Acqua E Sale Ristorante Pizzeria — Restaurant in North Perth

A. Ma. Zing. A hidden gem, without a doubt!

From the moment we arrived it was clear there was more to this quaint little spot in North Perth than first meets the eye. We were welcomed and seated by a pleasant and well spoken waiter who provided us just the right amount of attention. He handed us the menus which were more extensive than we expected, tempting us with a wide variety from Italian classics to unique pizzas to modern high-end dishes with intriguing flavour and text combinations. At first, we thought the pricing was nothing special, not cheap but certainly not expensive. Had we have known then how amazing the experience would be, we would have realised the incredible value on offer. The wine menu was also superb, with many European imports to choose from alongside the more familiar home grown options. I opted for a Nero D'Avola and my partner a glass of true Italian Prosecco, both well priced for the pour and absolutely delicious!

It became clear that quality, local ingredients was a focus for Acqua E Sale, which directly translated to dishes with amazing depth of flavour. We decided to share an entree, the Burrata Nera. What arrived at the table dazzled the eyes let alone the taste buds! This was easily one of the best dining experiences of my life, a true exploration of the senses. And the theatre when you first cut into the Burrata, unforgettable! I recommend getting this with a serve of bread, as we did, so you can mop up every last drop of flavour. We were also advised to crush the squid ink tuille on top, adding yet another dimension to this amazing dish. Highly recommended!

For mains, I chose the Spaghetti Neri allo Scoglio and my partner, the Culurgiones. Both meals came as a a very healthy portion and looked gorgeous. My pasta was al dente, with a slight doughiness adding temptation to each bite. The seafood was perfectly cooked and covered the entire plate. In fact, you couldn't see the pasta beneath the seafood when it first arrived! The balance of flavour was fantastic with the sauce just right so as not to overpower the seafood. I was so taken with my own meal that I neglected to try my partners, but by all accounts she was very impressed. She pointed out that vegetarian food rarely offers such complexity, the mint in the pasta dumplings a particular standout, and was very excited to try something else on our next visit!

The wait staff were very knowledgeable and showed a genuine passion and enthusiasm in their work. They were always nearby but never invasive or intrusive, providing warmth and a smile with each interaction. We declined to have desert when offered but it's definitely on our list for next time!

There was very little to complain about, but if I had to pick something it would be that the ambience where we were seated outside did not match the quality of the offering. From the look of the interior, I think sitting inside will add that little extra something that delivers a truly perfect dining experience. Another one for next time!

Highly, highly recommend, you will not be...

Wow. So this is a review in reply to the restaurant's response to my friend's review (Tarryn, posted earlier tonight). Tarryn had made a mid-week reservation at this restaurant. She became very unwell on the day and saw her doctor, with provision of a medical certificate. She emailed the restaurant to cancel her booking due to sickness and offered to provide a medical certificate. Despite this, she was still charged the $40 cancellation fee. She subsequently phoned them and after a lengthy and rude conversation (in a similar vein to the rude reply from the restaurant to her review), they offered that she could use the $40 payment as a credit towards a subsequent booking. This was not offered upfront by the restaurant. The booking had been for mid-week, and this restaurant is half empty mid-week, so it was not like they turned away other customers because of her cancellation. Unfortunately, patrons do become ill and need to cancel last minute. A medical certificate should have been more than satisfactory to have not charged the $40 cancellation fee. It was an incredibly unpleasant experience and despite both my friend and myself being previous regular customers of this restaurant, they have now lost our long-term business. Poor customer service on their part and will cost them far more in the longer term. I am expecting to receive some equally rude response to this review. My suggestion to the restaurant for future similar circumstances is offer the customer goodwill and refund the $40 cancellation fee without hesitation. You will retain your customer base. It is very unfortunate how this situation was handled as their...

I went there with two friends and was sent away with the most ridiculous reasoning: because I didn’t want to eat anything immediately, they wanted to let only my two friends stay in the restaurant, and I was told to leave. I’ve never experienced anything like this. Apparently, if you don’t order a main dish, you’ll be kicked out. So, we all decided to leave. I’ve rarely heard of such a ridiculous rule. Especially considering that I would have definitely ordered something later, and my friends even wanted to order multiple dishes. The service was also super slow and rude. Never again, for sure.

Edit to the owners comment: Neither was any of us asked to leave nor was an appropriate other table offered. It was suggested to move three people to a table with two seats – it is not disrespectful to mention that this is actually quite disrespectful. So, before you explain a situation you haven't been part of, indeed, stick a bit more to the truth to what happened that night. I have highest respect for business owners since I am one myself, but the way things were and are handled that night, are completely disturbing. Checking through other reviews, I seem to be not the only one who was confronted with quite a weird policy. And I think the sarcastic comments about "parks" where other consumption rules appear, speak for themselves. Selling this weird policy as completely normal is absolutely wild, but yes, it is your business and yes, it is my choice to not...