Muffins, melts and muffulettas! Highgate newcomer Preston’s Deli opens this weekend

There are plenty of things that get us excited about a new venue – whether it’s a particularly tasty sounding dish, a slick piece of branding, handy location or great collaborator… But when a venue combines all of the above? Well, that’s cause for more than a little bit of enthusiasm.

Taking over the Bulwer Street space previously home to non-alc bottleshop Tomorrow on Tap (gone but not forgotten), Preston’s Deli caught our eye back in June when we spied some vividly chartreuse posters going up on one of our strolls through Highgate.

But when we spotted the work of Sydney-based signage designers Domus Vim on our endless Instagram scrolls, our interest was piqued even further…

“That’s a little bit of Sydney that’s come to WA!” Preston’s Founder and Director James Dunster tells us when we stop by on a rainy spring afternoon. The hospitality veteran has officially returned west after a stint in Sydney working for hospo heavyweights including Neil Perry and Maurice Terzini. Prior to that, his Perth CV included sleek venues Shadow Wine Bar and Casa.

In partnership with James, Jimmy Marsden is the other key ingredient to the Preston’s recipe. Best friends for 23 years, Jimmy boasts a hands-on trade background (which has proven handy during the venues complete renovation). A shared dream concocted while exploring the furthest reaches of Perth suburbs in search of the perfect café, and getting to know plenty of hospo operators along the way.

“It’s been fun to have Jimmy out here doing all the construction,” adds James. “And now he’s getting behind the machine and swapping a hammer and a nail for a group handle and a grinder!”

In creating Preston’s, James and Jimmy have assembled a team of veritable cool cats: a gun team of creatives excelling in their respective fields. And with the exception of Domus Vim, they’re all Perth locals. Remington Matters, who lovingly handmade the custom furniture in their South Fremantle workshop; Gesture Systems, responsible for the brand identity; menu development by Monika Cook and Lily Rossen (of Rossen and Cook) and the all-important beans roasted by DoubleDouble Coffee.

The space also features commissioned pieces by local makers Duzi Objects, Jake Williamson Studio and Overtime Design.

So what does the (stylish, custom-made) menu actually feature? We know Preston’s is a sandwich shop – but they’ve remained tight-lipped on what sandwiches they’ll actually be slinging.

When it came time to come up with the menu, the pair asked themselves, “What do we like to eat?” As it turns out: muffins, melts and muffulettas!

Muffins are of the sausage-and-egg, breakfast kind rather (and very good – particularly when paired with the spicy tang of their signature “Preston’s sauce”) than small cake variety – although there’ll be plenty of sweets on offer as well.

On our visit, other sandwich offerings included a spectacularly tall fish finger number, with house-made fish fingers topped with a mountain of shredded lettuce and a caper-studded, piquant house tartare – not to mention an enticingly ooey-gooey mushroom melt. A curried egg and cucumber sandwich on pillowy, fluffy white bread manages to adeptly balance the line between old-school and new-wave.

“We’ll do lots of little nostalgic sweet treats: finger buns, filled bomboloni, potentially whole baked cakes – slice of carrot cake with your coffee. That diner style as well, which doesn’t really get done anymore, and if it does, it’s hard to find.”

But don’t get too attached – menu items will be tweaked, developed and changed as time goes on.

“Potentially as the months go on, we might do a little aperitivo – come 4 or 6PM, the tablecloths come out. We have friends in the wine industry that can do little ticketed events… There’s so much fun stuff we can do.”

It’s a kind of mish-mash of Euro influence, Australian nostalgia and American diner culture that rather precisely, satisfyingly taps into the zeitgeist – and neatly fits into its Highgate neighbourhood.

“My nonna and nonno came to Australia 70 years ago, and they bought one house and that was in Mount Lawley. My mum was born into that house and grew up there – it’s walking distance from here, so definitely this area of Mount Lawley, Highgate is very close to my heart. When I moved back to Perth it took us five months to find the location, purely because it needed to be around here!”

“We’re so close to Hyde Park, which is my favourite place in Perth, and in Australia. I find myself going there all the time. So dine in and enjoy this ambience and the interior, or being so close to Hyde Park – spring’s coming, grab your sandwich and off you go!”

Preston’s Deli is located at 223 Bulwer Street, Perth, and is scheduled to open on Saturday, October 12.

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All images: Sally Hall / Perth is OK!