Perth -all of Western Australia, for that matter- fancies it is shedding its backwater yokel image due, in part, to its ability to attract big name chefs and top end restauranteurs to our shores over the last few years. Why, the local restaurant reviewer is a bit of a celebrity himself. For the common man, names like Nobu or Neil Perry aren't exciting any electrons. Who has $200 for a (well-aged) steak at Rockpool? And then, Jamie Oliver moved into town.
You know Jamie. The not-so-naked Naked Chef. The affable Brit with a lisp who cooks two-hour meals in 30 minutes on TV and insists you can have the same result in your home kitchen also. Jamie opened an Italian restaurant right in the heart of downtown Perth. Only 15 bucks for a pasta dish, no reservations taken and lines that wind around the block. Finished with work very early today, I urged Kev to meet me at Jamie's while the front of the line could be seen without binoculars.
Warehouse chic is the decor style here and it works for us. A guy making pasta at a machine right near the front door says "fresh food here." The bakery loaves of bread waiting to be sliced just off the aisle have you drooling. Totally forgetting that money is not currently growing on our trees, we order what our hearts dictate instead of what budget suggests. Kev has a dark beer and a rabbit & pasta dish. I order a bellini (champagne and peach juice, yummmy) and truffled turkey. Are we mad? Maybe, but definitely gobsmacked to find that Jamie includes FREE bread with meals. Apparently no one told him that Australian restaurants never give away bread. It is an unwritten rule that you must charge $5 for four pieces of Wonderbread for anyone foolish enough to ask for it. We ate and shared bites with great gusto.
Kev's part of my turkey was not faultless. Part of his turkey was absolutely raw. How?! Everything else was cooked so how did this silver dollar sized bit escape the flames? Guessing how this happened kept us amused for the rest of lunch. The chef and the manager didn't have a clue either. As a conciliatory gesture, the manager refused to charge for the turkey and made my Bellini complementary. I protested over this extravagant gesture but was outvoted 2-1. This very expensive lunch had rather instantly become affordable. It would have been worth it at full price. We enjoyed our meals. We enjoyed rubbernecking to see everyone else's meals. We enjoyed the sunshine outside awaiting us.
Post script: Kev and a buddy may have figured out the mystery of the raw section of an otherwise cooked piece of meat. The raw part may have still been frozen when put in the pan. If the turkey started as frozen... http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/australia/perth
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