Bistro 54 — Restaurant in Perth

My partner and I decided we wanted to go to a “nice” Italian place for our anniversary dinner while we are visiting Perth. We had to call 4 times in order to make a reservation, one of them we were just hung up on before we could speak. When we got there it didn’t look like they had our reservation on the little sticky note they keep reservations on. When we were sat service was pretty busy, but calmed down very quickly. The server took a while to get to us but we really didn’t mind that. When we did order, my partner got the Fettuccine Gamberi and I had the Aglio e Olio, my partner’s dish was great, they loved it (we both did), mine was not. The pasta was very chewy. I also wanted to add some mushrooms to the pasta, and instead I got a massive 6$ platter full of mushrooms. It took us upwards of 10 minutes in order to get her to even glance our way so we could ask for it to be cooked more. The second time, I assume they put my plate in hot water and gave it back to me or something because it still had the mushrooms I had added on and was steaming? Or maybe they microwaved it? Either way it was still very chewy and felt underdone. The second time the server was much less understanding, didn’t understand what the problem was, spoke in a condescending manner, and did not offer any remorse. My partner also heard the kitchen say “What’s wrong this time” in a very sarcastic tone. At this point we just wanted to leave as I was upset and didn’t want to be there any longer. While this is happening, the server is being so overly kind with the straight couples around us, even offering the table next to us complimentary dessert since they were celebrating a special occasion— something we were also doing. Meanwhile we were completely ignored and blamed for not enjoying our food. We had originally planned to stay for dessert but opted for gas station milkshakes instead as the machines had better customer etiquette.

TL;DR, We as a queer couple would not recommend this restaurant, as we were not treated with the same respect or kindness as other patrons. Overall, some dishes are good, (like the fettuccine gamberi) and other dishes should maybe be scrapped from the menu.

Edit for the reply:

As someone who worked in the service industry for many years, never have I ever seen a business reply to bad reviews the way that you do. I did not “choose” to break out into tears, I was very upset because I didn’t feel like I was being listened to and I just wanted to enjoy this milestone with my partner. I was not offered these things that you say that I was, I was barely spoken to at all. The only thing that was communicated to me was that the pasta would be removed from my bill, that’s it. I don’t know why there was such a huge difference in the way you treated us vs. the way you treated everyone else, but whatever the reason was, it did not go unnoticed and it was hurtful. I hope that you learn to handle your reviews differently. Typically the standard is either to respond with sympathy or not...

Quaint and small Bistro operated by dedicated and hard-working folks. The place was packed on this Saturday night and the chef and sous-chef were just a hopping yet very cool and collected-looking (you can watch them "perform" through a glass window). Service was professional, kind and attentive. We had Caesar salad and frutti di mare salad to start, chicken parmesan and carbonara as mains and crème brulée for desert. All complemented by a glass of Prosecco and one Pinot Grigio followed by a $77 bottle of Chianti.

The Chianti was incredibly tasty and without the harsh tannins that accompany too many a Chianti. To boot, the mark-up was surprisingly low considering this is a $42 bottle retail. Awesome wine that paired perfectly with our meal. The crème brulée was perfectly done with a beautiful hint of lemon. Well done! The frutti di mare was very satisfying and the Caesar dressing although spot-on in taste was unfortunately drowning the lettuce. The chicken parm was good but badly under-sauced and the low-point was the carbonara. The sauce had lots of great pancetta but sorely lacked egg yoke and cracked pepper. Also, I suspect Romans would strongly object to onions in that dish and they`d also question the use of the overly "fat" spaghetti that came with it. Not a strong dish.

In any case, Bistro 54 is a really nice Restaurant to go to if/when you are in Perth. Just make sure you reserve first as at least 6 parties were turned away while we dined as they had failed to do that. Also know that the on-line menu was nothing like the...

Worst customer service I have experienced at a restaurant. I suggest visiting any of the other great restaurants in Perth.  FOr my parents 50th wedding anniversary I called and let them know it was their 50th and requested a window table.  When we got there there was a lot of confusion and we were eventually offered a dark table in the corner under the kitchen window beside another group.  The server who was the only nice person we encountered agreed that this was a terrible spot.  We asked to be moved and was offered a table outside in the alley, nothing inside and certainly not the window like I had requested. I had infact requested not to be outside and was not dressed for outdoor dining.  After the meal I went inside to let the owner know that my mother was very upset about the situation and I was disappointed with the seating confusion.  I was given some convoluted excuses and there was no apology, which is all I had wanted.  I then reached out a number of times via email and messenger expressing my disappointment.  The messages are read, but no one responds.  I would have loved to have had a conversation about the issues we had, but when I had tried to my concerns were dismissed. Now the restaurant is trying to gaslight me and blame me for a mistake they made and the rude behaviour I have...