I’ll let you into a secret. I eat at places from the pretty great, to the shockingly awful. Bad meals more often don’t make the page, because, why be the last nail in the proverbial coffin; mediocre ones drain the creative bones, because that’s the power of meh; there’s the great and the good, at places which I don’t get to revisit often enough, because I’m always looking for the next review.

And then there’s my village. A collection of places that define home, where I take friends and family from afar, recommend without hesitation and would happily sit alone at. Comfortable, beyond welcoming, places where I feel a sense of belonging. So, to Vasse Felix. The first Margaret River winery I ate at, before I called Australia home. A place where I’ve regularly glimpsed behind the scenes, speaking to the people who make it tick, and now years later, a part of my village.

With the news that Aaron Carr was departing after 21 years there was a thought, or more a hope, that whoever stepped in knew the weight of expectation from the venerable winery and the villagers alike. The definition of “ big shoes to fill”. Newly anointed as Head Chef, I reckon Brendan Pratt knows this all too well.

Previously an Executive Chef at Frasers Restaurant Group in Perth, he’s got time served in London working with Rowley Leigh at Le Café Anglais, at The Ledbury, and the odd stage at juggernauts like The Fat Duck. Pratt could have rocked up with an attitude and a thought of stamping his mark, but from what’s on display he’s humble about the opportunity ahead.

Thankfully there’s no seismic shift. The service is still the best in the region; the Heytesbury Chardonnay still a “well if not here, where?” kind of deal. These things don’t change overnight. Pratt’s cooking is technical but robust, with bursts of colour from the vivid yellow of corn and yolk, to lamb that’s topped with a squid ink rice crackers and ash, playing the eyes as well as the palate. His approach to taste: linear, clean and true to the ingredients.  

A corn entrée offers a fresh taste of Spring. Blistered kernels, a corn puree made from boiling down the starch from the cobs offer sweetness, while cured yolk microplaned on the dish and an added confited yolk puree serve the savoury hit. A Japanese laver (seaweed) and lightly pickled daikon hint at the Japanese leaning that has typified the Vasse Felix kitchen in recent years. I look to my own perfectly plated, but small, chicken entrée, mildly spiced with a vadouvan, accompanied by soured cream and freekah, and wonder whether I’ve drawn the short straw; the corn next to me being so abundant. But mouthful-to-mouthful this is food that slows you down, forces you to savour.

Topped with a dusting of burnt leek, beautiful Arkady spring lamb (a delicious. Produce Awards regular) is rubbed with shio koji and dry aged for three days. It shows in the tender meat and imparts the slightest funk. Fermented black barley adds texture and we see classic technique with an onion soubise. Wheat beer, cider vinegar, juniper berry and Marri honey are in the mix to pickle onions, then lightly charred. This is what I expect from Vasse Felix and I’m not disappointed.

There’s much more to like, from a subtle rosemary and honey dessert to the usual smattering of snacks that pepper the meal. Brendan Pratt takes a seat at the end of the meal, service finished, the restaurant empty, and as usual not a hint of rushing you to the door. He shares that he’s adjusting, to getting out, meeting producers, rather than just picking up a phone. It’s an advantage of a country kitchen and evident on the plate.