Hearth & home: celebrating local flavours

A new seasonal lunch and dinner menu showcasing produce from celebrated suppliers across Western Australia, from the Coral Coast to the Great Southern, is taking centre stage at fire-driven restaurant Hearth at The Ritz-Carlton, Perth.

After working under acclaimed Western Australian Chef Jed Gerrard for 11 years, Executive Sous Chef Danny Feng has taken the helm of Hearth, creating the newly launched menu. Continuing the restaurant’s tradition of cooking over the custom-built woodfired grill, the new menu also draws on Feng’s culinary and cultural background.

A sense of place

Braising, steaming and double steaming are some of the cooking techniques Feng heroes on his new menu. These techniques from his Chinese heritage allow for maximum extraction of flavour with little compromise to the texture of ingredients used. They’re also what has underpinned Feng’s vision for the new menu.

“I’m excited to bring a fresh approach and modern cooking techniques to Hearth while respecting the restaurant’s ethos of cooking over embers and the open flame,” he says. “I want the restaurant to continue to be known for creating a sense of place and celebrating the phenomenal local and seasonal produce we have at our doorstep in Western Australia.”

Travel with your taste buds

Guests can embark on a culinary odyssey through Western Australia, with a selection of entrées from both sea and land. Highlights include smoked Abrolhos Islands scallop with apple, fennel, scallop dashi and finger lime; and grilled Manjimup marron with congee, roast chicken broth and coriander. This is a dish inspired by Feng’s fond memories of eating congee for breakfast when he was growing up.

Hearth’s famed dry-aged Wagin duck continues to be a highlight of the menu. This is served with smoked ham, carrot butter, miso dressing and pickled witlof. Using the elements of smoke and fire intrinsic to Hearth, the duck has been aged for seven days and smoked over the hearth. The result is extremely tender meat with a subtle hint of smoke.

Winter spices and citrus notes are the hero in a modern take on s’mores, made with fire-roasted baby sweet potato, orange marshmallow, frozen lemon myrtle curd and chestnut.

The new dishes are available à la carte for lunch on Friday and dinner Wednesday and Thursday; and feature on a three-course choice menu and the Taste of Hearth five-course set menu for dinner on Friday and Saturday. For more info or to book, click here.