On opening, the State Buildings was hailed as a game-changer. The thoughtful heritage restoration raised the bar, brought Long Chim to Australian shores and garnered column inches for its fine-dining flagship, Wildflower. David Thompson’s Thai powerhouse still excels, whereas the fine diner, for me, has lost its lustre: too earnest, too uptight on recent visits. Over time, the charm has been in the less-hyped corners of the building: the excellent Telegram Coffee, or the basement lair of chocolatier Sue Lewis, and then there’s Petition Wine Bar.

Emma Farrelly is a name you may not be aware of, but she is, to many, WA’s top sommelier right now, kicking goals across the State Buildings as Director of Wine. For any somm with a wine bar as one of their brood, it’s the place that allows them to have a bit of free rein.

A strange anxiety exists for many around sommeliers. A feeling you should know your stuff; but that’s their job. Many of the great wine experiences I’ve had have been on the back of a simple question: what do you recommend? At Petition I find myself drinking ‘pet nat’ (pétillant-naturel) – Sakrifizz from La Violetta. Not my normal lone drinking tipple, but a perfect thirst quencher, and a launch pad to the wider list. 

Over a number of visits, the merchant section is busy with browsers, and a balance of lone drinkers and diners in the bar. There’s a relaxed and unrushed vibe, which isn’t always the case in Petition Kitchen, the morning-noon-and-night sibling that sits alongside Petition Beer Corner. 

Other than Farrelly’s palate, the thread that has joined the three thirds of Petition was the confident cooking of Jesse Blake. The young Kiwi chef is now Dubai based, and while he’s left the building, his influence is still at play across the menu as a consultant working with new head chef Sean Bentley. I have to ask if Blake is back on the pans, such is the unbroken consistency; the mark of not just a good chef but a good brigade. Bentley, as it happens, was Blake’s sous chef for three years, so he’s ably placed to carry the baton.

Well pitched for sharing, or as a lone grazer over a few smaller plates, the menu is skewed towards bar and bistro classics like parfait, beef tartare and rillettes. There is a daily pasta special, well worth taking a shot at, as are the small plates.

Sardine toasts have been having a moment on menus in the past year or so, and rightly so. I’m a firm believer in this old-school vehicle for lightly pickled fish. There are tiny pickled onions, fresh heaped parsley and salted lemon, but the star is very much the often undervalued sardine.

Pig’s head croquettes are indulgent and bold. An accompanying red harissa is not without kick; in fact there’s a pretty swift wallop of heat, perfect against the juicy meat and the crisp shell.   

A baked eggplant billed as a small plate tips towards a standard main. Goat’s curd adds much to the dish, as does the texture of grains and pickled walnut.

Perth’s current crop of wine-bars-come-eateries are, to my mind, the best expression of hospitality in a state that produces exceptional wine and produce. Petition is at the forefront, thanks to the wine-focused vision and the well-pitched menu.