If a supermarket takeaway chicken is in the forest and no single bloke is around to pick it up after MMA training, is it still a bachelor’s handbag?
Although WA has long appreciated the pleasures of roast chook – we are, after all, the home of both Red Rooster (1972) and Chicken Treat (1976), and Nando’s opened its first Australian store here in 1990 – there’s been considerable movement in roast chicken circles of late: a response, perhaps, to both cost of living pressures as well as a craving for simpler pleasures.
Last year, Palestinian-owned chicken shop Pauly’s Chicken & Ribs debuted, and Como’s On Fire Charcoal Chicken opened a second spot in Harrisdale.
Now, Six Streets has introduced Thai-style gai yang (roast chicken) to Karawara, an alternative to Victoria Park’s Bangkok Street Thai Bistro. And also in Vic Park is Sindbad Kebab, with its Persian-style charcoal-grilled chooks.
The latest chook offering to turn my head can be found at Sunsets, the all-day restaurant at The Lodge Wadjemup on Rottnest Island.
Chef Mat Powell takes number 14 chickens and brines them in black peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, garlic and lemon before giving them a turn on the rotisserie. Add a silver sauceboat of drippings plus stubby, yellow chips spiked with ras el hanout, and life seems very fine indeed.
Perth’s finest knafeh is coming to Beckenham
Knafeh – a baked cheese pie soaked in sugar syrup that’s synonymous with the Palestinian city of Nablus – is regarded by many as one of the Arab food world’s greatest gifts to eaters.
This Saturday (August 3) is your chance to sample one of the city’s finest examples when Omar Saadeh, the founder of Knafeh by Omar, brings his roving pop-up to Big Booley’s, a cafe in the Beckenham Shopping Centre, for another instalment of the duo’s knafeh and coffee collaborations.
Saadeh’s knafeh will be available from 11am to 2pm or until sold out. Make sure you eat it while it’s hot.
A Malay food feast with a cause
Padbury’s Al Majid Mosque – a Sunni Muslim mosque with a strong Malay influence – is hosting a jualan amal (the Malay word for fundraiser) this Sunday (August 3) to help build new facilities at the mosque.
Members of the community will prepare beloved Malay halal dishes, including satay, Malay-style nasi briyani and sup ekor (oxtail soup). The event is open to all and, based on my previous jualan amal experience here, it will be a very delicious day. The event runs from 9am to 2.30pm.
Great Southern winter wine market
WA’s Great Southern region, roughly the size of Switzerland, produces some of the state’s most thrilling wines. A group of 16 Great Southern vignerons, including key figures from Plantagenet, Frankland Estate and Swinney, are coming to Print Hall on Saturday, August 23, for an afternoon of tastings matched with canapes, including pork shoulder croquettes with piccalilli, and tuna crudo miso mayonnaise. Tickets are $80 and include all tastings and snacks.
Cherubino launches wine dinner series
If you’d prefer a more intimate wine tasting format, Cherubino City Cellar launches its Producer Dinner Series in August. This monthly event offers intimate tastings for 12 people, matched with antipasti, handmade pasta, and stories straight from the maker.
The first dinner, featuring renegade winemaker Nic Peterkin of LAS Vino, sold out in a flash. Keep an eye out for future events, including September’s tasting with Denmark’s Singlefile Wines. Even better, join Cherubino’s wine club for early access to these events and discounted tickets.
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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.
