Sometimes it's just the simple things in life. Bread, wine, carpaccio and pasta. Il Lido you always do it so well.
EAT | CECCHI'S (Inglewood, WA)
Sicilian olives and chorizo polenta
Amuse bouche - a delicate gazpacho
Every now and then I stumble upon a stream of food photos that I forgot to blog about. One glimpse and they transport me back those plates and places rich with flavour. Cecchi's has long been a favourite. A welcoming family restaurant serving modern renditions of Italian classics. Whilst the menu has turned over, refreshed as the months roll on, you will still find yourself with the plate just as pretty.
You can tell that each ribbon of the papperdelle is made with love.
Burnt sage and pea ravioli
Pour over silky chocolate ganache and then bite into the oozey middle of these ricotta doughnuts.
EAT | THREECOINS (Inglewood, WA)
Threecoins is the literal translation of the family name Trequattrini and a new little joint that has opened on Beaufort Street down Inglewood way. A family affair founded on a common dream to bring home cooking, Trequattrini style, to the table.
Nothing delights me more than being heartily welcomed into la familia, with loud smiling voices and big bold gestures, and this is the vibe that echoes at Threecoins. Complete with red and white checkered tables and the fine flavours of regional Italian cuisine, I am chuffed to call this little trattoria my local.
Antipasto plank ~ arancini with polenta mash, farmhouse duck liver parfait on toasted ciabatta, eggplan parmigiana with pie top, prosciutto and cheese
Homemade marination in EVO, lemon zest, garlic and fresh herbs
Homemade ravioli with pumpkin and Taleggio filling tossed with butter, parmesan and sage, finished with pure white truffle oil
A family special ~ slow cooked lamb leg ragu with fettucini finished with shaved pecorino
Slow cooked beef cheeks, red wine gravy, grilled polenta and Italian coleslaw
Chicken cacciatora ~ free range chicken drumstick braised in white wine sauce, olives, capsicum served w/ traditional Umbrian focaccia
Threecoins Pannacotta ~ the perfect way to end an evening
Cecchi's
Being greeted like old friends is something that is lost of our age of dining. As you walk through the door Dino Cecchi welcomes you, shows you to your seat and whisks away with your bottle of wine. A moment later you are sipping on your vino already learning what chef has in store for the hours ahead.
It really is a family affair with son, Mark Cecchi, only 21 years young heading up the kitchen. Spending years in the family Italian restaurant, then exploring traditional cooking at its roots in Italy, he then went on to refine his skills under Scott O'Sullivan at Red Cabbage. It is these influences that shine in your experience at Cecchi's.
Hidden down the quieter end of Beaufort Street this warm and welcoming restaurant was the perfect spot for a long table dinner with a bunch of friends. With Mark creating our feast upon request, we just had to bring the wine, enjoy the seasonal offerings and leave smiling.
Amuse Bouche
Jerusalem artichoke soup
Fresh bread + olives
Entree
Lamb agnolotti, olive crumb, paremesan custard
Beetroot ravioli, goats cheese, asparagus
Main
Veal fillet, potato pav, chestnut, prosciutto crumb
Barramundi, saffron soffritto, prawn, fennel salad
Dessert
Pumpkin pannacotta, popcorn
Ricotta donuts, chocolate ganache, parfait
rustic Italian eats
Mangiare e felicita; eating is happiness. This is a belief that most certainly resonates with me and that La Svolta lives by. Tucked away on Cecil Place in Prahran this authentic Italian trattoria is warm and friendly serving up traditional fare from all corners of 'The Boot'.
This pizzeria is favoured by our friends at Totem Onelove and was the perfect haven for a Stereosonic team dinner. The wonderful thing about dining in such astute company is knowing that no one is shy to eat and the ordering of many dishes to share is encouraged. The table was laden with crispy calamari, tasting plates brimming with cuts of cured meats and cheese, pizzas, pastas, more pastas, risotto and sides drowned with generous offerings of wine. This is teaming building at its best.
With each bite of happiness you know in your heart that the recipe was created by a Nonna somewhere. You can imagine a child clutching at legs, every inch of the kitchen bench top floured, each piece of pasta lovingly shaped whilst a big pot of passata bubbles away on the stove. If only all Italian dining experiences, outside of the home, were this humble, delicious and true.
La Svolta
3-5 Cecil Place
Prahran VIC
Ph: 03 9510 3001
Ciao Italia
Hundreds of people line up every single weekend to get a table. It's the place you drive past and think I really must go there one day. YES YOU MUST. Ciao Italia is possibly the best Italian casual restaurant that Perth has to offer and far too many people know about it. It is full of life, laughter and loads of satisfied smiling customers. And with the lovely waitstaff and the checked tablecloths you cannot help but fall in love. We just grabbed takeaway to sit on the couch. Do yourself a favour and don't wait as long as I did.
Calabrese pizza ~ whole peeled tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, mild Italian sausage, onion, roast capsicum, fresh chopped tomato and chilli Rigatoni buongustaia ~ fresh mushrooms, onions, Italian sausage, peas tossed in a tomato cream based sauce