Places to eat in State of Western Australia

If Australia has a national "fast food " it must be the humble meat pie. No-one makes them the way we do - no, not even the Kiwis across the ditch - they're available every where and millions of them are eaten every day. Lots of places will make claim to make the best - and some are very, very good indeed but, INMHO, you would have to go a long, long way indeed to find a better pie than those made by the Baker's Hill Pie Shop.

I'm not the only one who thinks this. Ask any truckie who travels the Great Eastern Highway and you'll hear the same - and they've voted with their dollars to the point where the little local shop on the roadside has become a big cafe/shop with an even bigger driveway, plenty of tables inside and out, open seven days a week from 7am ... and the pies are still as good as ever.

Favorite Dish: Golden crusted pies with light flaky pastry and a wide variety of top quality fillings set the benchmark here, but there's also fat pasties stuffed with a peppery mix of meat and vegetables that any Cornishman would recognize as the real thing and quiches that a Frenchman would say were just as good as Maman's any day.

Looking for something sweet to follow? The vanilla slices are legendary.

Whether you're eating in or buying something to take away ( a picnic maybe up on nearby Bobbokine Hill when the wildflowers are in bloom, or a family size pie to take back to Perth for dinner tonight)) you will not be disappointed.

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A box of the freshest fish in a feather-light crisp batter served with a pile of crunchy golden chips and a big wedge of lemon - all washed down with a glass of good dry white wine as you sit by the water's edge with a great view. What more could you ask for on a fine sunny day - winter or summer? Simple food cooked well is one of life's great pleasures

Cicerello's is at Fishermans Wharf in Fremantle, and I have been going there since I was a baby (1965). The restaurant there now is the newer one, and is very well organised and very busy most of the time. Inside are a series of big aquariums that divide the waiting area from the dining part and are full of local sea life.
The food is salty and greasy, and totally unhealthy, but it tastes excellent, and there is a lot of it. My favourite time is a Sunday lunch in winter, when it is cold and raining outside, and they light their huge log fire inside.
Nothing tastes so good as hot fish and chips on a cold winters day!
In summer buy lunch and jump back in your car and go sit on the South Mole and eat as the boats and ships go in and out of the harbour
Sometimes you have to wait a little to get served when when it is busy, but it is totally worth it.
If you go to Perth/Fremantle put Cicerello's on your Must Do list.
Beware the imitators in the area - they just arent as good as the real thing.
And watch out for the Grey Ghosts (parking inspectors), they are extremely efficient!

Favorite Dish: I buy a standard fish and chips, a buttered roll and tartare sauce. The sauce and chips go in the roll, the hot chips melt the butter, and I'm in heaven. The fish is excellent too! Especially with lemon squeezed on it.
Oh, the restaurant is licenced too, so you can get a beer or glass of wine to go with it.

The Red Herring is built on stilts over the Swan River in East Fremantle. It is an up-market restaurant serving the best seafood I have ever eaten. There is an on site sushi chef who will happily make anything you want, and you can order pretty much anything you want at the restaurant that isnt on the menu, but has a seafood bent.
They have dishes that arent just seafood too, and they are some of the best you will find in Perth. The local steaks and lamb rib roasts are unbelievable!
If you look you will easily find more expensive restaurants on the river, but if you want truely wonderful food at totally value for money prices, it is the place to go.
The service is very friendly and efficient, not in your face, and nothing is too much trouble. Even little kids are welcomed, which isn't often the case for this genre.
The wine list reflects the best of local and Australian wines but at very good prices.
They turn over the menu fairly frequently too, but some favourites always are kept, like the 'thai green curry prawns, mussels, fresh yabbie & fresh fish, with jasmine rice' (yum).

They even give wine recommendations, which is great for visitors from out of State.
Check out the website!

I was just reading the winelist on the website (with prices), and my recommendation would be to pick anything from WA. The others are good too, but I'm parochial!

Favorite Dish: The best appetiser is the crusty Italian bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, but the sushi is pretty good too.
My wife likes the oysters, which are totally fresh and smell like the sea, not like an old fishing boats bilge.

If I am really hungry, I will have the vegetarian Nori Rolls.

My favourite main is the deep fried Dhufish with salad and chips (it isn't on the menu, you just ask for it). The fillet is thick and the batter is always perfectly done, thick and crunchy, and never fatty. Have it with the Leeuwin 'Art Series' Sauvignon Blanc, Margaret River WA.

I feel like crying, as I live in Seattle now. Why did I move?!

The flounder in lemon caper sauce is outstanding too. The flounder are big and perfectly cooked, and it just melts in your mouth.

The building started off originally as a boat builders house back in 1889. Over the years it changed hands but came to be thought of as a significant landmark of historical value. After falling into disrepair, the council asked for tenders to restore the building, originally to be an art gallery but later an offer was accepted of a restaurant. The Left Bank Bar, Café and Restaurant opened its doors to the public in 1990. Right on the river, the Left Bank is hugely popular. One of their specialties is the Seafood Platter. Sunday sessions here feature live music upstairs and DJs downstairs.

Cicerello’s is well known for its Fish and Chips and even eating them out of butchers paper. The boatshed style building was rebuilt in 1997 and faces Fishing Boat Harbour.

Their menu offers freshly caught oysters, mussels, crabs and crayfish and either fried or grilled. Salads also come with some of the meals or you can order them separately. The boardwalk has old jarrah tables and chairs to sit and enjoy the harbour activities while you eat. Inside the décor is laminex tables on a concrete floor.

Meads Restaurant has undergone changes in their theme and appearance and as the name now suggests, they are most definitely into Australian fresh oysters with over 20 styles of hot and cold to choose from as well as fish and steak choices. There is a good choice of wines, in particular white wines. There is live entertainment on Wednesday and Saturday nights and during these nights, the restaurant also offers a supper menu from 10.00pm until late. It is suggested that you book for dinner as the restaurant is a popular place including as a venue for wedding receptions and private functions.
The Oyster Bar is found right on the Swan River in the quiet upmarket suburb of Mosman Park. Choose a window seat and you can relax watching the local pelicans, sailing boats or just watching the sun go down.

Open 7 days for lunch and dinner and open for Breakfast on Sundays from 8.30 am.

The Witches Cauldron is right on busy Rokeby Road in the heart of Subiaco. The restaurant has become famous for the Garlic Prawns which comes sizzling to your table. They also have an excellent choice of other seafood and succulent steaks. Don’t forget to leave room for dessert – I hear their Sticky Date Pudding with toffee sauce is to die for. I never have any room left. Their wine list is by the glass or the bottle and they have quite an extensive range. Since 1996 the Witches Cauldron has been winning awards hand over fist for their excellence. Their prices are not cheap but well worth a special night out.