What started as a pop-up bar has now cemented itself as a welcome addition to the historical WA Trustee building. W Churchill is every bit suburban pub as it is stylish gin bar.

Inside is dark and broody with Churchill era fittings around the bar with Staff are dressed in bow ties and crisp white shirts. It’s the kind of place you feel like important decisions are made.

Friday lunch sees them serve a pared back menu. Smart when the place is heaving by 12:30pm. Diners can expect the usual pub favourites – burgers, parmigiana, steak sandwich and the like. Look forward to plenty of shoestring fries on the plate. Pricing is on the friendly side – between $20-$30.

Things get more serious on the regular menu. Along with the pub faves, there’s plenty of interesting dishes to choose from like crunchy brussels sprouts with vegemite and butter for a starter, osso bucco and pappardelle with duck ragu. Those after something really substantial should go the 500g Albany rib eye.

Crispy Shark Bay whiting baguette is a straight up win. Flaky fresh crumbed fish with shredded cos, pickled shallots and tartare is sandwiched between a soft baguette. Not an option often seen on pub menus, this one will pique most seafood lover’s interest and reward them on flavour.

Spiced fried chicken burger with slaw and peri-peri was sadly underwhelming. The fried chicken was well cooked, but lacked flavour and kick. Coleslaw was dominated by carrot and was a bit ho-hum but the brioche bun was fresh and didn’t disintegrate into a mess.

In a town where pubs battle for the title of best steak sandwich, no venue can afford to serve up a bad one. W Churchill should be a serious contender for the best. Flame-grilled tender porterhouse steak on turkish comes with the usual trimmings plus sweet onion jam, aioli and smoked BBQ sauce. The combination of sweet, tangy and salty were on point making this steak sanga a winner.

Tap beers are predominately Gage Roads with some speciality offerings in glass like an amber ale called Wildflower made using foraged wild yeast.

The wine list is eclectic featuring mainly Australian wines peppered with some old world titles. By the glass offerings are adequate. Interestingly this joint is one of the few bars in Perth to serve Churchill’s favourite bubbly – Pol Roger. It’ll set you back a cool $450 a bottle for the privilege.

Gin connoisseurs will be right at home here with over 100 different types of mother’s ruin on offer. Ask the staffs advice on the best way to enjoy your gin of choice. Tonic isn’t always the best!

Service is no-nonsense and fast. Perfect for a work lunch when the clock is ticking.

There’s so much to love about W Churchill including their daily happy hour specials. It’s like your suburban pub right in the CBD.

W Churchill – 125 St Georges Terrace, Perth (Brookfield Place)

Score – 18/20

Alby – a smooth, refreshing and easy drinking West Australian lager by Gage Roads

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