207 Adelaide Terrace, Perth
Tel: (08) 9224 7777
www.panpacific.com

Enter a world of culinary delights

Situated on Adelaide Terrace, the Pan Pacific Perth Hotel offers so much more than accommodation and a place for guests to have breakfast. To the right past reception on the ground floor, you enter a world of culinary delights and entertainment. Directly in front of you is one of Perth’s best wine bars, Más Vino; to your left, the award-winning Peruvian-themed restaurant UMA; and to your right is the Hill Street Sports Bar offering high-end pub food and multiple screens featuring a choice of sporting entertainment. Added to these options is a variety of regularly curated gastronomic events that will delight the most discerning palate.

Más Vino Wine Bar

Entering Más Vino, you will note the elegant décor and subdued lighting, various seating options from intimate seating for couples, to more expansive seating arrangements for groups and of course, the beckoning bar. Más Vino offers a comprehensive wine list boasting quality local and international wines together with tapas plates, charcuterie and dining boards.

From the food menu we chose three dishes. The first was Langostinos, or Spanish for prawns, which featured two extra-large Shark Bay tiger prawn skewers served on a vivid orange pumpkin bisque. The prawns were fresh and lightly seared while the bisque was spicy with good heat. Jamon serrano crumbs lent an extra savoury note, while a scattering of colourful flower petals added to the eye appeal.

From the Boards menu we tried the simply called 1 Meat + 1 Cheese with Jamon Serrano Bodega and celebrated local Suzette Cheese from Halls Family Dairy in Wokalup. The cured ham was delicately savoury and lightly salty. This paired very well with the indulgently creamy, slightly tart, smoky soft cheese. It came with crispy lavosh, tomato salsa, slices of focaccia, a variety of warmed salty olives, locally produced Postcode Honeycomb, caramelised balsamic onion relish and mixed honeyed nuts. This was paired with 2022 Wills Domain Eightfold Cabernet Sauvignon, featuring solid tannins to match the rich flavours of the food, luscious dark fruit and lingering mint-like warmth.

We finished with a dessert, Cupula de Chocolate. The chocolate mousse dome was dusted with cocoa and made using rich 72% cocoa content Belgium chocolate. The slight bitter notes were balanced by the sugary rosemary dulce de leche or caramel, served on feuilletine which added a crunchy textural contrast to the soft mousse. The dish was finished with quinoa pistachio soil and berries, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, providing some earthy crunch and sweet freshness.

Looking for something different to tantalise your tastebuds? Más Vino hosts a variety of events to elevate your dining experience. Past events have included A Tale of the Forest pairing aged whisky with truffles and Meet the Winemaker with Craig Grafton of Ferngrove Wines.

We took the opportunity to experience one of these curated events during our visit. Partnering with the Swan Valley’s Sin Gin Distillery, the Gin Masterclass featured cocktails created to showcase the award-winning gins and gin tastings, paired with canapes and grazing boards. The event was co-hosted by Sin Gin General Manager, Tess Crake and Restaurant Manager, Ivo Lorenz.

The event got off to a great start with Gincello Spiced Pineapple Spritz on arrival. Guests then enjoyed the pairings of Perth Pink Gin with Cured Snapper, lemon oil, plum salsa, chicha morada dressing and sweet potato crisps; Greed Gin with Citric cured salmon, turmeric emulsion, seeded quinoa crumb and Sloe Gin with Sous-vide duck breast, blueberry gastrique sauce and kumara purée. Sin Gin’s Sloe Gin was awarded Champion Liqueur and a Gold Medal at the 2023 Perth Royal Distilled Spirit Awards. The highly enjoyable fun-filled evening finished with a Coffee Gincello Old Fashioned with petit fours. This masterclass was outstanding value at only $65 per person.

UMA Restaurant

MA Restaurant showcases Peruvian cuisine and culture; from the tiled floors and greenery to the menu featuring some of the ingredients and cooking techniques that Peru has bought to the world; think ceviche, quinoa and pisco cocktails among others. And no South American cuisine is complete without meat as I gaze longingly at the dry aging meat cabinet displaying various cuts of quality beef and fish.

Adding to the atmosphere, an Amazonian rain forest motif adorns the long wall. Sous Chef Javiera Gomez, with a smile on her face, tells me there is a quokka hidden in the forest and challenges me to find it. I locate it but it looks suspiciously like a capybara. You get the impression that UMA, while taking their food very seriously, is warm and welcoming.

The first dish we tried was Executive Chef Xerxes Bodhanwala’s signature dish, Pulpo a la Piedra, which translates to octopus on the stone. The fresh XL Fremantle octopus is braised first in its own stock, chillies, confit garlic and onions until tender. It is then marinaded in miso and soy and grilled on a hot stone plate to achieve a toasty caramelisation. The accompanying potato purée provided a background depth, while the dehydrated olive emulsion added a salty richness. The dish was dressed in a zesty red capsicum and onion salsa.

The next dish was Tiradito de Conchas; scallops brined in kaffir lime and then slow poached before slicing into thin discs. This attractive dish was topped with rings of beetroot pickled shallots. A creamy avocado, coconut and ginger purée added balance to the tart flavours of the scallops and pickled shallots, with jamon crumbs adding a salty savoury note.

The Peruvian-derived Pisco Sour cocktail was a perfect accompaniment to the seafood dishes which UMA claim are the best in Perth.

Hill Street Sports Bar and Restaurant

Hill Street Sports Bar offers everything that you would expect from a sports bar: big screens to watch your favourite sport, seating designed for sports watching or catching up with friends, and a good selection of beers on tap, cocktails or your beverage of choice. What you do not expect is the quality and variety of the food. Sure, you can get a fantastic chicken parmigiana, burger or pizza however, as Head Chef Han Moon suggests, why not try one of the venue’s most popular signature dishes, a tender char-grilled striploin grass-fed beef topped with zingy chimichurri sauce, served with hasselback potato, charred broccolini and garlic butter. Wash this down with a good larger or pilsner.

Pan Pacific Perth is a gateway to a gastronomic wonderland offering a myriad of dining options, culinary events and entertainment. Why not take advantage of the accommodation options and enjoy a leisurely sleep-in the next day.

By Chris O’Halloran