“It’s all about coming together, sharing with friends and family.” Freo’s Cassia opens soon

When we read that Cassia, a new “Australian barbecue” restaurant would be opening in Freo, we’ll admit we were intrigued… What exactly is Australian barbecue? Snags on a Weber?

Our curiosity was piqued even further when we learnt the kitchen would have Emily Jones at its helm: coming from tenures at Si Paradiso, Republic of Fremantle, Wildflower, Rockpool as well as three Michelin-starred Maaemo (Oslo), we wondered how her delicate, thoughtful approach would translate to such a concept.

We headed down to Freo on a rather grey afternoon to get all the details ahead of Cassia’s imminent opening.

“It’s the spirit of Australian barbecue,” Emily explained as we perched on a step outside the restaurant – inside, the restaurant bustled with last-minute preparations ahead of their first friends and family preview that night.

“It’s all about sharing, we’re using all local produce. Everything’s been sourced in Australia, sourcing locally – whatever we can’t get in Western Australia, then we branch out. And we’ve got that really nice wood fire, so cooking on that as well.”

(Drinks take a similar approach, focusing on WA wines with botanical cocktails designed to pair with wood fired flavours.)

“But it’s all about coming together, sharing with friends and family.”

With that in mind, the menu has an approachable, inclusive approach while maintaining Emily’s elegant touch.

“I think it’s taking inspiration from everywhere. I was trained in a really French background, but also I think Australia has a really large Asian influence, so it’s all finding balance, taking a little bit from everywhere. Finding balance, like the way they do in Asian cuisine, but still a bit of butter in there! Nice jus, bone stocks, things like that.”

Fittingly for something barbecue-adjacent, proteins are centre stage – like the Stone Axe 9+ wagyu sirloin or mammoth 800g beef rib, cooked over that custom 1.2 metre-wide parrilla grill, or a decadently tender beef short rib with pickled nashi pear.

But in the spirit of shared meals, you’ll also find plenty of plant-based plates on offer – like a smoked beetroot carpaccio with rhubarb and black garlic, or a vegan schnitty, made with lion’s mane.

“When I’m creating dishes, I’m always trying to find a way to utilise anything that would go in the bin – so we’re using all the peels from all of our vegetables, smoking them over our fire, then turning them into a stock and reducing that and it’s essentially a vegan jus that we’re serving with our vegan schnitzel from the Mushroom Guys.”

“This is a little bit different from what I was doing before – before it was really focused on snacks and small bites, and this is very much more into the sharing side, so everything’s a bit bigger. But I still really like little cute things! I really like the little brioche I’ve made to go with the parfait… When I came here I was like ‘I really want to make this!’, and James was like ‘Do it!’”

(The James she’s referring to is James Wallis, Executive Chef of TICAA Group – whose stable of venues includes Cosy Del’s, Laika, The Little Bay and Lot One Kitchen.)

“We make the dough, it takes two days, we roll it out, we prove it, we bake it – it’s a lot of love going into it for this little tiny bread. But how nice is that, to get your own tiny bread on the table?”

Along with the parfait, other snacks include a plump ball of La Delizia Latticini burrata, served atop blood orange sprinkled with poppy seeds, Shark Bay tiger prawns with fermented chilli or beef tartare, served with smoked yolk and hand made chips.

“And we’ve made little chip packets! It’s for the tartare, but we’re making them in house as well. It’s a labour of love, like a three day process to make some chips to go with your tartare.”

These small-but-mighty, meticulous touches are key to the Emily Jones approach.

“I read this book called Unreasonable Hospitality, it’s about how to over-meet the guest expectations. I just think that’s the way it’s going: people are coming for an experience, they’re not just coming to eat food, like they can make food at home.”

“They’re coming for an experience, and we need to be hospitable for that and meet their expectations.”

“And I’m glad that we’re in Freo, because I know that the guests are going to receive it really well. The people here are so lovely, I think that the guests are more relaxed, they’re very happy – they’re there for a long time and a good time! It’s almost like going on holiday when you’re in Fremantle.”

But when it comes to guest expectations, it goes beyond the plate.

“I think people want to know where their food is coming from, it’s important to them – and they want to see the people in the back that are doing it as well. I think that the old stuffy angry guy in the back is just a thing of the past, it’s not OK any more: people want to know that everything is coming up good, a nice vibe, and everyone’s happy.”

“It’s all about collaboration, we’re a team – and a team isn’t just someone standing there barking orders, a team is everybody coming together.”

Cassia is opening soon, and will be located at 3/45 Henderson Street, Fremantle.

All images: Sally Hall / Perth is OK!