Light Years

For the design-orientated, a modern Asian diner that offers both style and substance.

Once home to the world’s most popular branch of Jamie’s Italian, this prime heritage-listed location is now an outpost of Light Years, the modern Asian diner that began life in Byron Bay before spreading across the east coast. Scale doesn’t dampen personality here, though; the 200-seat space divided by banquettes, booths, the bar and soft curtains, offering both intimate corners as well as areas for a rowdier group. The dining room is a masterclass in texture, with diffused lighting, rounded edges and the calming effect of deep pinky-terracotta tones. Your first question may be, ‘where do you get your tiles from?’ The wine selection holds enough interest from both East and West, while the vibe says bright, bold and beautiful cocktails. If you’re going a la carte and all out, think about a couple of fresh oysters to start; a basket (or two) of dumplings – sweet and bulging lobster playing nicely with ginger and shallot; or build-your-own-bao buns with pork belly, its perfect layer of gelatinous fat made for an accompanying chilli caramel. You could easily sate your appetite with small- to medium-sized dishes but don’t overlook bigger-ticket items – a luxe-rendang with wagyu beef, classic roasted duck with pancakes or a variation on that theme with cumin lamb skewers with punchy fermented chilli. Light Years may be born of Byron Bay but it’s built for Perth.