AstoldtoJessicaRiggfor
TheLocalTongue. Formore
chef’sguidesfromaroundthe
world, seethelocaltongue.comRight:beef,onion
andvanilladish
atVoyagerEstate.
Topright:Yarri’s
charredoctopus
withpeppersand
grapes.Below:
VoyagerEstate.
Opposite:sunny
Margaret River.
forward-thinkersandliketotrynew
things.I hada beertheotherdaythat
wasfermentedinchardonnay barrels- it wasamazing.
Wine pioneers
I alwaysgotoCullenWinesinthe
WilyabrupsubregionofMargaret
River.ChiefwinemakerVanyaCullen
worksreallyhardwithherorganic
andbiodynamicgrape-growingand
herfamilywasoneoftheregion’s
winemakingpioneers.I reallylike
whatchefIainRobertsonis doing
too[atthewinery’srestaurant
McConnell’sKitchen].Likethewine,
thefoodspeaksofMargaretRiver
anda lotoftheproduceis grownon
the property. I still love supportingVasseFelixaswell,andlikewhat
headchefBrendanPrattis doing:
thingslikehisbarbecuedporkrib
brushedwitha smoked-eeltare
sauce.It’ssucha specialvenue
andthediningroomis beautiful.Uniquely Australian
I wenttoGlenartyRoadforlunch
recentlyandI wasblownaway.It’s
prettymucha farmwitha cellardoor
anddiningroom.OwnersBenand
SashaMcDonaldraisetheirown
lambandgrowtheirownproduce.
It’ssimple,balanced,beautifuland
everythingis cookedsowellonthe
woodfire;it’shonestcookingwithout
thewank-factor.Youcanalsobuy
lambandsurplusproduceatthe
cellardoortotakeaway.It’sjust
soAustralianandsounique.Essential dining
in the south
VoyagerEstateis great.Chef
SantiagoFernandezcookssome
reallyintricatedishes,likefishwith
ediblesand.I wishit wascloser
toDunsboroughbutVoyagerhas
a licensedtaxithatyoucanbook
todriveyouhome.Thenthere’salso
LeeuwinEstate,whichis another
world-classvenuewhereyoucan
sitona balconyoverlookingthe
grounds.Thefoodcomingoutofthe
restaurantthereis simplyamazing
andthewineis great– theirArt
Serieschardonnayis bang-on.A tiny dive bar
Yonderis a 25-persondivebarin
themiddleoftown.It cangetpretty
busy,butif youcangetinwithsome
matesyou’reinfora goodnight.
I lovethosekindsoflow-keyplaces
andtrytogotherewhenever I’m
inMargaretRivertown.The best local produce
TheMargaretRiverFarmers’Market
ona Saturdaymorningis amazing.
If youwanttogetlocalproduce,
that’stheonlyplacetogo.Youcan
buyalmostanything,frombeefand
pork,tobreadandcheese.Youcan
actuallytalktotheproducertoo,
whichI thinkis prettyrare;andthere
aresomanycharacters.There’s
somethingforeveryoneandthere’s
goodcoffeeandbreakfaststufflike
dumplings and pork banh mi.Fresh burgers
BurgertronopenedinDunsborough
justbeforeCovidhitandit’sgoing
gang-busters.Theburgerscome
inpotatobunsandthey’rereally
good.OwnerTimBaarspulusedto
beattheDunsboroughTavernand
thendecidedtofollowhispassion.
I usuallygettheBurgertron,buthe
alsodoesa greatkaraagechicken.A different flavour
Chow’sTableis unique.Everyone
downhereis doingthesamekind
ofmodern-Australianfood,but
there’sMal[Chow,chefandowner]
smashingoutMalaysian-Chinese
dishesandinterestingthingslike
tripecurry.It’sprettymuchour
go-toforSundaylunch,butit’s
alsooneofthefewplacesinthe
areathat’sopenfordinneron
FridaysandSaturdays.My place...
Yarriis a restaurantandbarthat’s
moresmartcasualthanfinedining.
Youcanhavea glassofwine,sitat
thekitchenbarandtalktothechefs
whilethey’recooking,jointheafter-
workcrowdfordrinksona Friday
afternoonorcomeinfora six-course
dégustationmatchedwithwines.The
winelistis mostlySnake& Herring
butwealsohavelotsoflocalclassics
anddifferentthingsthatpeople
wouldn’thaveseen.We’retrying
toshowcaseMargaretRiveratits
best; that’s what it’s all about.●A chef’s guide
GOURMET TRAVELLER 115