An all-day deli and lunch spot that’s a true taste of Italy.
At the base of Cottesloe’s Napoleon Street, there are a myriad of ways to experience this Italian pantry dream-cum-diner. Enter through the botanically adorned arched door and browse timber shelves stocked with Italian essentials: rich olive oils, tins of anchovies, plump San Marzano tomatoes, and bags of artisanal flour. At the back, catch a glimpse of Paul ‘Sal’ Salmeri (ex-River Café, London) alongside his team, handmaking an array of fresh pastas, from orecchiette to spaghetti, all available to take home.
For a quick bite, order a slice of freshly baked focaccia or indulge in a rotating selection of pinsas – like eggplant and pesto or porchetta with provolone and salsa verde, showered with Parmigiano and a drizzle of olive oil. Or, do as the Italians do and make lunch the day’s main affair. Sit outside the white brick façade in the salty Cottesloe breeze and linger over a menu that reads like an ode to the beautiful simplicity of the Italian kitchen. It’s a small but considered offering with dishes like zesty, light spaghetti al limone and the sweet yet fiery crab linguine with ’nduja. But it’s the spirals of rotolo – crispy-edged, filled with spinach-flecked ricotta and bathed in a golden butter and sage – that shine through. Round it out with a slice of Sal’s decadent chocolate torta and an espresso. This is living.
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