Early Aperitivo To Late Night Bites, Here’s How To Do A Long Lunch At State Buildings

In case you missed the memo, this year we’re all about the luxury of a long lunch. There’s nothing quite like the experience of whiling away an afternoon in great company, over even better food. 

One of our favourite places for an afternoon of wining and dining is State Buildings. With a cluster of Perth’s premier restaurants and bars all sitting pretty in one building, you’re set up for an hourslong dining experience as you meander between venues. Stop by Wine Merchant for a glass of vino and apertivo-style snacks to whet your appetite, before heading to Wildflower for a long and leisurely lunch over several courses. Hit up Long Chim for a spicy take on happy hour drinks, then finish up at Lola Underground for evening drinks into late night snacks. 

Aperitivo At Wine Merchant

Image credit: Wine Merchant | Supplied

With a menu stacked with small bites, and a killer list of both wine and aperitif cocktails, our first stop has to be Wine Merchant. Nibble on bread from Common Loaf, served with salted butter, or marinated olives and fetta, or dive into the larger bites like savoury choux, ham hock and apple croquette, and toasted brioche with chicken liver parfait and cherry gel, which you can order individually as a tempting little starter to the dining experience ahead. Pair with a bitter cocktail, like the negroni made with Republic of Fremantle’s ‘Full Bodied’ gin, campari and vermouth.

Take A Long Lunch At Wildflower

Image credit: Wildflower | Supplied

We like to think of a long lunch as an experience, not just a meal, an opportunity to expand your culinary horizons. It’s for this reason we love a long lunch at Wildflower, where the Flow lunch menu surprises with creative dishes featuring native ingredients.

We recommend starting with the kangaroo, served with wattleseed, smoked beetroot and spent sourdough, but for a plant-based option there’s the eggplant with bush tomato, kelp and samphire, a salty coastal succulent. 

From there move on to mains, a spectacular line up of locally sourced produce. There’s the Fremantle octopus with nduja, sunrise lime and tomato, the Wagin duck with cauliflower, toasted greens and Geraldton wax, and a daikon dish that comes with Kardinya mushrooms and mountain pepper. There’s also wild caught fish, which the kitchen pairs with Ikura caviar, buttermilk and sea parsley. Sides are worth opting in for, with options like quandong and peach with duck ham and almonds, pumpkin with pepita fudge, native thyme and bay leaf, or the tomato and bush basil that comes accompanied by toasted raclette. 

Since this is a long lunch, you’ve got time to linger over dessert as well. There’s a gorgeous artisanal cheese board on offer, or if you like to finish on a sweet note opt for the rosella with lemon myrtle, rhubarb and brown butter, or the passionfruit, coconut and mango with Geraldton wax. 

Happy Hour At Long Chim 

Image credit: Long Chim | Shot By Thom

There’s few places as inviting for afternoon drinks as Long Chim, where the seductive flavours and spice of Thailand’s hawkers markets and street vendors meet upscale dining. After your sumptuous lunch you’ll want to have a little breather from the food, and that’s where Long Chim’s happy hour comes in. Kicking off at 4pm, the team brings a taste of Bangkok to State Buildings. Partake in happy hour specials like $15 Singha longnecks and $10 glasses of select wine. There’s also a short but sweet list of cocktails that weave together the flavours of southeast Asia, including the No’s Coco Foam, which combines Don Julio blanco tequila with cacao, coconut, pandan and matcha.

Late Night Love At Lola Underground 

As afternoon drifts into evening, step into the serene oasis that is Lola Underground for chic cocktails. Here, it’s all about small, shareable snacks and digestif cocktails. Depending on what time you’re stepping into Lola Underground’s plush banquettes, the bar offers drink specials during underground hour, pouring up some of its signature cocktails for just $15, as well as select beer and wine for $10, from 5.30pm and again from 10.30pm. 

A curated plate of European cheeses, orange fennel jam and crisp bread, alongside one of those signature cocktails like the Wild Lola Spritz or Vodka Lime Love, makes a great way to round out your dining experience. Or, if you’re staying until the late hours, the mushroom duxelle toastie with truffled bechamel makes a decadent late night snack.

Main image credit: Wildflower | Supplied