Gibney could only work in the affluent coastal enclave of Cottesloe, says restaurateur George Kailis. As the doors opened on his multi-million-dollar oceanside brasserie-grill back in May, the expectation was astronomical.

It’s fair to say that in some quarters the knives were being sharpened months in advance. The narrative of big money openings doesn’t chime with everybody. A crowd fixated on prices not value. But any hospitality scene thrives on variation, texture, and a spectrum of experiences.

Gibney just happens to be in the upper reaches of the spectrum, where it’s not unreasonable to price according to what’s on offer. Put simply it is already one of Western Australia’s best dining experiences.

Consideration isn’t in short supply here. Every corner of the 650-metre space has been thought out, and the legion of mainly young hospitality professionals, spotless in their white jackets, seem well-drilled on the Gibney ethos. Each guest is greeted and then quickly seated, and bar trolleys cross the floor, from which you might be served The Gibney Gibson, a signature cocktail with a “choose your own adventure” approach to garnishes. I’m in the smoked onion camp for what it’s worth.

Kailis says that it wasn’t a case of “let’s go and just open an expensive restaurant on the beach.” More that it was a culmination of experiences that he’s had in the eastern states and overseas, where the return to an “old world style of restaurant” has created exceptional hospitality. Kailis has travelled with his team on trips – something that group sommelier Nina Throsby says influenced her epic 72-page wine list which has a leaning to fine Champagne.

“It’s going back to the 50s, 60s, 70s, maybe even the early 80s, of a more formal kind of experience, or a more traditional experience as opposed to the funky, cool concepts that we’ve seen in the last six or seven years” says Kailis.

A details guy, walking the space, Kailis points to individual and seemingly infinitesimal design features, on which they engaged local architecture and interior design firm Rezen Studio. He discusses the transitions in the flooring, the glass screening that encloses the 45-metre Indian Ocean facing terrace and how that will stand up throughout the seasons. And then there’s the many bar finishes, optimised to harness the light of the setting sun. This is prime sunset
territory after all.

Equally, Kailis is proud of the practical as well, and the design of an open kitchen that’s the workhorse of this refined icon in the making. The process of menu ideation was influenced by observing his other venues and watching what diners liked. “What was popular was steaks, grilled seafood, fish specifically, and pastas, and then anything snacky and carbohydrate driven,” says Kailis.

Under head chef James Cole-Bowen, one of Western Australia’s rising culinary stars, there’s elements of the formality that Kailis talks about, but also offering a casual expression of modern dining. A delicate balance.

While there’s the big-ticket protein dishes that would be expected in the grill setting, like locally caught Fremantle swordfish, Western Rock Lobster, and Futari full blood wagyu from the Great Southern, there’s much to be said about supporting dishes. A parrilla-grilled cabbage with shiitake mushroom XO and crisped shallot will live rent free in my mind for years to come, and then there’s the all-important snacks that play well as an appetizer or a bar snack. A bitesize riff on a classic pissaladière, or oysters Kilpatrick that leans on Korean
gochujang.

Head pastry chef Richard Dormer, who was most recently overseeing pastry at COMO The Treasury, leverages tableside theatre with a trifle adjacent dessert simply dubbed “strawberries and cream”. Dormer shaves a block of red berry ice with a hand cranked contraption out on the restaurant floor. It is of course more than the name, with Dormer dressing the dish at the table with strawberry consommé and condensed milk. An instant classic, very much like Gibney itself.

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