
Take 5: Food festivals celebrate the best WA produce from the Perth Hills and Gascoyne to the city
TAKE 5
Compiled by Simon Collins
Experience the best of WA
food and drink
at these fun festivals.
BICKLEY HARVEST FESTIVAL
May 3-4
This autumn event returns with more than 20 venues in the stunning Perth Hills showcasing the finest local wine, spirits, food and produce across its opening weekend. This year, Bickley Harvest Festival extends across the entire month of May at Core Cider, Fairbrossen, Hainault, La Fattoria, Myattsfield, Plume Estate and other Hills favourites.
GASCOYNE FOOD FESTIVAL 2025
July 26-August 31
Australia's largest regional food experience expands to 16 events, led by acclaimed chef Ben Ing hosting the opening Carnarvon Long Table Lunch on July 26. Gascoyne Food Festival also features culinary offerings in Exmouth, Shark Bay and Dirk Hartog Island highlighting local produce and producers against the region's incredible landscapes.
SLOW FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL
May 2-4
Albion on Swan in Henley Brook hosts the inaugural Slow Food and Wine Festival, bringing together Noongar culture and the influence of Croatian and Italian families on the Swan Valley, just 30 minutes from the Perth CBD. Starring tastings from local winemakers Talijancich, Local Weirdos, Vino Volta and Swan Valley Wines, the event kicks off with an immersive six-course dinner on May 2, followed by two sessions on May 3 and one on May 4.
UNWINED PERTH
May 16-17
This May, immerse yourself in the ultimate winter celebration at UnWined Perth, held at the picturesque Supreme Court Gardens. The event highlights the best of WA's wine, food and entertainment, offering a big day out in the heart of the city. This year, festival-goers can indulge in the Bottomless Long Table, a 90-minute session of bottomless wine and beer paired with tasty tapas.
LITTLE CREATURES HOP HARVEST FESTIVAL
Today, April 26
Fremantle brewing institution Little Creatures celebrates 25 years of beer and this year's fresh harvest of hops with live music, craft beer and plenty of fun at the Mews Road microbrewery from midday to 8pm today.
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Perth Now
23-05-2025
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Mod-Asian eatery's excellent food deserves better service
There we were, sitting on a tall table on glorified bar stools eating very good food at a better-than-average restaurant called Mister D'Arcy in a northern suburban diner that wasn't even half full. Perhaps this is what they call elevated dining, but I just wouldn't mind a view out the window at the glorious blue sky without having to perch like a ventriloquist dummy on a wobbly chair. Once home to one of Perth's most beloved restaurants in (super-chef Stephen) Clarke's of North Beach, the food in this joint is bloody good. The service is not. What there is of it. You have to order at a till and grab your own water. When they announced they were taking over Clarke's, new chefs and owners Cara and Wes D'Arcy said Mister D'Arcy (named after Wes' father) would be somewhere between a bar and a restaurant, while the South East Asian-inspired tucker would be somewhere between Nobu and Long Chim. The D'Arcys also own The Iluka and Temple Bar in Iluka, and Jarrah in Hillarys. They appear to be building an eatery empire in Perth's northern corridor. I'll say it again, the food deserves better. Mister D'Arcy, North Beach. Credit: Simon Collins Pause. Breathe. The staff are lovely, just not the most proactive. Why would they be? We're meant to come to the bar, multiple times, to order starters, mains, drinks and dessert. If you're paying $44 for a curry, and if you're sharing it, you want a decent bowl in which to plonk rice and, for example, the rich sauce of the excellent Kapitan chicken curry. We got a flat share plate. Putting aside the colonial bric-a-brac strewn artfully around the bar/restaurant, the venue was a tad drab. There was no music, which might have been a blessing — if I never hear another soulless Cafe del Mar ChillOut mix, it'll still be too soon. But this Mister had all the atmosphere of a palliative care ward on the Friday afternoon we drove north. The solid wine list offered 19 by the glass, all around the $14-15 mark. There's also tap beers and cocktails, including a traditional Raffles Singapore sling for $25. The menu is divided into cold and hot small share plates, larger share plates, rice and noodles (plus chaat masala fries) and dessert. We started with the blue fin tuna tartare on crispy rice squares (six bites for $28), which were crunchy fun — a bit like fancy prawn toast with a hit of spice thanks to the sriracha kewpie mayo and ponzu sauce. A canny little starter. The ma hor or galloping horses were four sweet and spicy mounds of crispy duck and pork belly, imbued with chives, fish sauces, chilli ginger jam and cashews riding small slices of fresh pineapple ($18). Subtle spice galloped across my palate, soon reined in and tethered by the pineapple. Mister D'Arcy, North Beach. Credit: Simon Collins Shark Bay popcorn prawns ($25) were loads of fun, a bit like Nobu's famous rock shrimp tempura. Mister D'Arcy calls this KFC, or Kashmir fried chaat, and serves the super tasty nuggets of prawn in crispy golden better with wasabi kewpie sprinkled with chilli plus fresh lime. There are five curries, costing $34-$48, among the larger share plates. All come with enough jasmine rice for two. We had the Kapitan chicken curry ($38), an incredibly fragrant Malay dish of ridiculously tender chicken in a mildly spicy curry infused with turmeric and prawn head oil. Mister D'Arcy's version was creamy without being overly rich. The crispy beef fillet salad ($35) was a surprise, in a good way. A dry dish with striking aromas from fried curry leaves and kaffir lime, plus a spicy nuoc cham dressing on the cabbage, coriander, spring onion and other greens. The moreish beef was fried into chewy flavoursome little strips that made my wife reckoned tasted like a Thai Big Mac. We eschewed the temptation of curry chips to leave room for the molten chocolate brownie ($22), which had a baked exterior and a hot fudgy centre. Accompanied with excellent matcha green tea ice-cream and a little jug of Nikka Japanese coffee whiskey ganache, this dessert was served on a wooden bowl — an intriguing choice for a dish involving ice-cream. 97 Flora Terrace, North Beach Monday-Thursday, 4pm-10pm. Friday-Saturday, midday-11pm. Sunday, midday-10pm. 0419 269 472, Yes Vibrant South-East Asian dishes showcasing local produce. Decor evoking colonial Singapore. Counter service. Good drinks list. Neither here nor there, overall. Food deserves better.


West Australian
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Bar & Bites: Cider house rules and the best of the Perth Hills on show during Bickley Harvest Festival
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