Red Cabbage Food and Wine

LOCATION
Located in South Perth.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
I love it when a restaurant decides to throw caution to the wind and do things their way. When you eat out as much as I do, it doesn’t take long before one menu imitates the other and the basics of good food and service are lost along the way. Opening mid-2007, Red Cabbage is proving itself as a force to be reckoned with. Owned and operated by Halo’s former head chef, Scott O’Sullivan, and his partner Hazel, this fine dining venue deserves to be noticed. Scott’s well-honed pastry skills and passion for British fare combine to give diners a truly unique menu to choose from.

Working closely with Scott, head chef Adam Sayles uses fresh, seasonal produce to create innovative dishes like the nero linguine with seared scallops, Shark Bay crab and scallions. On the topic of seasonal produce, most signature dishes are derived from whatever is fresh and plentiful in our state at the time of each menu change. You can’t go wrong with the Western Australian steamed marron and ocean trout carpaccio with Waldorf salad and sauce Mary Rose – it’s a superb way to begin. The signature dish on the mains menu is also one to squeal for featuring Glenroth free-range guinea fowl wrapped in prosciutto with lentils de Puy cassoulet and beetroot puree. If you’re unsure of what a piard, pomme maxim or fondant are, don’t be afraid of asking the staff. Not only do they know what they’re talking about, they know how to explain it without making you feel like a total idiot. But my favourite thing about Red Cabbage had to be the amouse bouche – a complimentary taste of delights to come that is presented to each diner upon arrival. What a treat!

Karen Bilsby