Samson's Paddock

Hangry: verb. To be so hungry that your lack of food causes you to become angry, frustrated or both.

I'm a relative newbie to this colourful term, but after a Sunday night dinner at Samson's Paddock where a ravenous daughter -- still suffering post Rotto swim hunger pangs -- took over the ordering with the assertiveness of a western suburbs princess, I am now well-acquainted with its symptoms.

"What?!! Beer battered whiting and pork ribs" she asked incredulously when I ordered those shared plates for the table.

"No, we're having slow-roasted lamb shoulder and mushroom risotto," she then declared to the bemused waitress.

With that, the entire menu changed but at least the food-challenged daughter had the good grace to apologise and put it down to being "hangry".

That left the long suffering husband to enjoy his seared chicken livers ($18) mostly on his own and declare the texture superb and the flavour punchy.

Some people believe that chicken livers should be served rare so they retain their silkiness and rich, delicate texture and flavour. That wasn't the case here. They were seared right through but were still moist enough to spread onto grilled New Norcia bread where they met their sweet match in onion jam and creamy, oily ricotta.

The rustic presentation of hearty, earthy dishes like this goes hand-in-hand with haphazardly poured wines by friendly, if inexperienced, wait staff and a laid back, pull-up-a-cushion vibe. It ticks all boxes on the checklist -- deck, fireplace, communal timber table, chesterfield, great wines by the glass, plenty of beer options. You know the rest.

It all spells out a certain charm which explains why this restaurant, taking over two old shops, has become such a well-loved watering hole for the rich and glamorous western suburbs folk. It has plenty to endear them. And it certainly won us over.

For a start, I'm always a sucker for a restaurant which pays an honest and heartfelt tribute to its past. Here, it does that in a stylish salute to the first owner of the property, Lionel Samson, who, as the founder of a liquor importing business which is still going strong today, is a pioneer of Western Australia's hospitality industry.

Interestingly, one of his many achievements earned him a place in history as the state's first owner of a liquor licence.

Samson's Paddock restaurant now sits on the site of the farm he bought in 1831 which became a popular watering hole for horses -- and their owners --on the journey from Perth to Fremantle.

Today's owners -- John Smith, Brett Nottle, Nick Sattler and Anton Skariatov -- love the story so much they even dedicate a night of food and entertainment to his birthday on March 15. I like their style.

Aah, but what about the food? The food, courtesy of head chef Simone Arivano, is okay. It's not going to blow you away but it's certainly good enough to make you want to go back.

Shared dishes like Thai fish cakes ($16) will have you wondering just where the Thai influence is. Here, there was no strong hint of kaffir lime leaves or lemongrass, but the two saucer-sized cakes were also devoid of a rubbery texture from overcooking and the white fish was fresh.

A lamb shoulder ($34) -- listed under large shares -- was deceiving. It was presented as a salad with crispy lashings of meat nestling amongst rocket leaves and artichokes. A chickpea puree sat on the bottom of the lot to meld it all together. All the flavours were there and it succeeded once you got used to it.

Risotto is an odd dish to put on a large shared plate menu but this one, a soupy mix of butternut pumpkin, enoki mushrooms and mascarpone ($25) had everyone happily spooning forks into it. I don't know if it was made to order but it was brimming with flavours of stock and the texture of the rice was superb.

Dessert heralded no surprises with a perfectly adequate Mississippi Mud Pie ($15) doing its bit for dense chocolate cake with a solid biscuity base. Strawberries and Rosemary anglaise topped it off which meant, of course, that by the time we left the "hangry" pains were well and truly over.

What restored the smiles was not so much the sharing of comfort food but the menu which is dotted with clever quotes. "Humor keeps us alive. Humor and food. Don't forget food. You can go a week without laughing." - Joss Whedon

Really Joss? I don't think you can. Not when you're "hangry".

Scoring system:

0-10 Don't waste your money
11-15 Worth a look
16-20 Put it on your bucket list