DECO-DENCE

Perth’s Balthazar might be a restaurant with oldschool ideals, but this polished dining room also has an eye on the now.

- MAX VEENHUYZEN

Spoiler alert: you’re going to enjoy yourself at Balthazar. Or at least you will if making reservations and à la carte dining is your idea of fun. In other words: all the things we used to do at restaurants before tasting menus and small plates (“the kitchen will send food as it’s ready”) took over the dining landscape. Not that dégustations and food-slinging wine bars are bad things, of course. But in an era where establishments often expect guests to fit into their system, finding operators that go the other way can feel novel. Restaurant-craft, however, is nothing new at Balthazar.