Ticks all the boxes

Fen, with its Scandi-inspired furniture and Georgian sash windows is a special little restaurant in Port Fairy.

For the seasoned critic, beige is the new beige; draw not attention to one’s self. So hitting town in an electric blue racing car seems unwise, but the lady from Ferrari had said “would you like a country drive?” and there just happened to be this restaurant at the end of the Great Ocean Road

We slip in to Port Fairy, the village on Victoria’s far west coast that feels as if it might have inspired Herman Melville, and head to this special little restaurant, Fen, with its Scandi-inspired furniture, pressed ceilings, fortress walls and Georgian sash windows – solid heritage freshened with contemporary accessories. The room has a Nordic simplicity that is comforting and unpretentious.

Fen is Ryan Sessions, who has cooked to acclaim in this remote town for many years. Not that the tyranny of distance rears its head. From wine list to crockery, food style and inspiration, Fen feels as on- message as any Noma-inspired city restaurant. It forms the third beacon on a western Victorian gastro tour of some of the smartest regional cooking in the country: Igni in Geelong, further west to Brae, and here.

While Sessions’ flirtation with indigenous Australian ingredients and foraged coastal stuff is a serious one, there’s nothing didactic about it. He’s one of a growing band of Australian chefs using native ingredients intelligently as a matter of course, not as a novelty

So a single firm/creamy oyster comes with sea parsley and finger lime dressing – slightly tannic with pops of citrus – presented exquisitely as the prize among a collection of washed-ashore seashells. A warm, plump Bass Strait scallop swims in a native lime and lemon butter; a house-made rye loaf comes in a bowl of grain with house-made butter served in a rustic piece of pottery.

These moments set the scene for a tasting menu of several sizes; cleverly, a parallel carte means anyone (particularly locals) can come in for a generous main, a side and a bottle of wine. I like it.

Unsurprisingly, Fen is increasingly attracting the gastro-tourist who wants it all. They’re chasing pretty dishes like crab meat with shaved macadamia, nut cream and a sweet/tart powder of Davidson plum, or yabbie in a dill froth accented with Geraldton wax. Or his take on kangaroo tartare combined with Jerusalem artichoke prepared three ways (puree, poached and roasted) and pickled native berries. Or the simple yet very impressive local fish (tonight, perfect pan-fried mirror dory) underpinned by a “noodle” of calamari in a mussel and roe sauce and smothered with salt and vinegar tempura saltbush leaves. It’s the go-to savoury dish.

Which is not to underplay clever combinations of roasted Great Ocean Road duck breast with a boudin noir sauce and duck parfait with beetroot, quandong, sunrise lime and rosella – a dish that makes a great case for indigenous fruits. Or a strip of Sher family Wagyu served with more Jerusalem artichoke variations. Or the Japanesque dish of abalone and shiitake, sliced identically to clad a mound of sweet shallot, black rice and a smoked eel puree, with sprinkled seaweed. Impressive

Pre dessert? It’s a paper bark parfait served with burnt apple and muntrie granita. It works beautifully.But the bitter-sweet effect of burnt marshmallow (pictured) over a desert lime ice cream and Davidson plum curd lingers as one of the year’s cleverest, most enjoyable desserts

Which sums this place up: clever but remarkably enjoyable; the two can be strange bedfellows. Fen ticks so many boxes.

Image Captions:

Destination dining: Fen is luring gastro-tourists on the western Victorian route

at a glance

Address:22 Sackville St, Port Fairy Contact: 03 5568 3229; fenportfairy.com.au Hours: dinner Tue-Sat Typical prices: Starters $26;mains $38; desserts $18; five-course tasting menu $110; seven-course $145 like this? try... Brae (Birregurra, Vic); Biota (Bowral, NSW) Summary: Worth the drive

Photography Sheree Dubois