Mietta's Review
The old tea rooms and public facilities are in a unique location and the restaurant was built in the style of a Victorian conservatory influenced by colonial raj architecture. The establishment was recently bought by the O'Brien restaurant group, which owns Fraser's and Bluewater Grill. The initial months have not quite lived up to the promise but the view remains as beautiful and the clever lighting makes beach and ocean feel part of the dining experience.
Other Published Opinions
The West Australian Good Food Guide 2011 Score: 12/20 "Just because a restaurant has a view, it's not necessarily true that it will serve rubbish food. Mind you, if you were using Indiana as your litmus test, you'd have to agree with the old good views/bad food axiom"
The Australian John Lethlean, 10-09-2010 Score: 2.5/5 "The 1910 pavilion, originally known as the Indiana Tea House, is a glorious bit of kit - proud and optimistic, handsomely restored and evocative of gentler times - and then there's the location: the only structure of its kind on the foreshore. Prime. ... The kitchen's selection of charcuterie entails a timber serving board (of course) bearing decent bresaola, prosciutto, salami and a passable duck liver pate: a fig/almond chutney rides side-saddle alongside a pot of cornichons. ... You can see what Indiana is on about. The staff are fine (without pressure) and the wine list is proud without being parochial, reasonable value but reasonably conservative, too. Most cities have restaurants like this. You'd like more ambition but, ultimately, you recognise they more or less achieve what they set out to achieve, too. With smarter food, Indiana could make Cottesloe beach an even more serene destination. But not by much."
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The Australian John Lethlean, 10-09-2010 Score: 2.5/5 "The 1910 pavilion, originally known as the Indiana Tea House, is a glorious bit of kit - proud and optimistic, handsomely restored and evocative of gentler times - and then there's the location: the only structure of its kind on the foreshore. Prime. Inside, it's that Country Road summer catalogue look: striped fabrics, raw timbers, rolled-up beach blankets, open fireplaces, plantation shutters, old surfboards and lots of matte white walls, beams and high tongue-in-groove ceilings. I think it's rather lovely: a Sydneysider might be reminded of The Bathers' Pavilion at Balmoral while, for me, it's somewhere between Donovans and Stokehouse on Port Phillip Bay."
The Sunday Times} Gail Williams, 04-12-2009 Score: Food 3.5/5, Ambience 4/5, Service 4/5, Score 14/20 "The excitement, then, was palpable on entering the radically refurbished confines to discover a vast, but friendly, pared-back space that exudes exactly what this stunning location is all about. ... with onion marmalade and a pile of crispy chips, and a woodfire-roasted spatchcock ($28) and "
West Australian Kristen Watts, 25-01-06 Score: 14/20 "Now called Indiana Cottesloe Beach, there have been few changes to the building itself since being taken control of by the O'Brien restaurant group. But the menu has been given an overhaul by Chris Taylor, of Fraser's and Bluewater Grill (also owned by O'Brien) fame. Alas, Taylor does not actually cook in the restaurant himself but the food has his style stamped all over it."
Sunday Times Gail Williams, 24-12-06 Score: 3.5 stars out of 5 "The tide was in, the surf was still up and a strong southerly was doing its best to rid iconic Cottesloe Beach of its last few swimmers as we settled into our table for three on the lower deck of Indiana. But the frothy expanse of grey-green turbulence below us was a calming influence after negotiating the wilds of Marine Pde with its sweaty bodies flailing from windows. What a contrast inside the tranquil old-world elegance of Indiana Cottesloe Beach. This well-loved Perth spot (formerly the Indiana Teahouse) has recently become part of the O'Brien restaurant stable, which includes Fraser's and Bluewater Grill."