On offer from Tiger Lil's: Through the Looking Glass
Once you step through the front door, it is more than a little like stepping Through the Looking Glass, right into a visual wonderland. The warm glow of the Chinese lanterns and Japanese parasols adorning the ceiling is rich in plentiful colours, and gold highlights artfully backlit immediately give off a welcoming, cosy feeling about the place. Lewis Carroll's Alice was astounded at the Living Flower Garden: "O Tiger-lily," said Alice, addressing herself to one that was waving gracefully about in the wind, "I wish you could talk!" "We can talk," said the Tiger-lily; "when there's anybody worth talking to." And Tiger Lil's on Murray Street, in the west end of Perth, certainly talks right back at anyone who’ll listen; speaking volumes in style and attention to detail.
Princess Tiger Lily
With the characteristic grace of those born to their station, Tiger Lil’s nestles itself unobtrusively and elegantly into the Perth city landscape. A terraced area at the front of the venue, as well as tables and chairs on the street front, would make for a nice spot for lunch liaisons on an unseasonably sunny Perth winter’s day. Immediately in the front door and to your right lies the main restaurant area, with both individual tables and longer benches for larger gatherings. This area is surrounded by long windows to give plenty of visual contact with the outdoors. A large format print displaying the sensuous back of a young, dark-haired lady with a menacing tiger tattoo completely covering her back immediately strikes the eye – the legendary Tiger Lil herself, perhaps?
The fantasy element is certainly consistent throughout the location with golden statues, stone sculptures, carvings, antiquities and oriental paintings – all reinforcing the Asian theme. The lighting is low and directed as necessary to emphasise the pleasant human scale, which creates comfortable intimacy in a venue that has at least six separate zones of activity. Whilst the staff freely admit that the wait can be up to half an hour on a Friday night to join the fortunate 420 or so inside, no one seems overly bothered by this.
Moving into the main bar area itself, one sees a large range of beers, wine, spirits and cocktails on offer. The busy Saturday night we were there certainly proved no obstacle to getting a drink - we were asked three times in a row by various bar staff if we required one! Behind the bar is a large plasma screen display, aptly showing classic Asian movies such as the original "Monkey" and "House of Flying Daggers" – a nice touch. Being the weekend the DJ is well into his set, and yet here in the bar we can still carry a conversation whilst enjoying the music. It’s here that we meet our guide for the night, bar manager Peter – a well-presented and affable sort, who’s been around since the establishment’s opening in February 2006. What we next experience more fully as we move deeper into the venue is the dancing and cocktail zone, the music notably louder despite the relative proximity of the two areas. Through clever use of architectural design, acoustic materials choice and speaker placement, we move from a conversational area into the immediately obvious louder dancing area. The cocktail bar here is Tiger Lil’s ‘Premier Bar’, with many of their bartenders travelling regularly to compete in competitions, including Bar Show. One thing we’re not entirely convinced about is the precarious combination of moving bodies and cocktail glasses here– everything is getting fairly jiggled as we weave through the press of the crowd, cradling our Mata Hari’s – the bar’s signature cocktail.
The long, straight design of the building now directs us into a small courtyard (ably utilised by smokers), which separates the main building from the ‘functions end’ of the complex. Although the location as a whole certainly offers a rewarding experience, there are yet more surprises to be found here in the functions area – private, small curtained booths abound, catering for parties of 20 to 80 people, and delightfully decked out with the same Asian flair. Comfortable lounges and colourful throw cushions complement the solid Asian-style coffee tables, covered with platters of food. The whole area is true to its design, and ideal for functions, with a bar and plenty of room for dancing. Top of Page
Lilium lancifolium
The Tiger Lily is a species of lily most notably recognised for it's large, fiery-orange flower which is covered in black specks – hence its name. Most of the parts of the flower, from the bulb to the petals are edible, and Tiger Lil’s as a restaurant also offers pleasing, exotic Asian fare to its customers. The All Day menu features Asian-fusion cuisine, all value-priced from $10.95 for starters, up to $20-25 for mains. There’s something here to suit most people’s tastes, and the kitchen is fairly flexible with its hours, staying open late for customers. This menu, as well as a Bar Grazers menu, Banquet Menu and Functions Menu (platters from $50), are all available on their website (www.tigerlils.com.au), if you want to check the cuisine out before you go. On the night we only had a brief tour of the kitchen, but Paul has both had lunch there and attended a function, and recommends the food.
"What's up, Tiger Lily"
Woody Allen’s directorial debut was a comedic dubbing over of the Japanese Action movie "International Secret Police: Key of Keys" which he re-titled "What's up, Tiger Lily". And while Tiger Lil’s successfully exploits Asian style elements to provide a stimulating ambiance it doesn’t forget the FUN! The DJ rotation regularly features such Perth greats as Paul Malone, Adam Kelley and DJ Joby. There’s certainly no lack of style when it comes to the cocktail list, either. Also available online, it features a number of traditionally-based cocktails, twisted with an Asian flair. The Rodan being a partial exception, the list does seem angled heavily towards fruity, sweet drinks, however.
Peter Pan meets Tiger Lily meets Captain Hook
The impression we got on the Saturday night, which is no doubt less hectic than the after-work Friday, was that although Tiger Lil’s is a busy venue, everyone seemed to have their space. A good range of ages of people were in evidence, from the youthful eighteen year olds enjoying the sophistication, right up to the youthful (mumble) year olds! There was certainly no shortage of pretty girls in sight, enjoying the happening, agreeable spot.
My name is "Tiger Lily"!
Paula Yates (now deceased, in an appropriately celebrity way) and famously connected with both Bob Geldof (Sir) and Michael Hutchence named one of her daughters "Tiger Lily". This, whilst unusual, was probably easier to live with than her first daughter’s name of "Fifi Trixibelle" or another daughter’s name: "Peaches Honeyblossom"! In the case of Tiger Lil’s we have a venue that is pleasantly unusual, offering a lot of enjoyable aspects for many people, with a name full of layers of meaning and promise that does deliver. Many thanks must go to our guide to the night, and to the patrons we spoke to, all of whom helped add to our impressions greatly. Without a doubt, this is one nightspot we’ll be heading back to. Overview Review
GettingThere:
Disabled Access: 8
Décor/Ambience: 9
Food: {Not Rated}
Beverages: 8.5
Music/Entertainment: 8
Staff: 8
Restrooms: 5.5
Afterwards: 8
OVERALL: 8.0 Tiger Lil's 437 Murray St Perth 6000
(08) 9322 7377 http://www.tigerlils.com.au Top of Page | |
437 Murray St
