WA locals: Amanda Young, Cooee Perth pastry chef

Perth-born pastry chef Amanda Yong shares how the produce in Western Australia helps her create delectable desserts.

Amanda Yong is the Perth-born, Singaporean-raised chef helping to create delectable desserts in the kitchen at Cooee, which is listed in the WA Good Food Guide’s Top 100 restaurants and garnered rave reviews since it opened in 2020. As the restaurant’s part-time pastry chef, Yong says she loves to make desserts that rotate with the seasons and celebrate the state’s bounty. Yong works alongside head chef Steve Finch and the Cooee pastry team on creations such as strawberry sorbet and roasted plum Paris-Brest.

“The produce in Western Australia really excites me. I have been back living in Perth for the past nine years and I have access to the best ingredients a chef could ask for. I love working with strawberries and seasonal fruits, which give you very different results in terms of flavour," she says. Yong has worked in kitchens since the age of 17, training at Shangri- La Singapore before moving to Salt Grill and Sky Bar by Luke Mangan. Her heady resume also includes stints at both Rockpool and Wildflower in Perth, helming pop-ups at the Angelo Street Market and building her side hustle, Tartes By Amanda , into a successful artisanal brand.

Amanda Yong, Pastry Chef — “I love working with strawberries and seasonal fruits, which give you very different results in terms of flavour."

“I specialise in one kind of tart. It’s a baked cheese tart with different toppings such as seasonal fruits, kiwi, strawberries, raspberries and plums. You can get my tarts online in WA or at the Angelo Street Market once a month," she says.

Singapore is known as the ‘Garden City’ and when Yong first moved back to Perth she says she spent a lot of time at Kings Park and Botanic Garden as she “gravitated toward the greenery". Yong also chose to live in the inner-city suburb of East Victoria Park, 10 minutes from Perth’s CBD, because she says it felt like “a little bit of Singapore in Perth".

Tarts by Amanda Yong — “I specialise in one kind of tart. It’s a baked cheese tart with different toppings."

“I love living in East Victoria Park. I really like the lifestyle. It’s very multicultural and that’s why I like to live there. It reminds me a bit of home. You can get all kinds of food there, from Lebanese to Indonesian to pizza, pasta and Indian food. I also love it for its proximity to the parks," she explains.

Ever the innovator, Yong is also busy reimagining how the Perth food scene looks by co-founding Project WOMN Inc, which hosts fundraising functions that support female chefs while raising money for non-government-funded charities that help women, children or families in need.

Perth skyline, WA — When she’s not tinkering with recipes, cooking at Cooee, or hosting charitable events, Yong likes to revisit some of her favourite haunts in Perth and surrounds. (Image: Tourism Western Australia)

When she’s not tinkering with recipes, cooking at Cooee, or hosting charitable events, Yong likes to revisit some of her favourite haunts in Perth and surrounds. “I like to start the day with a morning coffee and donut at Chu Bakery and Donuts in Highgate. I have also had really memorable meals at Mandoon Estate, a beautiful winery in Caversham, and of course at Cooee, overlooking the Swan River."

Yong says the city’s drinks scene has done a lot of growing up over the past decade. “My favourite dive bar is Sneaky Tony’s, where you need to knock on a door and provide a password to get in. There’s also a place called The Volstead Lounge that I love. Once you push open the door you enter this high-end classy lounge that feels more New York than downtown Perth."

Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.

In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.

Day 1

the pool at Pullman Bunker Bay — Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.

There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.

Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.

Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.

Day 2

After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.

Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.

Day 3

Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.

With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.

Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.

Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay . Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.

For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up , courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.

Day 4

Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.

Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines . Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.

If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering , where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.

Day 5

pair'd Grand Tasting — Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)

Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.

Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines . Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.

Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.

Day 6

Ngilgi Cave western australia — Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)

After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.

Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.

Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.

Day 7

Burnt Ends event at Pair'd — Farewell the Margaret River.

Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.

Prebook your discovery journey through the south-west corner of Western Australia with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

WA locals: Amanda Young, Cooee Perth pastry chef

Perth-born pastry chef Amanda Yong shares how the produce in Western Australia helps her create delectable desserts.

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The ultimate Margaret River road trip itinerary for food & wine lovers