Kenny McHardy’s new wine bar has all the quality you’d expect from a chef who has made his name on quality produce.
Wine bar or restaurant? It’s an equal draw, but what is certain at Kenny McHardy’s vino-centric venue is that food matters. Think bite-sized dishes inspired by recipes from McHardy’s past, and a more relaxed affair than the fire-based sharing dishes that the chef was known for at his previous joint, Manuka Woodfire Kitchen, just 50 meters away in what’s becoming a gentrified Fremantle East End.
Shirley’s, named for co-owner Jody McHardy’s grandmother, is a venue you’d swing by for a beer, a decent glass of wine, and to snack on the party-sized pies made in-house with smoked Mandurah mullet in a bechamel of fennel, leek and lemon zest, or beef cheek with house made ketchup. There are excellent lemongrass chicken skewers with fresh coconut in a tamarind sauce, and as with every item it’s all made daily, from the focaccia to the cases for the custard tarts. Come for a snack or stay longer and order the larger likes of baked polenta with melted smoked mozzarella and mushrooms, cheesy potato galette with a side of black garlic mayo, Shark Bay prawn cocktail, or potato gnocchi with a beurre noisette. While the wine list is WA-heavy in places, McHardy’s team draw on French, Spanish and South Australian wines by the bottle or glass. Back to that question of, bar or restaurant? It’s what you make it.
In other news
