Italo disco vibes, serious dough and memorable seafood on the jacaranda-lined streets of Applecross.
The crew behind Cotteloe’s Il Lido may focus on pizzas at the second coming of Canteen, but don’t skip the rest of the menu. Fremantle Octopus is impressively tender, matching the softness of the potatoes skewered along aside it. Or Shark Bay bugs, which sees just-set crustaceans slicked in a glossy umami broth of chicken stock, butter and local clams. It’s a sauce that demands to be swiped up with crusts of pizza, so much so it would benefit from a side of bread. Their eponymous slice boasts soft folds of porchetta scented with fennel seeds, and enough roasted meat to make it a star, not just a topping. Families make up a good portion of the diners, but it doesn’t mean it’s low-key: interiors see red leather stools, swish blondwood accents, latticed baffling and Venetian blinds come together to feel polished yet playful. The wine list nods to Italy as much as it does the home state, and is delivered with aplomb. Unpretentious, modern Italo-Aussie dining at its suburban best.
