The City of Perth’s most celebrated commitment to food begins on March 1 with the promotion of City Food and Wine Month.
The City of Perth’s most celebrated commitment to food begins on March 1 with the promotion of City Food and Wine Month.
By gathering together the support of restaurants, bars, hotels and cafes, event organisers hope to reinvigorate the dining circles of the CBD and Northbridge.
A multitude of food and wine retailers will be offering special meals, special prices or hosting special events throughout Northbridge, the CBD, West Perth and East Perth.
The success of last year’s event has resulted in an expansion in the number of participating businesses.
While the program is brim-full with events such as cooking demonstrations and master classes, it is bolstered in the main by discounted lunch and dinner offers. A range of $15 lunch and $25 dinner prices have been designed to encourage more diners into the city’s restaurant circles and to prompt regular visitors to try something new.
Venues including The Melbourne Bar, Vultures, Capriccio Italiano, and Hydrant Café are just some of the names added to this year’s culinary canvas.
This year they represent a true cross section of the Perth dining experience with Thai, Italian, Indonesian, Indian, vegetarian and seafood restaurants all included.
But a real taste of the multicultural comes through in the events organised in and around Northbridge. The hub of international cuisine in Perth, the area is supporting myriad different events to celebrate the Food and Wine Month.
Saturday yum cha (translated to mean ‘drink tea’) is already a weekend tradition for many, and on Saturday March 11 Northbridge’s premier Chinese restaurants will celebrate this traditional ritual. Look for lion dancers through the streets between 10am and noon.
A major hit last year was the long table lunch, during which several hundred hungry strangers gathered together for lunch provided by some of Northbridge’s premier establishments. Scheduled for Sunday March 12, it will be communal dining at its best.
But for many other events, food and wine are merely vehicles of exploration.
The Art Gallery of WA has thrown its weight behind this year’s program with a number of art-inspired events. Throughout March, foodies can follow a free trail designed by local food and wine identities mapping out what they consider to be Perth’s best food and art connections. Similarly the gallery is offering a ‘Arty Appetites’ guided tour through edible sculptures and consumable art.
And, of course, where would we be without some vino appreciation? West Perth seems to have been given the title of unofficial wine host this year with many wine-related events held there.
Wine appreciation courses are being held on Chianti on Colin’s, Fraser’s Restaurant, Royal India Restaurant and The Olive Tree from Saturday 18 to Sunday 19.
Nick Bath from Blue Cow Cheese Company will be hosting a wine and cheese evening at Fraser’s, while Lamont’s in East Perth is creating a special degustation menu matching unique WA produce to local wines.
The ability to draw together such a wide array of talent and sustain it throughout March means the City Food and Wine Month will surely offer something for the most discerning of local palates.