When you’re on Broome Time there’s a definite style of eating that owes much to both the climate and the multicultural heritage of the town.
Families may be a mix of Aboriginal, Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, Malay and European. Overlay tropical heat and there’s a recipe for a food culture distinctly different to the rest of Western Australia.
Broome has its hospitality mainstays. There’s the ever-changing offering at the iconic Cable Beach Club (Cable Beach Rd, Broome) with the likes of Asian inspired Kichi Kichi, Italian at Cichetti Club and Caribbean fine diner, Le Rhum Bar. Then, of course, no restaurant is perhaps more tipped by locals than The Aarli (16 Hamersley St, Broome) on Hamersley Street, which has forged a reputation over the years for its “modern Australian dining in tropical surrounds,” leaning very much on an Asian outlook. You’ll taste Vietnamese, Thai, Singaporean influences across the eclectic menu – think sweet and sour lamb ribs, crisp eggplant with fish fragrant sauce, or whole roasted barramundi with red nam jim and rice.
Matso's Broome Brewery
For something brand new, Papa Fuego (2 Louis St, Broome) is a confident South American inspired addition to the Broome culinary scene. A part of refurbed The Continental Hotel, close to Roebuck Bay, it’s described by chef Russell Blaikie as a place to “come in and party hard, where the music's up and the food's really simple, smoky and charry.” One of the state’s most revered chefs, Blaikie is now director of food for Perth-run Prendiville Group, owner operators of both The Continental Hotel and Mangrove Hotel in Broome, as well as hot properties in Fremantle, Swan Valley, Cottesloe and Rottnest Island. The chef claims little credit for Papa Fuego, hailing the team who conceptualised a “wonderful cocktail-centric, street-food concept where food is cooked over jarrah on a massive parrilla grill.”
Close by is perhaps a venue that represents Broome’s laidback attitude better than any: Matso’s Broome Brewery (60 Hamersley St, Broome), which makes the claim to be Australia’s most remote brewery. Operating since 2000, the core range holds your standard fare, but also local favourites: Ginger Beer, Mango Beer and even a Chilli Beer if Broome isn’t quite hot enough for you. The menu skews from pub classics to Indian-style curries from the Matso’s Curry Hut.
Roebuck Bay, Broome
Another new opening that has quickly grown a local following is Wild Flower Broome (Unit 4, Seaview Shopping Centre, 63 Robinson St, Broome), a tapas bar at Town Beach. “We’ve got Cone Bay barramundi, threadfin from around Cockatoo Island and both Walaja lamb and honey from Di Appleby, a local producer,” says chef-owner Jaimie Laing. “We’re trying to just keep everything really local.” This ethos extends to native ingredients for both the kitchen and their signature cocktails. Laing sources these from local Jabirr Jabirr, Nyul Nyul, Yawuru woman Pat Mamanyjun Torres, renowned nationwide for her knowledge of native ingredients and her company Mayi Harvests. “We use rosella or riberry for our signature cocktail, The Wild Flower, depending on the season,” says Laing.
Cafe culture is strong in Broome, too. Again, local recommendations seemingly never come up short with the likes of homely Green Mango Cafe (Shop 2, 12 Carnarvon St, Broome) on Carnarvon St, and nearby Dragonfly Cafe (Unit 3, 6 Carnarvon St, Broome) which does a good line in vibrant barramundi tacos. For coffee there’s The Good Cartel (3 Weld St, Broome) and Little Local (Jones Pl, Broome). Then flying a little under the radar is Mabu Mayi (55 Reid Rd, Cable Beach) at the Liyan Ngan Nyirrwa Cultural Wellbeing Centre close to Cable Beach, where chef Lenny Tang Wei channels both his Bardi and Chinese heritage with dishes such as fried rice with rosella pork.
Green Mango Cafe, Broome
For many, the big draw in Broome is its spectacular sunsets. You can take to the ocean with Broome Cruises for a feast of WA seafood and good booze, or enjoy a picnic from Little Wild Flower, also run by Jaimie Laing, who says that they offer everything from antipasti for two to a full service, four-course dinner on Cable Beach with beanbags, waitstaff and chefs on the beach.
Time your visit right and it’s moonrise that you’ll be waiting on. Many say it’s best experienced from The Mangrove Hotel when the full moon rises over Roebuck Bay and the exposed tidal flats reflect the sky to create a natural phenomenon dubbed “staircase to the moon.”
Then there’s always Perth’s annual Shinju Matsuri festival, celebrating the town’s unique pearling history and its cultural impact with a program of events involving local performers and artists, and the local food scene. The pearl in the crown? The chance to dine under the stars right on the beach.
Published January 2022