Ate It & Rate It

Ate It & Rate It | OCT 21

Our favourite Margaret River eats, an assuming Filo restaurant and an art deco diner.

Ate It & Rate It is our curated guide of monthly favourites - enough for you discover and try a handful of new eateries every month.

In our first edition, we uncover three of our favourite places down in the Busselton- Margaret River region, a un-assuming Filo restaurant and a fine dining establishment you've probably driven past many times.

For more information, be sure to click the headings for a link to our Instagram post.

Norteña (Mexican, Margaret River, $)

Norteña is a norteño (northern Mexican) and tex-mex food truck in the Margaret River region. It was opened in August 2020 by Chef William Leigh (ex Voyager Estate) after a 6-month sabbatical around Mexico. Norteña features local and seasonal ingredients and is a take on modern day norteño (northern Mexican) and tex-mex cuisine.

🦐 Tacos Gobenador $20 - king prawns, poblano chiles & tomatoes, grilled crispy on the plancha w/ Monterey Jack, salsa verde

Our favourite were the tacos gobenadar (delicious king prawns and a taco shell grilled with cheese).

🌶 Tejano Tacos $17.5 - beef picadillo con papas, iceberg, Monterey Jack, tomatoes, lime cream, salsa, soft corn tortillas

The churros made for a delectable way to finish a delicious dinner.

🍩 Churros $14.5 (7pc) wattleseed sugar, dulce de leche

Since late November, Nortena has started operating as a food truck. We suggest following their socials for locations.

🗯🗯🗯
@nortena___
📍 Varying locations - be sure to follow Nortena for their latest location

Wild Hop (Brewery, Yallingup, $$)

Wild Hop is a family-owned and operated brewery built on the family property in the Yallingup Hills. Wild Hop's menu is designed to be shared "family style" and changes regularly.

🍻 Classic Tasting Paddle $16 - session NEIPA, pilsner (lager), pale ale, US red ale, truffle oil popcorn

Start off with a tasting paddle of what Wild Hop's best known for - their brews.

🍗 Free Range BBQ Rotisserie Chicken 1/2 chook $16 whole chook $30 - salsa verde & lemon

Be sure to pre-order Wild Hop's signature free range BBQ rotisserie chicken ahead of your visit (this can be done at time of booking).

🥒 Beer Battered Pickles $14 - dill aioli

Both the BBQ rotisserie chicken and beer battered pickles are permanent items on their menu.

🥔 Confit Potatoes $24.5 - bacon, capers, ranch dressing

The confit potatoes were probably some of our favourite potatoes we've eaten to date. A generous and delicious serving.

📍1301 Wildwood Rd, Yallingup

Please note those not with Telstra may experience no phone reception around or at the venue.

🗯🗯🗯
@wildhopbeer
📍1301 Wildwood Rd, Yallingup

Balthazar (Modern Australian, Perth, $$$)

Balthazar is one of our favourites for finer style dining in Perth. Situated at the base of an original Art Deco apartment block, chances are you've walked past many a time.

🍝 Seafood Spaghettini $36 - salted roe, garlic, prawn oil

The star of our visit was the spaghettini which was generous with seafood and deliciously umami - one of the best spaghetti we've had.

🥩 Beef Tartare $24 - tuna mayonnaise & sage

Balthazar has perhaps our favourite tartare as well.

🧅 Caramelised Onion Tart $23 - aged cheddar & walnut

Their onion tart was also a delightfully buttery and flakey dish.

📍6 The Esplanade, Perth WA

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@balthazarrestaurant
📞(08) 9421 1206
📍6 The Esplanade, Perth WA

Parilla BBQ & Grill (Filipino, Kewdale, $)

Parilla is an unassuming, family-run Filipino joint located in the suburbs of Kewdale. Since 2015, Parilla BBQ & Grill served up delicious Filipino faves such as sisig, inasal and halo halo.

🧠 Sizzling Sisig $15 - minced pork, chili & soy sauce

One of our favourites was the sisig - a dish containing pig cheeks, belly, brain and cartilage, served on a hot plate with a slice of lime which added light zest to this delightfully fatty dish.

Be sure to order bowls of their garlic rice too ($3 per serve) - perhaps the Filo equivalent of the delicious "fragrant rice" found with Hainanese chicken rice.

🍗 Chicken Skewers $10 - 4pc skewers marinated in soy & lemon juice

Parilla's protein packed chicken skewers and inasal are great options for those seeking something a bit more substantial.

🐓 Chicken Inasal $12 - marinated half chicken in coconut vinegar & palm sugar

To finish off, we loved their "halo halo", a classic Filipino dessert which means to "mix mix", ensuring all layers and elements are incorporated into one bite.

🍧 Halo Halo $7.5 - crushed ice, condensed milk, ube, leche flan, red bean

📍 3/10 Wright St, Kewdale

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@parillabbqandgrill
📞 0406 805 848
📍 3/10 Wright St, Kewdale

Yallingup Gugelhupf (Bakery, Yallingup, $)

Owned and operated by the same German family behind the infamous Yallingup Woodfired Bread, Yallingup Gugelhuph serves up gugelhuph - a crown shaped cake commonly found in central Europe.

🍰 Mini Gugenhuph $6 - Nutella, custard & raspberry jam

During our visit the regular sized gugelhuphs were sold out so we opted for the mini versions (might be worth going early to avoid disappointment).

We also ordered a hot dog and quiche to finish up.