Margaret River Beckons Foodies
Margaret River and its wineries are favourites among food- loving visitors to Perth, and they are well catered for by the bus tour operators. But it’s a three hour drive from Perth to Margaret River, which makes for a longish day. Far better to travel in your own spacious SUV or limousine, stopping where and when you want, and with the room to stretch out on the way back to Perth and snooze off the sort of lunch only a Margaret River chef can furnish. With a Perth Luxury Tours driver at your disposal, planning the day is simplified, and for foodies it usually resolves itself into a single question – where do we go for lunch?
The Margaret River wine industry is dominated by boutique wine- producers, which means there’s a great many of them. As well as any offer fine dining, and some of these restaurants are truly world class. Let’s take a look at a couple
Watershed Restaurant Margaret River
Diners at this award- winning restaurant look out over the expanse of the Watershed Winery and its dam as they contemplate a tightly-focused menu featuring creations of the Watershed’s chef. Dan came to the Watershed after cutting his teeth with celebrity chef Rick Stein. Everything’s yummy, but if you want a personal recommendation, go for anything on the menu that comes from a pig – Dan is a genius with pork, and his crispy pork belly is sinfully delicious. As well as its restaurant, Watershed has a café-style eatery that maintains the culinary standards of the restaurant, and allows a faster eating solution for those that want to fit more winery visits into their day.
Leeuwin Estate Restaurant
Another winery restaurant that consistently scores rapturous reviews, as much for its picturesque setting as for chef Dany Angove’s simple, direct approach to cooking. Winner of the 2011 Gold Plate Award for Best restaurant in a Winery, Leeuwin Estate is also home to a fine art gallery, and their Ultimate Wine and Food Experience includes a guided tour of the gallery accompanied by a tasting of their “Art Series” premium wines with matched canapés. Once the palate is awake and educated, you’ll move on to a leisurely three- course lunch in the award-winning lunch where you can try out the wines you’ve been tasting, on “active service”.
And a Chocolate to Finish…
The whole tour takes about 4 hours, so you’ll have time for maybe one more stop, and no visit to Margaret River is complete without a visit to the Chocolate Factory. Established in 1999, the Factory makes an astonishing variety of connoisseur chocolates, and very possibly the best chocolate brownies in Australia.
The great thing about seeing Margaret River with Perth Luxury Tours is that your day is so flexible. Allow about 12 hours from pick-up at your hotel to return, and we can help you plan a day to remember. Call or send us a contact request here.