There’s nothing particularly Asian about the interior of Leederville’s Will St – the latest venture of internationally-renowned celebrity chef and restaurateur Will Meyrick.
“We don’t need to shove Asian down people’s throats with the interior,” says Will, who is responsible for some of Bali’s best restaurants, including Mama San, Sarong and Hujan Locale.
“I have returned to Australia with my Indonesian family. My business partners are Indonesian. We wanted to open our restaurant here in a subtle way that embraces the coming together of the Australian and Indonesian communities.”
Designed by Paul Lim of Mata Design Studio, Will St is a timeless and elegant restaurant with warm natural and earthy tones enhanced by lighting from local specialists The Montauk Lighting Co. Suspended arrangements of branches and dried wildflowers from Western Australia’s Mid-West float above rustic tan upholstery seating, blackbutt flooring, and walls designed and crafted by Painted Earth. It’s a reflection of the Australian landscape.
With the food, however, diners are certainly getting their taste of Asia, reconnecting with Bali during a time when they haven’t been able to travel there. Packed with the flavours of Bali and other Asian countries, while also embracing local and indigenous ingredients, the food offering is a culmination of Will’s culinary journey so far.
“Will St is the combination of the expertise and knowledge I’ve gained through running restaurants in Asia over the last 20 years, plus a tribute to the people I’ve met and places I’ve travelled while exploring food culture throughout Asia and now here in Western Australia,” says Will.
Dishes on the menu act as a document of that journey. Like putting pen to plate, Will St aims to celebrate and tell the story of culture and place through the history, migration and evolution of food.
Diners journey from small plates including akoya oyster, smoked eel betel leaf, kelp aged kingfish, or grilled venison and pork fat Chiang Mai sausage, to larger dishes such as Muslim- style goat nihari and woku wood roasted marron curry. And of course, there’s Will’s signature main, char siew pork hock served with braised miso cabbage, Sichuan pickled cucumber, Davidson plum, hoisin and a side of Mandarin pancakes.
Along with a selection of Australian, New Zealand and European wines and boutique bottled beer, Will St has introduced its own range of gin and rice lager.
Will says designing and producing a range of beverages to go with food is a first for his restaurants but something he’s always wanted to do.
“Teaming up with Running with Thieves in South Fremantle to produce our own gin and lager allows greater control and means we’re also providing a more holistic offering for our guests.”
Poured on tap and suited to the menu’s spicier dishes, Will St Rice Lager is a silky-clean lager that offers a crisp, bitter finish, while the Will St gins work well with a tonic or as a base for the restaurant’s signature cocktails.
@willstreetperth