61 Blackwood Road, Greenbushes
Ph: (08) 9764 3512
www.shamrockgreenbushes.wordpress.com
Small town, Big flavour
The Shamrock Hotel is a go-to food and drink spot for locals of Greenbushes, and a must try for travellers passing through the small timber and mining town located in the South West region.
Built in 1900 as the Welford Hotel, over the years, this iconic building had many faces, and pieces of its historical charm lay on display throughout its rooms. The feeling that customers have “walked into an extension of their own lounge room”, that owners Tracei and Brent Taylor aspired for was definitely achieved.
Executive Chef Brent Taylor and his partner took over the Shamrock six years ago. “This is the first time we’re working for ourselves and doing it for ourselves,” Brent says, “We’ll always maintain the classic expectations of a small country pub, but we like to play around with more high-end dishes as well.”
Constantly maintaining a high standard of quality with fresh local produce, both the classic pub dishes and ever-changing weekend specials shine in this small-town establishment, which is currently in the running for Gold Plate Awards 2023 ‘Best Restaurant within a Tavern Pub in the State’ and ‘Best Pizza in the Region’. On our visit, we got to taste why its Gold Plate nomination is so well-deserved.
Of the several cleverly named pizzas on offer at the restaurant, we tried Brent’s Favourite topped with chorizo, peri-peri chicken, fresh cherry tomatoes, crumbled goat’s cheese, and homemade chilli oil. Whilst the entire pizza was well-balanced and generously topped with the fresh and flavourful ingredients, the chilli oil was the standout of the dish. Often sold on the premises, I would encourage customers to buy a bottle for themselves.
From the restaurant’s main menu, we tried two of Chef Brent’s most popular dishes, the Pork Belly and the Lamb Shank.
The slow roasted Pork Belly served with jasmine rice, Bok Choy and a ginger soy sauce was an incredibly fragrant and light dish. The pork had a perfect crackled top and fatty underbelly, that was nicely balanced with the fresh and crunchy Bok Choy and sweet and tangy sauce. Excellently matched with a ginger beer from Botanical Distillery, this is a dish that I would come back to time and time again. A generous portion with every aspect of the dish in perfect harmony.
The Lamb Shank, slow cooked for seven hours and served with gravy, garlic mash and honey glazed carrots was my favourite of the day. The aroma overwhelmed the room immediately upon entry, evocative of the Irish home cooking from my childhood. The meat easily fell off the large shank into a pool of silky, rosemary-infused gravy, creating the perfect bite, alongside the buttery and lavish mash. The honey glazed carrots were vibrant in taste and colour, and overall, you could not fault this dish. Paired with a glass of 2020 Smallwater Estate Shiraz, the cracked peppercorn and black plum bouquet brought a sweetness to the dish, rounding out a wonderful meal.
The desserts are constantly changing at the restaurant, so I am glad to have tried this one, the White Chocolate Mousse with fresh mango and a raspberry sauce. The mousse base was creamy and satiny, while the raspberry flawlessly cut through the richness with its tart flavour. Topped with locally sourced mango and fresh mint from the Shamrock’s personal garden, the garnishes brought a subtle sweetness and perfectly tied all components of the dish together.
In an unsuspecting small town almost three hours south of Perth, the flavours produced from Executive Chef Brent and Head Chef Christina are well-worth a detour to the homely and historical Shamrock Hotel.
By Ava Berryman
