A great social venue for small corporate meetings is The Old Brewery, which is located at 173 Mounts Bay Road, just five minutes’ drive from the Perth CBD.  Perched on the banks of Swan River, The Old Brewery offers spectacular view of the river, the Narrows Bridge, the City lights, South Perth foreshore and beyond.

This bar and grill restaurant is housed in a heritage building dating back to 1838. It was a beer brewery from the late 1800s till the 1960s, hence the current name – The Old Brewery. It can now house almost any type of event, from breakfasts and corporate seminars, product launches to gala dinners. For private functions, its Thomas Hardwick Room can comfortably accommodate 140 guests for a sit down meal and over 250 for a stand-up cocktail party. The Room can also be divided into smaller sections for more intimate meetings. The Room is fitted with all-glass concertina doors that open up to the terrace facing the Swan River, and is exclusively available to guests for cocktail function set up. One downside is that residential apartments are located above the restaurant and event organizers may have to keep the noise level down especially for outdoor functions.

During a recent visit, our group enjoyed a great selection of canapés on arrival. The canapés comprising fresh oysters, oyster Kilpatrick, sausages and meatballs were delicious and went well with the different types of beer we sampled. For lunch, Executive Chef Greg Farnan’s team served up delectable platters of dry aged sirloin, Wagyu rump, Wagyu scotch fillet, grassfed scotch fillet and T-bone steak, all cooked to perfection. The succulent Wagyu scotch fillet especially got the thumbs up.  The steaks were tasty without any sauce, but the platter does come with a variety of salts, homemade mustards and mushroom sauce that went very well with the beef. Accompanying the beef were chips, potato gratin and bowls of fresh green salad.

A visit here is not merely to fill the belly with beer and food, but also an educational experience on beer-making and beef appreciation, as Head Brewer Mark Reilly brought us behind the bar to show how he used only the finest grain to create unique beers in small batches, while Executive Chef Greg Farnan explained the finer points on beef selection and cooking in his uncompromising but entertaining style. This beer and beef master-class is certainly a value-add for corporate groups visiting The Old Brewery, although the space is rather tight especially at the brewery and is thus best suited for not more than 10 persons at any one time.

The Old Brewery is a wonderful venue for corporate social gathering. With nature parks within its vicinity and a private jetty, perhaps event organizers can even plan creative team-building program ending with a dining experience at The Old Brewery.

For more information, please visit: http://www.theoldbrewery.com.au/