YOU have to hand it to CY O’Connor Village Pub (or CY’s as we locals affectionately call it). For a bistro, its dedication to serving the freshest local ingredients is done with such precision it rivals many Perth pubs who claim to serve fresh, local fare.

In fact, the beef is so fresh it’s bred out back… literally.

From milk-fed veal, long-fed Wagyu and grass-fed Akaushi (a breed of cattle, not a sushi roll), all CY’s meats come from their own, family farm right next door to this very popular establishment in the heart of Piara Waters (near Jandakot).

Crabby flesh

Shark Bay tiger prawns, Hawthornden lamb from Toodyay, locally caught fish – the menu is as WA as Fremantle Harbour, Mundaring Weir or the Goldfields pipeline (ahem).

Tucked away nicely in our cozy booth, with a gas fireplace nearby to keep us warm, we shared an entree of blue swimmer crab croquettes ($15.90) which arrived as quickly as we ordered them.

Piping hot, golden, crunchy, creamy and with much more sweet crabby flesh than I expected, they ticked all the right boxes. Delicious.

None of us had a word of complaint when it came to our mains. Actually, the old man did gripe about a lack of seasoning with his fish and chips ($26.50) but that’s what the salt shaker on the table is for, right?

Other than that he was happy with his deep fried fillets of fish and generous serve of chips. I noticed he didn’t touch his salad which I encouraged him to try, especially with his high-salt intake.

I begged Kylie not to order the calamari ($25.90) and try something different so I didn’t have to write about it again.

But, as I’ve noticed she’s doing more and more after four years of marriage, she ignored me.

CY O’Connor’s is a chilli offering with big chunks of red and green varieties sprinkled on top of the squid rings, which she devoured in minutes.

My beef rib main ($28) was on the money. Slow cooked, the meat was tender and juicy with caramalised edges that were an incredibly tasty contrast to the pink centre. It came with a creamy spiced sweet potato mash, but I could have done without the overcooked, watery and wilted bok choy. But because it’s green I ate it anyway.

Achievements

During lunch my eye kept wandering to the massive portrait of Charles Yelverton O’Connor adorning the restaurant’s wall. I think it’s about time Australia’s film industry honoured the man’s achievements with a good quality movie. If there’s any script writers reading… I’ll leave you with that thought.

by MATTHEW EELES

C.Y. O’Connor Village Pub
Warton Road, Piara Waters
9397 0233
Open Sun – Thurs
11am – 10pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 11pm