Old William “Aussie” McDonald had a farm: grandson Ben and his wife Sasha turned it into a verdant cellar-door restaurant entirely worth the half-hour drive south of Margaret River. While the McDonalds are intimately involved in the property’s day-to-day, they’ve surrounded themselves with good people that share their beliefs about down-to-earth hospitality and regenerative farming. Chief among these allies is Jess Widmer, an astute chef that smokes house-made curd to accompany garden-fresh crudités; entombs silky chicken-liver parfait in a sheath of muscat grape jelly; and believes wholeheartedly – and correctly – that sauce gribiche and house-made mortadella belong together. Grilled estate lamb with roast pumpkin, plancha-grilled midnight pearl potatoes, labne and ‘nduja is new-school meat-and-veg while an utterly comforting pear strudel proves familiar desserts needn’t mean boring. House wines in step with the lo-fi zeitgeist further illustrate Glenarty Road’s evolution and reinforce its status as a regional superstar.
This review was written independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way. To learn more about the process, head over here.
