White Salt Review

Review by Tom Zaunmayr

Western Australia’s coastline has long been under utilised by nightlife establishments. For some unknown reason bars just don’t seem to pop up along our pristine waters despite the success of the few that have.

White Salt in Sorrento is one such success story. With uninterrupted views of Sorrento Quay and the Indian Ocean it is arguably one of the best spots for a relaxed sunset drink.

White Salt is a café first and foremost that has acquired a liquor license allowing them to sell drinks without food. Think of the place as a formal diner – the food is rated as some of the finest in Perth, yet it doesn’t come with the pompous attitude of many other highly regarded food havens. This makes for a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere, where maturity takes pride of place over that recklessness that we are all so familiar with.

The décor is very contemporary – black leather seats and modern beachside dining sets are lit up by new-age artsy lighting, all sitting on top of neat wood decking and stone floors. In White Salts case contemporary doesn’t mean formal. The café bar has a very open space feel to it and the cheery attitude of the employees makes for a very pleasant experience.

Pricing is around about what you’d expect from a café – the meals are neither cheap nor expensive and the beers sit around $6 per bottle. The wine list covers all the basics with most priced between the $30-$40 bracket per bottle. For the girls – sorry to say but there are no cocktails, I’m guessing due to the demographics of the bar.

The age of the patrons here is generally a little older as it is seen as a quiet place away from the tomfoolery of the “damn youth of today”. For most of the day the bar will be filled with 25-40 year olds, all very relaxed and cheerful of course. That being said, you’re not going to be brown nosed if you rock up here, as long as you show a bit of maturity and don’t turn into a drunken mess. Don’t judge the place by its age; 18-25 years can have just as much fun here if you’re not after a big night.

If you are looking for a big night and still want to check White Salt out make sure it is on a day when Bar120 just down the road is open – there is not many better places in Perth to acquaint yourself with your wild side. Besides Bar-fun-plenty all the other Hillarys hotspots are within easy walking/crawling distance if you do decide to have a big night in the end. And of course the beach is right across the road for midnight nudie swims!

White Salt is a formal diner with a casual attitude. It is a great spot for relaxed afternoon drinks, weekend catch-ups and dates thanks to its incredible sunset views. If you’re after a chilled night with a few mates it is definitely worth a look.



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