Regional restaurants beat Perth in Food Guide

Regional restaurants have received the top accolades in Western Australia, as the national Good Food Guide released its 2019 edition.

The Guide uses a 'chef hat' system to rank restaurants across the country, of which three hats is the highest score.

This corresponds to a rating of 20 points - up to 10 are awarded for food, five for service, three for ambience, and two for wow factor.

15 WA restaurants received one hat, with 12 of these in Perth, and four regional restaurants received two hats.

Only seven restaurants nationally received the highest ranking, they include Attica (VIC), Brae (VIC), Momofuku Seiobo (NSW), Minamishima (VIC), Quay (NSW), Restaurant Orana (SA) and Sixpenny (NSW).

Cullen Wines, Vasse Felix, Wills Domain and Yarri were all given a two hat rating, placing them in a review realm from ‘great’ to ‘excellent’.

Wilyabrup restaurant and winery Cullen Wines specialises in sustainable wine, recently winning a Halliday Wine Companion Award for its 2015 Vanya cabernet sauvignon.

Wills Domain similarly focuses on sustainable wine and produce.

Owner and 40under40 winner Darren Haunold purchased the Yallingup winery in 2000, and has been named the WA Good Food Guide’s regional restaurant of the year three times.

Despite being less than a year old, Dunsborough restaurant Yarri has received widespread publicity, and has successfully secured a 15 year lease.

In contrast, Vasse Felix was established in Margaret River in 1967, and in recent years has expanded its vineyard space.

The winery has recently struck a $20 million deal to acquire Watershed Premium Wines, taking its total vineyard area to more than 300ha across four sites.

It’s ranked as WA's sixth largest wine producer according to the BNiQ Search Engine, and is led by chief executive Paul Holmes a Court.

Three of the one hat establishments reside in the Perth state buildings - Long Chim, Petition Kitchen and Wildflower - and central restaurants Balthazar, Garum, The Heritage Wine Bar, and Lalla Rookh also received one hat.

Other state winners included Amelia Park Restaurant (Wilyabrup), Billie H (Claremont), Bread in Common (Fremantle), Il Lido (Cottesloe), Liberte (Albany), Lulu La Delizia (Subiaco), Millbrook Winery (Jarrahdale), Rockpool Bar and Grill (Burswood).