Contact Information

address Must Winebar
519 Beaufort St
Highgate 6003
phone (08) 9328 8255
email Visit Website
map View Map
cuisine French
style Casual Dining, Fine Dining
Licensed Licensed
Disabled Access Disabled Access

Photos
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Welcome to Must Winebar


Must Winebar

One of the first things you’ll notice when you walk into Must Winebar is the over abundance of wine. Bottles line the walls at every possible point and an enormous suspended wine rack separates a buzzing bistro on one side from and very happening bar on the other. Gorgeous pendant lighting and warm wooden tones contrast against two rich red walls at either end. Deliciously selected music fills the space and it has that wonderful sense of slipping on your favourite coat – it feels that right.

The bar has a breathtaking array of liquor for creating all manner of concoctions, as well as Sherries, brandies, armagnacs, absinthe, vodkas, rums and anything you care to ask for. No matter how obscure, it is bound to be there. The bar team really know their stuff and apart from Must’s multi-award winning wine lists (600 on the Master List and about 40 by the glass), there’s a cocktail list that is worth working your way through, though that may take a while. With an excellent selection of bar snacks and freshly shucked oysters, you can get very comfortably stuck there for hours. Australian Gourmet Traveller just rated Must Winebar in its ten favourite bars in Australia and it is not hard to see why.

Just on the other side is a bistro lifted straight off the page of a French street directory. Wooden floors, dark wooden bistro chairs and crisp white tablecloths create a very no nonsense feel. This is not the place for a quiet romantic dinner. There is a touch of busyness in the air as waiters glide briskly to make their wine recommendations, tempt you with Chef Russell Blaikie’s daily specials and ensure that your dining experience is unsurpassed. Blaikie’s menu uses French bistro fare as its foundation – the type a food that a country French housewife might serve. Driven by the best available local produce and layered with Blaikie’s own ingenuity gives it a contemporary and innovative edge.

Must Winebar puts out a calendar of wine and food events each twice a year. Each month there is a week devoted to something special, like Cabernet Wine Week. The Private Dining Room is the venue for some divine wine dinners, like the long standing favourite - Shin, Shank and Cheek with Blockbuster Reds. Blaikie says it’s the same customers that book and rebook for that event. It’s that favourite coat thing again – it must feel just right.

Opening Times Must Bar & Bistro Open 7 days from 12 midday till 12 midnight
Champagne Lounge Open 7 days from 6pm till midnight (5pm Sunday opening)

Reviews
(11 reviews)

#11
ayumirain
November 11, 2008

Food:
     
For entree I tried a selection of pates, a prawn dish, and a liver parfe. There was also bread served. For mains I had the sirloin with frites, and for dessert I had the creme brulee double (one banana and vanilla, the other cinnamon). I must say that all dishes were beautiful and I didn't have a problem with anything. However, I should have ordered medium rare for the sirloin instead of medium (it wasn't tough but medium rare would have been nicer). The only other thing was that the cinnamon creme brulee tasted too bitter for my liking (I've had better creme brulee) - but it could just be a personal preference. I was already stuffed after the main course, but thought I had to try dessert.

Service:
     
Staff were friendly and helpful. I have no major complaints, except that our water wasn't refilled all that timely. There were a few times where my glass would be empty for quite a while.

Ambience:
     
Modern, sophisticated, dim lighting. However, it's got a relaxed feel to it. Noise level is medium. Chairs are slightly hard although not a major concern. Very clean and comfortable.

Overall:
I enjoyed myself thoroughly and felt full by the end of the main course. Thus the portion is definitely not small, yet not exceedingly large. However, the restaurant is not cheap - average mains range from 35-45. If you can afford it, it's a great experience. I'm giving 4 stars because of there's still room for improvement, such as a better price and better chairs, and more attention to water refilling.




#10
grebec
August 29, 2008

Food:
     
Fantastic food. Went with two work colleagues. One had (as I did) the dry aged steak which was beautifully cooked, simply presented. Other had the salmon, which was delicate, elegant, pure. Very pleased. Big improvement over a visit several years back. Wine (and Champagne) list nothing short of exceptional.

Service:
     
General service acceptable. Sommelier exceptional - she really knows her stuff - if you visit you must take advantage of her knowledge. Best sommelier I have come across in Perth. My rating here is for her.

Ambience:
     
The noise level means it is not for a romantic dinner. However, perfect otherwise -this place buzzes. Nice vibe.

Overall:
My colleagues and I had a fantastic evening. Highly recommended.




#9
anna1212
July 11, 2008

Food:
     
We went to the Must Winebar on Wed night for a private function - it was bliss!! We were offered a choice of canapes, then a choice from the set menu. Choices were: Lobster bisque or cheese tart for entree, steak, salmon or lamb for mains and either creme brulee or cheese platter for desserts. We had coffee to finish the meals. The wine list was extensive and the Lenten Brae Sem. Sav Blanc I had was perfect.

Service:
     
Staff were attentive and polite.

Ambience:
     
The private dining room was stylish yet understated. You could see the chefs in the kitchen preparing our meals.

Overall:
A wonderful restaurant - food was excellent, service staff were pleasant and attentive and atmosphere was inviting.




#8
cnguyen0
June 4, 2008

Food:
     
Divine. Very pleasantly blown away! Had, up until now, thought that the noise about the food was mostly hype. Glad to be wrong! The wagyu beef carpaccio was melt-in-the-mouth (one of their smaller entrees but so worth it) and pure beefy heaven. Our table also ordered the charcuterie plate (which gave me dish envy), and the vegetarian terrine. Judging from the silence and scraping of the plates on all sides of the table - entrees were a hit. The butterfield sirloin was the best steak I have had in,... I can't remember when. Cooked perfectly. Served with frites and pepper jus. It was so simple + stunning. Am drooling as I type this. Table also ordered a special - the beef cheeks with truffle mash. Fantastic. Amazingly soft and gelatinous. Yum

Service:
     
Faultless. From reservations right through to coffees - effortless, efficient, knowledgeable, and friendly. Let us meander at our own pace with the occasional nudge (we needed it!). Very professional. The service was top notch and really made the night.

Ambience:
     
Had heard from friends that it might be noisy so we had booked a table down the back. Really nice atmosphere - relaxed, buzzy but never really got too boisterous (although our table probably did). Section was full when we were onto desserts and occasionally got a bit noisy but not really an issue.

Overall:
Was a special occasion, and we're glad we chose to dine at Must for the night. Well worth paying that bit extra for something really special. Was one of the most memorable and enjoyable dining experiences I've been part of in a wee while anyway! Great food, great wine list, and I can never say no to their caprioskas! Wonderful things being done to beef and meat! Veggos looked after too (not a spinach and ricotta cannelloni in sight!). What more could you ask for?




#7
rysha
May 23, 2008

Food:
     
Food was excellent!

We all ordered oysters to start with which were excellent!!

I had the angel hair pasta for main. I thought 40.50 was a bit expensive for a pasta but it was by far the best pasta i have ever eaten!

We also ordered to bottle of red wine! The selection of wine is pricey but excellent! you pay well for a good glass!

Service:
     
We had a waiter with a french accent who was very humorous. He was very attentive and had excellent manners.

Ambience:
     
Great atmosphere. Quite loud but that is because it is always booked out!

Overall:
The bill came to over 300 which worked out to be around $65 a head. More expensive than most restaurants but we all left very satisfied!




#6
anna1212
November 27, 2007

Food
     
Service
     
Ambience
     
Overall:
We went sat night with another couple - I was looking forward to eating here and I was not disappointed!! We all ordered entree, main and dessert plus 2 bottles of wine, 2 glasses of champagne and a beer. The food was fantastic - 2 of us had the rocket, cheese. pear and prosciutto salad and then others had prawns dish. The mains chosen were pork sausages x 2, steak and chips for me and beef steak special with ribs and steak pie. My steak was huge and I could not finish it - I was saving room for dessert!! Dessert was chocolate special plate x 2, oil and macadamia ice cream and apple tart. All through the meal the service was attentive and happy to help. The price was $430 for 4 people. The only problem was bar noise was very loud.




#5
Incakitty
March 27, 2007

Food
     
Service
     
Ambience
     
Overall:
Myself, my partner and a friend walked into Must for an Monday after work drink, little did we know, we were to be treated to fantastic service, a huge variety of wines and cocktails, and the finest foods.

The ambience was great, light background music and dim lights. We were not in for a sit down meal so we settled in the bar section. It took as a while to get through the wine list before choosing but our waiter (Yes wait staff at the bar!!!!!) was patient with us. We ordered a fantastic red, which was drunk nice and easy between 3 people.

We ordered the grilled Chorizo to share and the Cheese Platter!!! The Brie was to die for!

Our waiter sat with us and went through the wine list for our second bottle of wine. He knew so much about the wine we chose.

HE was always checking if we were alright and came to top up our glasses before we even realised they were empty. This waiter is a rare gem in the Perth restaurant scene.

The bill worked out at about $50 each, which is a bit pricey for an evening’s drinks, however you have to pay for the finer things in life.

The only disappointment was there was no tip jar or section on the bill where we could tip.

Excellent service should be rewarded. Maybe I’ll buy him a bottle of wine next time.... :)




#4
queenisis
December 11, 2006

Food
     
Service
     
Ambience
     
Overall:
Must beckoned us last night, as do many of the establishments along Beaufort Street these days for the ever popular Sunday Sessions.

This place is hot! We met some friends at Must for pre-dinner drinks before indulging in a glorious meal. We sipped on Bollinger at the funky bar and mingled with the in-crowd.

After a while we were at a table for my first dining experience at Must. The waiter was a lovely, friendly guy who did a great job at memorising the specials for the night. He also made sure our drinks were sorted. However, he did appear to be somewhat stretched over too many tables and there were periods where we required additional service (eg, more wine, parmesan cheese, extra bread etc) but it was slow.

To begin, we were treated to the chicken liver parfait, grenache jelly and melba toasts. The liver was divine! Not too strong in flavour, delicately balanced and scrumptious. We ordered extra bread, little sliced up wholemeal rolls, and it came with real butter (yum!). We also experienced the caramelised fig, prosciutto and rocket salad with Roquefort cheese and walnut vinaigrette. Delicious! The prosciutto was tender and fresh, the leaves crispy and the fig was warm and dissolved in the mouth amidst a burst of sweet, ripe flavours!

For mains, I ordered the angel hair pasta with rock lobster, tomato, chilli and basil. The pasta was cooked al dente and twisted through with chunks of juicy lobster and slivers of basil tossed through a fresh tomato based sauce with a hint of spice! I had a side order of asparagus with virgin olive oil and sea salt - so young, tender and fresh like it was picked straight out of the garden.

The others at our table were all as equally impressed with their meals. One had the rare roast hahndorf venison steak, mushroom duxeles, otato gratin and sour cherry jus. The meat was cooked to perfection, tender and juicy! Another had the rib special and someone else had the snapper dish. All fresh produce, cooked to perfection and beautifully presented with a variety of interesting accompaniments that make this establishment stand out from the others.

For dessert I tried the cinnamon pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla ice cream. A friend had the warm chocolate fondant with spiced orange ice cream. I'm not a big fan of cinnamon, so didn't really enjoy my dessert. But, it all looked lovely and my husband enjoyed it!

All up, including alcohol and extras like frites, bread etc, it cost us $80 each. A little pricier than I would normally pay for dinner, but well worth the experience in my opinion! You simply must try Must!




#3
Petar
September 11, 2006

Food
     
Service
     
Ambience
     
Overall:
We arrived at Must for a celebratory birthday dinner with another couple. We were shown to our table, really funky décor and cool feel to the place.

We had a really helpful waiter which always makes dinning so much more pleasant. We order for entrée a selection freshly shucked oysters (Natural, Crispy Fried and Rockefeller), some grilled chorizo sausage and some Turkish bread and dipping vinaigrette and N'joi olive oil along with 4 fruity cocktails.

For mains I had the slow-roast breast of free range chicken filled with Exmouth scallop boudin, steamed torbay asparagus, vermouth beurre blanc ($29), wasn’t a big dish but very tasty, my wife had the angel hair pasta tossed with blue manna crab, tomato, chilli and basil ($29) which I sampled - it was nice but a touch oily for my liking. Accompanied by a bottle of the 2002 Reshke Vitilus Cab Sauv ($46), mmm.

For desert I had the Delamain cognac chocolate truffle ($3) and we shared a selection of crème brulee ($12) - no complaints here.

The front bar generates quite a bit of noise and we found that a bit disruptive but once the bar quietened down it was a lot more enjoyable. All in all great service and yummy food and wine.




#2
teamster
August 30, 2006

Food
     
Service
     
Ambience
     
Overall:
Anyone and everyone who enjoys a meal out really has to try Must at some point. After several pleasant visits here, nothing has ever sullied my opinion of this cracking restaurant/wine bar.

From the tasty, interesting and superbly crafted entrees, through the aged steak and fresh fish main dishes, and finally into the delicious dessert menu... nothing i have tried has ever been short of exemplary.

The most recent visit was for a friend’s birthday on a Friday night, and given that it was after all Friday night... the place was jumping. The wine bar downstairs, despite being packed to the seams, provided a lively and interesting backdrop to our meal. Yes, it may have been noisy with all the rowdiness of a Friday night going on... but it wasn't -THAT- noisy... certainly not enough to affect the diners sitting in the raised area at the back.

A couple of guests on our table made mention that they thought their entree sizes were a little small, but quickly this was seen to be appropriate as they were unable to finish their mains!

The portion sizes are not huge, but what they lack in size they definitely make up for in satisfying you.

Lastly we come to the accompanying beverages.

Every time I open this wine list it brings a tear to my eye. Austrian Rieslings... French Pinot's... far more than the usual standard wine-list fare. A veritable treasure trove of Dionysian proportions.

And for those of you who are not that up with the whole wine thing, then fear not! The staff here really know their wine. And i mean REALLY know their wine. Simply describe what you like and let them recommend an appropriate wine, or order you meal and allow them to match a wine.

If you ever see a guy in the back with a really big smile from ear to ear... come over and say hi.




#1
Caroline
May 26, 2006

Food
     
Service
     
Ambience
     
Overall:
I recently went to Must to celebrate a friends birthday, and I can't believe that I have not discovered this little gem before. The food that we had was excellent - steak and frites cooked to perfection with tasty, well thought out sides that really brought the dish alive. The rest of the menu looked equally tempting but vegetarians should be aware it is largely focused on a rotisserie theme, although there would be something to suit every taste.

The wine selection certainly matched the food both for interest and quality. They have a large selection of wines by the glass and a fantastically diverse main wine menu. I was very impressed by the number of European wines on offer. The waiter that we had was also fantastic, attentive but not intrusive and seemed delighted to discuss both wine and food suggestions. For those that are interested you can also order small "tasting" glasses of some wines, which seems a great option if you are unsure about the sommeliers suggestions.

All in all a great place for a night out, although you might want to save it for special occasions as the bill did rack up when we couldn't resist dessert and another bottle of wine.







Awards:

awards WINNER 2008 R&CIA Awards, Best informal Dining City and Metro
awards Catering Institute of Australia Award for WA’s Wine List of the Year, 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006