Long lunches with a view are returning to the South Perth foreshore, with the Meat & Wine Co revealed as the tenants for the old Coco’s site.
The restaurant, on the corner of Mends Street and the South Perth Esplanade, served Western Australia’s business and social scene for more than three decades, and became known as much for its clientele as its menu over the years.
Rene Rivkin and Alan Bond were among the more colourful characters to dine at the riverside venue, while the city’s mining executives regularly took up tables for lengthy meals where big deals were thrashed out – complete with plenty of wine.
Now, a new era of power-lunching has dawned, as Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group – which also counts Hunter & Barrel, Ribs & Burgers 6HEAD among its stable – looks to make an impression in South Perth when the restaurant opens in December.
WA state manager Laurie Thorpe said the company had its brands spread throughout Perth, and Coco’s stood out as an opportunity to venture out from the CBD.
“I mean, it’s an iconic site there on the river, and we only really want our brands to go into iconic or landmark locations,” he said.
With news looming that Coco’s would not be renewing its lease – which eventually happened at the start of the year – Thorpe got his foot in the door to set the wheels in motion for Meat & Wine Co to take its place.
Thorpe hoped the tradition of long lunches would continue at Meat & Wine Co in South Perth.
“The Meat & Wine Co at the Palace Hotel [in Perth’s CBD] is a long lunch venue as well, it caters to the financial crowd and what have you in the city, so we understand that that’s our market to a certain degree, and we want to continue it as best we can,” he said.
“Obviously, we’re not in the heyday of the 1980s, early 90s, but we think there’s an opportunity to get guests over there.
“So we want to continue in that vein; we understand the legacy of Coco’s and what that represents to the local people in South Perth.
“We understand the history of Cocos. We understand what it meant to people.”
The 200-seat restaurant will boast a menu in line with the Meat & Wine Co’s theme of African-influenced dining, with a “Safari Menu” also to debut in South Perth.
That menu will feature dishes South African-born head of culinary Sean Hall described as “food from the home”, including lamb curry with potato and spices served in a hollowed-out loaf.
The food will be accompanied by a wine list boasting premium and limited drops from WA winemakers, including the iconic Vasse Felix, which will have its Tom Cullity Cabernet Malbec on the menu for a cool $520 a bottle.
Meat & Wine Co South Perth is slated to open on December 12.
Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.
