Drew Dawson has cooked at key establishments in London, Melbourne and Freo: for his next trick, he’s turned his attention to cosy community eatery, The Cool Room.
The argument: East Fremantle is, slowly but surely, emerging as a new food and drink precinct of note.
The proof: cosy Japanese eatery Hinata and its sunny owner Tomoe Echo continue to draw crowds from all over; Beaconsfield Wine Bar duo Matt Sharples and Lucy Jones proudly fly the flag for wine bar fun and excitement in the 6162; just as Lovers Deli & Canteen has inserted itself – and White Gum Valley – into local discussions about where to find great sandwiches out west.
This month, Holland Street’s Cool Room Cafe (re)enters the chat and adds further weight to the theory that some of WA’s most exciting cooking is found in suburbia.
Not that this bijou den of cement, baby blue tiling and quiet 70s cool is a stranger to feeding its community.
Under the stewardship of previous owners included as Peta Walter and Nico Dreyfus, this former butcher’s cool room – so that’s where the name comes from! – has wholeheartedly embraced the Freo spirit via mismatched furniture, a strong DIY ethic and even accepting trade and barter as payment methods.
Charlotte Beeton and Drew Dawson, the cafe’s new owners, are committed to maintaining the community focus of their predecessors but at the same time, also have well-formed thoughts about food that they’re looking forward to sharing with locals.
Thoughts such as the importance of provenance and buy from local businesses doing good things (hi Hunter Bread, hi Little Things Farms, hi Twin Peaks coffee roasters).
Or that locally grown fruit is one of the best things you can eat and perfect as-is, so it makes sense to have seasonal fruit plates on the menu along with rotating kombuchas bright with blood orange and green cardamom, say.
Or that despite accumulating a formidable CV – in London, Dawson spent time at World’s 50 Best Restaurants favourite Lyles and its wine bar and bakery offshoot Flor; found himself in the kitchen of Fitzroy’s Napier Quarter after arriving in Melbourne; and counts Nieuw Ruin and Peggy’s as former Freo ports-of-call – being a good business owner boils down to getting to know his customers.
“Last week and this week are predominantly about getting to know who our regulars are,” says Dawson who quietly opened last week after a breakneck three-day renovation of the space.
“They’ve been coming here for years so I don’t want to upset anyone and transition slowly into the space.
“The welcome from the community has been phenomenal and I’ve met some really nice people.
“They seem like they’re happy with the space and they’re happy with the new menu.”
It’s not hard to understand why. While the menu reads like Brunchtime’s Greatest Hits, attention to detail and an eye for good ingredients helps old favourites shine.
Airy, cloud-like Meredith sheep’s milk yoghurt helps accentuate the crunch and treacle sweetness of house granola. Order the toast and you’ll get two bits of bread – one is house-made soda bread, the other is a slice of Hunter Bread’s sourdough tin loaf – presented with whipped butter and house-made spreads. (Over the weekend it was a glorious tangelo marmalade and a blueberry jam cleverly doctored with warming black pepper.)
The potato rosti is studded with bits of smoked ham hock and served with a fried egg and HP sauce while the brekky plate – sourdough bun studded with sesame seeds, soft-boiled eggs, slices of hard Tilsit cheese, jam – is Dawson’s ode to the Nordic breakfasts he and Beeton enjoyed when visiting Copenhagen last year. Beeton, meanwhile, is responsible for the baked treats on the counter: a swell mandarin and polenta cake, say, or a dense, pliable chocolate and rye flour cookie.
This is wonderful, instantly recognisable (and likeable) stuff: precisely the sort of food that chimes with Freo’s penchant for rootsy, homespun comfort. (Having said that, a bap filled with bacon and plum and apple ketchup is also on-hand for less virtuous moments.) Equally pleasing is that this new era for The Cool Room is only beginning and Dawson and Beeton have big plans for their small space, not the least hosting some evening sessions of Dawson’s Italian-influenced Off Licence pop-up as well as inviting other roving kitchens and emerging chefs to take over the room.
The couple’s aim is simple: they want The Cool Room to stick around for a good time as well as a long time and they’re working slowly and surely towards that goal.
“We’re trying to fit into people’s normal routines,” says Dawson.
“We want to support them in what they do, day to day, and hopefully they support us. Everybody’s happy.”
Cool Room Cafe (2/114 Holland Street, Fremantle) is open from 8am-2pm, Thursday to Sunday
Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.
Max Veenhuyzen is a journalist and photographer who has been writing about food, drink and travel for national and international publications for more than 20 years. He reviews restaurants for the Good Food Guide.
