One of Perth’s top restaurateurs will branch out and try something a little different in the next couple of months with two new operations.
One of Perth’s top restaurateurs will branch out and try something a little different in the next couple of months with two new operations.
True to his style of creating a successful restaurant then moving onto a new project (as he has done with Bellissimo Café, Pronto, Funtastico and Zafferano), Albasio La Pegna will return to the spotlight when he opens his latest venture in two weeks, an antipasto café in Hay Street, Subiaco.
The shop is where the former Emre Belle deli was, just down from Alto’s Restaurant.
In a few months, Mr La Pegna hopes to expand the operation into a café through the shop next door.
“It will be different and not like a gourmet deli,” he said.
“I want to create what they call in my country a gastronomy café. It won’t be olives, meats and cheeses but a variety of dishes that can be taken home.
“It will be for busy people who work a lot and don’t want takeaway. It will also offer shoppers around Subi somewhere to have a coffee.
“We are going to concentrate on proper meals and desserts, which people can take home with them.
“We will concentrate on high-quality foods, which will be made on the premises on a daily basis.”
Mr La Pegna said it would also be a very quick coffee stop for people who wanted a caffeine fix throughout the day.
But it doesn’t stop there for one of WA Business News’ 2005 40under40 winners.
He is about seven weeks away from opening an Italian-style club at the old Up Bar on Hay Street in East Perth after a recent trip to his homeland a few months back gave him inspiration to provide Perth with something new and foreign.
“I’ve got together with a few people to open this,” he said.
“I thought of the idea after my trip to Italy where they have a different approach to clubs.
“Here, the clubs are dark with small doors and you don’t know who is inside. But I was fascinated by the clubs in Perugia and the way the young people interact with each other.
“You can see from the outside in and there will be two floors.
“I have become bored when I go out. I wanted to try and develop a venue were you can relax with friends and chill out in a lounge with a glass of wine and good food.
“Later on, if you feel like having a boogie, you can go upstairs.
“On the first floor it will be like a bar, restaurant and café and the second floor will have a club feel.”
Mr La Pegna also denied he was looking to sell Zafferano, squashing recent industry rumours that he was set to sell up.
