Different coloured lanterns signify different things in Chinese culture — red for wealth and acclaim, green for health and prosperity and yellow for good luck.
Decked out in bold reds and lucky golds, the owners of Lantern on the Quay hope their new city diner quickly becomes a beacon to Perth foodies chasing classic Cantonese cuisine with a contemporary twist.
“Old Canton, new Perth,” is the mantra at the 140-seat Chinese eatery opening on August 11 in Brookfield’s One the Esplanade riverside tower.
Co-owners Surin Dhami and Karen Wong, alongside executive chef Ricky Kwok of the now defunct Canton Bay in Mounts Bay Road, pitch Lantern as a destination restaurant. Perth’s answer to Melbourne’s famed Flower Drum and local competition to Crown Perth’s Silks.
“We believe Lantern answers a quite specific question,” Dhami says. “Where do you go for really great Cantonese food in the city?
“We truly hope Lantern will strike the balance between classic Cantonese cuisine and the kind of wine and cocktail bar culture Perth loves, packaged in a way Perth hasn’t seen before.”
Hailing from Singapore, Dhami already has an impressive portfolio of New York-inspired food and wine businesses across Perth, including East Village and Basilica, The Cutting Board group, Green Grocer and Chuck’s Cantina.
Meanwhile Wong, who is Malaysian, and her husband Sam have history in various suburban Cantonese restaurants, including Canton Bay.
Dhami says that Lantern’s location near Elizabeth Quay means that they expect to host corporate groups, tourists, families and “hit-and-run customers” lunch and dinner seven days a week.
“We’re catering to different walks of life at different times of day,” she says.
Lantern’s debut menu features plenty of seafood, ranging from snow crab and Western Rock Lobster, to scallops, squid, prawns and even black truffle sauteed Patagonian toothfish. (The latter is harvested sustainably by Perth-based Austral Fisheries.)
Chef Kwok, who came to Perth from his native Hong Kong in 1987, says he loves cooking with WA seafood because “nowhere else in the world is the produce so clean and pure”.
The veteran chef’s take on Peking duck crepes is expected to become a signature dish, alongside sauteed Margaret River-grown Wagyu beef and wok-fired venison, at Lantern.
In addition to “adventurous cocktails” and premium spirits, Lantern’s wine list will star top notch WA and Australian brands, such as Penfolds, Henschke and Cullen.
Adelaide design firm Faculty has given the interior a red and gold theme they hope conjures wealth, acclaim and good luck, and immediately lets potential diners know Lantern offers premium Asian cuisine.
Faculty principal Mike Darvill says the interior design was inspired by “the warmth and subtle glow of lanterns”.
Or as Sam Wong explains: “It’s a sign of celebration. A place where you want to celebrate and have joy.”
After a launch event August 9, Lantern on the Quay officially opens to the public on August 11.
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