A weekend or so ago, my birth family and some of my old buds decided to blow Perth and hit the Southwest to make the most of the 50 knot winds, 30 foot waves and general onshore craziness. And what is a trip to Margaret River without indulging in some yumminess of the food-al or wine-al variety? I think it's the bomb that you can get good food in Margs because MY version of the perfect down south trip involves food and more food - so we made a booking for Must.
I live in Mount Lawley and have only graced Must winebar with my presence once. It was a long time ago when I still might have carried a bit of the all-you-can-eat-buffet mentality and I ordered off the bar menu. I remember gazing with disappointment at the 3 ravioli that came to me...but I was older this visit and less hungry, so I figured it would be a whole different experience. As we drove into town I couldn't help reflecting on the brief hippy interlude I had in my twenties where I lived and worked in Prevelley for 8 months and NOTHING was open on the main street in winter at 7pm. Apart from the pub. Oh and the video store (you know it was a long time ago when it was video). The main street may be a bit too developed now ( a bit like Claremont someone I know said) but it sure as shit beats that!
First impressions of Must: it looked really dark from the outside, and us ageing and all I was worried about my mum being able to make out the menu! Luckily that was no problem, the bistro was well lit and not too dim. Sadly there WAS a guy playing a keyboard in the winebar which was uncomfortably loud and I distinctly remember hearing a cover of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears. I politely asked the server how long he was going to be playing and she grunted at me. Honestly I don't have a problem with music at dinner but I do like to be able to hear and talk to the people I'm having dinner with. The interior was spacious - winebar at the front, bistro in back. Service was decent - the server wasn't the friendliest but she kept our glasses filled and made sure we ate.
To the menu: first thing I noticed was that they had a section headed "Our local regulars menu". Nice touch! Smart business too as a lot of SW visitation dies off in winter so treating the regulars nice is a smart move. The local regulars menu was small and simple - a charcuterie plate consisting of jambon persillé; a pickled pork and parsley terrine, paté en croute with pear chutney, rillettes with cornichons and black olive tapenade, and a couple of burgers: a Butterfield beef burger with bacon, gruyere cheese, zucchini pickles, aioli and frites, or a vegie burger (carnivore approved apparently) w/ frites. They also offered up sirloin or rump or beef rib eyes served with an assortment of gussied up sides but essentially they were potatoes.. butter...jus... mmmmm.hat was as far as we got! I love a good burger and I love frites and I LOVE pickles so it was a no-brainer for me. Plus it was all for the very sexy price of $21. The burger was juicy and full of flavour. I'm usually not a bacon-in-a-burger kind of gal but this was soooooo good. That bacon was just all smoky goodness. The zucchini pickles were served in a little side dish and were crunchy and acidic and delicious. But the frites were a big disappointment for me - I'm absolutely positive they were the ordinary shoe string variety you buy in a big white plastic bag. While they were yummy, it's not exactly what I'd expect from Must. Not a hand cut frite in sight!
On to dessert (and coffee): I had a creme brulee with a coconut sorbet that was delicious if a tiny bit eggy - but I ate the whole thing and then scraped away forlornly at the bottom of the dish. The coffee was excellent too, although I can't tell you what blend they use because by then I was in a happy food haze and had forgotten that I would most likely be blogging about it. I CAN tell you they do an excellent latte. I also know that I walked out about a mere $40 lighter - but about a kilo heavier.
Must Margaret River
107 Bussell Highway
(08) 9758 8877
