How to do the Ritz Songbird Bar and Lounge

When a casual Friday night catch up with girlfriends suddenly turns into a work night, and the following day spent writing up a review, it can be incredibly annoying. Thankfully on this occasion the food, service and ambience of the Ritz Songbird Bar and Lounge was so overwhelmingly perfect it was no hardship to write it up.

Arriving at Songbird Bar and Lounge the first thing you notice is the spectacular views. The river, the city, the pool. This was my third trip to the hotel but it’s still mesmerising.

And then there’s the bar itself. A stunning cocoon, with it’s socially distanced seating, a warm embrace during these bewildering Covid times.

As I sat down my friends said “we’ve dobbed you in as a reviewer”. Bugga.

As reviewers we like to be incognito so we receive the same service as everyone else. Being undercover also means that if I don’t like the night I don’t have to write it up. There being “no such thing as a free lunch”, the declaration meant I was now committed to writing a review, otherwise I was in danger of becoming known as one of those unprofessional “eat and run” reviewers. Turns out this was never going to be an ordinary night anyway as one of my friends had become friends with the head chef. All of this has to be said in the spirit of frank openness about the review that follows.

The night started with cocktails, including this stunner, a Raspberry Haze made with Tanqueray, raspberry, whites, sugar, lemon and white chocolate. The contents were savoured like a dessert more than a drink to be knocked back.

Appetites stimulated we started with Mottaini lamb rolls. Every good Australian party starts with sausage rolls and this upmarket version was utterly moreish. There was definitely no tomato sauce required as the crisp pastry flaked and the lamb with mint, cumin and sheep’s yoghurt melted in your mouth. Sausage rolls have been ruined for me.

Next up spicy, succulent grilled Cockburn Sound octopus served with fennel, Nduja, parsley, and lemon. Each tender bite slipped down way too quickly. This is a dish to quietly pick away at.

A plate of shoestring fries was devoured so quickly they missed out on being photographed. Our group of four was completely satisfied. The quick catch up could easily have ended there.

But then a complimentary platter of local charcuterie, toasted sourdough, olives, and cauliflower piccalill arrived. This alone, would have been enough for the four of us for the night. For anyone having a quick night out with friends I’d highly recommend starting with this one. The cauliflower was a particular standout. I’d eaten it once before in the downstairs bar, as part of the iced vegetable platter. I believe they’re having trouble sourcing some elements for the platter. Such is the precision of this outlet, they’d rather take a popular dish off the menu, than put on a less than perfect dish.

What followed was a platter of desserts. Dainty, airy, macaron pillows, profiterole inspired morsels, and chocolate coated jelly. For one of our party the offerings were declared “the best I’ve ever eaten”.

The evening ended with a stylish platter of artisan West Australian cheeses and condiments, including some memorable macadamia nuts.

All that was left to do was take one last wander out to the pool deck to check out the view and then thank our wonderful guests for an absolutely brilliant night. From the ambience to the food and service the night was perfection. I will definitely be back.