Miles Hull is coming home.
Home to the big warm, embracing hug of Subiaco, the place where he spent much of his youth hanging out at the Subi Hotel, the Oriel and Funtastico.
After blazing a trail through Perth’s hospitality scene over the past two decades with landmark venues such as Little Creatures, Harvest Restaurant, Alex Hotel, Quarter Acre, Jetty Bar, RuinBar and Pretty Good Pizza, he’s finally doing what locals have been urging him to do for years.
He’s coming to Subi, where Subiaco Continental, his new European-style tavern-cum-bistro, on the ground-level corner of ONE Subiaco, opens in 2023. The 300-seater will occupy the site where Hull used to pester his mum and dad for an ice cream at the Pavillion Markets.
He’s already receiving welcome hugs from residents who have followed his career since he graduated from Swiss Hospitality school and scored a job at Balthazar before travelling to Canada and working in a brewery, sharing a house with good mate Clint Nolan of La Condesa in Subiaco.
With so many gigs to Hull’s credit – including catering for the Sydney Olympics in 2000 – he knows a bit about what punters want. Fine, white tablecloth dining? Casual shared plates? A cold lager with dude food? Hull’s confident enough to deliver the goods while tap dancing and whistling La Marsellaise. But it won’t be fine dining.
“I have a very strong connection to Subi,” says Hull, managing director of Dark Horse, the hospitality group behind his five current venues.
“Mum and Dad lived in Hamersley Road, and I used to live in Forrest Street right behind where the Village Bar is now. The Oriel and the Subi were great places serving great food and wine at all hours of the day.”
Though European-inspired, Subiaco Continental will reflect the West Australian lifestyle, with a light bright and breezy interior using Donnybrook sandstone – all designed by Kate Archibald.
“We need to celebrate our beautiful weather,” he says. “There will be a big alfresco area on Roberts Road and Rokeby Road and also a private dining room with a wall of local wines.”
Marcello Segolina, who is currently at Jetty Bar, will bang away in the open kitchen serving modern European dishes, with some shared plates.
“Subiaco Continental will be the place to go for all sorts of reasons,” says Hull. “After the shows at the Regal Theatre, after work drinks, brunch, a glass of wine, a snack. It will be open seven days a week.”
True to the Hull form, he’s working on a broad front, spending as much time on-site as possible. But he’s also rushing between Subiaco and the south west where he is also about to open Southcamp, a microbrewery with a pub, beer garden, cafe and 18 cabins facing onto the creek.
And that should surprise no one familiar with his work. And, yes, ice cream will be on the menu.
Stay tuned for updates on Subiaco Continental.
