Tonic & Ginger
Tonic & Ginger things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
Description
Chic, airy restaurant highlighting Southeast Asian fusion offerings in a 20th-century synagogue.
attractions: Fremantle Markets, Fremantle Prison, Esplanade Park, WA Shipwrecks Museum, The Round House, YHA Fremantle Prison, Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour, E Shed Markets, Rottnest Express B Shed Ferry Terminal, Fremantle War Memorial, restaurants: Kailis Fishmarket Cafe, Cicerello's Fremantle, Emily Taylor Bar & Kitchen, Bathers Beach House, Bread in Common, Sail and Anchor, Clancy's Fish Pub, Gage Roads Freo Brewery, Moore & Moore Cafe, Benny's Bar & Cafe
Ratings
Description
Chic, airy restaurant highlighting Southeast Asian fusion offerings in a 20th-century synagogue.
Posts
This place was so lovely to eat lunch at! Me and my friend went here on a Wednesday to have lunch. The menu has four sections for savoury foods. Bites, Grazing, Feasting and of course Sides. Each one increases in size and price. You can also do a feed me option for $72 per person! (They also had a page for hot drinks and dessert!) I ended ordering two items from the Bites section, the chicken bao buns and the pork potstickers. The bites came out pretty quickly but they where small, the pork potstickers only had two but were very delicious with a juicy middle and a crispy outside . The chicken bao buns were crispy with a slight sour taste from the pickles which complimented the spicy mayo. My friend got the fire cracker cauliflower and a side of plain jasmine rice. Which came out after my two bites ( which was to be expected because of its size). It ended up being a whole head of cauliflower covered in a peanut based bang bang sauce with a sea of coconut and herb sauce surrounding it. The bang bang sauce definitely had some spice to it but the coconut helped mellow it out if you can’t handle the spice which made it nice to eat. The flavours worked so well together and the rice just helped fill it out more as a meal. Although it was a vegetarian and gluten free meal (excluding the side of rice) it was a very filling and delicious meal! Although it was a bit expensive it was definitely worth it for the food and the amazing atmosphere of the restaurant with its decor and seating area. Next time I will definitely have to try more food including the desserts and try the drinks too!
Cherry RoseCherry Rose
00
I have been here a few times, and I generally enjoy this restaurant. The service is good and staff and very welcoming, though the location (which includes a couple of bars) can get a bit busy, and the bars (not the restaurant) can be a bit rowdy. The interior of the venue is quite impressive. Really well presented and somewhat of a unique venue with its history. The team designing the space did a great job. The food was a little disappointing for me in my most recent visit. I went on a Tuesday early evening. The menu options were varied and interesting. I was dining by myself, so I only tried 4-5 smaller dishes. Unfortunately one dish (the eggplant) was cold in the middle, and the ‘special’ fried rice was very standard. The other dishes were better. The wontons were crispy with a very nice sauce. The bao were well presented and generous in size. Fresh and great flavour. Had a few hiccups with the seating (sun right in my eyes and a broken chair), but the staff sorted that out quickly. I should note, I commented at the time of payment that the eggplant was cold, and without prompting, the staff deducted it from the final bill, which I appreciated. I would come back, but with so many good options nearby, perhaps not in a hurry.
Dan GasperDan Gasper
00
The food isn't terrible, it just isn't what we were hoping for or expecting. We had the "Feed Me" chef's menu option. My husband told the server that he would prefer if the kitchen could avoid cauliflower, broccoli, and too much vegetables in general. The food we received had a lot of veg and even broccoli in it. Taste wise it was okay, even though I'd consider some of the flavours odd or even mismatched. The flavours and cooking just lacked finesse. I wouldn't mind it at a mom-and-pop Asian diner, but at a restaurant so well-renowned like tonic+ginger, I truly wish it were better. Southeast Asian food can be full of flavour and even worthy of fine dining. We are from Singapore and have enjoyed many good fusion restaurants like Restaurant Ibid, Po Restaurant, Neon Pigeon, Birds of a Feather, Xiao Ya Tou, Allium, to name a few. Very refined flavours and presentation. Asian / Southeast Asian food can be refined too, you just need to find the right types of inspiration. I know the target audience probably isn't Southeast Asian natives, but it's a little sad to see our flavours so boldly mismatched and altered in dishes that we could never call our own, fusion or not. Wishing for better representation of Asian flavours to the Perthian audience one day. Lovely ambience and decor in the restaurant though, and we thoroughly enjoyed that. Thank you and all the best.
Daphne MaiaDaphne Maia
20
We came with a large group for a birthday dinner. The feed me menu was mandated. There were a number of dietary requirements that needed to be catered for. I think the restaurant did really well catering for these requirements, considering the table size and the busyness of the evening. The only piece of feedback I would suggest is that you keep the same wait staff for a table that has that many requirements. When we asked what was GF or Vegan, we had a few, ‘I think so’ or ‘90% sure’ answers. Some of the guests didn’t eat as they were not filled with confidence. The flavours from the feed me menu were delicious. I particularly enjoyed the cauliflower (spicy) and beef rendang. Vegan dessert was much more appetising than the actual dessert that was served as part of the feed me menu. Thankfully, I got to try both! I would definitely return with a more intimate group so I am able to choose from the menu. I wonder if this would provide a different experience. The atmosphere was amazing and the venue stunning.
Dan Del CasaleDan Del Casale
00
Beautiful decor, atmosphere, staff and food! Every staff member was so helpful and friendly, not to mention super efficient. We ordered multiple dishes and they all came out together and within 5-10 minutes of ordering (we were there for an 8.30pm booking but it was still fairly busy) so we were really impressed. They even have a separate menu for those with nut allergies highlighting which dishes to avoid! Food was incredible, the smaller plates were great for us to share and get a taste for different dishes without over-ordering. Not to mention (again) the staff were all brilliant, there was always someone available to add extra items onto our order for us. Very reasonably priced considering the quality of food. We both had such a lovely experience and can't wait to come back ☺️ P.S. no photos of the food tragically as we were too excited to eat it 💁♀️ 🥦♥️
Sarah PemberSarah Pember
00
Was promptly greeted by a huge smile, attached to Jules, whom then showed us to our table. Was given the menus and given the rundown on how the menu works. Told her of a nut allergy so she quickly popped off to grab another copy of the menu with all the nut dishes identified and what nuts were on it. This made it really easy to make our choices. Still got the Feed Me. Our drinks came first. On menu Yoshi's Island and off menu Old Fashioned came rather quickly. The dishes came out in good time also. My accomplice was concerned about the idea of broccoli, but was pleasantly surprised with what was plated. Everything was really good and there was so much we even had to get some to take away afterwards. Jules did a great job of making our lunch a wonderful experience, and no doubt all the other staff in the background too. We'll have to go back for sure!
Alan WadeAlan Wade
10
Nearby Attractions Of Tonic & Ginger
Fremantle Markets
Fremantle Prison
Esplanade Park
WA Shipwrecks Museum
The Round House
YHA Fremantle Prison
Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour
E Shed Markets
Rottnest Express B Shed Ferry Terminal
Fremantle War Memorial

Fremantle Markets
4.4
(6K)Click for details

Fremantle Prison
4.7
(1.3K)Click for details

Esplanade Park
4.4
(1.2K)Click for details

WA Shipwrecks Museum
4.7
(1K)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Tonic & Ginger
Kailis Fishmarket Cafe
Cicerello's Fremantle
Emily Taylor Bar & Kitchen
Bathers Beach House
Bread in Common
Sail and Anchor
Clancy's Fish Pub
Gage Roads Freo Brewery
Moore & Moore Cafe
Benny's Bar & Cafe

Kailis Fishmarket Cafe
4.2
(2.4K)$$
Click for details

Cicerello's Fremantle
3.9
(2.4K)$$
Click for details

Emily Taylor Bar & Kitchen
4.7
(1.5K)Click for details

Bathers Beach House
4.1
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Click for details