Featuring: Mama San, Nieuw Ruin, Jetty Bar Fremantle…

AROUND 10 years ago, I was invited to Bali to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday and, like most parties abroad, the five-day itinerary included a special dinner at the hottest seat in town – Sarong.
Being the kind of person who prefers to eat off-grid when traipsing through Asia, I went along, secretly wishing I could stay in my bathers, sit by the beach (on a plastic chair) and eat what the local wurrung was dishing up that day.
But boy, I’m glad I stuck with the program.
No disrespect to my favourite beach hut, but Sarong was on-par with what I can only describe as an entirely spiritual experience – and to this day, I still marvel at the banquet we devoured on that fragrantly balmy eve (not to mention the next-level cocktails).
So, you can imagine my delight, when I heard Will Meyrick, the mastermind behind Sarong, and the equally adored, Mama San (which has since reopened in Bali) had relocated to Perth with his family to launch his new venture, Will St – a 120-seat wine bar and restaurant celebrating his extensive travels and scrap-book entries filed with recipe-scribes from the outermost corners of Asia; from the migratory food culture of the northern hill tribes of Nagaland in India, and those along the spice routes of Northern Africa; to the recipes handed down through the generations that are shared at family dinner tables across Asia – and not to mention Meyrick’s 20-year tenure living in Indonesia.
Just shy of opening in late September, Will St is thrumming with enthusiasm from Perth locals, particularly those who are not only yearning to revisit Bali, but Meyrick’s indelible cuisine.
The menu is an exotic foray of small plates and shared dishes that nod to indigenous Australian ingredients but honour the enormous flavour spectrum of Asia’s heritage and cuisine. Meyrick says tribal food – its provenance and its cultural significance – underscores the menu’s direction and flavour. Try the local Asian cured meats and fermented sausage, burrata naan bread and cultured cheeses alongside similar styles made locally in WA.
As expected, cocktails (many infused with native botanicals or spicy eastern notes), share the limelight here, along with locally made rice beer, and carefully paired wines (choose from a 100-strong wine list) that complement the spicier dishes on the menu.
The venue features banquette seating, a sprawling bar and open kitchen, split between a dining room and a no-reservations bar for walk-ins. Meyrick intentionally chose a warm and rustic interior to celebrate the Australian landscape via pops of sunset orange, thick sandstone walls, Blackbutt timber flooring and dried wildflowers suspended from the ceiling.
Will St, 228 Carr Place, Leederville. Open Wednesday to Sunday.
A little further north along Oxford Street is the keenly anticipated wine bar, bottle shop, café and bistro all rolled into one – Casa.

Backed by the savvy smarts of Alex Cuccovia (El Publico, Ace Pizza, Late Night Valentine), Si Paradiso chef Paul Bentley (a Perth local who moved back from Sydney last year), and Sydney-based chef, Enrico Tomelleri (Fratelli Paradiso and 10 William Street), Casa is intended to be an all-day neighbourhood café and bar, inspired by the charming and convivial haunts that characterise the streets and laneways of Europe.
Comfy aesthetics and lived-in simplicity are the intended vibes here, and with a penchant for organic and biodynamic wines, expect to find a stellar selection of familiar and lesser-known varieties – also on tap, and all stored across nine wine fridges – kept at four temperatures, according to wine style.
A little bit of Mexican, French and Italian define the menu at Casa. Terrine and pâté en croute, half roast chicken with mole sauce, burnt lemon and frites, or spaghetti alla chitarra with uni butter, get our vote.
Settle in with a “clean and pure” Sam Vinciullo Sauvignon Blanc from Margaret River, an electric Guttarolo Rosato from Puglia, to rare Alice & Olivier De Moor Chablis, and almost extinct grape varietals from Partida Creus in Catalunya.
Big respect to the sound provenance here. The speakers are vintage Tannoy studio monitors which are powered by an old Yamaha amp previously owned by musician, sound engineer and owner of Sydney’s legendary Paradise Recording Studio – Billy Field.
Field recorded albums by the likes of Cold Chisel, INXS, Icehouse and The Divinyls at his studio using Casa’s now resident amp.
Casa, 399 Oxford Street, Mount Hawthorn. Email bookings only: relax@casa-casa-casa.com. Open Tuesday to Thursday, 4pm til late; Friday to Sunday, 12pm til late. Opening for breakfast by end of 2021.
Also check-out Nieuw Ruin, a wine-centric wine bar featuring an eclectic list of around 300+ entries, bespoke cocktails and a diverse menu of relaxed snacks and heartier dishes that honour ‘sustainably-sourced’ and ‘hyper-local’ produce; also visit Jetty Bar Fremantle, super-casual, riverside dining offering a seasonally curated menu of around 15 flavour-packed bites, toe-tapping tunes and sunny, upbeat staff (no bookings/walk-ins only). Nieuw Ruin, 12 Norfolk Street Fremantle. Email: admin@nruin.com. Open Wednesday to Sunday, midday – late. Jetty Bar, Fremantle, 126 Beach Street East Fremantle.