De’sendent restaurant review: Green-leaning super chef brings fine dining to Margaret River’s main drag

From off-the-grid to the main drag, co-owners Ann Spencer and executive chef Evan Hayter’s move from secluded South West winery Arimia Estate to De’sendent in downtown Margaret River couldn’t present starker contrasts. While Arimia sat among towering timber and wildlife, De’sendent is in a modernist dining room at the foodie end of Bussell Highway, across the road from stalwart Morries, excellent cocktail nook Pearl’s Bar, and the Margaret River Tuck Shop. The new fine diner, named after Hayter’s favourite Californian punk band Descendents, opened in January to a clamour of enthusiastic noise. De’sendent feels in tune with not only the cluster of hospitality options within a popped cork of each other but also Margs’ push for a night-time economy. Stepping inside this ambitious eatery, you discover it’s also singing from a similar songbook as the green-leaning Arimia. The focus remains on seasonal and sustainable ingredients sourced from small producers. The refined menu changes depending on what is available. Hayter’s partner Kerry Brooks designed the austere dining room, which leaves the focus firmly on the dishes coming from the open kitchen over the custom-cut granite pass. And why not? Inspired by Michelin-starred eateries from Spain’s Basque region to Scandinavia, and showcasing WA produce, Hayter’s often stunning food deserves full attention. The tasting menu costs $180 per person, with three tiers of matched wines. Myra went for local vinos for $90, while I selected the “discovery” option featuring unusual drops from Germany, France, Italy and Spain for $110. The first course featured three snacks on a golden tray. Our fancy finger food consisted of surprisingly rich carrot tartare with hazelnut emulsion on a dehydrated golden kelp crisp; a creamy pumpkin tartlet with pickled pumpkin, smoked yogurt and mustard seeds; and a bread crisp with marinated capsicum, creme fraiche and gremolata. All three were palate refreshers, especially with the excellent white wines. The highlight of the degustation arrived in a small box loaded with seashells. I had flashbacks to a bad experience at a Melbourne dining establishment owned by a MasterChef judge, but needn’t have panicked. This was brilliant. There was a pickled Albany rock oyster with Packham pear juice, olive oil and a silver of apple — fresh, clean and salty. A salad of Exmouth prawns and crayfish from Augusta with a sweetcorn puree and caviar on a charcoal brioche was beautifully balanced and bursting with sweet seafood notes. Best of all was a crumbed Shark Bay scallop on black garlic foam with a salty sliver of smoked lardo on a half-shell. This was utter filth, as in one of the sexiest things ever to happen to a scallop. Smoked Lardo is now my hip-hop non de plume. The only disappointment was that Hayter wouldn’t let me keep the shells as a memento of this incredible course. (His dad fashioned the wooden box, along with some tabletops and cutlery out of Marri trees fallen on the winery.) The dinner was sprinkled with clever touches, such as the fragrant and peppery curry leaves on the trout ceviche with shaved and pickled beetroot or the funky egg white garum butter with the sourdough. The flavours of dashi chawanmushi, a savoury egg custard with kelp oil and big orange-hued trout roe that popped to release little hits of salt took me back to Eastern Europe — a very unusual change-up mid-meal. Likewise, the crispy skinned dhufish caught off the coast of Gracetown, served with Yarra Valley caviar in a decadent fish caramel cream with poached mussels, had a depth of flavour unusual for a seafood dish. This was pungent without overstaying its welcome. The Margaret River Wagyu scotch fillet is glazed in an abalone tare and cooked at 56C before being finished over coals — a reverse sear. This funky but not too fatty eight-plus grade cut is served with onion rings soaked in vinegar on Paris mash. My mouth isn’t watering, your mouth is watering. Hayter’s food is complex without going over the top. Chefs love his work, with good reason. There are some challenging dishes — while I absolutely adored the chawanmushi, some folks simply won’t. A palate-cleansing citrus sorbet with pear gel and dill oil was another frisson of flavours, while the almond cake with bay leaf ice-cream and cherries stewed in local chardonnay was a tasty finale that didn’t quite have the wow factor of previous courses. While home to incredibly impressive cheffing, De’sendent’s service and atmosphere can’t touch the likes of Gibney. Getting back to our accommodation just over 10 minutes drive out of town turned into an ordeal. We waited almost 90 minutes to get a cab — luckily Pearl’s Bar was open. The driver told us the taxi company has plenty cars, just not enough drivers. What does a taxi service, or lack thereof, have to do with a restaurant? De’sendent is only open for dinner. If Margaret River is serious about hosting a successful and significant night-time economy, this needs to be sorted out, pronto. Otherwise, Hayter and Spencer might be well-served completing a reverse tree-change and moving to Perth. We’d love them up here. De’sendent 3/152 Bussell Highway, Margaret River OPEN Wednesday-Saturday, 5.30pm-late. CONTACT 0499 038 878, desendent.com BOOKINGS Yes THE VERDICT Arimia Estate partners Ann Spencer and super chef Evan Hayter bring green-leaning fine dining to Margs’ main drag. Incredible dishes, including some stunning showcases of WA seafood, in an austere room with adequate service. Besides a snack menu, De’sendent hosts two dinner degustations per night only. Book a driver. 17/20