Margaret River, Western Australia
Chef AARON CARR shares his top tips for eating and drinking on the south-west coast of WA.
Aaron Carr on Margaret River.
Aaron Carr hasn’t just witnessed the evolution of Margaret River’s dining scene from up-close; he’s been one of its key players. For 21 years, Carr was chef at pioneering Margaret River winery-restaurant Vasse Felix before joining up with winemakers Snake & Herring in 2018 to open Yarri, a warm, likeable restaurant-bar in the region’s northerly hub of Dunsborough. “Margaret River is pretty much paradise,” says Carr. “It’s got the surf, the food, the wine. There’s something to do in every season.”
Even as a local, Carr finds it hard to get to every place on his list. His advice to visitors: give yourself time, break your wish-list down into regions – north, central and south – then plan your itinerary accordingly.
A great local
I always find myself at Settlers Tavern. The food is always good; the beer is always good; and it’s got the best pub wine list in WA.
It’s probably the only place in the world you could watch a local band like The Southern River Band and drink expensive bottles of Diana Madeline from Cullen or old Cape Mentelle. As for food, I usually go for the parmy or whatever has come out of the Yoder Smoker that day – it might be brisket, pork belly or pork shoulder. The meat is smoked all night. No one else is doing that.
All-Italian affair
Barnyard 1978 near Smiths Beach is a really good Italian restaurant that keeps things simple. The owners make their own pasta, wine, beer and honey. They’ve also got chooks running around the property. It’s definitely worth checking out.
A brewery with views
The views at Eagle Bay Brewing Co are exceptional. The brewery is set on Cape Naturaliste and overlooks Geographe Bay – you look down over the paddocks and straight out to the ocean. The brewers are
forward-thinkers and like to try new things. I had a beer the other day that was fermented in chardonnay barrels – it was amazing.
Wine pioneers
I always go to Cullen Wines in the Wilyabrup subregion of Margaret River. Chief winemaker Vanya Cullen works really hard with her organic and biodynamic grape-growing and her family was one of the region’s winemaking pioneers. I really like what chef Iain Robertson is doing too [at the winery’s restaurant McConnell’s Kitchen]. Like the wine, the food speaks of Margaret River and a lot of the produce is grown on the property. I still love supporting
Vasse Felix as well, and like what head chef Brendan Pratt is doing: things like his barbecued pork rib brushed with a smoked-eel tare sauce. It’s such a special venue and the dining room is beautiful.
Uniquely Australian
I went to Glenarty Road for lunch recently and I was blown away. It’s pretty much a farm with a cellar door and dining room. Owners Ben and Sasha McDonald raise their own lamb and grow their own produce.
It’s simple, balanced, beautiful and everything is cooked so well on the wood fire; it’s honest cooking without the wank-factor. You can also buy lamb and surplus produce at the cellar door to takeaway. It’s just so Australian and so unique.
Essential dining in the south
Voyager Estate is great. Chef Santiago Fernandez cooks some really intricate dishes, like fish with edible sand. I wish it was closer to Dunsborough but Voyager has a licensed taxi that you can book to drive you home. Then there’s also Leeuwin Estate, which is another world-class venue where you can sit on a balcony overlooking the grounds. The food coming out of the restaurant there is simply amazing and the wine is great – their Art Series chardonnay is bang-on.
A tiny dive bar
Yonder is a 25-person dive bar in the middle of town. It can get pretty busy, but if you can get in with some mates you’re in for a good night. I love those kinds of low-key places and try to go there whenever I’m in Margaret River town.
The best local produce
The Margaret River Farmers’ Market on a Saturday morning is amazing. If you want to get local produce, that’s the only place to go. You can buy almost anything, from beef and pork, to bread and cheese. You can actually talk to the producer too, which I think is pretty rare; and there are so many characters. There’s something for everyone and there’s good coffee and breakfast stuff like dumplings and pork banh mi.
Fresh burgers
Burgertron opened in Dunsborough just before Covid hit and it’s going gang-busters. The burgers come in potato buns and they’re really good. Owner Tim Baarspul used to be at the Dunsborough Tavern and then decided to follow his passion. I usually get the Burgertron, but he also does a great karaage chicken.
A different flavour
Chow’s Table is unique. Everyone down here is doing the same kind of modern-Australian food, but there’s Mal [Chow, chef and owner] smashing out Malaysian-Chinese dishes and interesting things like tripe curry. It’s pretty much our go-to for Sunday lunch, but it’s also one of the few places in the area that’s open for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays.
My place…
Yarri is a restaurant and bar that’s more smart casual than fine dining. You can have a glass of wine, sit at the kitchen bar and talk to the chefs while they’re cooking, join the afterwork crowd for drinks on a Friday afternoon or come in for a six-course dégustation matched with wines. The wine list is mostly Snake & Herring but we also have lots of local classics and different things that people wouldn’t have seen. We’re trying to showcase Margaret River at its best; that’s what it’s all about.
As told to Jessica Rigg for The Local Tongue. For more chef’s guides from around the world, see thelocaltongue.com