The Weekly Special: Changing of the guard at a key Perth wine bar
Plus a preview of the food offerings at the Royal Show (other than dagwood dogs); a lunch to combat domestic violence, and a riverside dinner meal deal.
Former Wines of While sous chef Rory Glacken has taken over as head chef following the departure of his predecessor, Jack Short.
Glacken has been at the influential William Street natural wine bar since January and counts high-performing Melbourne kitchens Gimlet and Restaurant Navi as previous workplaces.
His nine-month stint working with Short makes him an ideal candidate to uphold Wines of While’s long-standing reputation for seasonal, straight-shooting farmhouse cooking.
Raising funds to end domestic violence
Since its first event at Moana Hall in 2020, Project Womn has helped raise both awareness and funds – more than $80,000 worth, to be exact – for vital women’s charities and causes including Anglicare, Zonta House and GAIN.
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Sign upThe organisation’s next event is taking place at Young George on Saturday, October 11. It features a heavyweight line-up that includes Blaze Young (Nieuw Ruin), Larissa Goncalves (Si Paradiso) and Melissa Palinkas (Young George), who are joining forces with Project Womn founders Ning Lai and Amanda Yong to cook a long-table lunch in aid of YourToolkit.com, a website that provides women and children with practical tools and resources for fleeing domestic violence.
Tickets are $250 a head (tables of eight and 10 are also available) and can be purchased online.
Footy’s biggest game of the year
WA teams may be absent from this year’s AFL grand final, but that hasn’t stopped venues around town from hosting all-in packages for the last Saturday in September.
A popular pre- and post-game destination for the Optus Stadium crowd, The Camfield is putting on a $130-a-head all-inclusive Grand Final in The Hall package, which includes drinks, a shared platter, and commentary and hosting by comedian Daniel Delby. Bookings are a must.
In the city centre, The Stables (noon, $99 a head) is offering a two-and-a-half-hour free-flowing drinks package alongside a footy platter to sustain the day’s footy viewing action. Bookings are also essential.
A food snapshot of the Royal Show
The Perth Royal Show (September 27 to October 4) will once again feature a strong food component with more than 120 food vendors participating in this year’s program (including many gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options).
As always, the Dairy Pavilion offers a snapshot of the state’s milk and dairy industries, while international flavours rule at the Grazeland Precinct.
As the name suggests, Sweetie Lane is the destination inside the Royal Bazaar to hit – or avoid – when it comes to sugary treats, while selected vendors will be offering $10 show specials to help visitors squeeze a little more bang out of their buck at the Claremont Showgrounds.
Cooee introduces a $49 three-course weekday dinner menu
Also from the department of good value dining comes Cooee’s new Dine by the Swan dinner offer.
Available from Wednesday to Friday for groups of up to seven, this $49 meal deal includes house focaccia, a choice of three mains – Harvey Beef fillet with Cafe de Paris butter; market fish with asparagus; or roasted cauliflower with tahini yoghurt and wild rice – and shared witlof salad and chips, plus a choice of desserts and a glass of house wine, beer or a non-alcoholic drink.
This offer is available from Wednesday to Friday and for groups of up to seven diners. Reservations are available online.
Max Veenhuyzen is a journalist and photographer who has been writing about food, drink and travel for national and international publications for more than 20 years. He reviews restaurants for the Good Food Guide.