LOCATIONIn the Swan Valley, a 25-minute drive east of Perth city.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAWhen Shirley Blignaut planted her first olive grove at Merrich Estate more than ten years ago, she could never have imagined the success that would soon follow. Opening WA’s first boutique olive shop was just the beginning and when the first oil pressing was carried out in 2002, the awards began to flow. After realising the popularity of her olives and their oil, Shirley decided to open Bleenos Bistro; a Tuscan-style restaurant with a gorgeous little garden area and cosy wine cellar. It’s no surprise that everything on the Bleenos menu, whether is be tapas or rustic main meals, is created using the freshest local produce, herbs and vegetables from the Merrich Estate garden and award-winning olive oil. There’s also complimentary tasting of Big Brook wines (from Pemberton) with your meal.
Whether you visit for a glass of wine and tapas or a romantic evening meal, the food and service is outstanding. The obvious choice to begin your Bleenos experience is a bowl of the Merrich Estate hot olives marinated in garlic and chilli, served with char-grilled bread. Or for a little more variety of flavour, try the Spanish puree dips with hummus, baba ghannouj, olive tapenade and crusty bread. There is a handful of other delicious tapas like scallops or French-trimmed lamb cutlets. Mains on offer include freshly rolled pasta of the day, MSA steaks, a trio of Mauritian curries, seared salmon, Spanish chicken and many more. If you want the best Merrich Estate has to offer, the char-grilled dhukkah-crusted lamb backstrap served with zucchini and potato gratin, vegetable and jus is sensational. Don’t forget to visit the Olive Shop on your way out for your take home packs of olives, homemade chutneys, jams, tapenades, dhukkah and of course… award-winning olive oils!
Karen Bilsby