Perugino

When I first left uni I had visions of working in the CBD, walking up and down the terrace, it all sounded so glam. When I got my first job, post uni, it was inWest Perth…. I suppose a part of me was a little disappointed, but close to 6 years on I realise the error of my ways.West Perthis where it’s at. The hub of the resource boom, so much going on and it also prevents me from hitting the shops every lunch time. Instead you become accustomed to the few choice eateries of the suburb. There’s tapas, the occasional bar, a choice Indian restaurant and a few top of the line Italian places. The number one of these for me is Perugino. Possibly one of the first places I ever went on a work lunch and since then I’ve been hooked. A sublime three course business menu for the very reasonable price of $48.50.

Ahh Perugino – from the front it presents well. Always very well maintained and then inside – pretty as a picture!Clearly the best area to sit is in the lovely atrium area. All glassed in and lovely. Admittedly it does get a little warm in there in summer but on this perfect Autumn day, conditions were delightful!

The first thing to note with Perugino is their excellent service. It’s a family business and they are always super attentive and able to provide guidance as to their favourite dishes if you are looking to try something new.

With the business lunch you basically choose your entrée and mains from the menu and then select dessert from the trolley…. Ahh the trolley, I’ll wax lyrical about that more later on.

So we were bought some crusty Italian loaf and nibbled on that with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar as we made our all important lunch selections. I decided to stick with my favourite on this visit and ordered the Tortelloni Panna E Funghi – Hat shaped pasta filled with veal and chicken and tossed in a mushroom, prosciutto and cream sauce. Quite possibility my favourite pasta dish in Perth. The flavours are absolutely incredible, with a rich, creamy sauce and you can tell probably isn’t good for you but that’s easy to forget as the perfect parcels of pasta are melting in your mouth. Happy, happy sighs, I’ve never been disappointed with this choice.

Another popular option that day was the Crespelle Regina – A mixture of veal, chicken and mushroom rolled in a pancake and baked in the oven with bechamel sauce, which from all accounts was another delicious selection, albeit very filling.

Next up for mains, I was slightly disappointed to hear that the Veal dish wasn’t available, but it gave me an opportunity to sample something new on the menu and I was in the mood for duck, so I went with the Anatra in Porchetta– Domestic duck roasted in the oven with rosemary, bay leaf and garlic. With your mains you are also served some roasted vegetables which is a nice touch. The first thing that struck me about my meal was the generous serving…. Looked like a whole bird has been sliced and diced for my lunching pleasure! The meat was cooking perfectly and pulled easily off the bone. Coated in the tasty gravy it was a pleasant mouthful.

My other lunch guests all chose the special of the day which was an Ossobucco Con Vegetali E Pomodoro – Veal shank cutlets baked in the oven with vegetables and tomato, they were all impressed and again – big serves always a winner with the fellas so they were happy.

And then came dessert…. Would there be room left? But of course! One of the most lovely things about Perugino is that you can chose more than one thing to try off the dessert trolley. This is wonderful given that there are numerous choices that all sound amazing!

That day I went with some of their homemade tiramisu and a small slice of their jam tart. The rich coffee flavour of the tiramisu actually worked as a nice balance to the sweeter tart. So, so nice and just a precious old school indulgence to select sweets from a trolley.

So there we all sat, three courses later, felling close to bursting given the amount of food we’d all eaten. The perfect way to end the meal was with a coffee. These come served with a few Italian biscuits and chocolates, which again just adds to the specialness of a business lunch at Perugino.

If you are chasing a high quality Italian restaurant, then this place is definitely worth a visit. Polished service and delicious food made it right up there in my book. Now if I could just line up another work lunch to head back some time soon I’d be happy! 🙂