When agonising over dining options for a mid-week dinner, with no spare cash readily available to be casually flung around, a restaurant with enticing vouchers starts to look attractive.
I will accept all cheapskate remarks thrown this way, because I've taken the word poor to a whole new level for a while too long.
I know deep down, secretly, if you took away any social shaming aspect you feel about using vouchers to buy your meals, the feeling of saving a couple of dollars is a very happy feeling :)
So off we went, chirping with 5 freshly printed vouchers in hand to see just what the guys at The Aviary are breeding in their nest.
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| Lamb, Coriander, Chilli & Yoghurt Pizza - $16 |
When it comes to eating out nowadays, I am a bit of a loner.
A loner, in the sense of ordering and only eating my own dishes, if the communal dishes on the table are loaded with fat, oil, cheese, or all 3.
Which, ever since I can't (...well, shouldn't) touch them, seem to be pretty much the ONLY things that people eat.
Having said that, yes, I am indeed implying that I actually have to order a whole pizza (without cheese), for me, myself, and I.
After finishing whole pizzas I think to myself, it was probably better off to have eaten the fat I avoided in the first place...
The one slice I finished for them, could have been a lot more meatier.
But then again...you can't speak very loud for just $10, can you?
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| Chorizo, Tomato & Roquette Pizza - $16 |
Despite the few vegetarian options available, the girls had firm decisions to order everything that wasn't. Animal enthusiasts, in every way.
They settled with a chorizo pizza, a firm and cheesy pizza base with sliced chorizo, fresh cherry tomatoes and a handful of raw rocket leaves, which was devoured in an amazingly quick time.
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| Crinkle Cut Chips with Spiced Aioli - $8 |
Forget everything I said before about not touching oily food.
I had a lot of this. This was good. This was also taken away from me, to stop me from getting a stomach attack.
I don't remember anything from the spiced aioli to be phenomenal, but the piping hot chips are a dieter's/gall-bladderless person's dream. The crinkles make them deliciously crunchier (or that could be a psychological thing).
A thing like this conveniently placed right in front of me, and all my morals go out the window.
Because everything that you can't eat, seem to taste so much better than they probably are.
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| Prawn, Coriander & Chilli - $16 |
This is my pizza for one, to which I was commended for finishing :D
I found this quite light and easy to finish, despite the others being unable to finish 3 pizzas amongst the 4 of them.
Ordered without cheese, the pizza is admittedly a little brittle and dry. The place can't be faulted for this, because making a hot dog taste good without the sausage IS difficult after all.
I'm guessing the kitchen substituted my cheese with basil pesto spread over the base, and coriander was mysteriously replaced with fresh snow pea sprouts. Eating this was like eating a salad, but the feeling of munching rabbit food while devouring a pizza, while healthy, is surprisingly disappointing.
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My one regret of my experience with The Aviary is not heading back to try their advertised Pho Pizza, a westernised take on the Vietnamese beef noodle dish with beef and crushed peanuts. The $10 price tag of these pizzas is of value, considering the standards of the place, but I think I'd rather pay a little more, if it meant even better quality :)
I can't judge too much on the food since I've gone ahead and changed their ingredients to suit my needs because I'm selfish like that, but truthfully I would probably be somewhere else where $16 buys me a bigger, tastier pizza. What I managed to sip from a glass of their homemade mulled wine however, was a sweet stomach warmer from standing at higher altitudes with its colder breezes on the rooftop.
And there ARE lifts, in case the flight of seemingly neverending stairs are too confronting. Especially if you've just ran your marathon up the Perth Underground Station's staircase right below The Aviary.
Boasting Perth's largest outdoor rooftop bar (out of, what, 2?), the atmosphere is trendy and lush from what I could see with my poor night vision, with a strict dress code enforced. With requirements like "no fancy dress" and as detailed as "plain non branded t-shirts permitted", I felt a bit self conscious turning up. But upon seeing all the big shady umbrellas and toasty heaters, snagging a seat next to one became top priority.
I wouldn't mind a revisit, at an hour where there is still enough light to make out what's around me and what I'm actually putting in my mouth. And despite the issues floating around about their service levels, The Aviary is flying high with all the socialites in town and on social media.
I couldn't avoid all the little birdies around town tweeting and tooting about its existence.
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(08) 9226 0259
Mon - Sat: 11am to midnight
Sun: 11am to 10pm
www.theaviaryperth.com.au
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animal enthusiast :D
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