59 Canning Highway, East Fremantle
Ph: (08) 9339 8188
www.tradewindshotel.com.au
 

Laid Back and Lovely

OVERLOOKING the Swan River in East Fremantle, the Tradewinds Hotel is the perfect place to while away an afternoon, and enjoy the blue skies, sunshine and gentle sea breeze under the shade of the spreading plane trees. The dining room is clean, modern and smart while still feeling relaxed and casual, with an open-plan kitchen so you can watch the chefs at work and smell the mouth-watering aromas to get your appetite going.
An elegant pitcher of Sangria (a ruby-coloured concoction made with strawberry and orange liqueurs mixed with half a bottle of Sandalford Rose, topped up with lemonade and garnished with chunks of fresh strawberries and oranges) poured into decorative glass jars made a refreshing and delicious drink, which was a great way to start our meal. They also do pitchers of a peach Sangria, Pimms, and Russian Cider (made with vodka and cider) as well.
The Tradewinds summer menu is full of seasonal produce, with loads of gluten free and vegetarian options. There are also lots of dishes which are good for sharing, or great for when you just want a few small bites with a drink rather than a big meal, as well as the usual pizzas, burgers, and steak. The Tradewinds Fish and Chips, made with a light cider batter instead of the usual beer batter, is a favourite with the local crowd.
We sampled the Grilled Spanish Chorizo, served with a wedge of tangy lemon that lightened the salty taste of the chorizo. This is a great starter or nibble plate to accompany a few drinks, and went well with the 2014 Sandalford Margaret River Range Rose – and even better with the Sangria.
Chilli Fried Baby Squid with lime and aioli is always a favourite of mine: lightly battered curls of tender squid served with creamy aioli and a wedge of fresh lime to squeeze over them.
Then came a dish of Grilled Haloumi served with tangy pickled fennel, honey, sultanas and walnuts. What a great combination – you had to try to get a bit of each ingredient in each mouthful as they worked so well in harmony with each other. I think this was probably my favourite dish.
For something a little more substantial, we tried the Atlantic Salmon with seaweed salad, tofu crumble and orange ponzu sauce, which was gluten free, low carb, tender, tasty salmon served with a tangy sauce and a salty, crunchy seaweed salad made from Sandfire, Wakame and watercress, all sitting on a bed of savoury tofu crumble. This delightful dish was perfectly matched with the 2015 Sandalford Estate Reserve Sauvignon Blanc Semillon.
We had a brief chat with head chef Gary Martin who previously worked at Tradewinds from 2012 to 2014, and has been back in the kitchen since March 2015 after a long break to visit the East Coast (Noosa, Byron Bay and Sydney). He married a French lady who has lived in Perth for eight years. She’s mainly vegetarian, so has encouraged him to do more vegetarian and vegan dishes. The tofu crumble in the salmon dish was one of her suggestions, and works really well.
All of the dishes we tried had great combinations of salty, tangy and sweet flavours. I think the Tradewinds summer menu will really appeal to the ladies, although there are still plenty of hearty dishes available on the menu to keep the blokes happy as well.
By Georgina Goss
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