PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAIf it wasn’t for the bold red and grey decor of Bar 138 on Barrack, you might miss it. Tucked behind the heritage-listed Railway Hotel facade on the ground floor of Medina Executive Apartments, the red lounges inside this simply decorated venue do their job by catching the eye. In a similar style to funky day/night hotspots on Melbourne’s Greville Street, everything about this place points towards a bar yet the food is surprisingly good.
In addition to a full breakfast menu, simple pub grub with a twist reveals the chef’s time spent in Kuala Lumpur with green chicken curry, Asian fish cakes and chicken satay sticks. Pub classics such as fish and chips, steak sandwiches and the “138 chicken burger” all arrive in gigantic portions with enough fries to feed Perth’s entire seagull population. Although you may be thinking “quantity rather than quality”, do not be mistaken – this food has been made with as much care as any classy restaurant yet you get to enjoy it without the snootiness. A word of advice: if you’re into judging a place by its table settings and restaurant charm, then go somewhere else or arrive after dark when the interior lighting puts Bar 138 at its visual best.
Karen Bilsby-Butler, May 2007
