The Brass Monkey Front Bar

Ok, I arrived at the Brass Monkey Courtyard on a Wednesday night after work and sauntered round the heritage-listed building to find Scott, my partner in crime, sitting back in a comfortable lounge chair inside. I smiled and said, 'Are you ready?' and he replied, 'Shenade, I was born ready'.

As we made our way into the main courtyard and bar area, you could feel the summer mood starting to take a hold and I tell you what, nobody was complaining. The air was a perfect 25 degrees and the new outside area was in full effect. They've raised the section near the Grapeskin Wine Bar so that about 30 or so people can sit in the sun, on gorgeous timber decking, surrounded by maple-like trees that stretch high into our clear blue Perth skies. Nice job really.

We took our place among the mixed crew and sat back to study how an evening at the Brass Courtyard typically unfolds. Scott grabbed our drinks at the bar; he had a long, tall pint of Bees Nees and I went for a nice, cold champagne. Brilliant. Step one, sorted. The bar is long and grand, exactly what you'd expect from a 107-year-old pub. The staff are quick, bubbly and professional. The whole place has an air of sophisticated casual and is perfectly organised for comfort and fun.

Outside, looking around I noticed an assortment of punters, from couples to tables of three and a couple of larger tables of eight and six, their tables sufficiently loaded with the Brass' characteristic tall pint glasses. There were young business women sharing red wine and cigarettes, some pretty funky lads playing chess, older guys chatting, couples laughing and talking closely and travellers, lots of different travellers. Quite a varied crowd and a great place to watch people watching people.

After a short while of surveying the many large screens playing great music clips, our food arrived. Scott was starving but I managed to stop him from eating the starters so we could grab a photo for you. We had the Grazing Plate and the Brushcetta. The Grazing Plate was for exactly that; it had stuffed olives, a ton of creamy Persian-style fetta, a great tart artichoke pate, lots of crispy grilled cacciatore sausage, some toasted pizza pane (bread) and delicious olive oil. Such a bang-on assortment of food to compliment your favourite drink and a perfect size to share between two or a few.

The Bruschetta was served unusually - it had the normal chopped Roma tomatoes and red onion but with some added extras. The warm bread was pasted in olive tapenade (real olive spread) and then Hickory-smoked chicken pieces were placed on top with cheese melted over it all. Different and delish! Other starters on offer include wedges and fries, dips and toasted flatbread, a smoked salmon bagel, garlic and herb bread and a penne pasta dish.

For our mains, we had two of the best pub meals we've ever eaten - the Chicken Burger and the Steak Sandwich. The food downstairs is a lot more casual and 'pub-like' than the fine upstairs brassiere. Down here, you can get great food - Local Mussels, the Brass' Pizza, a traditional Caesar Salad and a Calamari Salad - but it's all pretty much geared to be stuff you can eat whilst sitting at a pub table.

Anyway, back to the burgers: the Chicken was real breast marinated in Peri-Peri that had a bit of a spicy bite to it. It came with tomato relish, Swiss cheese, bacon, red onion and cos lettuce, all fitted snugly into a toasted sourdough bun. The Steak Sandwich was perfect: a tender Scotch Fillet served with onions, salad greens, aioli and mustard in toasted garlic bread. Both came with crunchy shoestring fries and a whole lotta love!

So, if you're into a nice drink (or ten) and appreciate pubs with great food and feel, then what are you doing sitting in front of your computer? Chuck on some clothes, call a mate (or ten) and get on down to the Brass Monkey courtyard on the corner of William and James streets in Northbridge for some serious pubbin' fun! This place is guaranteed to be just-the-right-kind-of-busy on any day or night of the week… all that's needed is you!

by Shenade Unicomb