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Flying Monkeys Shisha Lounge
Flying Monkeys Restaurant & Shisha Lounge was located at 266 Walter Road West, Morley, in a building constructed during the late 1990s. The venue functioned as a restaurant, shisha lounge and late-night social venue, attracting a large evening crowd. It appears to have been operated through Platinum Nightlife Enterprises Pty Ltd, which also held a number of related business names including Fast Eddy's Morley, Fast Eddy's Shisha Lounge and several Big Lebanon businesses. The Flying Monkeys business name was ultimately cancelled on 24 November 2022.
Following the closure of Fast Eddys, the building was renovated in May 2018 and reopened as Flying Monkeys. It soon became one of several Middle Eastern-style restaurants and shisha venues operating in Perth's north-eastern suburbs.
The fire
In the early hours of 23 September 2020, a deliberately lit fire caused extensive damage to Flying Monkeys Restaurant & Shisha Lounge. Police alleged entry was gained through a side door before multiple fires were lit within the commercial kitchen. The fire spread into the roof space and throughout the building, causing extensive smoke and fire damage initially estimated at approximately $150,000. Later estimates placed the damage at around $1.75 million.
At the time, Arson Squad detectives publicly stated they believed the attack was targeted and directed at the owner rather than being a random act of vandalism. CCTV footage later released by police showed a man entering the premises shortly before 3am and deliberately setting fire to items inside before leaving the building.
September 2021
The investigation
Several weeks later, a 30-year-old man from Middle Swan was charged with criminal damage by fire, burglary and related offences.
The case took an unexpected turn in August 2022 when prosecutors alleged the former owner of Flying Monkeys, Kareem Hassan, had been involved in the arson, despite earlier reports describing the fire as a targeted attack against the business. Hassan subsequently appeared in court charged with offences relating to the fire and an alleged attempted fraud.
By November 2022, Kareem Hassan was involved with Up In Smoke, a shisha bar and restaurant located at Coventry Village in Morley.
Demolishing Flying Monkeys
Following the fire, the heavily damaged building remained vacant for several years. A Class 6 Full Demolition application for Flying Monkeys Restaurant was approved by the City of Bayswater on 30 November 2023 and the building was demolished during mid-2024.
Later controversies
In July 2020, more than $231,000 was fraudulently diverted into a bank account associated with Kareem Hassan and Platinum Homes. The money was intended for another company, however false banking details were allegedly supplied, resulting in the funds being transferred into a Platinum Homes account. Funds were subsequently transferred overseas, while more than $23,000 was paid into Hassan's personal account.
Hassan later admitted possession of property reasonably suspected of being stolen in relation to the incident. The court heard he had agreed to allow his account to be used for the transfer of funds and was to receive a commission for doing so. In September 2024, he received an 18-month suspended prison sentence and was ordered to repay $104,577.76.
Hassan's name also appeared in reporting surrounding the collapse of Perth builder Flexible Homes in 2023. Platinum Homes and Construction Pty Ltd was one of several builders whose registrations appeared on projects managed by Flexible Homes. Following the collapse, Hassan stated that Platinum Homes intended to complete five homes that had been managed through the arrangement.
In February 2024, the company operating Up In Smoke became one of the first businesses prosecuted under Western Australia's vaping crackdown after nicotine-containing products were allegedly identified during an inspection of the Morley store. Charges against directors Kareem Hassan and Hussein Awad were later withdrawn, while the company pleaded guilty to an offence relating to the intent to sell or supply a Schedule 4 poison and was fined $4,000.
December 2021
Fortuna Chinese Restaurant
Constructed around 1978 on a 623m² site at 64 Scarborough Beach Road, Scarborough, the site was most recently occupied by the Fortuna Chinese Restaurant. Although the Fortuna business name was first registered in November 2000, local recollections place the restaurant at the location as far back as the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The restaurant officially closed on 30 June 2024 after approximately 24 years operating under the Fortuna name. Historical records show the Fortuna Chinese Restaurant business name was also registered between 1981 and 1990, indicating it was already an established business by that time.
Over the years the restaurant developed a loyal customer base and became a well-known local landmark. Former patrons frequently described it as an iconic Scarborough restaurant and remembered its traditional décor, comfortable atmosphere and long-standing presence within the community. Online reviews and social media comments regularly praised the restaurant's Chinese cuisine and recalled family gatherings, celebrations and meals shared there over several decades.
The property appears to have remained under long-term private ownership and is listed as being owned by an individual associated with a number of other properties. Business records also indicate links to other restaurant operations, including the Ambassador Chinese Restaurant in Cannington and the Golden Mile Chinese Restaurant in Como.
July - October 2024
After learning the restaurant had closed, I photographed the exterior as part of what I refer to as my "placeholder" documentation. Whenever a site closes, particularly one with a long local history, I try to record it as it exists at that point in time. If the building remains vacant, I usually return several times a year to continue documenting any changes, usually from the outside.
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Unfortunately, it was not long before the building attracted unwanted attention. Rather than waiting for legitimate access, a group of teenagers broke into the vacant restaurant seemingly for no reason other than to be the first people inside and post evidence of their achievement on TikTok. Similar behaviour has become increasingly common, particularly among social media users seeking attention through videos of abandoned places.
The vast majority of people who document vacant, abandoned, renovated or soon-to-be-demolished buildings do so respectfully and without causing damage. The problem is the small minority who target vacant buildings for vandalism and social media attention.
I recently discovered the psychological explanation for this behaviour.
Compensatory Feral Dominance Syndrome is a poorly understood condition in which a person mistakes property damage for personal achievement. Common symptoms include smashed windows, spray-painted walls, kicked-in doors and the compulsive activation of fire hoses and fire extinguishers. Researchers believe sufferers experience a brief sensation of heroism despite being the only emergency present.
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The restaurant has since been completely renovated and is now home to Curry Pirates.
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