One of Margaret River’s most accomplished chefs adds a second Dunsborough address

Aaron Carr knows the South West dining landscape better than most. Over the past three decades, he’s had front-row seats to the scene’s steady evolution.

After completing his apprenticeship in Perth, Carr went south in 1990 and began working at Wildwood in Yallingup (now Swings & Roundabouts). Next came a career-defining stint with Vasse Felix, which announced Carr’s arrival on the national cooking stage.

After 21 years at the pioneering Margaret River winery, Carr then linked up with the Snake & Herring crew to open Dunsborough’s Yarri, a combined wine bar, restaurant and cellar door that, nine years into its journey, feels as assured as ever.

Come December, Carr will add a second Dunsborough address to his name when he opens an all-day modern Italian restaurant and wine bar on the township’s lively Dunn Bay Road thoroughfare.

Although the venue is, for now, unnamed, Carr has a good idea of what he wants it to be: approachable, straightforward and versatile. In his mind, venue number two will trade from breakfast ’til late and is somewhere that you can get dressed up for or drop in straight off the beach for a plate of salumi in the afternoon.

“People always say it, but it’s really about getting the best produce and serving it in a way that’s approachable for everyone,” he says.

Which is Carr’s way of saying guests in the 80-seat restaurant can expect hand-made pastas alongside half roast chickens, porchetta and other Italian classics cooked on a wood grill. While the kitchen will play a straighter bat than Carr does at Yarri, the plan is to use similar produce and producers.

The wine bar – a 40-seat counter in the middle of the restaurant – will reimagine western European wine culture through a southwest lens. Local interpretations of Italian varieties will be a focal point and guests can expect light-bodied reds, crunchy sangiovese and fiano, alongside local signatures and tap beers.

The venue will be part of South West House, a three-storey, 54-room hotel being built by Belingbak, the developers who recently rebooted The Denmark Hotel.

The vision for the property is, to quote the website, a “relaxed, barefoot Australian style of luxury”, and interior designer Elaine McElroy (State Buildings, Alex Hotel, Leederville Hotel) and Fremantle architects Studio Derickx have responded with a streamlined, modernist building rich in concrete, timber, stone and floor-to-ceiling glass: all the better to see the surrounding native bush, my dears.

While the venue has the needs of in-house guests front and centre, Carr is quick to stress that the space isn’t just limited to those staying at the hotel.

“There will be a lot of hotel guests in there, but we don’t want the space to feel like it’s part of the hotel,” says Carr.

“It’s not exclusive by any means and will be open to the public every day. It’s for the town. It’s for locals. It’s for everyone to use.”

South West House (17-21 Dunn Bay Road, Dunsborough) is scheduled to open by December.