The group behind Hillarys Beach Club, Sorrento Beach Club, and Bar Olé Iluka has just opened its new south-of-the-river venue. The Heart Applecross sits beneath the Riviere Residence on Canning Beach Road, with unobstructed views across the Swan to the Perth CBD and capacity for 300 to 350 guests, including a 60-seat alfresco section.
The centrepiece is a horseshoe-shaped bar — a nod to Ryan and Nikki Esqulant’s former UK venue, The Princess Alice — with 22 beers on tap from Carlton & United Breweries, plus Guinness and Kilkenny.
The venue’s name and character come from The Golden Heart, a Spitalfields pub the Esqulant family has run for nearly five decades. That history has been built through the venue, from the art on the walls to just about everything else.
The interior was designed by Nikki Esqulant herself in collaboration with Hillman Architects. Marble finishes, leather furnishings, booth seating, and locally sourced furniture feature throughout. There’s also a private dining room that can accommodate 24 seated or 50 cocktail-style, catering to just about any function or celebration.
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What’s on the menu
Head Chef Navi Kumar, who has spent the past two and a half years at Hillarys Beach Club, leads the kitchen under Executive Chef Steven Finch. The menu features pub classics alongside house-made pasta and pizza, along with an expanded UBON menu — the Nobu-inspired offering that’s already well established at Hillarys Beach Club.
A flambé ribeye, finished tableside, is the signature dish that people will love for the theatrics as much as the dish itself. There’s also King Ora salmon ceviche with nashi pear, a beef cheek cottage pie, and sticky date madeleines to finish.
Part of a growing precinct
The Heart sits alongside Bar Olé Applecross, which opened in March, forming what ELG Australia describes as an entertainment precinct on Canning Beach Road. The two venues together have brought 180 jobs to the surrounding community.
“We’re incredibly excited to bring the ELG Australia style of hospitality south of the river and to become part of the Applecross community,” said Ryan Esqulant, owner of ELG Australia. “What we’ve created here with The Heart and Bar Olé Applecross is something really special — an entertainment precinct where people can come together, enjoy incredible food and drinks, and take in some of the best views in Perth. The uninterrupted outlook over the Swan River is simply stunning, and we can’t wait to share it with our guests.”
ELG Australia’s next project, The Alice in Ocean Reef, is scheduled to open in 2028.
The Heart Applecross is located at 59 Canning Beach Road, Applecross.
