread with curry butter ($10 a la carte). Let's start with the bread. It was gorgeous; soft, warm, flaky and chewy. The curry butter, simply dolloped next to the bread so that it began to melt with the bread's warmth, was oozy and salty. Both curries were similarly delicious. The hapuka yellow curry came with the fillet of fish placed in the centre of the plate, surrounded by the yellow sauce like Uluru rising from the desert soil. The curry was coconutty and creamy and thankfully mild. The massaman curry, a globally celebrated dish, was rich, sweet and savoury, with pull-apart meat and flavoursome potatoes. Each dish was scattered with the ubiquitous crispy fried shallots, and proved more than capable of being mopped up with the tasty paratha bread.
“…possibly the highlight of the meal.”
But the fun didn't end there. Dessert constituted a tasting board of sorts, comprised of three separate treats – a luminous blue blueberry meringue topped with a goat's cheese curd; sweet sticky grilled peaches nestled on a cloud of tapioca pudding; and a rich chocolate brownie paired with peanut butter ice-cream and honeycomb. All were equally delicious – possibly the highlight of the meal.
Tonic + Ginger was impressive. The dishes were well-executed, flavourful, and cleanly presented. The menu might seem overwhelming, but you can't go wrong with the "feed me" offering – or come with a group! It's an ideal pick for a long Sunday lunch (perhaps drifting out to the beer garden afterwards), or an intimate Friday night dinner. Tonic + Ginger has brought some sophistication to the bottom end of the Freo strip.