“When you’re sitting across the road and looking at it, there’s something hell magical about this space,” says Jessica Blyth, a veteran Perth bar and restaurant manager. “It’s such a good spot and it’s got such a nice feeling.”

The space in question is a one-time bank building at the nexus of Hobart Street and Scarborough Beach Road in cosmopolitan Mount Hawthorn. Towering trees provide greenery and shade. A neighbouring yoga studio brings a wholesomeness to proceedings. Across the corner, drinkers at the Paddington Ale House are nursing pint glasses on the terrace and making the most of the sunshine. As Blyth suggests, there’s certainly something finger-clickety and upbeat about this address. Expect those good vibes to pick up considerably in October when the site opens as Sonny’s, a 60-person bar that will further underscore Mount Hawthorn’s growing reputation as a grape-lover’s happy place. (Hi Casa! Hi La Madonna Nera!)

Despite still being a building site, Sonny’s – the name comes from one of Blyth’s rescue greyhounds – already feels like a tantalising prospect, not least because Design Theory is the crew behind its bright, fresh-faced look. A sunken seating area lined with banquettes chimes with the space’s mid-century vibe. The glass staircase connecting the ground floor (the main bar area) to the upper level (the office area and future private dining room) is another focal point. We’re expecting the outdoor seats to be in hot demand.

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“We want Sonny’s to feel like a hub for the community and for everyone to come in and enjoy themselves,” says Blyth, who counts Apple Daily and No Mafia as former workplaces. “This idea has been on my mind for the past 12 years. When you go to Europe and you’re sitting on the streets of Paris smoking a dart and having a drink, you just feel like you’re part of something. That’s what we want to do here.”

To help her nail that neighbourhood wine bar brief, Blyth has assembled a team of like-minded folks she’s met throughout her hospo career, starting with venue manager Chloe Ross, who she worked with at Duende. The wine side of things is in the hands of Daisy Case, a young gun sommelier that worked with Blyth at The Royal and its 45-seat dining room Fleur. Between them, Case and Blyth have assembled a drinks list that highlights female producers, be it wines from Amber Ochota’s Ochota Barrels, or French biochemist Sophie Decobecq’s Calle 23 tequila.

“It [the wine list] is going to start quite small,” says Case. “We’re going to grow it as we get more of a gauge for the Mount Hawthorn palette, but there’s going to be a bit for everyone. We’re buying a lot of things direct from producers and supporting those people we want to support.”

The food side of things is the responsibility of Aaron Read, a Victorian chef who recently turned heads via a brief tenure at Billie H (where he and Blyth met) and his pop-ups at Hoodburger 848, where he fine-tuned his barbeque chops. That interest in playing with fire has carried over to his new gig, where grilling, smoking, coal-roasting and other woodfired cooking techniques are our man’s weapons of choice.

“It’s sort of simple, but also super complicated at the same time,” says Read. “Cooking over fire is a really good way to bring out the flavours of good ingredients. It gives you that extra flavour you can’t get from just chucking something in the oven.”

What can guests expect to see on the menu? According to Read, vegetables and seafood will be the cornerstones of his kitchen (Read: “Working with fire, those are kinds of things you can get some really interesting results from”), with early draft dishes including a grilled Japanese rice ball (inari) brushed with tare, the deep seasoned, soy-based sauce synonymous with yakitori; charred eggplant with kefir; clams grilled with sake; and flatbreads and oil flavoured with society garlic and native thyme. There’ll also be a lot of movement, with Read happy to be led by the produce coming from his farmers and suppliers, including Fins and Mushroom Guys, as well as his own stockpile of native and foraged ingredients.

Sonny’s Bar (126 Hobart St, Mount Hawthorn) opens on Wednesday October 12 and will trade Wednesday to Sunday.

sonnysbar.com.au