subject: Helvetica Bar, Perth, Australia - Review [print this page] Small bar fever has hit the 6000'sSmall bar fever has hit the 6000's. With reforms to licensing legislation incorporating a new permit for smaller scale venues, it seems that in the blink of an eye an elite cohort of upmarket bars (aka the 'hidden doorway' club) have mushroomed around the city like nobody's business.
Part of the underpinning philosophy is a sophisticated, erudite approach to the founding of new nightspots in P-town. Wine bars, tapas houses, and cocktail lounges are in; airline hangar nightclubs are out. Intimate hideaways like Helvetica (see also: Wolfe Lane, Andaluz, Ezra Pound, 399, et al) are cementing their places as threads in the tapestry, reworking the cultural fabric of the city.
Helvetica is located in what I like to refer to as terra incognito - the CBD. At the corporate end of the Terrace, menacingly unlit office towers appear devoid of life and Northbridge is naught but a blip on the horizon. Helvetica sits tangentially off Howard Street, just behind Andaluz. I'd employ the term 'consciously concealed'- chandeliers adorning the laneway entry give the game away. I've heard on the grapevine that this place regularly packs out, but the night we visited was unusually quiet. Heading straight to the bar, we learned quickly that whisky is king here - you can even purchase a bottle to store until your next visit. Not being a whisky kind of gal, I enjoyed an expertly mixed Southside while marveling at the black lampshades draped from the ceiling. A trio of girls sharing our table ordered the house punch, which arrived in a jam jar.
Taking inspiration from the classic laneway spaces of Melbourne (think Croft Institute) the brown and brick facade oozes suave. Helvetica blends superb mixology, teasing visuals and a cachet of tasteful ambience that Perth denizens have been in search of for years. Will this new breed of bar stand the test out in the West? Only time will tell. Until then, Helvetica remains an urban zenith for that post-supper nip of whisky.
by: Lidia Aniela
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