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I’m not going to lie: the festive season just gone was a little more festive than previous years.

There was a little more consumption of French fries, chocolate and other “sometimes” foods. There was a little more day drinking. And there was a little more late-night action on the food delivery apps. Individually, none of these infractions would be serious enough to consider redrafting New Year’s resolutions but collectively, they added up to a not-so-little craving for vegetables once the holidays ended.

So now you know why my first review of 2025 is Magic Apple Wholefoods: a breezy, cedar-clad dining room propped above North Cottesloe beach where the focus is on “mindful nourishment” (their words, not mine). Granted, my choice of subject matter might be somewhat self-serving, but there’s enough public interest in Magic Apple to justify putting this October newcomer under the microscope, not least being able to finally answer questions about what’s happening to the old Barchetta site.

What happened was George Kailis, the go-getting hospitality operator that, via Shorehouse and the blockbuster two-hatted Gibney, appears to be delivering on the Kailis Hospitality Group’s raison d’etre: “redefining coastal dining.” In Magic Apple – the name comes from a former Perth health food store chain – Kailis has swapped the oceanic splendour of his aforementioned spaces for something earthier that he hopes will tap into the growing global interest in wellness.

The result is a beachy, free-spirited 110-seater that blurs indoors and out. Blue skies, timber aplenty plus aggregate concrete flooring gives the space a rootsy, stone-and-wood feel. The crowd takes in everything from families and laptop warriors to off-duty athleisure and beachwear models.

But while environment plays a role in our wellbeing, Magic Apple’s main medium is food rather than fit-out. Namely: vegetables, grains and lean proteins that have been prepared with a soft touch to maximise nutrition while minimising fat. These foodstuffs then get grouped with like-minded ingredients – plus a colourful tangle of fermented veg made from kitchen veg off-cuts – and piled into bowls to form hefty high-rises of food. And I do mean hefty.

If these edible monoliths were any bigger, footy players could run hill sprints up and down them during the off-season. It’s a safe bet that they would then pile into the dining room and refuel on shredded steamed chicken cuddling up to a lush avocado dressing ($34) or buttery steamed Ora king salmon accented with white miso ($38; despite being a farmed fish, this New Zealand product is generally regarded as being an environmentally gentler alternative to Tasmanian farmed salmon).

The salmon also appears on the brekky menu, although the fish’s morning iteration sees it brightened with sumac ($34). But as far as protein goes, the king of the breakfast menu is hands-down the seasoned beef bowl ($30): a wading pool of sauteed grass-fed beef mince, avocado, poached eggs and flatbreads smothering a jumble of brown rice and quinoa (the house “magic rice” blend that mimics the carby comfort of white rice without the empty calories).

“...for all the steaming, grilling and roasting going in, it’s the vegetable dishes that come from the kitchen’s naughty deep-fryer corner.”

It’s a DIY burrito kit. It’s super heavyweight nasi goreng. It’s the sort of muscle-building treat that MMA fighters might crave for elevenses. (Just be aware, hangry kickboxer types, that the kitchen shuts between 11am and 11.30am to change over from breakfast to its all-day menu.) For those not harbouring dreams of an Ultimate Fighter breakout, P-Town AM favourites – smashed avo ($28) and acai bowls ($18.50), say – are also on offer, albeit prepared the Magic Apple way.

Yet for all the steaming, grilling and roasting going in, it’s (ironically) the vegetable dishes that come from the kitchen’s naughty deep-fryer corner. Teriyaki eggplant ($26) stars young eggplants armoured in a lacey blond batter and dressed with a sensitive touch. Tennis ball-sized clumps of veg shavings ($28) are crisp, golden and exactly what everyone wishes the kakiage (tempura vegetable fritters) at their local Japanese restaurant was like.

Such are the possibilities when the main players in your kitchen boast both experience (head chef Rob Baverstock, formerly of Island Market Trigg, has worked with Kailis since 2017) plus a sincere interest in eating right. (Senior sous chef Nathalya Benedetti is a vegetarian while sous chef Maddi Beeken is studying a bachelor’s degree in health science.)

It’s hard to know what to file Magic Apple under. While there’s a likeable, informal cafe-esque feel to the space and food, there’s no denying the restaurant-like energy and ambition fuelling the operation. There’s bespoke pottery in rotation, green technology behind the scenes, plus table service (even if the size of the room occasionally overwhelms the bright-eyed staff).

For those moments when coffee, tea and plus-sized, supplement-enriched smoothies (from $10) don’t cut it, a small wine and cocktail list highlights the Kailis Hospitality Group’s appreciation for good booze. True, some of the prices might be higher than your local go-to for flat whites and banana cake, yet so are Magic Apple’s standards.

From spa cuisine to Weight Watchers, history has no shortage of hopefuls that have tried to unlock the secret to eating well and living well. I won’t speculate on whether or not I think Kailis has cracked the code, but at a time where samey-samey dining “concepts” and trends threaten to overrun the food world, it’s a real treat to see an operator zigging while others zag.

Here’s hoping I’ll be able to share more food stories featuring courageous, original and clear-minded thinking throughout 2025.