Il Lido Italian Canteen — Restaurant in Western Australia

Went there with my guests to celebrate my birthday on a Monday night. I can't help but express my big disappointment at the end of the night. It so happens that, of the 20 guests I was expecting for dinner, only 11 showed up and, after we sang happy birthday, the waiter informed me that the cake would be taken to the kitchen to be cut. Each of us (12 people) then received our normal-sized pieces of cake, but the rest of the cake made to serve 22 people did not return to the table in case someone wanted a second piece... When I asked for my box with the rest of the cake I was told that we had eaten all the cake and so I replied that it was impossible since no one got a huge piece of cake or repeated it and that there must have been between 8 and 10 pieces left and then one of the staff replied that he saw the cake in the kitchen but did not know what had happened to the rest of the cake. Just because of that, I already felt extremely disrespected and cheated... I felt bad on my birthday night. To make matters worse, when it came time to pay the bill that was more than $700, I was charged $42 just for taking a cake inside the restaurant. I found this absurd since I was not warned at any time about the charge of this fee before. I felt extremely wronged and sucked, paying $42 for someone at the restaurant to eat almost 50% of my birthday cake that I expected to take home. I found it impolite and extreme rudeness coming from such a fancy restaurant that, despite the good service and good food, I do not intend to return nor recommend it. I sent the manager an email 1 months ago talking about this and...

We went here to celebrate my sister’s birthday as group of 5. When I booked, there was an option to mention if it’s for a special occasion, so I selected “birthday.” I don’t remember if I added a note about a “happy birthday” message on dessert or anything, but either way, there was no acknowledgement at all on the day, which was a bit disappointing.

The place itself is gorgeous — very pretty and stylish. It has that nice balance between upscale and casual. The only thing I didn’t realize when booking is that most of the seating is long shared tables, so you’re basically sitting right next to other people with no real gap. We got lucky that nobody sat beside us, but I can imagine it feeling a bit cramped when it’s full.

The drinks menu was lovely — really nice wine selection. We ordered oysters and they were absolutely beautiful. But the mains were honestly quite meh. We went with what the waitress recommended since we weren’t too familiar with the menu, but they just didn’t stand out.

Service-wise, it was a bit slow. We waited around 20 minutes to place our first order, even after our friends arrived, and had to keep flagging someone down for drinks or food throughout the night. It didn’t really feel like the smooth, attentive service you’d expect, especially for a place like this.

Overall, it’s a stunning venue with a great atmosphere, but the experience just didn’t feel special — especially for a birthday dinner. It ended up feeling like an average dinner out, which was a bit of a letdown considering the vibe...

Where to start... As an Eastern state visitor (Victoria), we must flag we are huge fans of Cicciolina's in Ackland Street St Kilda. Whilst different (shared tables and a huge wall of wine) the vibe is the same. Simple menu, great staff and a restaurant full of people having fun.

We asked for guidance on a red and noted our preferences including taste and budget. A perfect recommendation from our waitress ensued.

On to the food....

We had to order a dozen oysters, freshly shucked from SA and NSW. Perfect. Some creamy, some salty. All perfect. We ordered the skirt steak to share. Again, simply done with a balsamic reduction. Medium rare and excellent.

Main course we decided on the spaghetti alla chittara with the shark bay clams. Don't be put off by the inclusion of chili...! Just enough to lift the taste to perfection. An heirloom tomatoe and buffalo mozzarella salad completed our mains. Again, perfectly al dente spag with a sauce that I could consume in pints...

On to dessert. Again we decided to share a baked Alaska. Hidden away in the perfect creaminess of the meringue was a dollop of lemon sorbet. Sublime....

The bill topped it at a shade over $200. Not cheap but oh so worth every penny.

We loved it so much we are tempted to go back tomorrow (a Monday) for our last night in this beautiful state.

Thank you to our wait staff and a huge thank you to the guys (not referencing either male or female) in the kitchen.

This is a stellar local for all the Cottesloe...