a visit to the greenhouse restaurant in Perth, WA

I have just returned from a break in Perth and the Margaret River region of Western Australia. One of the highlights of my holiday was the Greenhouse in St. Georges Terrace, Perth. I was expecting the food to be very good as the Greenhouse has made it into the Gourmet Traveller's 2011 Restaurant Guide. But I was gobsmacked walking up to the exterior of the restaurant with its amazing vertical garden, juxtaposed directly in front of modern sky rise buildings.

The vertical garden consists of thousands of small terracotta pots and plants encased in the metal framework. It gives something pleasant and green for passersby to admire, the walls almost look like they are breathing.

Inside, the walls consist of raw plywood. The light fixtures are made from wound lengths of fencing wire and it was very effective in creating a relaxed and natural, almost country, atmosphere.

The breakfast menu consisted of many tempting options, including spanner crab omelette and an upside down quince cake.

But I decided upon the wild mushrooms with slow cooked eggs and grilled polenta. It was an earthy and hearty start to my day.

And I resisted the pile of doughnuts which were sitting at the bar next to me, tempting me with their sugar coated good looks.

After breakfast we were directed to the rooftop which functions as a bar area in addition to a rooftop vegetable garden.

Most of the plantings were leafy green vegetables. For more on the fabulously "green" Greenhouse, visit their website.