Pair’d Margaret River Region Named Among The World’s Top Five Festivals

Additional tickets to selected sold-out events at Pair’d Margaret River Region will go on sale at 10:00 am on Thursday 15 October. The release comes as the festival unveils a new round of events ahead of its return from November 19th to 22nd.

Limited tickets will be available at pairdmargaretriver.com. They’re a final chance to get into some of the most sought-after experiences at Australia’s leading wine-focused festival.

Among the new additions, Margaret River label Flying Machine will launch at the festival with Touch Grass with Flying Machine on Saturday, November 21st. At this phone-free long lunch, guests hand in their devices for an unhurried afternoon of produce-led food from acclaimed WA chef Melissa Palinkas, paired with the newly released Flying Machine Gamay 2026.

Also new is Somms in Town, a series of free pop-up wine sessions supported by the City of Busselton. Leading WA sommeliers Emma Farrelly, Foni Pollitt, and Katia Taschetti will host them at Lady Lola, Strange Brews, and Banksia Tavern.

Saturday’s Grand Tasting at Howard Park Wines has sold out, so Sunday, November 22nd is the last chance to attend the flagship event. The Sunday program now includes complimentary Howard Park Jeté x Leeuwin Coast Albany Rock Oyster masterclasses.

The announcements follow a historic result for festival winery House of Cards. Its 2025 Ace High Chardonnay earned Margaret River’s first-ever perfect 100-point score from the International Wine & Spirit Competition.

Margaret River winery Stella Bella has won a Wine Trophy at this year’s International Wine & Spirit Competition for its Suckfizzle Cabernet Sauvignon 2024, one of only 45 awarded worldwide.

The wine had already picked up 95 points and a Gold medal when the IWSC judged in Margaret River. More than 250 Gold medal wines were then put back in front of the judges for a Trophy taste-off, with 45 wines from 15 countries making the cut.

“Suckfizzle has always been a wine defined by where it comes from. It’s our most southern site, wild, unbridled and heavily influenced by the Indian and Southern Oceans,” said Stella Bella chief winemaker Jarrad Olsen. “It’s the place of origin that gives this Cabernet its unique energy, structure and personality and we work tirelessly in the vineyard and winery to capture, harness and emphasise that each vintage.”

Margaret River took six of those trophies, and three went to Cabernet Sauvignon, with Lenton Brae Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 and Nocturne Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 joining Suckfizzle. Australia finished with eight overall.

“We’re incredibly proud of the wine, but we’re also proud to see Margaret River perform so strongly,” Olsen said. “Six Trophies from one region on an international stage says a lot about the quality of wine being grown here.”

The trophy follows the 2024 Stella Bella Cabernet Sauvignon being named Grand Champion Wine of Show at the 2026 Royal Queensland Wine Awards earlier this year, and Cabernet trophies for both Stella Bella and Suckfizzle at the Margaret River and Royal Adelaide wine shows last year.

Oh Hey WA has launched a brand new Progressive Lunch Tour in the Perth CBD.

Perfect for the festive season, a gorgeous birthday feast, or that new activity you and your friends have been searching for. Join an intimate guided journey through Perth, visiting four fantastic venues for delicious food, drinks, and good times. Visit a local artisan chocolatier, a buzzing small bar, an intimate tapas restaurant and then finish the night with wine and a cheese platter at one of Perth’s loveliest wine bars. Your friendly Oh Hey WA guide leads the way and fills in the gaps with fascinating stories about the city along the route.

Health-focused quick-service restaurant brand Liv Eat is heading west, opening the doors to its first Western Australian store in Leederville this week, with a huge line-up of opening specials to kick off its WA expansion.

Perth food lovers will get their first taste of Liv Eat when the new Leederville restaurant opens on Thursday, October 8th, with $5.00 burrito bowls available from 10:30 am to 10:00 pm to celebrate the grand opening.

You can also get involved in giveaways and spin the Liv Eat prize wheel, with plenty of chances to score prizes and discover what the new Leederville venue has to offer.

The menu features warm bowls, burgers, burritos, coffee, and smoothies, all designed around busy modern lifestyles and packed with fresh ingredients and flavour. Whether customers are after something fresh and light, a seriously satisfying burger, a smoothie after the gym, or simply a great tasting coffee.

Liv Eat can be found at 5/106 Oxford Street, Leederville.

Hospitality group Sneakers & Jeans has just announced Fourteen, a new midweek deal where everything on the menu is $14.00 every Wednesday. It launches on October 14th at three Sneakers & Jeans venues in the Perth CBD: Pirate Life Perth, Varnish on King, and Caballitos.

Each venue has put together its own menu of food and drinks, with each looking completely different.

“We’re really excited to bring Fourteen to the city. People still want to go out, get together and have a great experience, they just want their money to go a little further,” said Sneakers & Jeans CEO Andy Freeman. “Fourteen keeps it really simple — great food and drinks, everything $14.00, but every venue does it differently.”

At Pirate Life Perth, it’s pub classics, from burgers to bites, alongside fresh Pirate Life beers. Underground at Varnish on King, the menu runs to American-inspired food and whiskey flights, while Caballitos is doing tacos, quesadillas, and margaritas.

“You can have a completely different Wednesday depending on where you go,” Freeman said. “We wanted to bring something new to the city that gives people another reason to get out, get together and make more of their week.”

Whether it’s a work lunch, dinner in the city, or making a night of it, you pick the venue and everything on its Fourteen menu is $14.00.

Fourteen launches on October 14th and runs every Wednesday at all three Sneakers & Jeans venues.

Perth Hills pub, Parkerville Tavern, has just unveiled a major new look, with a revamped beer garden and a new kids’ playground designed to make long afternoons at The Parky even better.

The heritage-listed pub has been around since 1902, and the major upgrades are to its outdoor and family areas. It now has a new covered pavilion, a terraced deck, an outdoor caravan bar, and fresh landscaping, plus more shade and seating. The pavilion also means the beer garden is still an option when the weather turns.

“We wanted to create more room for families to settle in, while keeping what people love about The Parky, our live music and family-friendly atmosphere,” said venue manager Angie Martinez. “It’s a fresh new chapter for The Parky, while still feeling like the Parky people know and love.”

The menu is still a pub one, with parmis, steaks, and pizzas alongside a dedicated kids’ menu, and there’s live music every Friday and Saturday evening.

This Sunday, The Parky Honky Tonk marks the end of the school holidays with live country music from Charlie Scot’s Honky Tonk Stomp from 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm. A three-day Locals Weekend follows from October 16th to 18th, with live music each day and free family entertainment, including an inflatable gladiator duel on the Saturday and Superhero School on the Sunday.

Parkerville Tavern is located on Owen Road in Parkerville, just moments from John Forrest National Park.

Ever wondered how much a winemaker’s personal touch impacts what’s in your glass? This October, the crew at MyattsField Vineyards in the Bickley Valley are giving you the chance to find out.

Their fan-favourite winemaking project, Tête-à-Tête à Trois (translating to “Head-to-Head by Three”) is back for 2026, and it’s stripping away all the usual pretension around wine tasting.

The idea is simple but brilliant: a single parcel of hand-harvested Perth Hills Chenin Blanc is split equally among MyattsField’s three winemakers: Rachael Davenport, Josh Davenport, and Josh Uren.

Working independently, each winemaker employs wildly different techniques, oak choices, skin contact times, and fermentation styles. The result? Three distinct, small-batch wines created from the exact same harvest.

First launched in 2015 as a friendly internal challenge, the project strips away wine pretension. “The idea was born out of pure curiosity and a desire to pull back the curtain on how different winemaking choices shape a wine,” says founder Josh Davenport. “It transforms wine tasting from a passive experience into an active discovery.”

Beyond being a creative playground for the team, it highlights the Perth Hills’ dynamic boutique winemaking scene, where innovation and tradition go hand in hand.

Want to decide who crafted the best drop? You can meet the winemakers and taste all three Chenin Blancs side-by-side at exclusive winery tastings on October 17th and 18th.

Can’t make it to the hills? Three-packs of the challenge wines are available online so you can host your own blind tasting showdown at home.

Gibney has been named Western Australia’s Best Wine List for the third year in a row at the 33rd Australian Wine List of the Year Awards, announced last night at NSW Parliament House.

The Cottesloe Beach restaurant also took home Australia’s Best Digestif List and became the first winner of the newly named Peter Forrestal Award for Australia’s Best Listing of Western Australian Wines. It was a finalist in four categories, including the top title of Australia’s Wine List of the Year.

It’s the fifth straight year the WA title has gone to a Kailis Hospitality Group venue, after The Shorehouse won in 2022 and 2023. No hospitality group has held it for five consecutive years before.

Gibney only opened in 2024, and the wine list has been a big part of how quickly it’s built a name. Group Sommelier Nina Throsby curates it, pulling together Australian and international producers, with benchmark bottles sitting alongside lesser-known and emerging labels. The group treats the wine the same way it treats the food, the service, and the setting, as part of one experience rather than a separate program.

Judge Kim Bickley singled out Throsby’s team, saying “This is the sort of rare wine list that allows you to relax and place your trust in the sommelier team, led by the ever-impressive Nina Throsby, knowing that countless hours of tasting, reading and exploring have gone into presenting one of the finest collections around.”

For Throsby, the award is a reason to keep going.

“It’s an honour to be recognised as WA’s Wine List of the Year, and an even greater privilege to keep building this list. Gibney’s wine program is never finished. There’s always another producer to discover, another region to explore, another bottle that makes us rethink what belongs on the page. None of that happens without our extraordinary sommelier team and their continued commitment to great wine and the great people who make it. This award is as much theirs as anyone’s.”

The City of Perth’s Twilight Food Market returns to Forrest Place this Friday, with more than 37 food vendors setting up every Friday evening until April 24th.

It lines up with late-night shopping in the city, so you can grab dinner after work, wander the stalls, and still get to the shops while they’re open.

New this season are Nana Bread and Il Panzerotto, joining a line-up that runs from Tibetan momos, Korean street food, and Japanese onigiri to Filipino barbecue, Thai desserts, dumplings, and Italian gelato.

City of Perth Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds said the market is a great way to kick off a Friday night in the city.

“The Twilight Food Market is all about bringing people into the heart of Perth to eat, explore and enjoy everything our local food scene has to offer, while making the most of late-night shopping in the city.

“With more than 37 vendors and new flavours joining the line-up this season, there’s always something different to discover.

“It’s a great way to finish the week with friends or family, grab something delicious, do a little shopping and soak up the atmosphere of Forrest Place.”

The Twilight Food Market opens from 4:30 pm each Friday, and all City of Perth car parks charge $5.00 for night-time parking, so you can stay a little longer.

Highgate restaurant Le Vivant has brought summer onto the menu early, with six new dishes landing alongside the classics it’s known for.

Local octopus is cured and marinated with charred spring onion, and the braised beef short rib comes as a single bite on sweet corn crème with red wine jus. Dessert brings a blood orange crème brûlée and a spring berry crème pâtissière tart.

Blood orange crème brûlée on a warm evening? We’ll take it.

The regulars haven’t gone anywhere. The slow-cooked baby goat shoulder serves four and is always a crowd favourite, and the coq au vin, the ratatouille in a vol-au-vent, and the dry-aged black Angus rib eye all stay on.

Le Vivant is open for dinner Thursday to Sunday.

Lums Wine Bar is turning into a one-day wine festival next month, with seven winemakers and producers taking over the venue for the first Good Wines Only.

On October 24th, from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, you can grab a tasting glass and make your way through the red, blue, and green rooms and out into the courtyard, trying new wines and meeting the people behind the bottles along the way.

Pouring on the day are McHenry Hohnen, La Violetta, Dream Bird, Emmalene, Otro Mundo, Finca Fella, and Spirit of Little Things.

The paella pan will be cooking out the front again, with Spanish-inspired snacks coming from the kitchen and a few extra drinks available at the bar.

Tickets are $30.00 plus booking fee and include entry, the tastings, and a custom Lums Plumm tasting glass to take home (a nice little souvenir of the afternoon). Numbers are limited, so book your spot with Lums Wine Bar early.

Bayswater’s King Somm is putting the spotlight on the people who run the venue, and if you’re a regular, you’ll already know them: Matt, Beth, and Morgs.

The neighbourhood bar and bottle shop on King William Street says a great local comes down to the details no one notices until they’re missing. The welcome at the door. The perfectly poured pint. The right wine recommendation. The feeling that somehow, every time you walk in, it feels familiar.

That’s the part Matt, Beth, and Morgs look after. They’re three very different personalities, but they share the same values and one clear belief: hospitality should feel personal.

It shows in how the place runs. The team says the goal has never been to be the loudest venue in Perth, just one of the most loved.

Next time you’re in for a pizza and a glass of something from the bottle shop shelves, say hello. King Somm is at 13 King William Street, Bayswater.

Chef Gurps Bagga and Manchester-born Chef Scott O’Sullivan are back in the kitchen together for one night only, reuniting for the British Curry Club. You’ll know Chef Scott from his days at Red Cabbage.

After the success of their Brick Lane Curry Night collaboration, Gurps and Scott return with a new menu inspired by the British curry houses that have become institutions across the UK. Think comforting classics, bold spice, and a little nostalgia, brought together with the pair’s own take on the dishes they grew up around and still love.

The menu moves from poppadums, onion bhaji, prawn cocktail, and tandoori chicken tikka through to Chicken Jhalfrezi, slow-cooked Balti Beef, Bombay Aloo, naan, and basmati pulao rice, finishing with Kashmiri Saffron Panna Cotta.

Samuels on Mill is getting cheesy this October, bringing in the live burrata kings from Galleria Burrata for a one-night-only cheese extravaganza.

The four-course dinner puts live burrata making front and centre, starting with a burnt truffle honey burrata entrée made fresh to order. That’s right. Burrata and all.

Cheese stays at the centre of the plate through the mains, with a choice of three: beef fillet with smoked burrata crema, local snapper with burrata velouté, or brown butter, sage, and burrata gnocchi. A Snowy Burrata palate cleanser and a sweet burrata dessert top it all off, making this one to tell the kids about.

Burrata for dessert? We’re willing to find out.

Subiaco is about to get a little smokier. Larry’s Charcoal Chicken, the newest venue from Sesh Mafia, opens tomorrow on Roberts Road, underneath the Subiaco One building.

The name comes from Larry David. Palestinian Chicken is the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where he falls so hard for a charcoal chicken shop that it takes over his life. Sesh Mafia co-founder Ben Tua liked it enough to travel to Palestine in 2023 to find the real thing.

“I went all the way to Palestine looking for charcoal chicken, so I guess you could say the obsession got pretty serious,” Tua said. “Larry David had me convinced it was worth travelling for. He wasn’t wrong.”

Director of Flavour Leigh Power, who’s also behind the food at Shui and Papi Katsu, has built the menu around Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours cooked over charcoal. The signature chicken leads, with house-made dips, flatbreads, and small plates like crispy spiced lamb with pressed apricot, spiced beef manti, and charred king prawns. You can grab a chicken pita or takeaway bowl for a quick lunch, or order a set feast and let the kitchen decide.

Venue manager Nick Vecera, most recently bar manager at ARIA in Sydney, has built six cocktails from ingredients in Power’s kitchen. They include a Baklava Old Fashioned and a margarita made with kumquats from his own backyard, rimmed with Larry’s fry spice.

Read the full story here.

On September 25, Crown Perth will unlock the doors to its newest hidden bar, 42
by Don Julio, ready for lovers of premium tequila, music, and nightlife to discover.
Set to become Australia’s first permanent branded bar featuring Don Julio 1942 tequila, the intimate space will be Perth’s most luxurious secret space.

Located in an exclusive space within TWR at Crown Towers Perth, the intimate 35-seat venue will offer guests a unique tequila experience inspired by one of the world’s most premium spirits.

From September 25th, you can find Perth’s hottest new destination and enjoy elevated tequila cocktails created by some of the world’s top mixologists, plus an elevated small-bites menu, including a bespoke 42 caviar experience, tuna tostadas, and wagyu empanadas. The experience will combine hip lounge tunes with the intimate, sophisticated surroundings of a custom-built nightlife venue.

Crown Perth CEO Brian Pereira said the venue is unmatched in Perth.

“This is a venue where nightlife meets premium drinks and music and gives our guests not just another reason to visit, but another reason to stay a bit longer and explore something not available anywhere else.”

Named after the year founder Don Julio González began his tequila-making journey, Don Julio 1942 has become synonymous with luxury celebrations worldwide. The tequila is produced in small batches and aged for at least two and a half years, earning a reputation as one of the category’s most sought-after expressions.

Riverfront restaurant, Cooee, has just launched a fresh weekend brunch menu just in time for Perth’s perfect spring mornings.

The menu include things like steamed greens with poached egg, sunflower seed, and green goddess dressing, and buttermilk and blueberry pancakes with lemon curd, vanilla mascarpone, and maple. Blueberry pancakes on a Sunday morning? Yes, please.

“Brunch should feel unhurried. We wanted to create a menu that gives people an excuse to settle in, enjoy the river and spend a little more time around the table. The menu is fresh and produce-led, but ultimately it’s about the whole experience. It’s great food, a beautiful outlook and nowhere you need to rush off to on your weekend,” said Fiveight Group Executive Chef Kim Brennan.

Cooee is located on the banks of the Swan River, set within the Old Swan Brewery, giving you sweeping views of the Perth city skyline.

When in Perth, a night out on Northbridge’s iconic James Street is a must. And for the last 12 months, Curate has proudly called this home, offering a captivating fusion of mixology, artistry, and live music.

Marking one year in Northbridge, Curate will celebrate with a festive birthday event for the loyal guests and local community who have supported the venue since day one. Join the celebrations all day Saturday, September 19th, and treat yourself to Curate’s exclusive Birthday Martini, crafted exclusively for the milestone occasion and available for $10.00 each on the day. From the evening onward, there’ll be live entertainment from DJ Benny Bass, joined by Cocco with roaming percussion, bringing an energetic soundtrack to the birthday celebrations.

You can also enter their birthday lucky draw for the chance to win a free cocktail on the evening as well as our grand prize of a curated getaway for two with an overnight stay at DoubleTree by Hilton Perth Northbridge.

Sorrento Beach Club has become The Waterfront, keeping its spot at Sorrento Quay but dropping the summer pop-up format for a venue that trades year-round.

Sport and entertainment will become a strong focus, with additional screens throughout the venue, pool tables, and a refreshed pub-style food menu. Live entertainment and events will run across the year, including Melbourne Cup and the AFL Grand Final.

“We’ve loved the journey with Sorrento Beach Club over the past year, and the response from our customers has been fantastic,” said ELG Australia Managing Director Ryan Esqulant. “Now it’s time for a refresh. The Waterfront better reflects what we want this venue to be — somewhere you can come for sport, a cold drink, good pub food, live entertainment or simply to sit by the water with friends.”

To celebrate the launch and the new name, The Waterfront is serving cold Peronis for $6.00 all day from now until Friday.

Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth has just announced it will close on October 4th for a $3 million renovation, the biggest change to the Crown Perth restaurant since it opened in 2011.

The bar is getting the most dramatic change. It’s been a narrow, linear space since day one, and it will reopen as a destination in its own right, with seating going from 24 to 41, leather stools, and a black marble-clad bar topped with natural titanium granite (good news for those who’d rather eat at the bar than at a table).

In the dining room, custom joinery, bespoke wine cabinetry, and upgraded Rockpool furniture will arrive alongside green marble, warm timber, and tan leather. A reworked floorplan lifts capacity from 238 to 261 guests, the two existing private dining rooms will be refreshed, and a third is being added.

The wood-fired grill, the open kitchen, and the menu will remain unchanged, with Executive Chef Brendan Owens keeping the dry-aged steaks — Cape Grim and David Blackmore Wagyu among them — and Western Australian seafood at the centre of it.

“The grill has always been at the heart of Rockpool, and that isn’t changing,” said Owens.

It’s the latest in a run of changes at Crown Perth, with Khao San Sek and Brasserie Astoria both on the way.

Rockpool Bar & Grill Perth will reopen on October 28th.

Read the full story here.

North Fremantle’s Mojos has always been the kind of place you fall into rather than plan to visit, but there’s now a much better reason to stay once you’re there. The long-running music venue has opened its doors seven days a week, from 3:00 pm until late, with a full kitchen and beer taps joining the lineup for the first time.

Head Chef Reece Lardi leads the food, serving generous Greek-inspired plates drawn from co-owner Tony Papa-Adams’ own family recipes. The lamb souvlaki is shaping up as the must-order, while Sundays bring a $28.00 roast porchetta with honey-glazed carrots, charred Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes, and jus, served from 3:00 pm until it sells out. Happy hour runs daily from 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm.

The kitchen is part of a bigger shift for Mojos, which is leaning into life as a neighbourhood bar without losing the live music that built its reputation. You can still wander in on a gig night and hang out in the rest of the venue for free, or catch one of the weekly regulars, think Monday’s open mic and $6.00 tinnies, Tuesday’s board games and vinyl night, or Wednesday’s pub quiz.

Gigs, tours, and album launches are still very much on the cards, too, with the calendar staying stacked with touring acts alongside local talent.

Mojos Music Bar is located at 237 Queen Victoria St, North Fremantle.

Sum Yung Guys, the Noosa restaurant Matt Sinclair opened with fellow chefs Jeremiah Jones and Michael Rickard after his run on season eight of MasterChef Australia, is setting up at Crown Perth from September 17th, taking over the Crown Metropol space that once housed Bistro Guillaume.

“WA has some seriously incredible produce, particularly when it comes to seafood, so I’m really looking forward to getting to Perth, getting on deck, checking out the local produce and pulling together the best dishes we can,” Sinclair said.

The Perth menu carries the signatures over: beef rendang, a Southern Thai yellow curry with snapper, the prawn toast with gochu mayo, and hiramasa kingfish with green scud chilli, coconut and laksa oil. It’s the same share-style, pan-Asian cooking the Noosa restaurant built its reputation on.

The residency follows David Thompson, George Calombaris, and South West favourite Yarri Bar + Restaurant in the same pop-up space, with two Michelin-starred chefs also announced for Crown in recent months.

Sum Yung Guys runs until October 24th, open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday. Those recent residencies have been selling out, so bookings are essential and can be made through the Crown Perth website.

The Broken Hill Hotel has opened the Two Mile Spring Bar, an alfresco venue at the Victoria Park pub with two 13-foot LED screens for live sport, new landscaping and seating, and a reworked menu of pub favourites, share plates, and local produce. The hotel is calling it one of Perth’s largest heritage pub alfresco spaces.

A freshwater spring once sat beside the site, about two miles from Perth’s original General Post Office, and travellers heading between Perth and Albany stopped there to water their horses and rest before continuing on. It became known as the Two Mile Spring, and historians credit it with influencing the bend in Albany Highway that still sits opposite the hotel.

“The spring was once a place where people naturally came together,” said Trevor Vaughan, a former Town of Victoria Park Mayor and long-standing patron of the pub. “More than a century later, that’s exactly what this venue is about. Whether you’re meeting family for lunch, catching up with friends over a drink or watching the footy, it’s continuing that tradition of bringing people together.”

The spring disappeared long ago. The hotel has stood on the site since 1898, designed by Robert McMaster, who went on to become Victoria Park’s first Mayor, and built for Alfred Russell, who became its second.

The Queen’s Arms opens on Queen Street in mid-September, in the heritage-listed 1928 building that was once home to The Flour Factory. It’s the fifth venue from Nokturnl, the group behind Stories, The Beaufort, The Old Synagogue, and The Station.

Across three levels, it will hold 500 people and feature two bars, more than 30 beer taps, several dining areas, a beer garden overlooking Raine Square, and a rooftop terrace. Quiz nights, Sunday carveries, and wall-to-wall live sport are all part of the plan, and upstairs there’ll be a second venue called The Corgi Club running live music, interactive darts, and bottomless high tea on Friday and Saturday nights. 

While there have been a few British-themed bars, like W Churchill, the last traditional British pub in the city centre was the Moon and Sixpence, which closed in 2017 to make way for the Raine Square redevelopment. Western Australia has the highest concentration of British-born residents in the country at ~8.9% of the population, so The Queen’s Arms should be well received.

Read the full story.

Lums Wine Bar is marking four years on Hay Street. It’s been years of good wine, great people, and countless late nights, and that isn’t changing any time soon. This Sunday, they’re celebrating with a proper Sunday session, complete with paella pan out the front, your favourite wines, and much more.

The Emmalene Wines crew are shouting the first round of Kooli from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, with pours continuing at $8.00 for the rest of the afternoon. Kooli is the Adelaide Hills producer’s take on Txakoli, the bone-dry, lightly sparkling white from Spain’s Basque Country, poured from height and drunk very cold. It’s a natural match for oysters, which is convenient, because Lums is shucking those at $2.00 apiece all day.

Special magnums are being opened through the afternoon (wine always tastes better from a magnum), and a DJ plays from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Sometimes a new venue opens and, as soon as you sit down at a table, you just feel at home. That’s the case with Scarborough’s newest wine bar, Convivio.

It’s not on the main Scarborough strip (and that’s probably a good thing), so it’s not one you’re going to accidentally stumble into on a night out. But it’s one you should definitely book a table and go there with a group of friends.

It’s a wine bar, so naturally, the wine list is strong. But it could legitimately call itself a cocktail bar as well. It’s one of the few venues in Perth that knows how to make the classics for the average person instead of for bartenders. 

And the food? It’s best enjoyed share-style with a bottle of well-matched wine on the table. Everything we tasted was enjoyable and well-balanced in flavour, so picking what you want should be easy. If you’re unsure, or just want the ordering decision made for you, the team that runs Convivio can read your mind and tell you the perfect dishes for you. Then they’ll probably sit down at your table and engage you in conversation like lifelong friends. But that’s probably just the Italian hospitality and culture coming through.

With spring officially around the corner, Little Creatures Fremantle is getting in early with its Spring specials.

Whether it’s a cheeky weekday knock-off downstairs or golden hour upstairs at The Loft, there’s now a very good excuse for a sip five days a week — rain, hail or Fremantle shine.

Little Creatures Fremantle is giving locals a new excuse for one more round, launching Sips & Views – a monthly drinks series serving up standout sips, specials, and sunset views — and Sunset Drop, a new Friday Happy Hour, both upstairs in The Loft from Friday, August 21st.

Set against one of Fremantle’s best views, Sips & Views will celebrate standout spirits, craft beverages, and curated drinking experiences, with a different theme taking centre stage each month. Each edition will bring something new, with limited-time specials, exclusive serves, and expertly curated pairings designed to surprise and delight over the course of each month.

And every Friday, things get even better as the sun starts to set.

From Friday 21st August, The Loft will also host Sunset Drop — one golden hour of great drinks, exceptional views, and special Friday Happy Hour pricing.

C Restaurant will close on January 31st, 2027, taking away our only revolving dining room with 360° views of Perth.

The Level 33 restaurant at the top of St Martins Tower on St Georges Terrace slowly completes a full rotation every 90 minutes, which has made it a go-to spot for anniversary dinners, proposals, and many other special occasions over the last 25 years. It has also amassed a strong collection of Gold Plate awards throught that period.

The closure makes way for a $240 million redevelopment of the St Martins Centre, which will turn the site into a 240-room hotel with a pool club on the podium overlooking Hay Street Mall, keeps the heritage-listed McNess Royal Arcade and Bridal House, and cuts a new pedestrian link through from St Georges Terrace. When the plans were lodged in January, the application allowed for a premium hospitality venue on Level 33, so we may see a new venue open in the space once the redevelopment is complete.

Bookings are open until closing night. 

A new restaurant from Bangkok chef Pichaya Soontornyanakij, better known as Chef Pam, opens at Crown Perth next year. It’ll be called Khao San Sek.

Chef Pam was named The World’s Best Female Chef 2025 and Asia’s Best Female Chef 2024. Her Bangkok restaurant Potong took a Michelin star in its first year of trading and reached number 13 on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2025. Perth and Sydney will be her first restaurants in Australia.

The Perth venue takes its name and its thinking from Chef Pam’s restaurant on Song Wat Road in Bangkok’s Chinatown, where the menu is organised around five ingredients she treats as sacred: rice, chilli, coconut, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Dishes are grouped by those building blocks rather than the curry-and-stir-fry categories most Thai menus fall into.

“Opening my first Australian restaurants is incredibly meaningful,” she said. “My current venues are about respecting the foundations of Thai cuisine and expressing them in a modern and personal way. Australia’s beautiful local produce makes it the perfect destination for this next chapter.”

It’s Crown’s second big signing in a month, after Brasserie Astoria from Björn Frantzén was announced for Crown Perth in July.

Yiamas in Subiaco has welcomed a new Head Chef to the kitchen, bringing a fresh perspective to the restaurant’s winter menu with a collection of dishes centred around bold Mediterranean flavours, seasonal produce and quality ingredients.

The new menu introduces a mix of comforting winter favourites and lighter, produce-led dishes, with a focus on generous flavours and simple ingredients treated well.

Among the highlights is the Kleftiko, featuring beautifully braised lamb and delivering the kind of rich, comforting flavours made for Perth’s cooler months.

The Revithia brings together charcoal-grilled vegetables, smooth chickpea revithia and blended feta, while the Lamb Koftas are served with lime mayo and aromatic oil for a fresh, vibrant take on a Mediterranean favourite.

Seafood lovers can look to the Market Fish Ladolemono, with butterflied market fish, ladolemono, cherry tomatoes, and roasted chat potatoes, a bright and fresh dish balanced with plenty of winter comfort.

With its new Head Chef now at the helm, the winter menu marks an exciting new chapter for Yiamas while staying true to what the Subiaco restaurant does best: relaxed Mediterranean dining, generous plates, and flavours designed to be shared.

Take a walk down James Street on any night and you’ll find a lively mix of food, culture, and nightlife, with Curate at the heart of the action.

Known for its liquid art gallery, the bar’s collection of signature cocktails, Curate has no shortage of crowd-pleasers. But one drink continues to stand out from the rest: the Ivory Rose #2. Bursting with peach, guava, pineapple and passionfruit, this vibrant cocktail has earned its reputation as Curate’s best-selling signature sip.

Stay and explore Curate’s menu, from freshly shucked oysters to Balinese-style chicken satay with Sambal Merah and dynamite chicken wings with Ranchero sauce. Whether you’re starting the evening or settling in for the night, the Ivory Rose #2 is the perfect companion to Curate’s vibrant dining experience.

This year’s edition of Plateful Perth launched on Saturday, with more than 80 city venues hosting 90 events and offers throughout August.

Now in its fourth year, the City of Perth festival is split into five categories: Bargain Bites, Premium Plates, Feast, Sip Sessions, and Gourmet Getaways, covering food, drink, and accommodation. Bargain Bites is the cheapest way in, with 20 food and drink deals starting at $15.00, pitched at city workers, students, and anyone for a good deal for lunch or an after-work drink.

At the other end of the program, Guy Grossi and Paolo Apuzzo are cooking a four-course feast at Garum, paired with wines and storytelling. Samuels on Mill has teamed up with Margaret River winery Vasse Felix for a Winter Wine Series dinner, a three-course menu with matched pours.

“With a variety of exclusive offers and one-off experiences that aren’t normally on the menu, the City is the place to be this August,” City of Perth Deputy Lord Mayor David Goncalves said.

Plateful Perth runs until the end of August. The full program is at platefulperth.com.au.

Gold Plate-nominated Ceasun is introducing a new item to its menu, Sirloin Beef Tallow Fried Rice (Khao Pad Man Neua) as a limited-time trial.

This dish is a modern interpretation of a classic Asian fried rice, featuring 270–290g of premium sirloin steak cooked to order and served with fragrant jasmine rice stir-fried in rich beef tallow. The beef tallow adds a deeper aroma and richer flavour, creating a unique and satisfying fried rice experience.

This dish combines premium-quality beef, bold umami flavours, and Ceasun’s modern Thai approach. It is designed for steak lovers and guests looking to experience something different from a traditional fried rice dish.

If the dish receives great feedback, it may become a permanent addition to their menu.

Leederville Spanish institution Pinchos is launching its take on chip charcuterie with Patatas de Picoteo.

Crispy, golden, and bursting with flavour, Pinchos Patatas de Picoteo are the perfect treat with a Spanish twist. Inspired by the chip charcuterie trend, this shareable plate brings together the best of sweet, salty, and smoky flavours for a snack that’s impossible to resist. Perfect for pairing with a glass from the bar, or as a tasty starter before diving into tapas.

Each plate is loaded with potato crisps, rich jamón, manchego, dukkah, smoky paprika, and spicy guindillas, topped with a drizzle of honey, migas (chorizo fried breadcrumbs) and parsley, creating a perfect balance of textures and flavours in every bite.

The humble cob loaf is officially back on the menu — and this time, it’s heading to the coast.

Ishka at The Breakwater has relaunched its winter Vin et Fromage experience, pairing the retro bread bowl with bottomless raclette and optional French wine for the ultimate cold-weather feast.

The share-friendly cob loaf arrives fresh from the oven, packed with cream cheese, mozzarella, sour cream, onion, and chives, while the raclette experience delivers 90 minutes of unlimited melted cheese, scraped to order over roast potatoes, bresaola, and cornichons.

Want to lean into the French theme? Add a 90-minute bottomless wine package, featuring Chapoutier’s La Ciboise Blanc and Rouge.

Available until September 25th, Vin et Fromage is running Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm, plus Friday to Sunday from 12:00 pm until late. Whether you’re team cob loaf or team raclette, it’s a pretty delicious excuse to rug up and head to Hillarys this winter.

Le Vietnam will soon serve its last bánh mì on Barrack Street, with Perth’s favourite bánh mì shop relocating to Raine Square from September.

DJ and Emily Lee have run the bánh mì specialist from Barrack Street since 2014, where the lunchtime queue is often dozens of people long. It’s a sign of the quality of the Vietnamese rolls they serve, which we can attest to, having eaten a few hundred of them. They’ll be moving to a new site at 300 Murray Street, near the new ECU campus, with a fit-out drawing on the colours of Hoi An and a considerably bigger kitchen behind it.

The new location and bigger kitchen brings an expanded menu with it. Alongside the signature rolls, Le Vietnam is planning a move into Texan-Vietnamese barbecue, working with their friends at Big Don’s Smoked Meats. Think smoky pork burnt ends over rice with a sous-vide egg on top, more salads, and breadless bánh mì built on rice and soba noodle bowls.

MasterChef Australia top-ten finalist Alex Crisp will MC two of the Gascoyne Food Festival’s signature events when it opens in three weeks, on a program that also brings Fervor’s Paul “Yoda” Iskov north for an evening of native ingredients and storytelling at Gwoonwardu Mia in Carnarvon.

The festival runs from August 21st to September 6th across Carnarvon, Coral Bay, Exmouth, Shark Bay, and the wider Gascoyne, with more than 14 events staged in working mango plantations, on remote pastoral stations, and beside the Ningaloo Reef. Crisp presents Channel Nine’s Our State on a Plate and is the Royal Agricultural Society of WA’s food and beverage ambassador. She hosts the Taste of the Gascoyne and the Plantation Feast.

“The Gascoyne is unlike anywhere else. Our produce is exceptional, but it’s the places where you experience it and the people behind it that make this Festival so special,” Festival Director Louise Cashmore said.

Tigerfish in Cottesloe is one of six restaurants across the country in the running for Best New Restaurant at this year’s Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards, the finalists for which were announced this week. 

The waterfront bar and restaurant, part of The Cottesloe Beach Hotel, is the only Western Australian venue to make the shortlist. It’s up against +81 Sushi Kappo in Queensland, Grandfathers in New South Wales, Restaurant Aptos in South Australia, and Melbourne’s Yiaga and Harriot.

Tigerfish picks up a second nomination, too. Head chef Steven Ryu — whose impressive background includes Sokyo in Sydney, Hardy’s Verandah in Adelaide, and Cable Beach Club in Broome — is a finalist for Best New Talent, the only WA name on that shortlist as well.

Ryu’s Southeast Asian cooking has already drawn attention closer to home, with Tigerfish taking out New Restaurant of the Year at the WA Good Food Guide Awards in February. The menu has been strong since they opened late last year, but it’s the newest addition that has people talking. It’s the return of the Three Martini Lunch and Low Tide Lunch, best experienced together. We can confirm it’s a good lunch, especially the crispy lamb shoulder in pu pad pong curry. 

Now in their 46th year, the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards are the country’s longest-running national restaurant program. Winners will be announced on August 17th at a ceremony in Sydney.

Björn Frantzén is bringing Brasserie Astoria to Crown Perth, in a space inside Crown Towers that has never previously been open to the public. It’s expected to open next year.

Frantzén is the only chef in the world holding three Michelin stars at three restaurants at the same time: Frantzén in Stockholm, Zén in Singapore, and FZN in Dubai. His cooking draws on Nordic heritage, Asian influence, and French technique.

Brasserie Astoria first opened in Stockholm in 2021, in a converted 1870s cinema, and has since expanded to Singapore, Marbella, and the Maldives. It has an extensive à la carte menu, with several dishes served on carts and finished at the table.

Crown Perth CEO Brian Pereira said the venue “continues the strong investment in Crown Perth and expansion of our range of new offerings — from casual meals at the Urban Food District to elevated fine dining.”

Crown announced the Perth venue alongside a sister restaurant for Crown Sydney, Én by Björn Frantzén, which will open high in the tower with views across the Harbour. Details on both concepts and menus are due in the coming months.

Cabin Fever kicks off this weekend in the Margaret River Region, running from July 17th to 26th. The winter festival’s 10th year brings more than 40 events across Busselton, Margaret River, and everywhere in between, from fireside dinners and long lunches to late-night dance floors and cellar-door tastings.

If you’re looking for an excuse to head away for a few days, this is it. 

Hair of the Truffle Dog puts you out at Margaret River Truffle Farm following the truffle dogs, then sitting down to five tasting courses paired with wine. Top Perth chef Blaze Young teams up with Normal Van for Fast Food Fancy: Express Edition, a run of zhooshed-up nostalgic snacks with retro cocktails and pours from Jingalup Wines. There’s a French wine dinner by the fire at McHenry Hohnen’s cellar door, a distiller’s table pairing The Grove’s whiskies with Cassia Fremantle, and a bingo rave in Busselton. The fan favourites are back, too, with the Cheese Toastie Battle and Blazing Brews at Beerfarm.

The festival hub, The Cabin, has moved to Saltwater Busselton on the Busselton Foreshore this year. It’s free across the opening weekend, with live music, food trucks, and family activities.

Plenty is already selling out, so book before you head down. 

CU29 has opened on Hay Street in West Perth, and we’re pleased to report the food is good. It’s a contemporary restaurant and bar pairing Western Australian produce with flavours from across the globe.

Owner Alberto Tassone has spent more than 30 years in hospitality across three continents, from training as a chef in Switzerland to years with the Dusit Thani Group in Thailand and the Philippines, before settling in Perth in 1998. The name is a copper reference — its chemical symbol Cu and atomic number 29 — chosen as a nod to WA’s mining heritage and West Perth in particular.

In the kitchen, Executive Chef Samuel Ho cooks in a style he calls international contemporary: Japanese precision, European technique, and flavours from across Asia, all built on WA produce. Expect dishes like Wagyu Lamb Char Siu, Kangaroo Tartare, and Ageing Tuna, each borrowing from more than one tradition.

“Every dish should tell a story,” Ho said. “I love exploring different culinary traditions and finding the right moment to introduce an ingredient or technique that elevates the dish.”

There’s a curated wine list and signature cocktails to match, plus a floor overseen by Operations Manager Steven Hartawan, who arrives from Crown Perth, The Ritz-Carlton Perth, Rockpool Bar & Grill, and QT Perth.

CU29 Restaurant & Bar is now open at 1275 Hay Street, West Perth.

Read the full story here.

A new dinner series is coming to 11 Acre Farm, celebrating the best of the season, local chefs, and the stories behind every ingredient.

Dusk at 11 Acre Farm is a new collaborative dining experience where you are invited to explore the farm before settling in for a shared feast as the sun goes down.

Each event begins with a guided tour of the gardens before sunset, offering a chance to see what’s growing, meet the people behind the produce, and experience the farm at one of its most beautiful times of day.

Kicking off the series, Dusk at 11 Acre Farm brings together Eddie Bulatao, Head Chef of Gather Foods and Fendi Bong, Head Chef of The Good Paddock.

Together, the pair have created a menu inspired by the season, combining produce grown at 11 Acre Farm with native ingredients foraged by Gather.

Cooked over fire and designed to share, the menu reflects both chefs’ cultural influences and their shared passion for local, seasonal cooking.

More than just dinner, Dusk at 11 Acre Farm is about connecting diners with where their food comes from. From walking through the gardens at sunset to gathering around the table, the evening celebrates the journey from farm to plate and the stories that make every ingredient special.

The long lunch is making a comeback, starting in Cottesloe. With martinis in hand. 

Once upon a time, business was done over lunch, with a drink in hand and nowhere to be until dinner. The Three Martini Lunch was shorthand for a mid-century New York power move, the province of ad men and dealmakers who treated a long afternoon as a legitimate way to run a company. Now Tigerfish is reviving parts of that tradition.

From Monday, July 13th, Tigerfish is launching its Three Martini Lunch, a flight of three bespoke martinis, all with a Japanese flair, served in sequence alongside the venue’s Low Tide Lunch, available Monday to Thursday throughout winter.

The martinis are the work of master mixologist Brendan Scott Grey, who trains regularly in Japan, and each martini leans on premium Australian spirits with a Japanese influence. First is the Junmai Ginger Martini, built from Forty Spotted Classic Dry Gin, junmai sake, dry vermouth, and pink ginger brine. The second is a Rosemary and Black Pepper Dirty Martini, made with The Botanist Gin, olive, rosemary, black pepper, and MSG brine. The finale is the Yuzu Moon Martini, a citrus-forward closer with Forty Spotted Citrus and Pepperberry Gin, Reishu, dry vermouth, and yuzushu.

The drinks are paired with Tigerfish’s shared Southeast Asian menu, including crispy rice cake with red curry and kaffir lime mayonnaise, crispy lamb shoulder with pu pad pong curry, and a wombok salad with Thai herbs and somtam dressing.

“The Three Martini Lunch itself isn’t really about having three martinis,” said Venue Manager Mark Rutter. “It’s about taking the time to sit down, connect, enjoy good food and great drinks, and embrace a little indulgence.”

And once you’re three martinis deep, and feel the unexplainable desire to belt out your favourite Sinatra tune, you can move from restaurant table to Fishbowl karaoke room. And what happens in the Fishbowl, stays in the Fishbowl.

Cicerello’s is going bigger than ever with the launch of what we believe is Australia’s Biggest Fish & Chips! A supersized version of the classic seaside feed that’s made for sharing.

The giant platter includes a huge piece of sustainable, wild-caught Hoki, battered to perfection, a mountain of chunky chips, plus all the classics: tartare, sweet chilli, and tomato sauce, coleslaw, pickled onions, and lemon.

At $58.80, it’s designed to feed two to three adults, making it the perfect excuse to round up your mates or the family for a day by the Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour.

“We wanted to have a bit of fun and create something that celebrates what Cicerello’s is all about — sharing great fish and chips with the people you love,” said owner Nick Unmack.

“Whether you’re taking on the challenge or just looking for a great feed by the water, we think this is one everyone should experience at least once.”

Australia’s Biggest Fish & Chips is available all day, every day throughout July, exclusively at Cicerello’s Fremantle. Come hungry.

Last drinks are being called at one of Perth’s oldest pubs — but don’t panic, it’s only temporary.

After 128 years on the corner of Beaufort and Brisbane streets, The Brisbane Hotel is closing its doors from Monday, July 20th for a major restoration, with the beloved Highgate local set to return just in time for summer.

Before that happens, though, The Brissy is giving locals every excuse to squeeze in one more pint, hosting a huge farewell weekend from Friday, July 17th, to Sunday 19th. Think Power Hours with pints from $6.00, DJs, live sport, pub games, half-price food, and a fittingly named Kill the Kegs Closing Party to send the old girl off in style.

The restoration will breathe new life into the historic pub while preserving the character that’s made it a Beaufort Street favourite for well over a century. Exactly what’s changing is still under wraps, but if you’ve been meaning to catch up with mates at The Brissy, consider this your sign to lock in one last round before the scaffolding goes up.

Vasse Felix and Samuels on Mill will join forces this August for a limited-edition dinner series featuring the region’s best ‘From the Earth.’

As truffle season reaches its peak, the series will champion some of Western Australia’s leading suppliers, with Truffle Hill’s famed Manjimup truffle, shaved tableside, alongside premium cuts from Lux Wagyu House, each paired with Vasse Felix wines for a limited-edition dining experience.

Available exclusively on Thursday evenings in August, the experience offers guests the flexibility to enjoy a single course from $48.00 or indulge in the complete multi-course menu with wine pairings for $220.00 per person.

Limited tables are now open for bookings.

If you’ve ever wished Christmas lunch came around more than once a year, Johnny Fox’s has answered your prayers. The Northbridge Irish pub has brought back its cult-favourite Christmas Torkie for July, putting a festive spin on its signature Yorkshire pudding wrap.

Instead of the traditional roast beef, the annual Christmas in July makeover sees roast turkey step into the starring role (hence the name ‘Torkie’), joined by juicy ham, roast vegetables, stuffing, and cranberry sauce before the whole thing is served with a generous pitcher of gravy for dipping, dunking, and drenching.

Available every day throughout July for $22.00 (or $29.00 with chips), there are only a few weeks left to wrap your hands around one before it heads back to the North Pole for another year.

Taste Great Southern will return to the Great Southern region next year from March 4th to 7th, giving us one more reason to book a four-day weekend down south.

The festival’s 2027 program will once again span Albany, Denmark, Mount Barker, Porongurup, and Frankland River, showcasing the region’s wines, produce, and hospitality through a curated lineup of events. It follows this year’s well-received edition, bringing chefs, winemakers, and producers together in a setting that stitches food and landscape into a single experience.

Festival Director Erin Molloy said, “Taste Great Southern has become one of Western Australia’s most distinctive regional food and wine festivals because it offers something truly authentic. It brings together world-class chefs, winemakers, producers, and storytellers in a way that could only happen in the Great Southern. We’re excited to build on the momentum in 2027 and continue showcasing the incredible people, produce, and places that make this region so special.”

A couple of returning favourites are already confirmed. Tides of Taste at Maitraya Private Retreat is back with a fresh lineup of homegrown and visiting chefs, plus a reimagined coastal feast built around land and sea. The Taste Market at Middleton Beach also returns as the festival’s family-friendly centrepiece, bringing together local wine producers, chef pop-ups featuring regional produce, and sommelier-hosted masterclasses.

The full 2027 program and tickets will be released later this year.

Il Lido is once again inviting Perth diners to embark on one of Western Australia’s most ambitious regional dining experiences, with the return of its much-loved Dine the Twenty Wine Regions of Italy.

Beginning this week in Trentino-Alto Adige, the twenty-week culinary journey celebrates every one of Italy’s wine regions, travelling south through celebrated destinations including Veneto, Piedmont, Tuscany, Campania, Puglia, and Sicily, before arriving at its final destination, Sardinia, in November.

Available Tuesday to Thursday for both lunch and dinner, Chef Lunardi and Chef Bottaro will present a four-course regional menu inspired by a different region of Italy each week, giving you the opportunity to experience the country’s remarkable culinary diversity without leaving Cottesloe.

For $75.00 per person, each menu showcases the traditions, ingredients, and flavours unique to that week’s featured region. Guests can also choose to elevate the experience with optional wine pairings, as Il Lido’s sommelier team carefully selects wines from the same region to accompany each course, creating a guided journey through Italy’s villages, vineyards, and culinary traditions.

Dine the Twenty Wine Regions of Italy is a celebration of regional identity, inviting diners to discover just how diverse Italian food and wine can be across twenty unforgettable weeks.

Nestled in the vibrant heart of Northbridge, Curate has unveiled the latest additions to its Liquid Art Gallery, their signature cocktail collection where every drink is a masterpiece.

An exciting evolution of flavour, the new exhibition showcases a refreshed lineup of signature cocktails featuring bolder tastes, while keeping the favourites people know and love. The new collection includes Ruby Ermine, highlighting the berry flavours in the whiskey to create a harmony; Nanache, house-infused banana whiskey creates the beautiful warm aroma that evokes a winter cozy feeling, and Golden Terra, a melody of sweet, sour, and white chocolate flavours. These are just a few of the distinctive cocktails featured throughout the collection.

Alongside the new cocktail collection, you can also discover a selection of newly introduced dishes perfect for this time of year, including Chef’s seafood paella — a medley of tiger prawns, barra fish, mussels, clams, and squid.