Melissa Palinkas and Amy Hamilton – chef-patrons of Young George in East Fremantle and Liberte in Albany respectively – are two cooks who know flavour.
So expect big things when the duo (re)unite for Dim Sum Den on Thursday, September 18: the latest event in Young George’s 10th birthday celebrations.
Just as they did in November 2017, Palinkas and Hamilton are joining forces to serve a four-course shared feast featuring plenty of noodle and dumpling action. Tickets are $85 and available online.
The story of us, as told through food
What can food tell us about who we are as West Australians? That’s the question sitting at the heart of A Recipe For Life, a new State Library of Western Australia exhibition running from September to March.
Featuring archival photos, menus and oral histories from key food figures, the exhibition aims to tell the complex, multifaceted story of WA through the medium of food.
While the exhibition officially opens on Saturday, September 20, the library is hosting a launch party on Friday, September 19, featuring a panel discussion with some of the key people involved in the project, plus snacks and a preview of the exhibition. Tickets are free but registration is required.
Freo’s West End gets a new Italian-style coffee bar
It’s impossible to imagine Freo’s West End without Strange Company, Greg Leaver’s cheery neighbourhood bar set in a former wetsuit factory.
The introduction of a dedicated coffee offering means the Nairn Street stalwart looks set to play an even bigger role in locals’ daily lives.
Meet Il Brutto, a coffee bar that operates in the morning when Strange Company would, traditionally, lie dormant.
Styled on the buzzy, fast-paced cafes of Italy, Il Brutto’s menu is limited to a trio of Italian-style coffees – nero, bianco and filtro (black, white or filter) – served alongside cornetti (breakfast pastries).
“Il Brutto’s superpower is table service, still-or-sparkling and a big slurp of Italian hip-hop,” says owner Sergio Guazelli, formerly of West End cafe Blink Coffee.
Bonus: daylight really lets you admire the building’s brutalist charm and design features. Take a bow, Michael Patroni, and the rest of the Space Agency crew.
Il Brutto is open Monday to Friday from 7am to 11.30am.
Side Piece, a new deli from the Daisies Cottesloe crew, comes to Swanbourne
Once home to Choux Patisserie and Whisked The Right Wei, a century-old Shenton Road shopfront in Swanbourne was rebooted on Monday as Side Piece Deli, a new deli and bakery from the team behind Daisies Cottesloe and The Other Side dealing in coffee, pastries, coffee and other brunch staples.
Asia is a recurring motif, from the offer of fish katsu sandwiches and butter chicken pies to being able to add a side of onion bhajis to your order of avo toast or slow-cooked eggs.
Side Piece is at 93 Shenton Road, Swanbourne and open daily.
A jazz festival by the beach
This weekend sees the return of JazzConnect, a three-day beachside jazz festival set against the coastal beauty of Scarborough Beach.
Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.
Max Veenhuyzen is a journalist and photographer who has been writing about food, drink and travel for national and international publications for more than 20 years. He reviews restaurants for the Good Food Guide.
