iMasticate

The Classroom is a restaurant and bar in North Perth that looks pretty boring outside, but packs heaps of fun inside! We had a group of six so we were able to reserve a table for a busy Saturday evening. The music was loud and included a fantastic mix of old and new hits, which resulted in bursts of spontaneous mid-conversation karaoke.

The Classroom’s Bucket of Kentucky Goodness ($19)

The menu boasts that the 12 secret herbs and spices will keep “the Colonel” out of business. This is some of the best fried chicken I have ever tasted and it is in a completely different league to KFC. Delicious batter packed with flavour and juicy tender meat inside. We shared a basket (sadly, not a bucket) and I could easily have demolished these on my own.

You’ll also spot the awesome bar tabs, which are blocks of wood that you might not-so-fondly remember from school maths lessons.

8Hr Bourbon Beef Short Ribs and Charred Pineapple ($19)

The tender meat on the ribs easily pulled apart and the bourbon marinade tasted like a rich BBQ sauce. Extra marinade in the jar was slathered onto the ribs and charred pineapple, which added a hit of sweetness to balance out all the savoury. No doubt the serving was too tiny for $19, but the dish was super yummy.

Tiger Prawn Tacos ($15)

My friends enjoyed the prawn tacos, which they described as fresh and tasty. The dish comes with pipette of spicy sauce - tread cautiously because my seasoned friend found it packed quite a punch. Every bit of the fresh guacamole was eaten, so it must have gone down well. I suffered from a little bit of food envy until more food was ready.

10Hr Duck Leg Confit ($23)

Sharing the solitary duck leg between three people was slightly challenging and became a disappointingly small serve. However, the apricot chutney was sweet and tasted great with the duck. I also enjoyed forkfuls of peach, dates, pomegranate, witlof leaves, and what we thought was quinoa (it looked like large couscous).

Ice-cream Sandwich with Gingerbread and Salted Caramel Cherries ($12)

How could I go past an ice-cream sandwich, one of my childhood favourites? It was a challenge to share this dessert because the gingerbread was not soft and squishy like the packaged variety. The gingerbread had a harder biscuit texture and tasted fantastic with the creamy vanilla ice-cream. I’m not a fan of weirdly flavoured cherries, so I donated mine to a friend. A really fun and messy dessert!!

Collect your own food from the canteen counter

The staff walked around for table service, but customers collect food from the counter when the buzzer goes off. My friends ordered a few drinks that took about half an hour to arrive, but it was good fun to watch the bartenders at work! The Classroom has a few novelty cocktails, including one that utilises a bunsen burner.

LN2 Espresso Martini ($22)

My friend ordered a cocktail that uses liquid nitrogen from the container sitting behind the bar. It was chilled and smoking on the counter, but unfortunately had warmed up by the time it arrived at our table. The drink was quite bitter so my friend requested two packets of sugar which seemed to make it more palateable for her. I didn’t have a taste-test because I don’t like coffee…

Lick, Sip, Suck: REDUX ($20)

The amusing name of this cocktail deserves a little smirk, but it seems redundant to make a “that’s what he said” joke… The cocktail consisted mostly of lemon sorbet and tequila, but my friend added two packets of sugar to her drink too! The weird kaffir leaf lime powder and black volcanic salt was pretty gross, so it ended up as war-paint on my friend’s face. The Classroom really brings out a person’s inner child, plus my friend loved the hand-made Mexican lollipop!

The Red Hook ($18)

Unfortunately, this cocktail was not as sweet as my friend had hoped for. I had a small taste and it had me reeling because it was very strong and tasted like whisky. After double-checking the menu description, we realised that the cocktail consisted of Vermouth, beam rye, maraschino liqueur, and a decorative cherry. Not a cocktail for the light-hearted.

Lockers and other cute school-inspired decor

Service was attentive and friendly, even though the food and drinks took some time to arrive (probably due to the Saturday night crowds). While the drinks were somewhat disappointing, everyone enjoyed the food and atmosphere. All in all, we had an excellent time at The Classroom and we will be back.

Summary 
Likes: fun decor, tasty food, great music, friendly table service

Dislikes: bitter cocktails, long wait for drinks

Value for money: reasonable

Overall: great spot for a fun night out with friends

Contact
Address:
Unit 1, 356 Charles St
North Perth WA

(08) 9444 7729

www.theclassroom.com.au