Share Plates: Perth’s Latest in Food and Drink News – February 15, 2023

Changing of the guard at Vasse Felix
Restaurant-watchers were caught off-guard by last week’s announcement that Brendan Pratt – the popular chef at Margaret River’s Vasse Felix – would be moving on in April. Since joining the restaurant in late 2017, Pratt has continued to build on Vasse’s reputation as a dining destination, with both Pratt and the restaurant garnering recognition on a state and national level. Best of all, Pratt went about his work with a humility not always found among chefs of his calibre. Of course, Pratt’s departure is only half of the story: taking over Pratt’s role in the Vasse kitchen will be Cameron Jones, the restaurant’s existing sous-chef. Prior to joining Vasse Felix at the end of 2019, Jones spent seven years with Scott O’Sullivan and Adam Sayles at Red Cabbage where he became the restaurant’s head chef at age 26. During his time at the South Perth fine diner, Jones established himself as someone to watch, having been named as a finalist in the Appetite for Excellence competition. In short: one of Margaret River’s showpiece restaurants looks to be in very safe, very capable hands.

A seafood-lover’s paradice
After hosting a successful Louisiana-style crab boil earlier this month, Northbridge’s Peasants Paradice is hosting another seafood feast this Sunday (February 19). Priced at $120 and capable of feeding up to four guests, each crab boil features crabs, mussels, prawns, smoked sausage and potatoes plus white bread for mopping duties. Three different sessions are available through the day and bookings are available via email. Drop a line to dwight@peasantsparadice.com.au.

Victoria’s Great Ocean Road passes through Lathlain
On Thursday February 23, Ann Houlihan, founder of Victorian distillery Great Ocean Road Gin, will host a four-course dinner at Lathlain small bar Cosy Del’s as part of her first visit to Western Australia. Cosy Del’s chef Dylan Pettit will rework some of the bar’s dishes to highlight the botanicals used by Great Ocean Road Gin to produce its spirits. Tickets are $120 and available online.

The next chapter for Cape Arid afternoon tea
Cape Arid Rooms at the State Buildings has rolled onto edition five of its afternoon tea offering, which draws inspiration from the work of artists Philippa and Alex Nikulinsky. The latest menu features ingredients from throughout the state: menu items include brioche buns cradling Rottnest Island rock lobster, and frangipane tarts with rhubarb, vanilla and strawberry cremeux made with fruit from Amuri Creek fruit farm in Mount Barker. To drink, there are summer iced teas and cocktails made with Cape Arid Horizon gin; this is a house gin distilled by Esperance Distillery Co, in conjunction with Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation, that uses native botanicals. Bookings for the high tea are available online.

Revisiting (and rethinking) childhood favourites
What would happen if you reimagined childhood foods through a bartender’s lens? At Bark in Subiaco, the answer is a series of drinks that reads like a birthday party best-of. Among the new offerings: a Tim Tam Espresso Martini, a pavlova remake starring passionfruit and rosewater, plus a Margarita made with chicken salt that channels the Chicken Crimpy Shapes biscuit.