Emily Taylor, at the new Warder’s Hotel, blends continents and cuisines for a rousing dining voyage.
With a name referencing Fremantle’s port heritage, Emily Taylor, in its own words, aims to bring a unique Asian twist to WA produce. If in choosing a 19th-century trade vessel as its namesake the venue references the spice trade, then the kitchen, led by chef Aldren Teo, interprets this liberally, bringing a grab-bag of influences from Asia to bear on a menu made to share and served speedily by a fleet of attentive staff.
Lobster har gau, for example, is infused with Manjimup truffle and drizzled with a sweet, sticky soy sauce. Roast duck is brushed with local bush honey and served with mandarin pancakes and the trimmings. Coconut water and chilli add fragrance to cured Geraldton kingfish, while charred Stirling Ranges beef ribs are glazed then given interest and crunch with sambal matah.
A spot in the sun-drenched courtyard shaded by oil-paper umbrellas is the place to work through a cocktail list featuring drinks such as the Thai Mojito and the Saigon Collins.
Tucked behind the new Warders Hotel, the venue itself boasts a large industrial dining room that’s as modern as the dishes, but a spot in the sun-drenched courtyard shaded by oil-paper umbrellas is the place to work through a cocktail list featuring drinks such as the Thai Mojito, a refreshing blend of white rum and watermelon juice with mint and Thai basil, and the Saigon Collins, with a ginger-beer based fortified with makrut-lime vodka. Inside and out, the bar adds a dozen beers on tap to a wine list bridging Old and New World.
Be it for dumplings over a drink or a more substantial supper, Emily Taylor blends chic and casual and continents and cuisines for what is, at its best, a rousing dining voyage.
