Nieuw Ruin

His latest venture, Nieuw Ruin, follows suit with the ethos of building a great team to provide a neighbourhood bar with a point of difference - the food here is given as much focus as the drinks, blurring the line between a bar and restaurant.

A restored 1880s-character cottage provides a welcoming old-world charm with custom-built communal tables throughout the bar and a large outside veranda, encouraging connection and sharing. Inside tables are surrounded by a selection of 300 odd, weird and wonderful wines that line the walls from a mix of local and international artisan producers.

"It can be a local which you can come and have a drink at or be someplace where you can come to eat something off the menu which you have never tried before," says Dimitri. "A big key for everything is relatability. Be relatable enough so that it's accessible. And that also goes with the style of service and price point."

It's an extensive wine collection with a wide range of rotating drops where Australia features heavily through bottles from Italy, Austria, France, Germany, and Hungry to help fill the shelves.

Bottles are sourced from boutique indie producers, often brought in limited quantities, so you'll find the rare and unique rotating on the list. Wines are listed by categories like (yet not limited to) Fizz, Mineral & Driven, Textured & Opulent, Young & Vivacious, Old World & Wise with many poured by the glass.

Whilst being wine-centric, the cocktail game at Nieuw Ruin is also strong. Bar manager Pippa Canavan (Mechanics Institute, Shadow Wine Bar) crafts a seasonally rotating drinks menu using native ingredients to mix fruity concoctions using small-batch spirits. A current summer favourite, Quandong Spritz features locally made South Beach Aperitivo (by the North Fremantle Distilling Company) with native quandongs, lemon, and topped up with bubbles.

Running the kitchen is Dimitri's long-time friend and cohort, Blaze Young (another Freo local), in her first head chef role, having honed her craft in the kitchens of Bivouac, Propeller, Billie H and Madalena's. Her focus is produce-driven with a modern take on classic bar food, rooted in nostalgia with the likes of Garfish Rollmops and salted Scott Reef monkfish Under A Fur Coat. The simple freshness of rock oysters served with mignonette and Fremantle octopus with blood orange, almond, and fresh basil show off their seafood fare. Sustainability is championed with lesser-known cuts of meat used for pig cheek bitterballen and devilled duck livers.

Since opening in July 2021, Nieuw Ruin has already been awarded accolades, including the industry voted WA Bar Awards with Blaze Young named Best Chef, Pippa Canavan taking out Bar Manager, and Nieuw Ruin winning Best New Bar in 2021. Dimitri Rtshiladze goal was to bring together a team of hospitality pros to make Nieuw Ruin "the" local place in Fremantle, and it seems the team, in a very short time, are well on their way.

Discover more of the best small bars in Fremantle here.

Photo credit: Nieuw Ruin