Bar & Bites: Top Perth chefs share the one ingredient they can't live without

West Australian

4 days ago

What's the one ingredient you can't live without? The item in your pantry or spice rack that you reach for most often? The thing that, if it ran out, would be a kitchen catastrophe?
Bar & Bites grilled five top Perth chefs to discover their non-negotiables.
'For me, it has to be fennel and all its beautiful variations,' says Mathieu Wyatt from Intuition Wine & Kitchen in Subiaco. 'Fennel seeds, the bulb, star anise, dill . . . it's such a versatile ingredient, bringing this unique brightness and depth whether you're going sweet, savoury, or somewhere in between.
'I use it in so many dishes, and honestly, I'd be a bit lost without it.'
Growing up in the south of France, Wyatt says wild fennel was everywhere, especially in the garrigue.
'We'd grab some on walks, break off a stem, and chew on it,' the chef says. 'That fresh, aniseed flavour instantly brings me back to those moments. It's not just an ingredient for me — it's memory, place, and comfort all in one.'
West Kitchen & Bar executive chef Brian Grunewald considered eggs, which are essential for baking and the foundation of so many classic sauces, and thought of the ubiquitous onion before deciding the one ingredient he can't live without is simply salt.
'It's the unsung hero in every kitchen,' he says. 'When it's missing, you notice it instantly. Salt isn't just seasoning, it's about balance, depth and unlocking the true flavour of every ingredient.
'It enhances sweetness, cuts through bitterness and brings harmony to acidity. You can use it to cure, preserve, ferment or finish a dish with that perfect final flourish.
'Food without salt isn't just bland, it feels unfinished,' Grunewald adds. 'For me, it's the soul of the dish.'
And what is salt without vinegar, an unmissable element according to George Maxwell, head chef of inner-city pubs The Leadlight and Picabar.
Maxwell loves balsamic, white, Chinese black and Spanish chardonnay vinegar.
'Vinegar serves all purposes for home and commercial cooking,' he says. 'Great for balancing braises, perfect for pickling and preserving, and essential for sauces and dressing.
'Doubles as a great cleaner and neutraliser,' Maxwell says, adding that he fell in love with vinegar doused over hot chips as a child.
State Buildings exec chef Lucas Fernandes has plumped for the humble tomato.
'It can be fresh, it can be sweet, it can be bitter and it can be umami,' he says, 'but none of it can be done without salt.'
While Grunewald nearly chose the onion, Brian Cole from Hearth in The Ritz-Carlton couldn't go past the pungent bulb.
The chef de cuisine uses onions as the base for many dishes but says the vegetable can be the star of, for example, tomatoes with caramelised onion jam or ricotta gnocchi with burnt onion sabayon.
'Currently I've been utilising brown butter a fair bit,' Cole adds. 'It elevates a lot of dishes from a simple taste profile to one that has complexity and depth.
'When used correctly it can refine certain dishes and completely elevate others. It can also be used for finishing sauces and brushed on meats.
'At Hearth we currently have a dish that uses a browned butter base as a broth for our line-caught WA fish,' he says. 'There's endless applications and it's a true staple in the kitchen.'