Gibney restaurant review: Why high-end Cottesloe brasserie and grill earned my highest-ever score

Is George Kailis crazy? When the coastal dining king behind The Shorehouse in Swanbourne and freshly opened Magic Apple in Cottesloe unveiled plans to launch a luxurious brasserie at the southern end of Cott during a cost-of-living crisis, folks thought he was a few prawns short of shrimp cocktail. Turned out Kailis is crazy — crazy like a fox! Since serving its first $48 table-side Caesar salad in May, Gibney has been the talk of the town. Is it worth the money? Did you hear who dined there on Friday? Have you tried the martinis? When are we going? Kailis has successfully tapped into the western suburbs market, where cozzie livs means visiting Positano every other year. Gibney saves them a trip to Crown Perth (frankly, it’s over, darling) or Wildflower (been there, done that). But you don’t have to be fancy or flush with cash to dine at Gibney. When my wife, Myra, and I slipped in unnoticed (yeah, right) for a Thursday lunch, the place had a decent spread of different folks from different strokes. There were the requisite tables of boomers, blokey blokes talking blokey bloke business over white wines, and a couple of beardy mates in head-to-toe black double parked with a Swanny D stubby and a martini each — now that’s living! A group of gal pals with European accents filled the curved booth neighbouring ours. They soon littered their table with dirty martinis. You love to see it. Cocktails are a must at Gibney. Moments after arriving, we were trolleyed. Trolley, eh? Think dim sum, think airline food … think again. Gibney has two trolleys festooned with spirit bottles, cocktail-making equipment and other jiggery. They might need to install traffic lights if they get another of these whiz-bang trolleys fashioned out of what looks like the same liquid metal as the evil robot in Terminator 2. Funnily enough, bar director James Gentile’s trolley is called T2 and it is just as lethal. His signature Gibney Gibson, which comes with three garnishes (smoked onion, pickled onion and pickled cherry tomato) and an eye-dropper of Islay whisky to adjust flavour, is a must-have for cocktail fans. It costs $28. You get what you pay for — which could be Gibney’s motto. Sipping our cocktails (Myra had a Turf Club, one of five other martinis), our eyes drifted out to white sand dunes on Rottnest. This felt like being on holidays. We supposed we’d better order. Head chef James Cole Bowen draws inspiration from the grand bistros of Europe and America, giving classic dishes a contemporary West Aussie spin. There are steaks from the grill and tasty-sounding pastas, but we opted to hit the seafood bar. We started with the Paspaley pearl meat ceviche ($24) in macadamia tiger’s milk steeped in aromatic galangal, lemongrass, shallots and three types of chilli, then smoked with cherry wood and seasoned with lime juice and fish sauce. A garnish of red grapes and Geraldton wax, plus a drizzle of Geraldton wax oil and chilli oil, complete a dish Cole Bowen dubs “WA on a plate”. Served in a half oyster shell, this new creation fired up the tastebuds. Likewise, the cured hiramasa kingfish ($32) was a scene lifted from those sand dunes — the pickled seaweed and tempura resembled coral and had zesty salt and pepper flavours. The creme fraiche tartare gave horseradish notes and the whole dish was basically the best fish ‘n’ chips ever. More fish in Olasagasti anchovies from the Cantabria region of Spain were draped over straps of sour cream pastry topped with caramelised onion and preserved onion in the Provence speciality, pissaladiere (two-pieces for $18). A couple of bites of creamy, salty and umami yumminess. For mains, we decided to have the steak of the sea, aka: swordfish. A decent slab of Fremantle swordfish ($68), grilled on the woodfired parrilla and topped with fat pickled mussels and salty sea purslane, sat in a pool of cider beurre blanc boasting a decent citrus kick. We drowned a few frites in the butter sauce. You could also dip the chippies in the delicious tarragon mayonnaise they’re actually served with ($15). The side of parrilla-roasted carrots with caramelised hot honey, labneh and carraway seeds ($18) were like savoury carrot cake: smoky and slightly sweet. We had to try the Gibney Caesar, which costs an eye-watering $48 and comes with confit chicken charred on the grill, bacon lardons, soft egg, crunch-fresh baby cos, white anchovies and as much parmigiano Reggiano as your heart desires. The waiter made this bistro staple, which originated in Tijuana, Mexico, at the table. Turns out, you DO make friends with salad. Our only regret was that we didn’t ask for the Caesar to arrive between our entrees and swordfish main, but that’s on us. One of three desserts on the menu, the Gibney chocolate cake ($26) is compulsory and, like the restaurant itself, an instant classic. Made with silky and bitter Valrhona Guanaja 70 per cent chocolate that gets denser lower in the cake, the real star is the olive oil gelato possessing incredibly smooth texture while the sea salt and floral olive oil make this the ultimate grown-up dessert. The dessert special was three round eclairs filled with Carnarvon peach compote and raspberries, served with Chantilly cream ($24). The fruit was intentionally slightly under-ripe for a refreshing tart delight. We had well-matched and often intriguing wines with each course recommended by award-winning sommelier Nina Throsby — there’s not a weak link in the team at Gibney. Attention to detail infuses every nook and cranny of arguably the most attractive dining room in WA. Your job is to relax and enjoy yourself. This is a special occasion, destination restaurant. Celebrate a birthday or anniversary. Show off to a visitor. Or just treat yo’self. A bravura dining experience on all fronts, Gibney hasn’t so much raised the bar as put it out of reach for almost every other restaurant in town. Gibney 40 Marine Terrace, Cottesloe OPEN Daily from midday. CONTACT 9468 1540, gibneycottesloe.com BOOKINGS Yes THE VERDICT World-class coastal brasserie and grill evoking the classic bistros of Europe infused with the best of WA. Seamless service, sumptuous room and views, one of Australia’s best wine lists and cocktails to die for. Not cheap but you’re worth it. Perth’s best dining experience. 19/20