“This is a restaurant built on wellness.” Magic Apple Wholefoods opens on Cott Beach this week

“It’s not just another restaurant,” restauranteur George Kailis tells us.

To be fair, we haven’t seen many other restaurants with such psychedelic branding – nor have we visited any lately with hand-painted rainbow arched doorways. It’s all part of Magic Apple Wholefood’s signature touch of magic – and we’ve stopped by for a chat with George ahead of the opening.

Perched in one of the corner booths while we chat, it’s obvious why this site has been one of Perth’s most sought-after locations: the view is breathtaking, and on this particularly warm October day, the ocean is an almost tortuously deep, vibrant shade of blue.

“We patiently waited for nearly five years to get to this point here!” George continues. “Part of the early brief to Stickman Tribe, the designers – Marcos is one of my oldest friends – was this Peter Pan, tree house vibe. This feels like a treehouse, because you’re up, perched above [the dunes].”

The entire building has been clad in cedar, with macramé hanging planters dotted throughout, and swathes of rich brown mosaic tiles – not to mention the stunning, technicolour swirling rainbow that adorns the ceiling, painted by local artist Susan Respinger. It’s definitely tree house – but by way of ’70s house party and children’s picture-book. (Two million dollars was invested into the transformation, for those like us who are nosy.)

The groovy influence makes sense: Magic Apple Wholefoods was a ubiquitous name across Perth in the ’70s, beginning as a smoothie stall in the Freo Markets before expanding to stores in Barrack Street, Karrinyup, Subiaco, Claremont and even Marine Parade, Cottesloe.

“That ‘70s brand origin influenced the design, the branding, it influenced everything – so having that little bit of nostalgia provided us with a lot of influence.”

“We were building an alternative brand under a different name, built on my own experience of going to Magic Apple Wholefoods,” explains George. “Then I became aware that we were able to acquire everything and operate under that brand. So we went on a bit of a journey into the backstory of Magic, and discovered that their original menu was archived at the State Library.”

“Our version, though, it’s not the same – we’re championing everything that they were about and delivering it in a different guise… But there are a few little things that are throwbacks to what they had on the menu.”

The result is a contemporary vision of eating well, or as they put it: “Mindful Nourishment”.

(During this first phase, Magic Apple will be open seven days for breakfast and lunch – with dinner service launching mid-December.)

“The idea of the breakfast menu was built off my experiences travelling, particularly in Asian countries. Why are we having smashed avocado, bacon and eggs, smashed avocado, bacon and eggs…? Can we do more?”

“One of my favourite dishes is the teriyaki eggplant, with morning cabbage – which is a sweet steamed cabbage – scrambled eggs, nori crunch, miso mayonnaise, sesame dust, Magic lacto-pickle. The eggs are on top: you break the eggs, it drizzles over the rice on the bottom…”

Almost the whole menu is based around bowl-eating, often atop their signature Magic Rice: a blend of brown rice and tri colour seasoning that serves as a hearty base for other offerings like steamed miso King salmon, crispy tofu, lamb koftas or veggie fritters. While we’re fans of indulging, it’s a nourishing style of comfort eating that doesn’t come with the accompanying guilt, and there’s a grab-and-go range nestled within custom eucalyptus-green fridges for something lighter.

Magic’s Superfood Smoothies, meanwhile, have been designed for peak performance – targeting issues like gut health, inflammation and skin health via ingredients like sea buckthorn, bentonite clay, collagen peptides, mesquite and more: “Designing smoothies that are good for you, that do something. Tastes great, but also are beneficial to your body.”

“I think the wellness segment segueing into the hospitality space is going to be huge – and I think this is a restaurant built on wellness, in a sense. But there’s also chips on the menu, and dessert, and wine!”

Magic Apple Wholefoods is opening on Wednesday, October 30, and is located at 149
Marine Parade, Cottesloe.

All images: Sally Hall / Perth is OK!