IT may have an annoying Gen Z name – FOMO (Fear of missing out) – but the new dining/retail precinct in Walyalup Koort (redeveloped Kings Square) has a lot of casual eateries to try.

Inspired by the hawkers markets of south-east Asia, FOMO’s ‘Food Alley’ had its grand opening last weekend.

The range of eateries is, as you would expect, Asian-heavy, but there are some western options in there including a burger bar, sports bar, cookie shop, and even a health food emporium.

Eda Izakaya is a family-friendly Japanese restaurant which specialises in Japanese tapas/bar food (izakaya) so there are lots of dishes to share including sashimi, aburi, kushiyaki, meat and seafood. 

There was also a dedicated lunch menu with mini donburi. The tiger prawn with fermented chilli miso butter looked particularly inviting.

If you want to watch the Ashes with a few pints with your mates, Varsity might be more up your street. The American ‘frat-style’ sports bar has a calorie-busting menu that is an ode to heart disease with burgers, loaded fries, chicken wings and pizza. Perfect for soaking up all that alcohol as Rory Burns goes for a golden duck.

Since opening their first venue in Nedlands in 2013, the owners have enjoyed success and expanded with another six venues, so the Varsity formula is popular and clearly works.

Moving back to the Far East, Yin Yang Wok and Soup Bar has got you covered for kway teow, spicy laksa and good value Chinese hot boxes.

I’m a bit of a ramen junkie, so I will definitely be checking out Komatsu, which claims to be the best noodle shop in WA, and also serves takoyaki, fried chicken and udon noodles.

Another Asian offering is Lo Kong Kee Hong Kong BBQ, which is renowned for its crispy pork belly. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, the monster cookies made-from-scratch at Get Chunky could be a good bet. You chose a cookie variety, then an ice cream flavour and three toppings. There’s also raw edible cookie dough (we’ll start the diet after summer).

Roll’d is a familiar franchise, speculating in Vietnamese street food, while Chez Suteki is another solid option for Asian tucker.

The award for the best name goes to Mumbai Rocks, which specialises in Indian cuisine.

Smash Grill does what it says on the tin – simple American burgers made from locally-sourced beef and ground fresh in-house.

Their chicken burgers are marinated in butter milk, hand battered and made-to-order.  Mmm…

You can’t beat sushi in the summer months, so Tokaido Sushi is a great option with a nice range of nigiri. Korean food has grown in popularity in recent years, so it’s no surprise FOMO has The Little Soul, serving traditional Korean BBQ as well as soups and specialty dishes. It also has lunch specials.

The Indonesian eatery Suku was popular at the Fremantle markets and has now relocated to FOMO.

Hopefully FOMO will energise the moribund city centre on weeknights and provide a food hub at that end of town, which historically was a culinary no-man’s land after 5pm.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK