Perth finally gets a view of the riverside transplant of a Bali favourite, Ku De Ta. Touted as the first international outpost, it could be the litmus test for more. And why not, the first Long Chim opened in Perth, before Sydney and Melbourne, and look how that worked out. The city on the Swan is a good test bed. As doors open this weekend expect big things with an 850 capacity bar and restaurant making the most of river views and dining overseen by executive chef Dan Fisher.

If the name is familiar there’s good reason. Fisher was the acclaimed head chef at Print Hall’s dining room, at the top of his game, but the downturn in fine dining saw him looking for the next challenge. Fisher is philosophical about what was at the time a blow. “There was a thought to just disappear and head into the wild” he jokes, “but I felt that Perth still had something to offer me. I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason”, and then came the offer to helm the Ku De Ta culinary offering.

Fisher first headed to Europe, South America and the States before reporting for duty. Recharging the batteries with time for culinary learning he spent time with acclaimed British forager Miles Irving. “I felt comfortable in my skills, but it was more to push me out of my comfort zone. I had basic knowledge but it was good to do something that wasn’t cooking. There they preserve a lot of stuff. I hadn’t played with that side of things as much and they cook a lot of foraged ingredients as well. It was very different from what we do. Most of what we forage here we use fresh or lightly cooked. They almost go to the opposite extreme. They do syrups and vinegars and fermented things.”

When we caught up with Fisher in the lead up to launch he told us “we have been using the time before opening to really get ahead. Foraging in this season before it disappears. Looking at how I can translate what I learnt.” Back in the west, Fisher and head chef Liam Atkinson, his former sous at Print Hall, have been hard at work, travelling to the Bali original and thinking about how to bring an Aussie twist to the Perth outpost.  “We hope to have taken the ethos of what we do out there and put our own spin on it. We’ve got different concepts for the restaurants. It’s an Aussie version, using the same mentality.”

With three dining and drinking spaces the Deck; is the spot riverside with 270-degree outlook and a breakfast menu from early morning, kicking through to late night drinking and dining with a modern Italian style. Think stone, micro-cement finishings, against soft leather seating and we’re told reclaimed wooden installations, taken from WA’s 129-year old Bunbury Jetty.

The West and Dining complete the dining trilogy, with The West facing its namesake, perfect for sunset. The order here is charcuterie, fresh seafood from an open bar, and of course sharing plates.  Dining, is the a la carte side of the operation, helmed by Atkinson. Fisher describes it as “a still more refined style, while drawing on the great ingredients we use in The West.”

Fisher isn’t complacent about opening such a large operation with such entrenched expectations. “When you’re in Bali and on holiday. You’re with family and on holiday. A different frame of mind to when you’ve finished work and having drinks in the middle of Perth. Expectations are definitely different.” The hard yards are in, but Fisher takes it in his stride. “It’s been hard; we’ve gone from being on holiday, working 9 to 5, to then 7 days and double every day. But it’s been really nice cooking again, putting ideas down on paper and seeing it all take shape.”