Mother

Emma and Heath Daly, by their own admission, had no grand plans when they started Raw Kitchen – other than celebrating plant-based eating. The story began more than a decade ago, with a stall at the Freo markets. From there, the couple moved the business into a cafe space in the South Terrace Piazza shopping arcade, before taking over the former Jim Kidd Sports and Rivers store on High Street.

In the next stage of Raw Kitchen’s evolution, the popular vegan eatery has been rebooted as Mother – a name change that reflects the kitchen’s gradual transition from strictly raw food to a broader plant-based cooking style. This new identity also allowed the Dalys to move the space further into “the restaurant lane” by refitting the soaring warehouse interior, adding a drinks program, and giving chef Antony Fusco the green light to push the food offerings a little.

The dinner menu features wine bar-inspired small and share plates, including a mushroom pate, a basil-heavy chestnut-flour pappardelle, and a vegan cheeseboard. Many of the smaller evening dishes do double duty on the daytime menu, where they’re joined by brunch-style meals-for-one such as charred capsicum pizzas, corn tacos and a comforting cauliflower-steak burger.

The drinks list highlights wines that share the same earthy spirit as the menu. (Perhaps in a nod to this new liquid focus, the bar has moved right to the front of the 120-person space). An expanded selection of hot and cold tonics, as well as some considered non-alcoholic options, is on hand for teetotallers.