Indiana Cottesloe Beach, Cottesloe

I first visited Indiana, the iconic Cottesloe beach front restaurant, in 2008.  Fast forward seven years and I am back in Perth on holidays, so a return visit to Indiana was a must.

The interior of Indiana is designed so that every table has a majestic ocean view:

Indiana has first built in 1910 as the Indiana Tea House, an icecream parlour.  The bright and colourful paper menus outline Indiana's story:

We started with glasses of cool bubbles, which perfectly suited the bright, airy, summery atmosphere of  Indiana:

We ordered, and chatted while admiring more of the gorgeous interior of Indiana:

Our first dish was beef cheek terrine, house pickles and sesame mountain bread ($18):

This was my favourite dish.  The gorgeous spicy jam on the board paired with the terrine, pickled onions and gherkins on mountain bread was devine - a little bit sweet, a little bit sour, a little bit soft, a little bit crunchy.

Our next dish was wood-fired Turkish break with hummus and dukkah ($12):

I am not normally a fan of Turkish bread, but I was sold on the saltiness and softness of this one.  Of course, the hummus and dukkah were the perfect accompaniment.

Dish number 3 was seared scallops with avocado, chorizo, tomato, chilli and espresso ($24): 

I am a fan of scallops, and these were very fresh - they tasted of the sea.  The chorizo crumbs on top added a pleasant zing to this dish. 

Next on the menu was the prawn and onion pakora with red onion vinegar, black garlic and curry leaf mayo ($18):

These had a definite kick to them, and tha black garlic (hidden beneath the pakora) was an unusual accompaniment that went well with the zing of the pakora and the sweetness of the mayo.

While at the seaside, who could resist calamari, in this case served in an unusual leaf cone with szechuan salt and kimchi ($18):

Delicious.

To feel like we were getting our greens, we ordered a garden salad ($10), which had become our ubiquitous friend on our Route 66 trip:

We ordered way too much food for two people, but we polished it off, and it was excellent.  The atmosphere and service were also good.

This is the view from the hall of Indiana out onto Cottesloe beach:

You cannot get more iconically Australian that that.

So you get a better idea of the beautiful pavilion in which Indiana is situated, this is a shot of the pavilion from the beach front:

If you go to Perth, do yourself a favour (Molly is playing on repeat in my head!) and head to Indiana at Cottesloe, which is a short train ride and a lovely stroll from central Perth.

Indiana

99 Marine Parade

Cottesloe WA 6011

Phone: (08) 9385 5005