Back in the 'burbs

I always think of Subiaco as part of the city and not relegated to the often untrendy "suburb". I've been back here several times to sample the great food on offer. This time round was no exception. I had three meals in Subiaco this trip. The first was for dinner with long lost friends. Its been over 16 years since I last saw my fellow school mates from PC. Thank God for Facebook otherwise we probably would not have found each other again. I've lost my yearbook which is rather unfortunate. I can still remember names but not the faces. Judging from the Facebook pictures, none of them have really changed all that much. I still have a hard time picturing them in anything but the navy blue school uniform.

We arranged to meet at Rialto's in Subiaco. The last time I dined here, I couldn't get enough of the blue manna crab angel hair pasta. I didn't want to be boring and order the same thing so I chose gnocchi instead. Next time I'll stick to boring. Thankfully Hunky ordered it so I didn't feel too sorry for myself for ordering the crappy gnocchi. Okay, it wasn't crappy but it certainly wasn't great. I make better gnocchi with my eyes closed. Okay, maybe not with my eyes closed but you get the picture. We did share a fantastic starter. I can't remember what it was called but it was cheesy and artichoke-y. Fantastic for dipping homemade piadina bread in. It was really wonderful seeing everyone again. I found out that I wasn't the only one who had a crush on Michael (hunk from Guildford Grammar). I don't even remember what he looks like except he was swoon-worthy. It was funny how everyone knew exactly which Michael I was talking about immediately.

The day of Laura and Peter's tea ceremony, we headed over to Ecco Cafe for a quick lunch. We were given strict instructions not to overeat as some refreshments were being served after the ceremony. We ordered deep-fried risotto balls and baked portobello mushrooms to start and a pizza to share between the four of us. CW couldn't get enough of the risotto balls and ordered a second plate. The baked mushrooms were deliciously cheesy. The pizza was our attempt to eat more vegetables! It arrived laden with fresh asparagus, artichoke and caramelised onion. Superb for lunch- light yet tasty. The only let down here was the coffee. If I wanted some watered down milky concoction I would've just gone to Coffee Bean. AUD4 for this? Choi!

Our final meal at Subiaco was at the trendy and bustling Funtastico. It was a Tuesday night but it was heaving like a pub on Friday night. Its not much to look at. It has a slight industrial feel to it with the hall-like space and high-ceilings. However, judging from the crowd, safe to say the food is the "wow" factor here. The menu is huge and has wood-fired pizza, risotto, pasta, light meals and mains on offer. I would describe the food as "authentically Italian". Everything was fresh, simple and hearty but the main giveaway was salt! It was far too salty for my palate and I am instantly transported back to Italy where I was suffering from hair loss and dehydration. Seriously, tasty but too heavy handed with the salt. I couldn't enjoy my meal. Laura and Hunky tucked right in and ate on my behalf. We shared a anti-misto platter to start. I can't remember much about it apart from the stuffed mushroom which was minty, creamy and tasty. The rest was quite forgettable but good to nibble on if you're just having drinks. I ordered their risotto al jorno which was a seafood and white wine-based risotto. Laura had double cooked duck with pear and honey sauce and mashed potato. She offered to swap her duck for my pasta as it was less salty but from the way she was tucking into the pasta, I have reason to believe there was an ulterior motive here! I got used to the saltiness after awhile but ended up being so full from drinking bottles of water. Hunky had tender veal medallions pan-fried with prosciutto with a white wine and sage sauce. Delicious but oh so salty!