Tiki as FK

Gary Beadle is a veteran of the Perth bar scene, having been responsible for the design of Lot Twenty, Five Bar and 399 (he’s still a part-owner of the first two). His Northbridge bar Tiki as FK opened next-door to Connections in May 2017.

The tone is distinctly ’60s with a more refined tiki-inspired offering than you may expect. There’s an ornate timber bar, cocktails are big on rum and fruit and a framed J.H. Lynch print of “Tina” hangs on the wall.

It promises a changing cocktail list with no drink above $18. The menu includes a few tongue-in-cheek tributes including the Broadfield Swizzle and Coughlin’s Law, a modern twist on the tiki-classic Scorpion in honour of Bryan Brown’s character in Cocktail. (Beadle cites the film as an essential part of any young bartender’s education).

Although the bar stocks a small but serviceable selection of beers and wine (all at the across-the-board pricing of $9 a serve), drinking cocktails feels pretty much mandatory at a tiki establishment. Grapefruit and lime form a stiff backbone for the three-spirit Coughlin’s Law, and the house Mai Tai is a solid option. A fairy floss machine ups the fun level.

Tiki as FK’s balcony area faces directly into the city, and specially made grills have been installed to keep guests fed. Food is served on skewers, in an aim to complete Beadle’s vision for the bar and replicate a feeling familiar to many WA travellers.

And yes, you do pronounce it Tiki as Fuck.