Tucked in just shy of the Karratha CBD sits an oasis. Gastronomic. Lavish but understated. The Karratha International hotel rivals the quality of any of the Mariott megachain dumps dotted in supposedly more sophisticated parts of the world and does it with aplomb.
Enchanté. Upon entering the venue, even the most bogan, hi-vis laden brute is forced to succumb to an air of elegance and sophistication. You become aware that you’ve just entered the shipmaster’s grand cabin and it’s time to brush up on the King’s English. It’s a space where the aircon is set al dente 24 hours a day and you are waited on by lovely white-gloved Vanuatuan men.
Settle in for a decadent meal from the Italian-inspired kitchen – operating under the banner “Luce Bar E Cibo” which roughly translates to “pretty fuckin noice” in Italian. Paisan or no, it’s hard to deny the winning combination of a cocktail, Neopolitan pizza and smoking near a pool.
In a town where the accepted standard is a Swan from the tap and a steak or parmi deal (also a winning combination), The KI leans more towards sophisticated placidity. Patrons can quietly get blotto on chardonnay over the course of an evening and save the drunken hullaballoo for the inevitable kick on to Evo’s. the KI’s grandeur feels organic, it comes off as effortlessly classy – like a man in a suit or a lady with all her teeth.
Fairly reasonably priced given the upkeep on a place so grand could not be cheap, the only menu item that caused our south mouth to pucker was the sight of a $30 pepperoni pizza. A discerning punter sees this though and realises it is a trap for the boarish philistine – if you order pepperoni on your pizza at a place so tasteful, they should bring it out for you with a bib.
Molto bene. Andiamo.