Three score years and ten – a biblical achievement; lawyers, tailors and chefs; Roy – a thing of beauty and a joy forever; revelry at Reveley; ferry to South Perth, lunch at Annalakshmi and all that jazz at Ellington’s; reprise of Facebook party pics, complete with cake and candles
Depending on how many spouses you accumulate in the course of a lifetime, it’s not often that your man turns 70. So now, with Roy achieving the biblical three score years and ten, it behooved me to push the boat out a bit – or at least as far as was reasonable in these travel-restricted times.
City rats vs beach bunnies
Why a Perth city break ? Surely Verne and Roy are sick of the place after languishing here for a straight 15 months?
No, we aren’t – and the reason is that we don’t live in the city; Iluka is about 30km north of Perth CBD. And while the efficient train service, together with good (if busy) motorways, make it fairly easy to get into town, it’s less convenient getting back after dinner and drinks.
To add an element of fun, I plotted our city break secretly. After Roy had opened his gifts*: tickets to Brisbane, a new phone and an Art Deco-style lamp (pictured below) – I told him to pack a bag for two nights.
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*Before anyone else rudely points it out, I confess that all three gifts were equally gifts to myself. One, I’ll be flying to Brisbane with Roy. Two, the new phone is to get him to acquire an Aussie number so that I no longer have to field all his local calls on my phone. And three, the lamp is for the entrance hall in our new house.
Just to be clear, I’m not complaining about not living in the city. Iluka is a great neighbourhood in many respects, boasting not only two of our children and our three (so far) grandchildren, but these marvellous beaches:
Lawyers, tailor, chef
I drove us into town and found a lucky spot in the City of Perth Parking lot at 165 Terrace Road, close to Elizabeth Quay. We’ll be having lunch at Petition Kitchen, I told my husband.
It was a ten-minute walk to the CBD through Government Gardens, passing this little architectural treasure: originally a courthouse, and today the oldest building in Perth. Having served a multitude of purposes since it was built in 1836, it’s now a museum, and home to the Law Society of WA.
Having half an hour to spare meant we could walk to InStichu – Carl’s (and now apparently Roy’s) tailor – at 200 St George’s Terrace, to pick up Roy’s new jacket. An unstructured little number, it is nevertheless splendid, especially set off by both the Panama hat and the lilac shirt. My husband is, you’ll agree, a thing of beauty and a joy forever.
Lunch at Petition Kitchen
Blaire and our son-in-law Colin joined us at the old Treasury Building for lunch at Petition Kitchen, Though the menu looks limited, it works well. As you’ll see if you click on the link, it’s divided into Small, Light, Comestible (weird – that just means edible, which should apply to the entire menu, right?), Substantial, and Sides.
Blaire had the yellowtail kingfish ceviche with green coconut, pickled turnip and kale ($24, a light option); Colin the braised beef cheeks on spiced swede and curry leaf ($39, substantial); Roy the beef tartare ($22, light), and I the ricotta fritters with salsa verde and parmesan ($16, small).
We shared a big portion of the addictive broccoli and mixed grain salad (comestible, 10/18), another of the local mushrooms, Jerusalem artichokes and za’atar ($18, comestible), and a sinful side of rosemary potatoes, confit garlic and sage ($9). Afterwards, affogatos all round.
Checking In
Replete with lunch, I walked Roy down to Battery Square, found the Waterfront Doubletree Hilton and told him we’d be booking in for two nights. The hotel has no parking of its own, and no valet service, either; our public parking at 165 Terrace Road was only a couple of hundred metres from the front door – so, not too bad.
Roy and I had an outstanding lunch at three-level restaurant and bar complex Reveley (pictured above) a few weeks ago – including the best octopus ever. It’s also where son Carl celebrated his 40th birthday a couple of years ago. And remember that earlier photo of Perth’s oldest building? – interestingly, according to the plaque, it was designed by civil engineer H. E. Reveley, and stood close to the foreshore.
Little Ferry Twilight Cruise
Having been deliberately misled by his nearest and dearest, and having guessed from the paraphernalia I’d brought that a picnic was afoot, Roy was relieved to find out that said picnic would be enjoyed on the Little Ferry’s Twilight Cruise – and that the family would be joining us for it.
This cute vessel departs from its Elizabeth Quay berth at 6pm and returns two hours later. It also offers daytime cruises, which anyone can join (up to a maximum of 11 people plus the captain) for a set route that includes On the Point, Optus Stadium and Claisebrook Cove.
For the two-hour twilight cruise (6pm to 8pm), you have to charter the whole boat. ($348 for a minimum of six people, and $59 for each additional soul.) They provide plates, drinking utensils, paper napkins, water, glasses and ice.
Bob the skipper was good with the grandgirls, giving them each several turns at the wheel. These pics are deceptive – sunset being around 5.30pm at the moment, it was dark when they were taken, but my clever little compact Canon is able to suck up more light than actually exists.
After more gift-opening, Granddad was surprised with a second birthday cake. (See the first one in the postscript, below.) You have to be really, really old to get two birthday cakes for one birthday!
Having waved goodbye to children and grandchildren, we sat on a bench overlooking the water and discreetly finished off the last of the Mumm. And as 8.30pm is too early a bedtime for even a septuagenarian, we had another drink at our hotel’s 18 Knots rooftop bar, before they shooed us off at 10pm, closing time.
Ferry to South Perth
Another beautiful morning! Our room looked straight across the river to South Perth, a crossing regularly plied by a fleet of ferries that leave from Elizabeth Quay. A modest $3.40 gets you a return trip.
After coffee at Mister Walker, we strolled around South Perth – which doesn’t take long. Coco’s is where I joined Anna, Deb and friends for the Melbourne Cup lunch last year; next to it is Rambla, where I’ll be meeting friends for a late lunch next Saturday. Now I know the best way to get there: train from Currambine to Elizabeth Quay, ferry to South Perth!
Annalakshmi again
Lunch was a thali feast at Annalakshmi, conveniently located on EQ and close to the hotel. (I reviewed this vegetarian Indian restaurant in January 2019, see here.)
Thanks to the epidemic, it no longer does a buffet – now it’s a fixed-price $15 for the generous and delicious thali: two types of basmati rice, soup, yummy yellow dhal, two veg curries (one brinjal, the other potato-based), papadum, roti and a sinful gulab jamun for dessert. Plus a $5 mango lassi to share. What a carb-fest!
(Annalakshmi is supported by volunteers and donors, and all proceeds go to charity. A similar institution by the same name operates in Singapore, and is equally good.)
All that jazz – Ellington Jazz Club
For our second and final evening – a Friday – I’d booked table seats at Ellington Jazz Club. (The alternative is bar seating, but you have to book either way.)
The club is located at 191 Beaufort Street, a 20-minute walk from the hotel straight up Barrack Street to the inner city suburb of Northbridge. It was a one-night only show by jazz vocalist Chris McNulty – an Aussie who worked in New York for 25 years or more before returning home to Melbourne.
Waking up to cloudy skies and cooler weather the next morning made it much easier to say goodbye to Elizabeth Quay, load up the Volvo and take the northern freeway home to Iluka. (Not before a spot of shopping at Zara, of course.)
Postscript – Facebook repeat
The previous Saturday, a few days before Roy’s actual birthday, we’d hosted a party of 20 grownups plus grandchildren at home. Here’s my Facebook post and pics, for those who didn’t see it:
We celebrated Roy’s 70th birthday this past Saturday at home with son Carl, Carrie, Mia and Holly; daughter Blaire, Colin and grandson Sam; plus various good friends: Kim (Lynn sent love from Singapore), Christa, Wendy and John, Marina and Howard, Sue and Russell, Dario and Susie, and Blaine and Debbie.Daughter Wendy, though stuck in France, was here in spirit.
Surf ‘n turf on the menu, including fresh oysters, salmon, crayfish caught off Fremantle (not by us, no), beef fillet with mushroom sauce, asparagus, salad, and double-baked potatoes and sour cream. And cake. Sam, who helped his granddad blow out the candles, takes the business of cake very, very seriously. Thanks for manning the barbie, Carl, and thank you Carrie for discreetly managing the oven while I.. well… didn’t.
Roy, looking fantastic at 70! Sending our love from Sunny S’pore!
Thanks, Salinah and Paul! We miss you. Verne and Roy xx