Volare — Restaurant in Western Australia

My wife and I visited Volare last week for an anniversary dinner. I do not usually do this but felt the need to provide some honest feedback on the food, especially as the rest of the Google reviews suggest that the quality of the food is otherwise excellent.

We appreciate the touch that is provided with food being made as per the ingredients obtained from the grocer that morning, as we were told by the man who welcomed us. However, the food that was presented to us was not great at all.

The starter was the best meal of the three but it was average - we had bland beetroot for the most part but the rest of the elements of the meal made up for it.

The main course was where it really went downhill. We were quite surprised to receive essentially a quarter of a cabbage with a little topping and some mash/mushrooms on the side, and a scoopful of lettuce/mushroom combined (not sure what this element was). I understand that it is a vegan night but you cannot be putting out cabbage that takes up half a plate and has had nothing done to it other than some roasting. The man also informed us that we should cut down the middle to get the best flavour and cooked blend of the layers of the cabbage - doable if we were provided with suitable cutlery, not blunt knives. Again, the meal was bland and we were disappointed to find even simple elements like mushrooms were undercooked and chewy. The mash was ok but that was it. With those ingredients, you really would've been able to make san choy bow or something that uses the cabbage more effectively. It would've also required you to use spices/sauces, which would've made the food far less bland. Just because it is a vegan meal does not mean some protein cannot be used - even a simple change like a small amount of tofu may have made this meal more worth eating. This was so disappointing, we were glad to have left some of the appetiser bread as this filled us up somewhat.

The dessert was the most disappointing as even a simple one can leave the experience feeling bearable. However, some interesting 'complex' dessert was presented before us that just tasted bad. It had the most awful aftertaste - it may have been the use of olive oil. I scooped the ice cream and fruits off before it melted, just because I was hungry and felt the need to salvage some value from this night. However, my wife did not enjoy even the ice cream as olive oil had been drizzled over it. We just wanted to get out of there and put an end to that experience at that point.

While I appreciate the imagination and risk taken, this felt like an insult to vegan food because it felt like something a restaurant would put out as pricey vegan food 15 years ago when it wasn't a widespread thing. You simply cannot be putting out some roast veg with no protein or carbohydrate and minimal sauce, and charge $55 pp. It's the first dinner in a long time that I have not enjoyed.

The service wasn't great either, although we were twice apologised to about being short staffed. Even then, the people sat behind us who arrived half an hour after us had received their entree within 5 minutes, while we waited around 40 minutes for ours. Similarly, we had to get up and ask about ordering cocktails, as well as ask for our wine that was paired with the main. It was a good pairing, but as you've read already, the main wasn't great. So having that come late as well...we were really upset to leave so much food on the plate and so much drink unfinished but it was simply an unpalatable experience.

On the night, we were told that they update the menu every morning and that we should have checked, but that particular day they hadn't updated the menu according to the fresh produce anyway. Regardless, this would have voided our booking, so the suggestion itself did not make any sense.

I tried to get in touch with Volare to provide this feedback but I have had no response for a week. Therefore, I am sharing it here to help provide advice and feedback on future vegan menus...

There’s a place in Maylands where time slows down, the lights stay low, and the food tastes like someone actually gives a damn. It’s called Volare. And if you know, you know.

I’ve been coming here for years. First date. Thirtieth birthday. One-year anniversary with the woman I somehow didn’t scare off. This place has been the backdrop to most of my better decisions… and a few questionable ones, too. But the food? The Drinks? Never questionable. Not once.

We let Marcello take the reins last night, and if you want the full Volare experience, you’d be a fool not to do the same. This isn’t some precious, over-styled tasting menu. It’s a no-bullshit showcase of everything this kitchen does best. The cured meats come out swinging… salty, fatty, gone before you know it. The olives hit sharp, cutting through like they’ve got something to prove. Every dish lands with confidence. No fluff, no filler—just bold, thoughtful cooking from a crew that knows exactly what they’re doing and doesn’t need to show off to prove it.

Then came burnt cauliflower dressed in black garlic and sesame, the kind of dish that hits like a late-night confession—unexpected, layered, a little dangerous. Rump cap? Bloody in the middle, charred on the outside, kissed by green chilli salsa like it owed it money. And those polenta chips? Goddamn. If love were fried and dusted with cheese, this would be it.

Then there’s Alyssa. The high priestess behind the bar. Not a bartender no, that word’s too small. She’s part mixologist, part magician, part therapist. She pours with intention, talks like a jazz solo, and delivers drinks that could talk you into or out of bad decisions. Either way, you’d thank her.

Volare isn’t trendy. It’s timeless. It doesn’t chase hype, it hums with soul. The food tells stories. The wine loosens yours. And the people? They make you feel like maybe, this is isn’t just dinner. It’s something...

As a head chef of a high end restaurant in another country, head chef Marcello as small menu designed in a tiny kitchen but MASSIVE FLAVORS! I took my father here with his partner to celebrate a night because I've not seen them in 10 years and wanted somewhere special. Not only did my father have the best dishes he's ever tasted but for myself as a chef for 28 years, layers of so many flavors! Every dish IS my favorite and we ate PLUS the prices in my eys is too cheap so if you're aiming for an amazing night out for ANY occasions head here. Pork fillet special on grilled flatbread, broccoli with harrisa, warmed confit olives, sour dough with olive butter and so much more. The menu... do not be deceived with the size because the portions are great, the small and attentive team are amazing but another on the floor would have been better. The decor is funky 60's style tram/train booth seats in the front and modern in the back with plenty of bar seats so you can see the amazing lady at the bar work her magic. I'll be looking forward to following this chef wherever he goes when I return! Bravo chef and the Volare team! You've out...