Fair’s Fare
Its elegant wines may have garnered international acclaim since the 1970s, but Margaret River is slowly building up its culinary reputation with an increasingly sophisticated dining scene.
“CAN YOU SHAVE some more truffles please, I’d like to get it on video,” I cheekily ask Tony Howell, of MasterChef Australia fame and head chef of Cape Lodge (www.capelodge.com.au), Margaret River. He laughs at my lame excuse, but happily grates another dollop of black truffle on my sous vide egg. He doesn’t need much convincing and his ready acquiescence is just one more reason why I fall in love with Margaret River and its friendly locals.
I’m in the region for Cabin Fever, a winter festival. Over the course of a weekend, I attend a host of festivities including the Howell-helmed secret dinner at Cape Lodge, which takes place in an exquisite villa that regularly hosts celebrities such as the royal family of Norway. There are wine and gin tastings, and countless gastronomic pairing dinners. The vinos, unsurprisingly, are top-notch, but what I find most intriguing is the food and the dining scene as a whole.
Just 10 years ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find a restaurant that stayed open till late or served the kind of sophisticated fare we relish at every meal. But things have changed.
Says Erin Molloy, co-founder of Cabin Fever: “Five to 10 years ago, you couldn’t get dinner here after
8pm. It was dead. Now, it’s more buzzing. The town’s adapted to having tourists and it’s been great.”
The reasons for this boom are multi-pronged. For one, festivals like Cabin Fever shine the spotlight on home-grown restaurants, chefs and produce. The black truffles at Cape Lodge are harvested from the region, while every meal features a smorgasbord of local ingredients. I tuck in to grilled marrons at Yarri, kangaroo at Vasse Felix and Fremantle sardines at Chow’s Table. Herbs and vegetables, too, are grown locally, sometimes in the restaurant’s backyard. Given the richness of the land and its close proximity to the sea, Margaret River has an abundance of indigenous produce and seafood.
It’s farm-to-table dining at its finest, but it’s not marketing speak: it’s simply an ethos deeply weaved in the region’s culinary fabric. At Arimia Estate (www.arimia.com.au), for instance, chef de cuisine Evan Hayter breeds pigs and trout alongside vegetables and olives grown in the sprawling 56-hectare bushland and vineyard. Everything here is produced sustainably and organically. Hayter cut his teeth in restaurants in Australia, Holland and France, and the fare he produces can only be described as modern Australian. Hayter creates with a deft, light touch and none of the dishes are overwhelming in flavour or taste.
This is a common thread that runs across all the restaurants I dine at during my whirlwind trip. At Yarri (www.yarri.com.au), which is helmed by Vasse Felix’s former chef Aaron Carr, I’m in for a pleasant treat of contemporary Australian cuisine. It’s a demonstration of the land’s immigrant culture, and on the menu you’ll find dishes like ramen alongside muhamamara and beef sirloin. Standouts include the burnt pumpkin, nori and togarashi that sit on a crispy cracker – the bitesized appetiser simply bursts in an umami explosion in the mouth. The vibe is laid-back and relaxed, with an open kitchen, friendly service and chic decor.
It’s no surprise that chefs such as Hayter and
Howell have decided to make Western Australia their base. The work-life balance here is incomparable – locals I speak to tell me that their schedule revolves around their family, lifestyle, hobbies and social life, and not work.
It’s farm-to-table dining at its finest, but it’s not marketing speak: it’s simply an ethos deeply weaved
in the region’s culinary fabric.
Co-founder of Cabin Fever Brianna Delaporte emphasises: “The essence of the whole thing is the good life here. The lifestyle is first and everything else is secondary.”
If I had to venture another guess, I’d say that the region’s popularity with Singaporean tourists (it’s relatively nearby, just a five-hour flight to Perth and a four-hour drive to the region) has also led to the booming gastronomic phenomenon. In fact, one of the other highlights of my trip is my Asian meal at Chow’s Table (www.chowstable.com.au), which is helmed by Malcom Chow. Formerly from Testuya and Vue de Monde, Chow focuses on Singaporean and Malaysian cuisine in an upscale environment. Modern influences abound and typically heavy, Asian flavours are tempered by Chow’s refined execution. The Chinesestyle roast duck, for instance, melts in the mouth, while it’s hard to stop popping the addictive fried Fremantle sardine, seasoned with garlic, shallots and coriander.
While most visitors to Margaret River would count the wine as the primary reason for their trip, I’d highly recommend paying attention to its gastronomic scene. You heard it here first.