Liberté

A rococo dining room and bar in a historic hotel serving French and Asian-inspired food.

There are some restaurants that feel as though they were born from teenage dreams, the kind that began: “When I grow up, I’m gonna open a…”. Liberté, from chef-owner Amy Hamilton, could be just such a place, formed by fantasy and idealism and a sense of drama. Here’s what that dream might have sounded like: a corner cocktail bar and Baroque dining room in a heritage building, stuffed with velvet and brocade and chandeliers, that looks like an 1800s Parisian bordello. Food that’s kind of French and kind of Vietnamese and all kinds of delicious. A staff that feels like its own little counterculture community.

Garlic chilli crab noodles are just as addictive as the menu claims.

Liberté is so specific because it’s so personal, and it works because all of those components are put together with love and skill. There’s chicken liver parfait as silken and creamy as dessert, seasoned perfectly and rich as can be. Garlic chilli crab noodles are just as addictive as the menu claims. Chicken salad, made with poached chicken, shredded cabbage, mint, peanuts and loads of chilli, is both refreshing and fiery. The bar up front serves some of the best cocktails south of Perth, and the wine list is no joke either. If this is a wild fantasy, it’s one that really works.