Core Cider House

I love the atmosphere at this place. Went a couple of weeks ago and the leaves were a lush orange and yellow with passing of autumn. If only we could access the Orchard for a walk around. I have had the food a few times here and I can’t complain. Had some mulled cider it was filled with spices, I do wish they strained the spices out as its not pleasant when you get a chunk of starenese in your mouth. Also the kitchen closes quite early so if you arrive around 2/​3pm you won’t be able to get food. Definitely worth a visit!

This place does live music on sundays it’s the perfect place for a Sunday sesh. With great cider, great view

I found out about this place through Terence and Lara from Gran Tourismo Travels. I was in touch with Melinda Hellings and Rochelle Clark, they helped with the smooth process of booking.
The weather was extremely hot when we went there and the staff had set up an outdoor small marquee that can fit 20 or so people. For customers who are not too keen to sit outside but still want to enjoy the view, there’s also an indoor area that Core Cider House provides.
We saw a lot of families with their picnic blankets on the green grass and kids running around here and there. This place was definitely perfect for family day out! The view was also beautiful as you’d be able to see rows and rows of lemon, pear and apple orchards.
Core Cider’s menu offered the recommended cider pairing and almost everyone opted for that option. Chris and I decided to try the cider tasting paddle (might as well!). I really loved the sour and refreshing flavour of Pith’d, their sparkling lemon. Another one that everybody seemed to go for was the COREreactor which offered the combination of pear and apple cider.
As for food, we ordered a few of the sourdough, gorgonzola arancini and CORE platter which consists of olives, feta, honey chorizo, prosciutto, salami, and sourdough. The winner out of all three (if there was any competition) was the cheesy arancini!
A couple of our guests ordered some salads but most ordered The CORE (Pork Belly) and lamb cutlets for their main meal.
We had a mixed review of the pork belly since some people had a really tender and easy to cut meat while a few others and I found the meat really chewy. The crackling on the pork was perfect and we had no complaints about it!
The lamb cutlets were really delicious, I really enjoy every bite of it and they were quite generous with the dressing too. The lamb was really juicy and very easy to eat with a side of potatoes. I definitely will order this dish again when I visit the Core Cider House.
When Hubby paid for the lunch meals the staff offered him a free ice cream cone because it was his birthday, what a good end to his birthday celebration. I asked him whether he asked for another one but he said he was too embarrassed to do so (hahaha).

What rhymes with Core… slow…
Service: Slow as a snail with a hangover on a wet week — PS when you ask «How is it? And we say… not that great… the appropriate response is not just «oh …sorry?»
Food: average to poor
Big breakfast — hash brown «brick» inedible — bacon overcooked, majority left on plate.
Scrambled eggs with Side of salmon (came with comment: «Sorry that’s all the salmon we have left…» referring to the miniscule scrap barely visible on the side of her plate. but still charged full price
Poached Eggs — ³⁄₃ were hard not runny. maybe the cooks preference but not ours…
Scrambled eggs with bacon — eggs were watery/​bacon was overdone
Smoked salmon Bagel — meh… take smoked salmon out of packet, wedge between over cooked bagel, add over cooked egg and serve.. late…
Drinks: wait… wait… wait… wait… go to bar ask for taster of «Fusion» … blechhh… watery and thin ask for 2^nd taster… blechhh…
Person in front of me ask for another taster as well and is told… «Sorry two tastes only then you have to pay $ 15 for a tasting paddle…» WTF??? Really??? You brew this shit here… it costs you a fraction of a cent for a splash so I can decide which variation to pay $ 11 for??? But no… I’m 8in the great tradition of WA «hospitality» venues we’ll extract the maximum from your wallet that we can with minimum «service»…
Rating: zero stars for long, long, long wait poor quality food, average cider and disorganised staff (blame management not waitress) one star because waitress gave us our drinks for free due to multiple stuff ups and overall poor experience

Beautiful spot overlooking the orchard. Best place to go for Sunday afternoon drinks. Live music, pizza, delicious food and the greatest home brewed cider. Whether you go for sweet, dry or tardy, it is all there. Sit back and unwind. You deserve it!

This place has absolutely beautiful veiws of the Orchard. The cider is lovely and the food has never disappointed. Generous servings, beautifully presented and so very yummy. The grilled baramundi and hand cut chips was superb! The beautifully plated desserts are very hard to resist and well worth giving into. The drive may be far for some, but the scenery of the drive through the hills make it enjoyable to get to.

While Core may be highly regarded as a lunch venue, my recent breakfast at Core was a comedy of errors, with the kitchen making little effort to prepare food that remotely matched the menu descriptions. Even when a dish was sent back and returned «corrected,» it fell far short of expectations. The only saving grace was once I detailed this fiasco to the manager, he comped our meal and provided a $ 100 voucher for us to try again. We definitely won’t be back for breakfast, but might give lunch a go. At the very least, we can enjoy the beautiful views and drink a wee bit of cider.

Amazing place up in the hills. Only 20 minutes away from me so super easy to get to, and even if it’s not as close, 100% worth the drive. The cider is amazing, the wine is nice and fruity, and the food is super generous. We got a few share plates and were so impressed with the quality of the food. The single meals also look to-​die-​for, so we’ll be coming back to try them. The view of the hills and just the landscaping of the place are amazing, and theres a playground for the kids out in the garden. Definitely a place to go for a relaxed day out in the hills.
They also do weddings there so something to keep in mind, just ask the manager when you’re there :)

Celebrated dad’s birthday over breakfast Core Cider House. What a little gem of a place! beautiful scenery, simple tasty breakfast and excellent coffee. Not too far of a drive from the city and you’ll get a tease of the country life.
You definitely need to a book a table over the weekend in the warmer months as its a popular place. There are some seats under the lemon trees which are great if you stop by for cider.

The Core Cider House Rules
Last weekend my sister and I set off in search of orchards in Pickering Brook. The WA country is beautiful even when it’s so close to the city. There are so many places in Pickering Brook that deserve another adventure but on this occasion we decided to aim for The Core Cider House. I had heard about the cider house from several people and I have always been interested to go there. It will not disappoint. Set on its’ own orchard filled with beautiful oranges (at this time of year) we were also able to chow down on some amazing treats. The day we went it was raining and I don’t mean drizzling. Lucky I had an umbrella or we may have been washed away. We sheltered from the rain inside the decking of the restaurant and it really is a sight for sore eyes. When we entered the premises we were instantly greeted by a lovely French gent who knew my name from my booking earlier in the day. The service is impeccable, our table was ready early and our waiter also greeted us by name. This to me is all cosmetic but it also adds value to your experience. The cider house has a relaxed feel. The friendly nature of the staff put you at ease and helps you feel completely comfortable in your surroundings. If you check out their website you can see more views from the deck at different times of year.
I decided on the mulled cider for my drink which I have to say is every single bit as yummy as it sounds, when I came out it sort of looked like kombucha. It had this very strong cloudiness but the taste was divine. I’m hoping they still have it throughout spring and hopefully you can catch it too.
For main course we often get something to share and this time was no exception. We spotted that there was a pork & steak meal on the menu that was for two. We did find the size a little small for two people at first but once we tucked in we realized there was a lot of munching to do on this plate. I ordered some extra veggies and they came out elegantly displayed on a long dish covered in balsamic sauce. Yum!
While we were scoffing down our steak, pork and cider our eyes kept wandering to all the dessert deliveries happening around us. We instantly knew that the apple crumble was going to be in our bellies on the way home. It’s a yummy dish and big enough for two. The plum sauce is a little strong and I would have preferred a milk chocolate sauce but the ice cream was amazing.
Plenty of the ingredients are sourced on site at the Core Cider House and they actively seek out WA fresh produce to use at the venue. While we were on the deck there was an array of different family events happening, there were group gatherings, children’s birthday parties and a hen’s day. Core can cater for everything the fun and relaxed atmosphere makes the venue suitable for any occasion. It’s definitely work a frolic in the orchard too for some great photos.
Let me know what you favorite place to eat that’s out of the city? Have you enjoyed a meal at Core? Let me know!

Great casual dining experience. We ordered the warm Brie and a pâté. Both came with generous serves of bread. These dishes were delicious. The main course of lamb was less impressive how ever over all good value for money. The apple farm setting is really lovely and I will imagine on a sunnier day it would be fun to dine outside. Staff were friendly but the lack of good greetings and seating upon arrival left us confused as to what was going on.

Great for a Sunday afternoon long lunch with background live music. We organised a large booking of 25 and we’re seated on a long table on the grass, under a shaded area. Core were very accommodating and ordered drinks at the bar (for ease of bill splitting) and table service for food. We spent the whole afternoon there and as it had quietened down they even let us do separate billing! Large play area for children.
I ordered the pork shoulder to share and it was delicious! Tender pork, potatoes and fried onions. Although it was substantial, I decided I could fit in a dessert and ordered a chocolate mousse. The mousse was more like a pannacotta (too much gelatin!) but that being said, I’d definitely be back as it was a lovely way to spend a Sunday.

What a wondeful place. Great staff, venue and cider debut. Only had a shared plate but will definitely be returning for another Sunday afternoon. Music, orchards and beautiful landscape makes for a comfortable place to enjoy the cold cider — either straight or slushy. The staff were very attentive and lovely. Great for a day out with family including kids and /​or friends. It is one of those places where you want to keep quiet so it does not get too full.

Another regular mini adventure spot. It’s nice to see really well thought out upgrades to the car park, yard and restaurant every time we go back.
Don’t be afraid to go in winter either for a Thursday or Friday lunch, patio heaters and blankets are on hand to keep you warm.
The food is fantastic. The ciders are delicious. The tasting paddle is awesome and right from the first taster you think you have found utopia, then the next taster is even better until you are totally confused but you are in love with all their ciders.
My absolute favourite is the Pearce core. pear cider with a lower alcohol content for light weights like me.
The staff have always been super helpful.
Sunday afternoon live music is lovely.
The whole place is a credit to the owners. Thankyou for offering such an excellent spot amongst the orchards in Perth hills for people to visit and enjoy!

This place is just what you want and need after a long walk in one of the near by national parks. The view from the restaurant is spectacular and the food matches.
We had two sharer plates, the rabbit pâté and the Core platter, which was pork belly with scallops and parsnip purée…there was no room for dessert!
The pâté was lovely and they were easily able to accommodate a gluten free version. The pork and scallops were fantastic, and perfectly cook. The only disappointment was the accompanying broccoli was far too over cooked to really give the dish the crunch it needed, hence the loss of a star.

Fantastic set up and beautiful location, a bit pricey though.
Grab one of the garden tables, chips and aioli and a taster of the ciders and it is perfect!
They have a new sandpit for the kids. Pack a picnic rug for the kids to sit on. They also do orchard tours during school holidays.

Core do Sunday sessions consisting of some acoustic musos, a woodfired pizza truck and chilling out on the lawn. The restaurant upstairs was also open, but we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and spread out a few blankets among the orange trees.
The pizza wasn’t the best but it was serviceable, particularly as a post-​lunch, pre-​dinner snack. The cider is reasonably priced at $ 10 a pint given this is locally produced, relatively small batch stuff. I’m a big fan of their lemon cider.
The overall experience? Very hard to beat. Laying on the grass with good friends looking out over the apple orchards with a pizza and a pint is fairly close to perfection. The area is very kid friendly, with plenty for them to get up to and if you’re lucky you’ll meet the cidery dog, Sally Apple the schnauzer.

I had no idea this place existed. I had heard whispers of a cidery in the hills but never bothered to track down the details. I wish I had done so sooner.
We arrived during the change over time from lunch to share plates. This is usually when I suggest we find another place to dine because of many experiences of restaurants and cafes seating me without serving me for 30min or more. At the Core Cider House this was not the case. We were handed food and drink menus and a bottle of water was brought for the table.
While waiting, I read through the reviews on Unilocal.A mixed bag and I was a little worried but it didn’t take long to brush the concerns aside. The tasting plate was good value for money at $ 15. I suspect that the breads, dip, and terrine were housemade. We had never had the Core Cider House’s cider before so we ordered the tasting paddle. Definitely the way to do it and well worth it at $ 14.
The restaurant is on a balcony deck that overlooks an orchard that covers a valley. It makes for a picturesque Sunday session. There is also a ground level dining area.
Will definitely return especially to try the chef special tasting plate for two which had smoked kangaroo AND barramundi on it amongst other things.

We had our wedding here and it was a very beautiful location! We loved it!
The staff were very helpful and worked hard to keep us happy.

Went here for a friend’s birthday and we were running late so I didn’t get a full picture of the outing. My friend had booked a table for 16 many weeks before the day and when she turned up saw that there arrangement of the tables indicated lack of planning and organisation. They had put two different sized tables together making it very hard for everyone to interact properly, and had only set up 12 seats rather than the 16 that was booked for, making it very squishy for some parts of the table. They also misplaced one of the food orders for the table and one couple waited a substantially long time for their meal and was served WELL after everyone else.
The husband and I weren’t particularly hungry so we ordered the cheese platter. It was a nice enough cheese platter but the whole poached apple was hard to eat and there wasn’t enough crackers, no one ever serves enough crackers! The feedback I got from the rest of the table about their food was mixed, some thoroughly enjoyed it, some not so much. The fish was smothered in lemon pepper and the flavour overpowered the fish completely and it was a little dry.
The venue is nice, apparently the cider is good (I don’t drink), and the staff seemed genuinely apologetic about any and all stuff ups. The intention here seems good but there does seem to be a distinct lack of organisational skills. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and try them again but they had better be on the ball next time.