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There’s little wonder anticipation is building among Dalkeith’s well-heeled locals at the prospect of a new multimillion-dollar Mediterranean restaurant and bar opening in early August.
Dalkeith is, after all, a culinary wasteland. There’s a low-key restaurant, a couple of good coffee-and-cake joints and a café or two. That’s it.
Still a building site: the senior team at Dalkeith’s soon-to-open Isoletta, co-owner Murray McHenry, head chef Giles Bailey and restaurant manager Jeremy Cariss. Credit: Rob Broadfield
McHenry Hohnen wine producer and Steve’s Bar owner Murray McHenry and his business partner, billionaire businesswoman Megan Wynn, are weeks away from swinging open the doors at the luxurious Isoletta restaurant.
The 120-seat restaurant – plus room for another 40 in the bar – has had $2 million spent on its fitout. The cutlery and crockery are all imported.
“Glassware, chandeliers, wallpaper, furniture and the Ferrari of pizza ovens have been sourced or custom-made in Europe, China and Japan and have taken a year to accumulate,” McHenry said.
“We bought The Local restaurant a few years ago, but it was too small to make a serious business out of it.
“We turned it into a pizza and pasta restaurant, just to keep it ticking over, and waited until we could do a deal with one of the other tenants and free up the shop next door for Isoletta.”
Wynn and McHenry commissioned Sydney interiors guru Thomas Hamel to create a casual interior scheme with bling – lots of bling.
“It will look posh, but we’re not doing silver service. Isoletta is not fine dining, however it will cook fine food. It’s aimed at locals and families,” McHenry said.
“This neck of the woods is crying out for a venue like this. We expect we’ll get a good following.”
Finding staff might well prove to be the restaurant’s greatest challenge. Despite the ongoing systemic shortages of talented hospitality staff, McHenry was confident.
“We’re confident we can attract the right people, despite the ongoing difficulties across the industry in attracting hospitality staff. Our kitchen staff are ready now, although we’re still recruiting,” he said.
It’s a brave hospo operator who would bank their business plan on Dalkeith’s notoriously miserly locals. But McHenry says they’ve got the offer right and he has a great team in place to drive it.
The kitchen team will be led by long-time McHenry hire Giles Bailey, who has been running The Local for nearly four years.
McHenry said Bailey was a great chef but “because of COVID we haven’t been able to exploit his talents properly”.
“The food will centre around the produce, locally grown food, best cuts of meat, locally ground flours for our pizzas, that sort of thing,” Bailey said.
“We’re not going to trick up the food too much, it’ll be simple and well cooked. It will have an Italian driving force, but we’re cooking high-end dishes from all over.”
Expect pearl meat ceviche, vongole, local burrata, Geraldton crayfish, house-made gnocchi and crab and chilli pasta.
“Share plates will be a big part of what we do. We want to encourage family style dining where dishes go in the centre of the table and guests can celebrate together,” Bailey said.
The restaurant’s “Ferrari” of pizza ovens is a custom build from Italian oven producer Marana. It will pump out up to 20 different varieties of pizza from the restaurant’s extensive menu.
An artist’s impression of new bar Isoletta, to open in Dalkeith in August.
Restaurant manager and front-of-house boss will be Jeremy Carris, a popular, career hospitality identity in WA, who had previously owned and operated Bistro Felix in Subiaco.
“It’s the kind of venue that suits you whether you’re after a coffee, an afternoon drink or two or a long lunch,” Carris said.
“I think people should be excited about the great food and atmosphere. Sure you’ll be sitting on a $500 bar chair, but Isoletta is not exclusionary or super posh. We’ll welcome everybody.
“It’s a sanctuary for celebration, sophistication and good times.
“The wine program will be driven by Steve’s Hotel’s wine cellar … in fact we’ve raided their cellars to ensure we kick off with a magnificent wine list.
“Isoletta will be a wine drinker’s destination with titles from some of the finest producers in the world.”
McHenry said they had been putting wines aside for about two years to build a list of depth and breadth for Isoletta.
Isoletta is expected to open its doors on August 7. Check online before you go.
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