Unlucky for some, thirteen is a number that, for Cottesloe’s IL Lido, represents another milestone. Opening in 2007, IL Lido has been a reliable, inventive and ever popular Italian cuisine outpost on the West coast.
I was lucky enough to be there on opening day on a cool spring afternoon, sitting on a raised table in the window watching a waning sun.
We have eaten there dozens of times in those thirteen years and from memory have never had anything less than an outstanding meal.
Sure, there have been some dips in service quality and the wine list, but the food has been rock solid throughout.
And lunch on a breezy Saturday in early January was no different from the many previous visits over the decade. Sharp, attentive service, a superb menu\wine list and a relaxed, welcoming vibe all round. Just like 2007.
But if there is a difference, its the superb, fresh and Italian-centric menu. Swordfish, cannellini beans and kale $35, Potato gnocchi, roast tomato, basil and parmesan ($29), Pork and veal polpettes ($18) and a rocket salad ($10) made for a fabulous lunch for three.
The ever expanding wine list, more a small novel really, is full of surprises by the glass and the bottle.
Greco, Falanghina and other Italian and Sicilian varietals rub shoulders with edgy Australian and French numbers.
But for this lunch, service - with a packed restaurant - was surprisingly smooth and all the dishes arrived concurrently as requested.
A decade and a bit on, IL Lido is still the bomb. Go!
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