WA's Culinary Scene

Western Australia is developing a reputation as a world-class food and wine destination, with its gourmet produce, fresh seafood and premium wines and beverages.

With a landscape and climate as varied as WA, it's not surprising that you'll find such a range of produce available – from Albany oysters and Manjimup black truffles to Exmouth's fresh king prawns and Pemberton's marron. Then there's also hundreds of premium wine, beer, cider and whisky producers dotted throughout the State.

Here are WA's key food wine and experiences:

• Wine and dine in Perth. Perth is enjoying a 'dining boom' with new small bars, cafes and restaurants opening up across the city and neighbourhoods of Northbridge, Mount Lawley, Leederville, Subiaco, Fremantle, Victoria Park, Cottesloe and Claremont. Some of the new restaurants include Brika, Bib & Tucker, Cott & Co, Bread In Common, Pleased to Meet You and The Old Crow, along with the more established The Trustee, The Print Hall, LaLa Rookh, The Heritage, Restaurant Amuse, Andaluz, Co-op Dining, Bistro Guillaume, and the Greenhouse.
• Indulge in WA's black truffle. One of WA's best kept foodie secrets is the black truffle industry in the South West town of Manjimup, where the Wine & Truffle Company produce more of the world's most edible commodity than the rest of Australia combined. Each year in June, the town host's Truffle Kerfuffle – a food and wine festival celebrating the truffle.
• The internationally renowned Margaret River Wine Region in the South West is home to more than 150 wine producers, 80 cellar doors and produces more than 20 per cent of Australia's premium wine. Stroll through vineyards with a glass of local wine, or dine at one of the many winery restaurants, where local chefs celebrate the local produce. Favourite's include Aravina Estate, Cullen, Wills Domain, Leeuwin Estate, Knee Deep, Vasse Felix and Voyager Estate. There's also plenty of bars and restaurants to choose from in town including the new Swings Taphouse, Muster and Morries Anytime.
• Only 25 minutes from Perth is the Swan Valley – WA's oldest wine growing region, which is celebrating 180 years in 2014. Spend the day following the Swan Valley Food and Wine Trail – a scenic loop taking in wineries (there are more than 40 in the region), breweries, distilleries, restaurants, cafés, arts and crafts and fresh produce.
• Feast on the freshest seafood. There's a variety of succulent seafood available along the 12,000 kilometres of WA coastline. From Fremantle's fishing boat harbour, to Exmouth's Kailis' prawns, Rottnest scallops, Geraldton's giant lobster and Broome's barramundi - dining on the freshest catch-of-the-day is just one of the indulgences West Australian's enjoy.
• Head north to Cervantes or Geraldton for a fascinating rock lobster factory tour. Experience the fresh scent of the open seas, marvel at the sheer size of the catches and follow a rock lobster's extraordinary journey from the processor to the plate.
• Quench your thirst with a local brew. WA boasts more than 30 boutique breweries from the iconic to the unique - a seat under the stars and a Matso's Broome brew anyone? There's also the distilleries, from the Great Southern Distillery in Albany producing award-winning whiskey's to The Hoochery rum distillery in the Kimberley.
• Make a trip to Carnarvon, the food bowl of Western Australia. Food doesn't get any fresher, with many local growers selling fruit and vegetables direct from their farms. The region is well-known for growing fresh tropical fruits, most famous are its bananas. Visitors can visit plantations and the Carnarvon Grower's Market. Top quality seafood is also on the menu here, with a thriving prawn, scallop, crab and fishing industry, and the region (known as the Gascoyne) is growing its reputation for ecologically and sustainably grown beef.
• Mangoes, chick peas, chia, melons, pumpkins and seeds are just some of what's growing in the East Kimberley's Ord River Irrigation Area, and in the West Kimberley, in the State's North West. World champion surfer Kelly Slater is an ambassador for the region's chia (thechiaco.com.au), and chefs around Australia are starting to talk about the region's chick peas. The pastoral industry is one of the area's most established, and interestingly, the East Kimberley is also a key producer of Sandalwood (it has the world's largest planation of Indian Sandalwood). Visitors should also be sure to try boab tubers from the area's iconic boab trees.
• Visit the South West towns of Pemberton and Manjimup, and the Great Southern region. Pemberton and Manjimup have a strong cultural heritage and are both wine growing regions with marron, rainbow trout, cherries, finger limes, chestnuts, and black truffle just some of the produce on offer. The region's produce is on show every Saturday at the Albany Farmers Market with seasonal fruit and vegetables, fresh seafood, organic meats, bread, handmade cheeses and yoghurts just some of what's on offer. Albany is a major fishing centre, and the region is a major producer of livestock, especially lamb.
• Try some bush tucker. An Aboriginal cultural tour will introduce you to new bush flavours and fascinating facts about Indigenous food. Join Kepa Kurl in Esperance, Wula Guda Nyinda at Monkey Mia, Bush Tucker Eco Tours Margaret River or Urban Indigenous Tours from Perth to find out what bush tucker is all about.

WA chefs share their signature dishes

WA's diverse and fresh produce can be demonstrated in the below signature dishes from some of the State's best chefs.

Russell Blaikie – Must, Highgate and Muster, Margaret River (chef and partner)
Signature dish - Angel hair pasta, blue manna crab, chilli, tomato, basil and extra virgin olive oil.
Must is located on Beaufort Street in Highgate (inner city Perth precinct) and is a bistro and wine bar that opened in 2001. It's one of the city's most fashionable bistros serving French provincial-inspired food, and has become an iconic neighbourhood favourite thanks to its celebrated wine list and Russell Blaikie's faultless, seasonally driven food. Russell is also behind Muster, located on the Bussell Highway in Margaret River in WA's South West, and is Consultant Chef at the Cottesloe Beach Hotel's Beach Club and Cott & Co Fish Bar. must.com.au

Kate Lamont – Lamonts, Perth city, Swan Valley, Cottesloe and Smiths Beach (chef and owner)

Signature dish - Tempura Shark Bay whiting, fennel salad and fresh lemon.
The Lamont family is one of WA's well known wine producing families with their Swan Valley winery established in 1978. Sisters Kate and Fiona Lamont now oversee the food and wine business that encompasses a 8,000 case winery and restaurants and cellar doors in Perth city, Cottesloe (Perth beachside suburb), Swan Valley (WA's oldest growing wine region, 25 minutes from Perth city), and Smiths Beach (in WA's South West). lamonts.com.au 

Hadleigh Troy – Restaurant Amuse (chef and owner)
Signature dish – Egg, mushroom and pine nut - Coddled egg covered in a fricassee of mushrooms with pine nut and coriander butter, crispy chicken skins and a brioche solider, all smoked in a jar with beech wood.

Hadleigh's signature dish was awarded Hottest Dish in the country (tied with Quay, Sydney) in The Australian Hot 50 Restaurant Awards 2012. Established in 2007 by Hadleigh and Carolynne Troy, Restaurant Amusé is located on Bronte Street, East Perth. It prides itself on refinement without pretension delivering an ever changing degustation menu inspired by the West Australian growers that Hadleigh and Carolynne have forged strong links to over the years. restaurantamuse.com.au

Nigel Harvey – Voyager Estate (Executive Chef)
Signature dish – Seared Margaret River waygu beef on potato twigs with a 30-second herb sponge and truffle vinaigrette. This dish showcases the grade-nine waygu beef (grown in the South West) Manjimup truffles, locally grown potatoes and herbs. Voyager Estate is located in WA's Margaret River Wine Region, in the South West. The estate's oldest vines date back to 1978, just over ten years after vines were first planted in the area. voyagerestate.com.au

Nine wine wonders of WA

Alongside WA's gourmet produce, there are nine sensational wine regions, each with their own characteristics and qualities.

The warm Mediterranean climate and rich fertile soils of WA's South West combine to provide an exceptional environment for growing grape vines, so it is little surprise that this area boasts six of the State's wine regions.

By far the most well-known and established wine region in the South West is Margaret River, located three hour's drive South West of Perth. The most successful wines produced in this region are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Margaret River's lesser known neighbour – Geographe - produces excellent Chardonnay and Semillon varieties; while further south, the Pemberton Wine Region produces Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir.

The Great Southern Wine Region is a mecca for food and wine lovers. Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon are the most important wine from the region, noted for their exceptional quality.

Located South East of Perth, the Blackwood Valley Wine Region produces great Chardonnay, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The most predominant wine variety in the Manjimup region is Chardonnay, with Pinot Noir demonstrating its suitability in recent years.

Closer to Perth you will find the Peel Wine Region. Established in 1974 it is known for its Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignons.

The Perth Hills and the Swan Valley (WA's oldest wine region, marking 180 years of wine-making in 2014) are all located in the Perth region, and within a 25 to 45 minute drive east of Perth city.

Wines produced in the Perth Hills include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz, while the Swan Valley produces speciality premium wines include Chenin Blanc, Verdelho, Shiraz and some of the world's finest fortified's.