Advertisement

Fashioning a new city guide

Three young friends are among a growing list of Perth entrepreneurs making the most of the city's blossoming culture with a new app to track down the latest and greatest in food, bars and fashion.

Jam Jar, due to launch on Tuesday with a party at a still-secret location, is an alternative to apps such as TripAdvisor and Urbanspoon, which rely on the public's reviews.

Instead, its inventors Ahmed Khalaf, 28, Rhodri Thomas, 26, and Dave Brown, 26, have put together a team of curators specialising in coffee, food and fashion.

"When you're out and about in a new city, you'll ask your foodie friend or a musician where the best gigs are on or where's the best place to eat," Thomas, a former bartender, told _AAA _.

"We hand-picked people we thought represented the best the city has to offer.

"It's basically hand-curated; we don't put just anything on there."

The free app will use real-time information such as the weather, time and the user's location to make suggestions.

"When you first sign in you give details about what you're interested in and then it gives you suggestions that are really contextually relevant to you," Thomas said.

"It's especially important in Perth because the open-roof bars and beach bars are nice during summer but if its cold and wintery we'll shoot you off somewhere downstairs like Varnish or cosy like Lalla Rookh."

Jam Jar's curators, known to the trio through university or networking events, are WA barista champion Charles Stewart, fashion blogger Jacqui Hunt, Food Loose walking tour operator Justin Blackford and food reviewer Magnus Newman.

The app was formerly a failed website called City Swagger but the 20-somethings admit they thought they knew too much, too soon, and launched without going out and asking people what they wanted.

The rejigged app is equal parts "we promise you'll find something new" city guide and promotion for Perth's creatives.

"There was an exploding small-bar scene but it was hard to find the littler venues that were popping up," Thomas said.

"We want to push the venues and creatives and bloggers in front of people because they really represent the city now."