The Red Herring

LOCATION
Located in East Fremantle.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Specialising in fresh, local seafood with oysters shucked to order, The Red Herring is also a venue rich in history. In 1912 Arthur Auguste began his oyster wholesaling business with oyster beds located in the Swan River near the restaurant site. While the oysters were kept fresh in submerged crates, Arthur and his wife ran the business from their home across the street while also helping migrants with employment and lodging in their home. After his death in 1932, Arthur’s wife and three daughters established a restaurant adjacent to the oyster beds, aptly naming it Auguste’s Oyster Beds. Since then, the restaurant has seen a few name changes yet has always been known for the same thing.

The Red Herring has taken it one step further with a modern, fresh interior maximising river views and a private jetty allowing guests to arrive by boat. If it’s seafood you want, it’s seafood you’ve got – and a fabulous range at that. Beginning your meal with freshly shucked oysters is a must and you’ll be hard pressed to find them fresher anywhere in Perth. There’s also a delicious share plate with barbecue prawns, fish cakes, natural oysters, octopus… you get the idea. As with the entree menu, mains offerings are seafood-focused, yet surprisingly the most expensive item is not a seafood platter but a 200g Wagyu sirloin steak. It seems you don’t have to stick to seafood to enjoy top quality meals here. Being a sucker for variety, the seafood platter comes highly recommended with a generous serve of grilled fish, teriyaki salmon, squid, gremoulata scampi and garfish skewers – guaranteed to satisfy those with insatiable seafood cravings! Team this with a few of The Red Herring’s mouth-watering side dishes and you have a meal fit for royalty.

Karen Bilsby