6 Epic Tasting Menus to Indulge in Along The South West Edge

The South West Edge is brimming with world-class produce. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best degustation and tasting menus in the region where you can sample the goods on the ultimate foodie adventure.

Foodies will have an absolute field day travelling through The South West Edge. Not only are there multiple pockets in the region producing top-notch wines (we’d recommend stopping in at Ferguson Valley, Margaret River, and Denmark), there are more breweries than you can count on two hands, tons of towns pumping out prime produce, and an insanely good lineup of restaurants at which you can sample all of the above. The best way to sink your teeth into what The South West Edge has to offer is by sitting down to a perfectly curated tasting menu. We’ve compiled a list of six of the most epic menus in the region, bound to leave your taste buds wanting to know even more about what’s available to indulge yourselves in The South West Edge.

Hackersley Estate, Ferguson Valley

Nestled into the rolling hills of the Ferguson Valley wine region, lunches at Hackersley Estate are as picturesque as they are tasty. Take a seat on the sunny, lakeside porch and enjoy dishes like mushroom and chicken with artichoke, pumpkin, kafir lime, and Pedro Ximinez, washed down with a glass or two of the estate’s very own Verdelho or Cabernet Merlot. Served up in a three-course set-menu style, the offering at Hackersley changes every eight weeks or so, which means you have the perfect excuse for repeat visits. The family-owned winery, run by Aaron and Adrie Devitt, is open from Thursday to Sunday for lunches only, so bookings are essential.

While you’re in the area, don’t forget to stop by and check out the growing population at Gnomesville, and take in the view down to the Bunbury port from the deck at Green Door Wines.

Market Eating House, Bunbury

If you’re looking for a fanciful (and plentiful) feast in Bunbury, you can’t go past the ‘feed me’ or ‘feed me more’ tasting menus at Market Eating House. The concept is simple: sit down, let the waitstaff know whether you want dessert or not, and let them take care of the rest. What comes next is an epic shared feast that features a healthy selection of head chef, Brenton Pyke’s, best Middle-Eastern-inspired dishes; think Persian dhal, Turkish lamb dumplings, and barbecue chicken with black garlic and nduja. If you opted in on dessert, keep your fingers crossed that their famous peanut butter parfait makes its way to your table.

Available only to bookings from Wednesday to Saturday evenings, you’ll have to get in early to ensure you don’t miss out on this decadent dinner.

The South West Edge is brimming with world-class produce. We’ve compiled a list of some of the best degustation and tasting menus in the region where you can sample the goods on the ultimate foodie adventure.

Arimia, Wilyabrup

At Arimia, they’re farmers first. With a holistic mission to give back to the land that they get so much from, this hidden estate works in the most sustainable manner possible. Not only do they grow their own grapes and make upwards of 10 expressions of wine, they also produce their own pork, trout, eggs, olives, olive oil, honey, marron, fruit, and vegetables, all of which are showcased in head chef, Evan Hayter’s, decadent seven-course lunches.

Follow the gravel track just past Gabriel Chocolate, and you’ll find yourself at the bush-flanked and 100% off-grid cellar door and restaurant. Opt to taste your way through the seasonal menu with a non-alcoholic beverage, a singular glass of wine, or perfectly paired wines to match each course.

Arimia is only open for lunches on a Thursday to Sunday and bookings are essential.

Voyager Estate, Margaret River

When four courses just aren’t enough, treat yourself to a decadent seven-course discovery menu at Voyager Estate. Expertly curated by head chef, Santiago Fernandez, the menu takes you on a culinary journey through the southwest, showcasing prized local ingredients like abalone, truffles, and native warrigal greens. Voyager prides itself on its philosophy of food, wine, and place, proudly sporting a tagline of being growers first and makers second. In fact, they even offer a tour that takes guests through their stunning vineyards to learn more about their organic winemaking, before sitting down to a wine tasting and discovery menu in the iconic restaurant. The tour even takes you through Australia’s largest underground barrel cellar. If it’s all a bit more than you have time or the stomach for, don’t panic; there is a smaller four-course ‘terroir’ menu you can opt for instead.

Miki’s Open Kitchen, Margaret River

Tucked into the back corner of a courtyard off Bussell Highway in Margaret River you’ll find chef Mikihito Nagai’s restaurant, Miki’s Open Kitchen. As the name suggests, the restaurant is centred around an open kitchen where the theatre of food prep (and Miki’s larger-than-life personality) is an integral part of the experience.

Born in Japan, Miki has been living in Margaret River for the past 15 years and brings his unique take on Japanese cuisine to the town. There are two dinner sittings each night, one at 6.00pm and the other at 8.15pm, and a number of tasting menus to choose from for either sitting. For the full experience, opt for the ‘Miki’s trust’ menu. It’s a seven-course menu that changes daily with past hits including Amiyaki lamb loin with yuzu kosho and kai larn, and Abrolhos Island scallop ajishio. Complete the experience with an optional wine or sake pairing.

Wildflower, Perth

Based on the Noongar six seasons, the four and six-course fixed menus at Wildflower bring the finest West Australian produce to your plate. Head chef, Matthew Sartori, plays with pairing aromatic native ingredients like Geraldton wax, rivermint, and pigface – much of which is sourced from their flourishing rooftop garden – with locally sourced marron, duck, and pork. To pair with each of the delicate dishes in the experience, Wildflower offers optional sommelier matched wines or native-flavoured non-alcoholic beverages. Head to the suave rooftop restaurant for lunch during the week and you’ll have unbeatable views out over the Swan River and Council House; or book in for dinner and catch the iconic building lit in all it’s colourful glory.