Kitsch

LOCATION
A few minutes walk from Leederville Train station, a five-minute drive from Perth CBD.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
After representing Perth on one of television’s first reality cooking shows (My Restaurant Rules), Iain Lawless became a household name and has since maintained a high profile for his many achievements. Keen followers of this talented chef may have had to look a little harder to find him over the past few years but the search is officially over. When Kitsch Bar opened in Leederville earlier this year, it became obvious what Iain has been up to. This super groovy little addition to the Leederville dining scene is an eclectic mix of authentic Asian cuisine and eye-catching surroundings with a twist.

The twist is a ladder which doubles as a chair and little polished concrete tables that are often confused for seats. Not the most comfortable seating arrangements, but the food definitely makes up for them. Basing his cuisine on the night markets and street stalls of Thailand, Malaysia, China and Singapore, Iain has created a menu with flavours that would make anyone from these countries homesick. The sesame prawn toast and steamed pork dumplings are great for starters, as is the cup of laksa with chicken meatballs, tapioca and Chinese doughnut. On the more substantial side of things, the chaing mail larb is an interesting yet successful flavour combination of smoked trout, pork and more, but the roasted gai yang (chicken) with jiew dipping sauce has to be one of Kitsch Bar’s best dishes. You may also want to sample the coconut mussel pancake or the tom yum with steamed crab custard if you like your food hot. Some of the ingredient and flavour combinations may not be distinctly traditional but there’s no argument that most of them work. It may have been a long time between drinks for Iain, but Kitsch Bar proves he never lost his thirst!

Karen Bilsby