LOCATIONAt the end of the boardwalk at Hillarys Boat Harbour, Sorrento Quay, 15 minutes’ drive north of Perth city.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIACalling all carnivores! One of Perth’s most interesting and unique restaurants has recently moved to its new waterfront venue at Hillarys Boat Harbour, and is causing quite a bit of excitement among meat-lovers. Hippo Creek African Grill (previously located on West Coast Highway in Scarborough) has traded in its kitsch grass huts and lion’s den lighting for a primo spot on the boardwalk overlooking luxury watercraft. Not quite a typical African setting, but it’s a refreshing change nonetheless. The new restaurant is light and airy with a lovely alfresco area where passers-by can gawk at the size of the steak on your plate. Hippo Creek is primarily about perfectly grilled meats, African cuisine and other creations you are very unlikely to find elsewhere.
Take the “African safari” tasting plate for instance. This entree features tasty skewers of crocodile, buffalo, camel and ostrich, which all seem adventurous yet definitely edible. Then there’s the “monkey gland” and peri-peri sauce that comes with the skewers. I had to re-read the menu three times just to confirm it wasn’t a misprint before a waitress assured me it wasn’t real monkey glands, just a bit of literary fun. Phew. Moving on to the selection of mains, there’s a range of best-quality steaks ranging in weight from 150g to a whopping 1kg T-bone! If that’s not enough protein for you, then check out the “lion’s kill” (steak and ribs) or the visually impressive and very tasty “hunter’s assagai”. This is one of those dishes that grabs the attention of everyone seated in the restaurant. Imagine 500g of marinated and flame-grilled beef on a skewer dangling over fries with a great knob of garlic or peri-peri butter melting over the top of it all. Definitely worthy of roars all round!
Karen Bilsby