West Coast Cafes

South West Craft Beer Festival

nic — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:31:38 +0000

25 – 26 February
Get ready for two days of great food, fine entertainment, and the best beer in the South West! For the first time ever, the best South West Craft Breweries will come together and celebrate the region’s beautiful beverages at the inaugural South West Craft Beer Festival!
The event will be held in Metricup, with shuttle buses available from Margaret River, Yallingup and Dunsborough.

Some of W.A’s best breweries are on show, namely:
Bootleg Brewery, Bush Shack Brewery, Cape Bouvard Brewing Company, Cheeky Monkey Brewery & Cidery, The Cidery, Colonial Brewery, Cowaramup Brewing Company, Duckstein Brewery, Eagle Bay Brewery, Margaret River Ale Company, Moody Cow Brewery, Occy’s Brewery and Old Coast Rd. Brewery.

Triple J Unearthed winners Split Seconds will be headlining at the event, bringing their brilliant blend of Indie Pop to the stage. The multi-WAMi award winners will be supported by Kris Buckle, Paige Trantham, Ill Starred Captain, Dallas Royal, Juwana, New Soundland and local favourite Cowtown, who are all playing on the Saturday.

Sundays acts include Split Seconds (of course), Kate Tillman, Qynn, Tank 7even, Polly Medlen and Minute 36 to keep you entertained.

There is plenty of food to be had as well, so get involved and support your favourite brew!
For more information, please click here.

Araluen Botanic Park wins Prestigious Award

nic — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:31:56 +0000

The Araluen Botanic Park Foundation (ABPF) has been accepted into the elite International Camellia Society (ICS), under its Garden of Excellence Program.
The accolade was decided at the ICS World Congress, which was held last week in Chuxiong, China.

The Garden of Excellence Program was launched in 2001 to recognise Camellia gardens of Excellence. Araluen now joins 17 previously recognised gardens worldwide. To qualify, gardens must meet a strict set of guidelines developed by the ICS, which ABPF achieved thanks to its 350 beautifully positioned Camellias.

Camellias are evergreen and long-lived, brightening gardens with their blooms from simple single-form flowers to formal doubles. They originate from subtropical regions in China, Japan and neighbouring countries.

For more information on events at Araluen Botanic Park, check out the new website!

Zanders has a Makeover

nic — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:19:31 +0000

Zanders Scarborough have had a complete overhaul, introducing a new Head Chef, a new menu, and a new Management Team.
This Friday (24th February) they invite you to test the waters, as Thee Shucker is introduced.
Thee Shucker will include fresh oysters shucked to order, and with the new policy of kids eating for only $10 dollars a day, it’s a great way for the family to start the weekend!

Check out the new menu and other specials Zanders offer by clicking here.

Spoil Mum with Freo Chocolates

nic — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:01:36 +0000

Make Mum’s day on Mother’s Day (8th of May) and get her something mouth watering.
With more than 300 items to choose from at Fremantle Chocolate, there is sure to be an award winning delight that will suit your mum.
“We have some great Mother’s Day gifts in-store this year and we definitely have the biggest and best range of delicious treats. Whose Mum doesn’t love chocolate?” says Andrew Wyers, Fremantle Chocolate.

And for those time poor individuals, the online shop stocks the full range of decadent delights.

There are some super deals on, such as:

A 30 piece truffle selection for $37.00
A beautiful ‘I Love You’ heart for $8.80
A large truffle heart packed full of chocolates for $39.50

Check out the full range on offer by clicking here.

Break the World Record With a Guinness in Your Hand.

nic — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:51:26 +0000

It’s that time of year where you don green, drink Guinness, and celebrate the patron Saint of Ireland.
Yes, St. Paddy’s Day is around the corner, and this year’s celebration is gearing up to be the biggest yet. Guinness are going to try and break the World Record , and they need your help!
All you need to do is get down to your local Irish watering hole with a couple of mates: The bigger the crowd, the bigger the record will be!

You don’t have to wait for March 17^th to get the ball rolling either, just add your name to the pledge on Guinness’s Facebook page, and be involved in making history!

For more information, please click here.

The Wine Store opens new Wine Bar

nic — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:06:37 +0000

A wine bar is the latest addition to East Fremantle’s George Street precinct thanks to the guys behind The Wine Store.
Good wine, simple food and great design make up the formula behind The Wine Store’s 70-seat capacity wine bar, which opened last night with an emphasis on laidback, local hospitality.

Perth creative agency Coup Creative is behind The Wine Store’s overall rebranding, while local interior design studio Design Theory steered the wine bar fit-out. English chef Matt Carulei and local chef/foodie Suze Foster are in the kitchen and hospitality professional Kitty Usher is front-of-house.

“The philosophy behind the wine bar is to create a space that’s casual, relaxed and allows you to be yourself. It’s about exploring different wines and enjoying good-quality food,” explains Kitty Usher, a hospitality professional who will be front-of-house. “The focus is on the wines, and the food has been kept simple with bold flavours to complement different varieties and styles.”

The wine list is not fixed to a specific region or variety, instead it’s a selection of top-quality wines from around the world. While there is an extensive by-the-bottle list, there is an equally inspiring by-the-glass list.

The food European and South American influenced, producing shared plates in line with Chef Matt Carulei’s background. Suze Foster has used her local connections to establish relationships with quality suppliers and exciting, new start-up producers. The menu will change daily.

The Wine Store will open from Tuesday – Saturday from 5pm to midnight; and on Sundays from 5pm to 10pm.

For more information, please click here.

Perth Named 12th Most Expensive City

nic — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 03:29:09 +0000

Perth has trumped the likes of New York, Hong Kong and London to be awarded the dubious title of 12th most expensive city in the world.
In the Economic Intelligence Unit’s, latest Worldwide Cost of Living survey, Perth climbed an extra spot to reach the edge of he top ten, a feat many Perthites would hate to see happen. Other city’s from Australia to make the top 20 included Adelaide (18th), Brisbane (14th), Melbourne (8th) and Sydney (7th). Economists agree that the strength of the Aussie Dollar in the World Market and local inflation are to blame for soaring prices.
According to the survey, White Rise has risen by almost 400% in Perth over the last decade, and bread has followed suit.

The survey is conducted bi-annually and compares more than 400 individual prices across 160 products and services. They include food, drink, clothing, household supplies and personal care items, home rents, transport, utility bills, private schools, domestic help and recreational costs.
Check the Survey here.

Chinese New Year Reception at Frasers Restaurant.

nic — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:11:02 +0000

Last week Menu Magazine attended a Chinese New Year Reception at Frasers Restaurant. The event was hosted by Steve Barclay, Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. Joint hosts included the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Invest Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Australia Business Association – WA Chapter. It was a fantastic night with a number of WA’s magnates turning up. The food was incredible; guests were treated to steamed braised beef buns and other delicious Chinese tidbits. The event was held in the State Reception Centre, so guest were treated to a gorgeous view of the Perth skyline and the Swan River.
It was all about strengthening Australian and Chinese relationships and an appreciation of foreign culture.

Many thanks to all involved in the organising of the event, it was a smashing success!

The Fawlty Towers Experience!

nic — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:37:16 +0000

8 – 18 February
When you discover a pair of dentures in your soup, have to catch your bread roll – if you want to eat it – and find two knives to actually eat your lunch with, you know you’re not in the restaurant for the food or the service! You’d probably walk straight out of the door and not look back but as the Fringe World show title suggests you’re certainly in for the Faulty Towers “Dining Experience”. And what an experience it is.

From the moment nervous diners are ushered into the bar area for pre-lunch drinks at Rigby’s Bar and Bistro the entertainment is already underway as Manuel mingles with the crowd.

Forget intimate tables for two – diners are thrown together on long tables. Forget good service – bowls of soup are slammed down in front of you. Forget good food – but if you want to be transported back to a mid 1970s English seaside hotel then a soggy Hawaiian chicken, ham, cheese and pineapple parcel will not leave you disappointed!

The three-course meal – of tomato and basil soup, Hawaiian chicken parcels followed by chocolate mudcake – is not the star of the show by any means.
For more information, please click here.

By Nicola Heyes

Class is almost in Session!

nic — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:48:04 +0000

There is a new bar town, that gives you a chance to kick back. Old School.
The latest addition to Perth’ s pub scene is The Classroom, and it will be opening its doors on the 22nd of Frbruary.

This hip bar-cum-time capsule plays tribute to the good ol’ days of the 70’s and 80’s, finally giving Perthites a ‘good’ back to school feeling.

Thanks to donations by local schools and some lucky finds on Ebay, 90% of The Classroom’s fit-out was assembled from recycled and reused mmaterial. The walls are lined with dusty chalkboards, superhero themed lunchboxes, pencil sharpeners, encyclopaedias and school satchels. Recycled school desks and benches create quirky tables, while the bar’s eclectic selection of spirits reside in a row of repurposed gym lockers.

Expect awesome drinks at affordable prices, an exceptional cocktail list and a fabulous selection of food.
For more information, please click here.