Local Good Friends - Meet Yarri Restaurant & Bar
BACK TO FUN STUFFLocal Good Friends is a series where we explore our community’s stories, places and spaces.
Yarri Restaurant and Bar is located in the heart of Dunsborough and the brainchild of Head Chef Aaron Carr & wine purveyors Snake & Herring. Yarri’s mission is to honour nature, seasonality and our region – the people, produce and place. Their menu highlights some of the best West Australian grown ingredients, producers, and handcrafted drinks. It is a favourite place for both locals and those from afar, for some downtime of the delicious kind.
Eagle Bay has proudly poured beers at this local establishment since the day they opened six years ago. We caught up with Aaron to take a peek behind the scenes and get to know Yarri a little bit more.
Where did the concept of Yarri originate from?
“Yarri’s concept is always a question we get asked. It’s hard. The Yarri is the indigenous name for the eucalyptus tree that’s found along all these creek beds in Western Australia and it’s indigenous to Western Australia. So the Yarri represents localism, it’s natural. It came quite easy.”
“There was a huge Yarri tree on this property, and it was made into furniture for our restaurant. We tossed around venue names, and when you’re starting a new business and a new venture, you have lots of names that you throw around. Then Yarri just came and it just felt right from the first time we spoke about it. It has meaning, it reflects who we are and what we do, and it reflects Western Australia.”
Yarri gather, prep and cook as much as possible onsite, which is obvious from the moment you step into the kitchen.
“We do everything here. We cook, we serve amazing wine, and fantastic beers. We only serve West Australian produce. We grow our own produce – as much as we can, and we pride ourselves on being a uniquely West Australian-focused restaurant. What you see is what you get. The kitchen’s open, everyone can see everything. There’s no smoke and mirrors. We say what we do, and when we focus on that, we keep it really simple.”
When asked what Aaron enjoys most about working with Eagle Bay, the answer is immediate.
“I love working with Eagle Bay because they’re authentic. The beers are always amazing and consistent. In a restaurant environment, where we are serving food and beer and wine, consistency is super important for our customers. I think people walk in the door and they see the Eagle Bay emblem on the taps, and they know what they’re in for. They know what they’re going to get. It’s always quality beers, and that’s really important when running a restaurant.”
Visit Yarri Restaurant and Bar.