Down South, 6281

I recently took a trip to the beautiful deep South West and here’s what The Sneaky Pigeon found…

Peko Peko, 6281
Fast, fresh and friendly. Peko Peko have taken the rudimentary Asian eats and given them modern, surprising twists.  Ordinary Miso soup gets a bit more special with the addition of pumpkin and salmon, and fresh sushi are rolled with unconventional ingredients like lemon pepper tuna, Thai chili chicken and curry kingfish. Truly delicious, cutting edge sushi.

Prawn salad with Ginger + Miso dressing $12

Peko Peko also trump the standard soya sauce with an array of super tasty dipping sauces. Try the Miso and Ginger, it will electrify your taste buds!  These sauces double as dressing for the Asian inspired salads. $12 will buy you a healthy container of fresh greens, cashew nuts, noodles and your choice of either fresh cooked prawn, avocado or steamed chicken.

Food: 5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Service: 5/5

Simmo's, 6281

Being absolute slaves to our sugar cravings, my sister and I took not one, not two but three visits to Simmo's in the three days we were down south. 

‘Born, bread and frozen’ in WA, the ice cream is heavenly and the selection of flavours is extensive.  I usually spend about 10 minutes deciding which ones to choose! 

My latest discovery has been chocolate with peanut so Snickers was one of the flavours I went for. The ‘Mascarpone Orange Swirl’ sounded so invitingly luxurious, so I got that too.  The mascarpone one was my favourite; a creamy vanilla cheesecake taste with a punch of syrupy citrus. Mmm-mmm!

top: Swiss Chocolate Almond, bottom: Nougat 

Top: Mascarpone, Orange Swirl, Bottom: Snickers

Food: 4/5

Ambience: 4/5

Service: 2.5/5

The Pour House Bar and Kitchen, 6281 

We also took our slightly sun-stroked selves to The Pour House for a lazy afternoon cider.

Formerly known as 'Malt Market’, we were told they had to re-name after some dispute from Malt supper club owners in Mt Lawley.

The vibe was easygoing as is standard form down south. The top level is called 'The Lawn' which is partly floored in faux grass, including a cool little circular room, recessed into one wall. Upstairs serves as a burger and beer garden and there’s shaded outdoor balcony where you can watch the ebb and flow of Dunsborough town.

I really dug the vibe but did not rate the wedges we ordered at all.  They were overly chunky, undercooked potato and came served with some dipping sauce which was so peppery it made me sneeze…in hindsight I should have gotten a burger; they were doing a pint and burger deal for $20.  Doh, food order regrets.  

Wedges, hot mustard aioli

Food (wedges): 1/5

Ambience: 3.5/5

Service: 4/5

Eagle Bay Brewing, 6281

Ahhh….the views at Eagle Bay Brewing automatically make you sink bank into your chair and your shoulders relax.  Breathtaking and characteristically ‘Down South’ surrounds set the tone for laidback lunch grazing and beer tasting. 

The large, contemporary interior opens completely to ‘the great outdoors’. The scenery has a surreal and natural grandeur that suspends you in time. I look around, smile and think ‘there’s no place else I’d rather be’.

Teryaki Swordfish skewers, cucumber, pickled ginger, wasabi creme fraiche

Gratefully, the food and drink lives up to the views. I expected to see the token pizzas and mezzes on the menu, but Eagle Bay Brewing are a lot more sharp than that.  The open plan kitchen produces Modern Australian fare that makes an inventive use of the wonderful produce of the South West.

The teriyaki swordfish skewers with wasabi, pickled ginger and coriander - is awesome! A great mix of fiesty flavours and plated with finesse.

Lentil Fritters

I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting the deep South West.  It’s a family run business that serves beer, excellent food and unmatched atmosphere.   It’s hard to say what is better; the food or the view.

Food: 4/5

Ambience: 5/5

Service: 3/5

Squid Lips, 6281
Squid Lips make gourmet fish and chips sourcing local fresh seafood. They make a point of using rice bran oil, promising cooking that is free of cholesterol and preservatives.  
All you really need to know though, is that they make THE best squid I have ever had, ever!

Choose from lemon pepper, Cajun spices, or a classic salt and pepper, and the squid is cooked to absolute perfection. The pieces melt in your mouth. 

Cajun spice squid rings

SO GOOD!

Food: 5/5
Ambience: 2.5/5

Service: 4/5

Bunkers Beach Cafe, 6281

Seated near the large windows in this clean, contemporary, beachy restaurant, we could see the turquoise of Bunker Bay beach a short distance away.

Borlotti beans, poached egg, grilled Yallingup wood-fired bread $18.50

The menu is Modern Australian with a large emphasis on seafood of course.  We were there for the morning meal, which presented some thoughtful and flavorsome breakfast options.

Feeling adventurous I opted for the Scrambled egg with nori, lupin tempeh crisps and toasted sesame on spinach, and my fellow breakfaster, the Borlotti braised beans with tomatoes, garlic, poached egg and spinach, both $18.50.

Scrambled eggs, nori, lupin tempeh, spinach, Yallingup wood-fired bread $18.50

The meals came out after an amazingly short wait and both looked and tasted as if prepared by chefs rather than cooks – which they were.

My dish was a little bit ‘fishy’; the nori (dried seaweed) component was quite pungent. The lupin was pretty interesting and not too my taste either to be honest. I think it would only delight the most audacious of tastebuds.  The scrambled eggs themselves were perfection however and the grilled bread - Yallingup wood-fired – is truly the most delicious bread I have had for breakfast, ever! 

Food: 4/5

Ambience: 3/5

Service: 4.5/5