Majuba Bistro review: The Albany eatery channelling Must in its heyday, and a spectacular sandwich in Williams

The overnight voyage to Albany began with two trips through security after my travel partner noted my small cabin bag would likely be too large for the flying bus we thought we were soon to ride. Yet an announcement that our 8.40am flight would be delayed until the afternoon meant our conveyance was instead a wide-body Kia whose reverse alarm had the, er, alarming tendency to go off while the vehicle was moving forward. But the unexpected road trip was made entirely worthwhile by a pit stop at the Williams Woolshed, where one is unsurprised to find a very fine array of ugg boots. What is, however, quite the shock is that what might otherwise be dismissed as a quirky tourist trap contains a cafe serving the best Reuben sandwich I have had since the life-changing version at Eisenberg’s on Fifth Avenue in the shadow of Manhattan’s Flatiron Building. The Flock & Yarn’s version features bread, a beguiling English muffin/Turkish hybrid, piled with lashings of peppery pastrami and sauerkraut, melted Swiss and Russian dressing. The self-designated driver had a Philly Steak — an absolute hall-of-famer with smokey, fall-apart brisket. They are $16.50 each, and more than worth the drive. About 250km later, just when we thought our trip was not cursed, a bushfire emergency was unfolding as we drove into town. There was an actual black cloud hanging over Albany. It didn’t augur well. And yet, the fire was brought under control and the bad juju appeared to dissipate with the smoke. We checked into the still-new Hilton on the foreshore and were thrilled to find a very handsome hotel with spacious, slick rooms and extremely accommodating staff. And although I was gagging to get back to the lavish Liberte, we decided to try something new and booked a table at Majuba (evidently booking on a Wednesday is highly recommended as lots of places are closed). It had been an unusually hot day so the crowded restaurant was a little on the warm side but imagine getting upset about that. Our waiter also pronounced pinot grigio with a hard ‘g’ in the centre and frankly, we’ve never been more charmed. It was a crisp Puiattino, by the way, which was a not-horrific $54. Honestly, we were pooped, as Mum would say, after such a long day. And the meal was a blur of fabulousness: fat spears of local white asaparagus ($28) the colour of a full moon, steamed and served with proscuitto, finely-grated parmigiana and a luxe lemon butter sauce. Grilled octopus with romesco and pickled fennel ($30) was glorious, as was a wildly indulgent spaghettini with blue swimmer crab, baby tomatoes and garlic. The cheeky addition of a small amount of nduja dialled things up another notch. The cooking in this bistro, which is redolent of Must in its heyday, is carried out with care. The menu makes terrific use of the magical local ingredients from both land and sea, and the staff are just delightful. When we finally arrived at the airport the following day after a number of delayed departures, it was closed. If not for more mundane obligations back in Perth, we would have taken it as a sign to spend another day. The verdict: 17.5/20 An impromptu road trip to Albany that ended in a sublime bistro, via a truly wonderful woolshed sandwich, gets a combined score for feelgood feeds. Williams Woolshed 101 Albany Highway, Williams Contact williamswoolshed.com.au Open Daily 8am-4pm Majuba Bistro 132 York St, Albany Contact facebook.com/majuba.bistro Open Tuesday-Saturday, 5-9pm