HONESTLY’S VERDICT

In a word: Great!

Food: Really good modern dishes beautifully cooked.

Service: Friendly, knowledgeable and attentive.

Presentation: Smartly laid out with a great décor scheme which gives it a unique feel.

Ambience: Smart, in the relaxed Aussie way.

Location: Right on the main street of Margaret River.

Value for money: Good.

Worth a visit?: Absolutely, one of the better places to eat in the small town of Margaret River.

A nice little find in the town of Margaret River offering a comprehensive wine list from both international and regional producers, with sharing plates, bar snacks, mains and desserts.  One of the more upmarket offerings we found in the WA wine region’s capital, Margaret River.

Must is a small but smartly laid out bistro, with formal dinning area occupying the bulk of space with less formal high tables, window seats and bar taking up the rest of the space.  A place to come and enjoy great food, wines and conversation.

The walls are decorated with objet d’art from near and far and the ceilings are hung with bottles made into lightshades, which gives the feel of a unique and well thought out food and wine offering.

At Must it seems it’s all about the meat, good quality and regionally sourced.  They balance this with a few seafood and vegetarian options.  The menu in small, but well balanced, with something for everyone – platters to share, bar snacks, mains, sides and desserts.  The style of the dishes is simple; hearty, seasonal and healthy with fresh local produce, supporting local farmers and producers who follow clean methods of farming.

Food:

Our party of four chose the ‘carnivore approved’ veggie burger, shoulder of lamb and the crispy skinned chicken with giant tabouleh and tatziki, together with sides of spinach and avocado salad and roasted pumpkin with chilli and garlic.

The carnivore approved veggie burger came in a plump seeded white roll, with tomato and cheese, a big bowl of skinny fries.  The pattie formed from mushrooms sqwoshed into a loose burger shape, had a rich meaty earthy flavour to it.  For me, the conination of lose texture and almost sweet white roll let the dish down a bit, I would have expected to see a more rustic seeded granary bun to compliment the naturally wholesome flavour of the mushrooms, oh and some avocado would have also gone really well with it, but that’s just my ting right now!

The crispy skinned chicken came on a bed of giant tabouleh; big fat balls of couscous with chunky tomato and salad greens, with a dollop of cucumber-dense tatziki on top.  The chicken just worked – the crispy skin sealing in the succulent juice of the tender breast meat.

I have it on good authority that the should of lamb was absolutely delicious; served off the bone, perfectly roasted to achieve that melting texture, and served with a solitary roasted potato and spinach with crispy bacon.

To accompany our mains we chose the spinach and avocado salad with local ‘Over the Moon’ feta and pine nuts with red wine vinaigrette, together with the squash roasted with chill and garlic.  Portion sizes were perfect for sharing between the four of us.  Both dishes oozed natural flavour and freshness.

We rounded off our meal with a shared Eton Mess, beautifully, if not a little impractically presented, in a stem-less wine glass.  The merengue was crumbly and gooey in places, strawberries bright and sweet, with a light and delicate cream to top it off.  Again, this was happily shared between the four of us without too much effort!

Presentation:

The food was neatly presented on spakling white crockery, with my veggie burger turning up on a wooden board, as is the style.  Portion size was just right; any more would have left us stuffed in that uncomfortable way.

The high tables we were sat at were as little impractical for a party of four to be eating at, and we weren’t offered a seat in the formal dinning area as it was ‘fully booked’, although there was no one there for the duration of our visit.

Service:

The service was welcoming, attentive and knowledgeable.  We were quick to be greeted, seated and served.

Pricing:

Well priced for good wholesome and locally sourced food.

Contact:

107 Bussell Highway, Margaret River, WA 6285

www.must.com.au

Tel: 0061 (0) 8975 88877

Email: mustmr@must.com.au

Open 7 days, 4pm until late