West Perth can tend to be a place people pass through on their way to somewhere else. A pocket of banks and boardrooms between the city and the river, built for quick lunch meetings rather than long ones. There are some notable places for rolls, baked goods and certainly coffee. Stalwarts like Mayfair Lane have stood the test of time. Julio’s and Café Lucia are notable mentions.
There was a time, decades ago, when the suburb held its own in the developing narrative of Perth dining. Since then it has mostly been overlooked in favour of the CBD and the coastal strip.
CU29, which opened its doors in June, is a bet that the old order can return. Its owner, Alberto Tassone, has spent more than three decades in hospitality across Switzerland, Southeast Asia and Australia, and has built a menu that reads as international contemporary cuisine: global technique applied to Western Australian produce, served in a room with more polish than pretence. It is a restaurant fit for a neighbourhood that has not yet decided quite what it wants to be, though no doubt the influx of new buildings and tenants will help write that story, by a man who has watched cities work that question out before.
We sat down with Alberto to talk about kitchens, producers, and whether West Perth is finally ready to climb back up the ladder as a culinary hotspot.
Alberto, you started as a chef before moving into hotel management. What did those early kitchen years teach you that the boardroom never could?
My apprenticeship took place near Zurich, in a small, owner operated hotel. The owner was well known for his cuisine, and at the time we were cooking Asian food, Italian and traditional Swiss dishes across three restaurants with only one kitchen between them. It was busy and the space was tight. You needed good legs and a good brain to survive.
Switzerland, Thailand, the Philippines, then Perth in 1998. What made you stay?
I grew up in a small town near St Gallen with Italian parents. We were one of two foreign families in the town. I loved Switzerland, but I was not keen on skiing, allergic to milk and suffered hay fever every year. I completed my dues in the Swiss Army and had great jobs, but the real reason I went into hospitality was to see the world.
After time in France and England, Thailand was my first management position. It was a huge learning curve and I came to understand a level of service that was truly world class. I loved Thailand but made a conscious decision to leave to gain more experience. There were opportunities in China and Russia, but I was no longer drawn to cold weather, so I moved to the Philippines for the opening of a flagship hotel in Makati. Another new chapter, and more real life lessons. Both the Philippines and Thailand have some of the friendliest people I have met, but I never quite felt at home. I would always be a foreigner there.
By my mid-thirties I was looking for somewhere to call home. Two friends were planning a trip to Australia and I asked to join them.
My first stop was Perth, in April 1998. I still remember the sky. It was so blue, and everything seemed lit differently, somehow better. Perth felt like a small town then. I struggled to find a decent espresso and was underwhelmed by the food and service. But I saw opportunity everywhere, and the people were friendly, just in a different way. I was not interested in Melbourne or Sydney. I decided to make Perth home, migrated in October 1998, and never looked back.
You’ve said Perth diners are well travelled and want authenticity without intimidation. Where do you draw that line in practice, on the plate or in the room?
Perth people are spoiled with cuisines from all over the world, and most restaurant owners here are first generation Australians preparing genuinely authentic food. Compare that to a Chinese diner walking into a Chinese restaurant in Switzerland, who might not believe they were in one at all. A great range of authentic food is, to me, a sign that foreigners are welcome, not just as tourists, but to stay.
In five-star hotels across Asia and Europe, hospitality was tied up with servitude. People bow and nod and perform rituals to make you feel welcome. In Australia it is different. Everyone is a mate, and you can help yourself from the fridge. Australians show friendliness in a different way. Hospitality staff here are not servants, they are people who enjoy working with people. A smile from an Australian means they enjoy what they do. It is not performance.
When I opened my first restaurant in Perth, Millioncino, I served people the traditional way, and I could feel they were not comfortable with it. They wanted something more personal, but more casual. So at CU29, we are not stiff. We are professional and friendly, both on the plate and in the room.
Mottainai Lamb turns up more than once on the menu. How did you land on that producer specifically, and what makes their lamb worth building dishes around?
I have great respect for anyone trying something new, and when I heard about Wagyu lamb, I had to try it. At CU29 we are always trying to be different, focused on local produce and artisanal preparation. Lamb in Australia is already world class, so Wagyu lamb had to be something else again.
Our head chef, Sam, got hold of a few cuts from the owners of Mottainai Lamb and was able to build some remarkable dishes. The flavour in meat comes from the fat, and Wagyu carries more of it, marbled right through, which makes every bite more tender and more flavourful.
Kangaroo, G51 toothfish, Wagyu. There’s great range across the animal proteins here. Is there a producer relationship you’re proudest of, or one you’re still chasing?
We are still chasing. It is a never ending search for producers who want to work with us, whether their produce comes from the sea, the ground or the tree. We want to support local growers and fishers wherever we can. Farming, in any form, is hard work, and farmers deserve our support so we can keep enjoying having them around.
How much of the menu’s direction comes from what Western Australian producers are doing well right now, versus what you and Samuel set out to create first?
Aside from a few exotic spices, and fish, which feels like a temporary exception, most of our produce comes from around here. We had originally planned QR codes on the menu linking to farmers’ websites or Facebook pages, so people could see how far each ingredient had travelled. We are still learning, still working out what customers really want while staying true to our values. It will take a few more years to get right. What we hear from customers is that they like choice and variation. We try to stay a little ahead of the curve, while still listening to what people want.
Who is the West Perth clientele in 2026? Has that changed since you first started scouting this location?
At lunch, it’s executives from the businesses nearby, looking for something upmarket, with good food and a solid choice of wine and cocktails.
West Perth itself has not changed much since we bought the building, a former ANZ branch. It is not yet a destination for dining or after work drinks, but it has real potential to become the boutique pocket of the city it once was.
You’ve described CU29 as both a neighbourhood destination and a city dining experience. Which one wins on a Tuesday night, and which on a Saturday?
Tuesdays are still quiet. We have not fully won over the locals yet, though we are seeing more people from Shenton Park, Subiaco and the CBD. Saturdays are getting busy, with a younger, more diverse crowd. Lots of couples, and a lot of mixed couples too.
What does Perth’s dining scene still lack that you think about often?
Perth has some exceptional restaurants and bars, the kind that could hold their own in Paris, New York or Tokyo. We are becoming a destination for people who love to eat well. But a great dining scene needs great farmers, butchers and bakers behind it. Without them, all you have is franchised food. What this city still lacks is a great bakery, a great butcher and a proper fresh food market. Without those, you cannot really call yourself a culinary destination.
You, Samuel Ho and Steven Hartawan each bring different training. How do you argue, and how do you agree?
We do not argue, we inform each other. I give my team the same chances I was given when I was young, room to explore and try things. I listen to them, because they are the future, and they understand younger customers better than I do. I am just enjoying the ride.
If a guest could take one thing away from a night at CU29 besides the food, what would you want it to be?
A great conversation.