World tapas is what Head Chef Michael Hooley is serving up at Bluerock Cafe Bar and Restaurant, and that’s really the best way to describe it. With each dish that came out, we were presented with interesting flavour combinations from different corners of the world.
Nestled at the eastern end of Hay Street in the city, Bluerock is a convenient place to go after work for a drink or a bite to eat from either the tapas or a la carte menus. The venue itself has been around for ages, and the most recent refurbishment has resulted in the place having a fun, modern and almost Jetsons look, while still maintaining a classy feel.
It isn’t just the look of the venue that has changed. The menu has changed significantly to include tapas or ‘world tapas’, and the new wine and cocktail lists are tailored to match a number of dishes on the menu.
When we went in to check out the food we were certainly surprised by what we found. The first dish that really stood out for me was the inside out chicken wings. Wings are a delicious finger food, but they are typically very messy to eat. Michael has solved this problem by diligently cutting and folding the meat away from the bone to leave a sort of chicken meat lollipop that is then perfectly fried, before being served with a spicy guacamole, which is an unexpected but very tasty addition.
Other tapas dishes that really jumped out at us were the Szechuan Squid, which was sitting on a delicious and rich bed of chorizo, roquette and avocado; the Chicken Parfait, which was served with brioche and a poached fig that provided a classy sweetness to the dish; and my personal favourite – the flamed chilli and soy beef short ribs and winter slaw, which was a tangy and rich dish that certainly packed a punch.
I’d recommend two to three tapas dishes per person when ordering for a dinner get together. However, if you’re not wanting to share, the a la carte menu has some hearty and flavoursome dishes that are certainly worth a look. The dishes we tried were beautifully cooked and very flavoursome. Michael was trained in the UK and was actually born in Nottingham, the home of Robin Hood. He’s worked in a number of high-end restaurants, including the Vineyard at Stock Cross, which had two Michelin stars at the time. Five years ago he moved to Perth, and fell in love with our beautiful city.

The team down at Bluerock is certainly working hard to revitalise that end of town and provide a bit of a hub for after work catch-ups. They’re currently open for breakfast from 6.30am to 9am Monday to Friday and 7am to 10am Saturday and Sunday. dinner is from 5pm to 9pm every day with the bar open until late. The plan is to open for lunch in the near future, so keep an eye on the signs out the front to stay up to date with what’s going on, and who knows, I might just see you down there.