GOD help the person who has to look after all the plants and trees in the H&C Urban Winery.
There is literally hundreds of them dotted around the sprawling eatery and even Josh Byrne on speed would be struggling to water them all before the doors opened.
But it does create a lovely relaxed ambience at the High Street venue, complementing the exposed brickwork, rustic bar and wine barrels stacked against the wall.
In fact, it’s a bit like being in a botanical garden that sells liquor or an Alan Titchmarsh wet dream.
The extensive fit-out got the thumbs up from my dining partner and former Chook journo Jenny D’Anger, who noted the building was previously home to Raw Kitchen for 14 years until they collapsed in a post-covid heap in 2023.
Share plates seem to be de rigueur these days, especially for places specialising in wine, so it was no surprise the menu was mostly tapas-style, expect for a handful of mains like double cheeseburger and chips, prawn pasta, beef rib and onion rings, and fish with wasabi butter.
There was a decent range of share plates including Beef Tartare, Pork Terrine, Sardines ‘Pissaladiere’, Burrata and Fried Whiting Fillets, as well as ‘bread and snacks’ with the likes of Foccaccia, Oysters, local cheese board, and chips.
There was also a kids menu which was very reasonably priced at $13 for chicken and chips, cheeseburger and chips, and green pasta.
It was moderately busy on a Friday lunchtime, but there was quite a lengthy wait for our food, so we had plenty of time to discuss important geo-political issues (who was sleeping with who at the Chook) and sip our glasses of house white (a refreshing, sweet little number $10).
As D’Anger’s belly began to rumble, the staffer arrived with our goodies. The pick of the bunch was the skewered octopus ($24).
“At the risk of being cliched, the octopus really was melt in the mouth, uber-tender morsels with a delicious flamegrilled flavour,” D’Anger said.
“It looked as good as it tasted, sitting on a bed of bright green ‘herbed crumb’ with a contrasting ranch dressing – a tangy mix of cream, mayo, parsley, garlic, coriander and lemon juice.
“On the down side it was rather a small serve for the price, and if I wasn’t so polite I would have distracted my lunch companion and grabbed a larger share.”
Next up was a medley of mushrooms perched on a bed of black barley and garnished with spring onion and salsa verde ($21).
The ingredients were good quality and all there, but it lacked flavour and maybe they could have been more generous with the salsa verde. However, it was still an enjoyable dish and a big serve.
Across the table, D’Anger was getting hoed into the pumpkin croquettes ($16).
“They’re pleasantly crunchy on the outside, but the dense interior could have done with a more punchy or more flavoursome sauce/dressing,” she noted.
Unfortunately the Eggplant with papadam, black lime and tahini was a real clunker ($18).
The eggplant was too mushy, the sauce so smoky it would have scared Red Adair, and it was riddled with what tasted like tiny, rock-hard chickpeas.
They were so hard it prompted D’Anger to tell the story of her tooth falling out during a Chook food review in the 1980s, which she then claimed back on worker’s comp.
Thankfully the meal ended on a high with a bowl of lovely marinated olives, which included some conspicuous old-school cocktail onions ($9).
The H&C Urban Winery venue is superb and has a choice of atmospheric dining areas with plenty of leafy nooks and crannies.
Our share plates were a bit hit and miss, but it’s only been open for less than a month, so I’m sure it will soon find its culinary feet.
H&C Urban Winery
181 High Street, Fremantle
urbanwinery.co
by STEPHEN POLLOCK