Two well-known Perth restaurants are headed for some big changes. Shenton Park’s Star Anise is on the lookout for new premises, while the owner of popular Turkish restaurant, Eminem, has sold the business.
Two well-known Perth restaurants are headed for some big changes.
Shenton Park’s Star Anise is on the lookout for new premises, while the owner of popular Turkish restaurant, Eminem, has sold the business to renowned French, chef Jean-Daniel Ichallalene
Star Anise chef-owner David Coomer has been forced to look for a new site for his fine food eatery after the sale of the building in which the restaurant is currently housed.
Mr Coomer has plenty of time up his sleeve to find an alternative location, however, with three years left to run on his lease.
But a rent review is imminent, which could prompt Mr Coomer to relocate sooner.
Mr Coomer said he had thought about buying the property, but a sale price around $2.2 million was much more than he could afford.
While Mr Coomer has not been informed of the new owner’s intentions for the site, he expects it will be redeveloped and that his lease is unlikely to be renewed.
Mr Coomer established Star Anise in 1998 and has built up a strong reputation and customer base.
Meanwhile, another long-running Perth restaurant is set to undergo significant change.
Ismail Tosun, affectionately known as Ish, has sold Eminem just two years after relocating the business from Leederville to Nedlands.
Jean-Daniel Ichalla-lene, the former owner of Jolly Frog Restaurant, has bought the business with his son and plans to reopen the venue as a French restaurant called Chez Pierre.
Mr Ichallalene is well-known in food circles, having established West Perth eatery Pierre’s in 1984 before selling it 1996 to establish the Jolly Frog near Mandurah.
He sold Jolly Frog about a year ago and said his decision to get back into the food game was made he said to help his son, Pierre, establish his own venue.
“We are going to assist my son; he will be the one doing the hard work,” Mr Ichallalene told WA Business News.
Pierre Ichallalene has more recently been gaining experience working in kitchens across France and Canada.
Mr Tosun plans to relocate to Turkey with his young family after working tirelessly renovating the old Happy Buddha Chinese Restaurant so he could relocate his business from much smaller premises in Leederville.
The move came after growing popularity meant Eminem was regularly booked out, often several weeks in advance.
The move to Nedlands more than doubled the size of the operation.
The renovation and the additional demands of running the enlarged business put significant pressure on Mr Tosun and his family.
Mr Tosun’s last day cooking up his fine Turkish cuisine is on September 15.
