Obsidian Alternative Bar is Perth’s new goth and metal-themed bar, located in North Perth on the intersection of Charles Street and Angove Street, formerly the home of The Classroom and Akademi. The bar prides itself on hosting quirky events that are a bit left of centre and slightly spooky, now they have just added a new menu to their cabinet of curiosities. X-Press Mag’s ANTHONY JACKSON was invited to come down and have a taste of their dark delights.
We rolled down on an unassuming Tuesday night after work and walked in to see a healthy crowd taking up most of the tables, all waiting for the start of the event Death Drawing, dubbed “life drawing but darker” where amateur to experienced artists are invited to partake in a drawing workshop in the bar’s large lounge section, and the subject matter usually includes goth-oriented models, taxidermy and general dark themes. Taking a peek behind the curtain, artists could be seen happily sketching on the drawing pads seated on chesterfield style couches in the dim light.
It’s just one of many interesting events held by the venue, including personal favourite Black Yoga, a yoga class practised to the sounds of dark ambient, drone and experimental music.
We were greeted at the bar by owner/manager Trent and were offered two of Obsidian’s signature cocktails and a selection of eats from their new Americana menu.
The first drink we tried was the Black Magic, a dark, smooth cocktail with spellbinding depth. Made with Tequila, Lime, Agave, Coconut and Charcoal.
The charcoal gives the drink a rich texture that feels like you are sipping from a voodoo concoction, one taste and you are transported to the deep south where you will feel like you are in an episode of True Blood. It smells and tastes delicious, with a really nice sour touch, and looks great presented in a thick crystal goblet, garnished with dehydrated lime.
The flavour is separated from the colour and it’s great that they have used charcoal for colour and agave-based ingredients for flavour instead of just reaching for a generic black spirit like Opal Nera. The charcoal helps cut through the heat of chilli and would go well with any spicy dish on the menu.
Next up we tried the Five Finger Death Punch, a sweet refreshing summer punch inspired cocktail made from White Rum, Lime, Mango, Vanilla, Apple and Absinthe spray. This one you can drink by the ladle full!
It has a subtle fruit palette with aniseed overtones, the fruit punch flavour is not too overpowering and the absinthe is considerately disguised, or delicately disguised depending on your liking of absinthe. We couldn’t help thinking it could work better with a garnish or floating fruit to accentuate the punch vibe. It was five fingers tall and packed a punch so it lived up to its name! The absinthe spray was an interesting and exciting touch.
Then came the food, lifted from a fresh menu of southern-style Americana eats featuring chilli dogs, nachos, tacos and deep-fried goodness.
We took on the hero dish The Cheesesteak, comprised of seared sliced scotch fillet steak, mushrooms, red peppers, onions and squeezy cheese sauce served on a hoagie roll.
This one has a Philly steak roll vibe and does a great job of capturing the American style squeezy cheese sauce taste. The tender BBQ chargrilled steak was cooked to perfection and was the standout of the night, also when it featured in the beef taco, with it’s soft and tender middle and crunchy flame-grilled outer. The chargrilled mushrooms, bell peppers and mustard were well balanced making for a very tasty and generous serving.
Next was the Chilli Dog, and if you love a cheese Kransky you’ll love this: a juicy smoked cheese Kransky sausage covered in beef and bean Chilli Con Carne, topped with squeezy cheese on a hoagie roll. It’s a real value for money portion and very filling, making it a great way to line your stomach before enjoying more house cocktails and tap beers.
It was Taco night, so we couldn’t NOT try the Tacos, at $5 each or three for $12 it’s light on the wallet and heavy on the flavour.
The Chicken Taco was fresh and light. The chipotle chicken flavour and the salsa really worked well together, but the secret weapon was the sautéed bbq onion. Garnished with coriander, I’ll be back for these.
The Beef Taco again featured the perfectly cooked seared tender steak strips. Topped with a salsa of fresh tomato and onion, this was a real hit with me.
I judge a kitchen by the quality of their chips, even the nastiest kebabs shops can get top marks in my book if their chips are crunchy and robust. And that’s exactly what we got, steak sized chips that were crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. Top marks for perfect chips. We also tried the Jalapeno Poppers, surprisingly not too sharp on the heat and were easily consumable with their thick panko-crumbed coating.
Obsidian Alternative Bar is known for its dark gothic theme and alternative events but the eclectic venue is trying hard to expand it’s palette to be welcoming for diners looking for something different from the normal night out. Come for the spooky and kooky vibes and stay to be satisfied, southern-style.
