
Eat and drink the best of WA at these foodie festivals
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. Canadian chef Ben Ing is the star attraction at the Gascoyne Food Festival. Credit: Supplied
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. The inaugural Slow Food and Wine Festival will be held in the Swan Valley. Credit: Supplied
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.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Perth Now
3 days ago
- Perth Now
Where to get Perth's best cooked chook
Noranda When PLAY restaurant reviewer Simon Collins names the chicken at this unassuming suburban restaurant his dish of the year, you know it has to be good. Owners Pauly and Nabil Bahbah make their juicy, flavourful chicken according to a family recipe, and the results are out of this world. South Perth South Perth Charcoal Chicken. Credit: South Perth Charcoal Chicken The owners of this popular local joint couldn't decide if they wanted to be a fish and chip shop or a chicken joint so they decided to do both — what a bunch of all-rounders! Their delicious Portugese-style whole chooks are worth the visit, and although the decor may be basic, the flavours are anything but. Como If you have a hankering for juicy Lebanese chicken that is a flavour sensation, then get yourself to Como, posthaste! Cooked over charcoal and basted in either lemon and herb or spicy flavours — take your pick — there is a reason loyal fans are willing to navigate the tricky parking situation at this popular joint. Huntingdale Charco's The Flaming Chicken. Credit: Charco's The Flaming Chicken A whole chicken cooked rotisserie-style over flaming coals for just $13? Yes please. It may be shockingly cheap, but there is no cutting corners in flavour at this Portugese-style chicken joint. Each chook, slathered in a moreish marinade, is cooked over coals, giving it that delicious smoky flavour. Mais! Por favor! 43 locations across WA OK, I know what you're thinking: 'Really?'. But if you need a bachelor's handbag in a hurry, then Red Rooster is a very solid option. Get one of their juicy chooks for dinner and you will be a happy camper. And lets face it — their chips are still the best.


Perth Now
23-05-2025
- Perth Now
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
28-04-2025
- West Australian
Swan Valley Slow Food and Wine Festival cancelled ‘a tough decision, but the responsible one'
The organising committee of the Swan Valley-based Slow Food and Wine Festival has made the 'tough decision' to cancel the event just days before it was due to take place. The festival was due to take place this weekend and was designed to bring together Noongar culture and traditions along with the influence from Croatian and Italian settlers that together have shaped the Swan Valley. The event was planned to kick off with an immersive six-course dinner and was going to feature tastings from local winemakers Talijancich, Local Weirdos, Vino Volta and Swan Valley Wines. 'This special event is a celebration of what we value most - heritage, sustainability, and community - brought to life through local wine, traditional foods, and rich cultural stories.' Event organisers posted on Instagram last week. A spokesperson from the organising committee said that cancelling it was a tough decision, but the responsible one, as the event wasn't financially viable. 'We understand everyone's disappointment, and we're disappointed ourselves, but it would be fiscally irresponsible to continue and run the festival,' a spokesperson said. However, event organisers remain committed to the future of the festival and plan to re-introduce the festival next year. 'We remain optimistic for the future and believe that we have the basis for a unique festival that showcases the culinary essence of the Swan Valley. 'We will regroup and start planning the 2026 Slow Food and Wine Festival.' Ticket purchasers will receive a full refund and the Swan Valley Slow Food Convivium will look ahead to the Slow Olive Festival featuring talks and tastings on May 25.