THE WINTER LIST SOUTH WEST AUSTRALIA
school, all again aimed at release of the animals into the wild;
it might lead to fewer occurrences, Darren says, of, waking up to
the sight of Suzy in the kitchen making breakfast with a rescue
possum on her head. It is an image that gladdens the heart.
That evening, we encounter Mario the Italian again. At Yarri.
Not his twinkling eyes, not his silk shirt agape. Nope. It’s his
tomatoes. They feature on the menu as Mario’s Tomatoes with
Goat Ricotta, Pomegranate and Nougatine, and they have in
them all the love Mario puts into working the ground in them.
The restaurant and bar gets its name from the Nyungar
aboriginal word for the black pine. For Chef Aaron Carr, it is all
about produce sourced from Western Australia, with wines
from the Snake + Herring Winery. His food honours the six
seasons of the aboriginal calendar. “We’re all about true food
tourism,” he says. “It’s a chance to taste a region in its food,
and working with local produce keeps the money in the region.”
Open for just over a year and a half, Yarri is a place for good
food and conversation, a beautiful space crowned with an open
kitchen. Chef Aaron’s love for local produce is showcased
in exquisitely-plated dishes. Some of the Japanese influence
seen at Wills Domain is evident at Yarri too; every Friday
afternoon, the restaurant hosts Yarri Yakitori afternoons
from 4pm to 6pm with yakitori skewers, beers and wines.
Even among the 120 cellar doors found in Margaret River,
there are distinctive differences – as when we discover
South Africa in Western Australia at Voyager Estate the next
a f te r no on. Ada m E lton , t he W i ne Ro om M a nage r, t a kes u s on
a tour to show us how wines are produced here from vines
over 50 years old. South African expat Michael Wright chose
the Margaret River location for Voyager in 1991, buying an estate
that had already been producing wines from 1975. He wanted
to establish a South African-style cellar door, not just because
he came from there, but because the original grape vines here
are thought to have come from South Africa. Michael died
in 2012, and the vineyard is now run by his daughter Alex,
who is building her own portfolio of wines. The wines, upto
50,000 cases each year, are drunk all around Australia and
i n 1 2 cou nt r ies ac ros s t he world. W i ne e nt hu sia s t s c a n pic k
from a series of tours, including one by a Land Rover Defender,
which end at the cellar door. Ours includes a tasting straight
out of the barrel, and lunch in the elegant dining room.
We sit down to the Discovery Menu, a degustation set of four
courses that showcases the best of local South West Australian
produce. The Blue Swimmer Crab Txangurro looks like crashing
waves with a bisque and Romesco crumb, the quail leg is served
w it h sh i it a ke mu sh ro om s , s c a l lops f rom Sha rk Bay, lu mpfi sh
caviar and roasted cauliflower purée, and the flat iron steak has
been marinated in koji, and arrives with an umeboshi glaze,
butter poached cabbage, and miso hollandaise. All’s well with
the world when you sit under chandeliers from South Africa,
eating divine food coloured by Chef Santiago’s Mexican
origins, and the hospitality is typically warm-heartedly Aussie.
The result is magic on a plate, elevated by great wine.
Essentials- WillsDomain: 00-61-8-9755-2327;www.willsdomain.com.au;
Lot341,BrashRoad,cornerAbbeyFarm,Yallingup;from`6,000
fora setmenu - YarriRestaurant& Bar: 00-61-8-9786-5030;www.yarri.com.au;
6/16,CyrilleanWay,Dunsborough;threecoursesetmenufrom
4,200/person;YarriYakitoriafternoons:yakitoriskewer:200,
beer:350;glassof wine:390 - VoyagerEstate: 00-61-8-9757-6354;www.voyagerestate.com.
au;StevensRoad,MargaretRiver;four-courseDiscoveryMealfrom
`4,500excludingwines
1 & 2. Chef Aaron
Carr offers diners
a chance to taste
a region in its food
at Yarri, as with
this octopus with
peperonata, white
bean and grapes
Facing page:
Ngilgi Cave is one
of the oldest in the area
Inset: Josh Whiteland
talks about living off
the landPHOTOGRAPHS: PRIMROSE MONTEIRO-D’SOUZA (1,2), FACING PAGE TOURISM WESTERN AUSTRALIA12