Nieuw Ruin, Fremantle WA
- Felix Marrow
- Sep 6
- 2 min read
Housed in a nearly 150-year-old cottage on Norfolk Street, Nieuw Ruin feels like the kind of place we’d happily spend our dotage. A cosy, nostalgic drinking hole that makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into someone’s gloriously curated living room. The sprawling verandah, communal tables, reclaimed jarrah and charcoal grills give it warmth without fuss, personality without pretension. What a delightful way to try pickle ourselves into an early grave.
Freo’s trademark service is laid back yet sharp, and is alive and well here. The team are genuinely stoked to be doing what they do and it shows. Our sommelier led us on a wine journey with just the right balance of cool confidence and genuine hospitality. There was enough knowledge to impress, but never so aloof we felt like dumbasses.
If wine were wallpaper, Nieuw Ruin has gone full feature wall. Thousands of bottles from small, independent producers line the shelves. There is literally everything from Swan Valley surprises to cult Italian naturals. It’s a wine lover’s fantasy, part cellar and part exhibition. We kicked off with a 2022 Testalonga Keep On Punching Chenin Blanc from South Africa, and honestly, there’s just something about South African Chenin that makes us awfully bloody happy. Whatever your fancy, they have it. Pet-nats, magnums, Radikon skins, you name it, it’s here.
Head Chef Blaze Young keeps things simple but clever, turning fresh, local produce into dishes both familiar and fresh. Best move? Hand over the decision making and let them feed you the $95 “trust us” menu. It is money very well spent. Expect a frequently changing menu with items like, pâté en croûte, gateau Marjolaine, single-serve gougères, marketfresh seafood and their cult status cauliflower cheese pie, which is well on its way to having its own Instagram account.
Nieuw Ruin isn’t a slick, white tablecloth dining room. It’s a neighbourly hangout with a very serious wine focus. Authentic Freo - relaxed, generous and communal, where you might end up chatting to strangers across the table, but never feel like you’ve wandered into something trying too hard.
Nieuw Ruin is at 12 Norfolk St, Fremantle WA
Open Weds & Thurs from 5pm, Friday - Sunday from 12pm.
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