Love chocolate, coffee and chilled out surf vibes? Yallingup Chocolate features delectable treats from Western Australia’s most revered chocolatiers, and it just opened adjacent to Commonage Coffee Co. A farm shed has been expertly transformed into a modern, light-filled space with a blush-pink concrete floor and neat rows of their signature pink chocolate tins. Chocolate bars are wrapped in Ric Chan’s Yallingup surf photos from the 1960s and 70s. Hot tip: after shopping, stay for a warm almond croissant and a coffee next door.
While iconic Busselton restaurant The Goose suffered a terrible fire earlier in the year, they’ve set up two excellent food ventures while the restaurant is rebuilt. The Gosling is a food and coffee van on the Busselton foreshore serving burgers, loaded fries and other yummy treats. Bodega is a smart Spanish-inspired restaurant serving brunch and coffee by day, then tapas and cocktails at night. While we can’t get to Barcelona right now, Manchego croquettes and sangria at Bodega might just quell the wanderlust.
Speaking of delicious Spanish fare, Rustico at Hay Shed Hill just launched a vegan degustation menu to complement their popular lunches and cater to vegetarian and vegan diners. While the ‘traditional’ menu is known and loved for succulent pork belly, lobster profiteroles and burrata la delizia, the vegan menu caters to our plant-loving friends with beautiful dishes such as beetroot carpaccio, roasted Jerusalem artichoke with truffle and bombe Alaska for dessert.
Back to Busselton, the Rocky Ridge Cellar Door has Margaret River Burger Co grilling and flipping burgers every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you haven’t yet been, you can choose from 20+ beers to make your own beer tasting paddle to enjoy on the deck in beautiful spring sunshine. Once purely a beer (and stout) paradise, you can now grab a glass of LS Merchants wine.