The Bridge House review: North Fremantle eatery’s courtyard lovely spot, with food that’s worth the wait

My idea of heaven is a nice glass of wine in a sun-dappled courtyard, with a breeze rustling in the leaves of the trees overhead, so I was off to a good start at this North Fremantle eatery. The rustic alfresco area at the front of The Bridge House is a gorgeous spot, so when our waiter asked if we’d like to sit inside or outside for our Friday lunch booking, it was not a hard decision. I have been to this venue when it was Habitue but not in this most recent iteration. Even with the traffic banking up on Queen Victoria Street as the bridgeworks get underway, the ambience here is very pleasant. The menu has a bit of something for everyone and it all sounds delicious: a lamb shank with polenta, chargrilled octopus, cavatelli pasta with parmesan and chilli, prawns in fennel and caper butter and an heirloom tomato salad with stracciatella among the varied offerings. As we try some complimentary yuzu and soy olives, we opt for entrees of market fish crudo (salmon on this day) with yuzu and kombu ($25) and mortadella agrodolce with pistachio ($19), with mains of a cauliflower steak ($25) and slow-cooked short ribs ($38) with a side of chargrilled cabbage ($21). The mains arrive promptly and are a strong start. The salmon crudo is arranged in an aesthetically-pleasing ring and the mortadella’s fatty, salty deliciousness is offset by the sweetness of the fruit in the sauce. Very moreish. Here, the wheels fell off a little. Our plates are cleared quickly and we are offered, and accept, another drink. But then we sit for almost an hour waiting for mains; no one mentions it and if our new cutlery hadn’t been set out, and the restaurant had been busier, I’d have wondered if we’d been forgotten. The food finally arrives, still with no acknowledgement of the delay, but — thank the food gods — it is, at least, very much worth the wait. The unctuous meat of the short rib is packed with flavour, with delicate shavings of parmiagiano on top. The potato pave is many layers of perfectly cooked soft potato, with a crisp to the outside, that is a perfect foil to the soft meat and the accompanying gravy. An absolutely cracking dish. We are big cauliflower fans in my house and this version of the cauli steak is a great one; a good char and thoughtful accompaniments of a butter bean puree, harissa tahini and pops of pomegranate and herbs. The edges of the hispi cabbage are charred and the leaves topped with a spicy combo of Calabrese chilli and tomato cream. Very tasty, discernible heat and not something you see on every menu. The Bridge House, and in particular its courtyard, is a lovely place to while away an afternoon with delicious food, even if you end up spending a little more time than you had planned. The verdict: 14/20 A varied menu and food worth waiting for in a gorgeous courtyard. The Bridge House 1 Harvest Rd, North Fremantle Open Wednesday and Thursday, 5pm-9pm, Friday and Saturday, midday-3pm; 5pm-9pm. Contact 6234 0992, bridgehousefreo.com.au Bookings Yes