Mahogany Inn Perth review: April Ooi visits Mahogany Creek pub and distillery for scallops & steak

Autumn is the season for my annual Gilmore Girls rewatch. I often get inspired by the show and start reading more to channel my inner Rory Gilmore. But this year, I decided to truly treat myself by visiting our very own version of the Dragonfly Inn, right here in Perth. Mahogany Inn, situated on Great Eastern Highway in Mahogany Creek, is a cinematic location. The building dates back to the 19th century but has lived many different lives — including as military barracks, a wayside house, convict depot, and family residence. It is now a pub, with accommodation and a distillery. The courtyard and beer garden are excellent at night, the bright red brick, the changing leafy trees, and twinkling fairy lights creating a magical atmosphere. And there’s a lot of Australian pub classics mixed with fancier plates on the menu. The drinks came out quickly. We picked cocktails featuring the onsite distillery’s gins. The Strawberry Gin Spritz ($20) was sweet and easy, using the distillery’s pink gin, grenadine, and apple brandy. The London Mule ($18) tasted mostly of ginger beer, but it also had the distillery’s dry gin, which is infused with lemon and orange peel. For a shared entree we got the Abrolhos Island scallops ($27). There were four fleshy, large scallops, lightly charred in butter and topped with a fruity salsa. The salsa was a little too sweet and rogue for me, but I enjoyed the freshness of the scallops. I ordered the bangers and mash ($32), which came with three chunky jalapeno-and-cheese sausages on a fluffy bed of mash potato and seared broccolini. The sausage was on the saltier side, but I really enjoyed it mixed with the mash and sauce. My boyfriend wanted the 250g eye fillet ($52). It usually comes with creamy mash, but we were able to easily swap it out with classic thick-cut chips for an extra dollar. It also came with some seasonal vegetables and roasted cherry tomatoes. It was cooked to a true medium, as ordered. It wasn’t tough and had a nice flavourful crust. We were stuffed (given the big pub sizes) but still managed to squeeze in a light dessert. We shared the lime and vanilla bean panna cotta ($17). We were taking guesses at what the aromatic, almost herbaceous flavour in the topping was. After taking a peek back at the menu, we realised it was a gin crumb (made with their own house gin) and we were super impressed. The Mahogany Inn is old-timey and quaint, with some unexpectedly sophisticated items that really lift what you’d expect from a pub. It serves as an excellent place to grab a feed, whether you are staying the night or making a day trip to Mundaring. Mahogany Inn & Distillery 4260 Great Eastern Highway, Mahogany Creek OPEN Tuesday-Sunday 11am-late CONTACT 9295 1118, themahoganyinn.com.au BOOKINGS Yes THE VERDICT A charming blend of history, hearty food, and lively hospitality in the Perth Hills. 15/20