Perth Voice Interactive

GIVEN it had been just a week after her fourth round of chemo and my friend’s mouth was also swollen from unrelated emergency dental work I was beginning to think bringing her along to a food review might have been a mistake.

Especially after she bit her numb lip, mistaking it for chicken.

Rocking up to Piccos Kitchen, the brick facade of the small shopping centre offered a bland welcome and had me thinking this might be a day to forget.

Inside, however, the place reassures with trendy, minimalist decor and a groovy, monster sheet of butcher’s paper proclaiming the day’s specials.

The menu with pork and rabbit terrine with poached pear and onion jam ($18.50), a homemade braised beef cheek pot pie with hand cut chips ($21) and similar dishes show Piccos has a chef willing to go well beyond the ham and cheese toastie that was once the height of cuisine at centres like this.

Piccos doesn’t squeeze its own juices but does have some terrific varieties trucked in from York.

I threw caution to the wind with a kale, apple, lime and spirulina juice ($4.50): deliciously sharp and fresh and one to try again.

As a couple of gorgeous, sophisticated-looking platters sailed past we started congratulating ourselves on our off-the-beaten-track choice of venue.

Owners Adam and Marissa Bielawswki also own Poach Pear and hand-make a top-end range of delectables (pates, terrines, relishes and vodka-cured salmon) which are sold at the cafe, gourmet stores and farmers’ markets.

The lunch platters ($24.50), are a beautifully presented mix of pork and rabbit terrine, pork rillette, chicken liver pate, pickled vegetables, onion jam, preserved walnuts and organic ciabatta.

I’m sure it’s delicious but too meaty for me so I chose a massive slice of frittata ($18.50).

With layers of pumpkin, capsicum, spinach and just enough cheese to give it a lift it was wonderfully flavoursome.

And I loved the home-made dressing on the beautifully fresh salad, with its terrific seeded-mustard bite.

My mate had the tandoori chicken special ($19.50), obviously popular as she ordered the last one when it wasn’t much past midday.

The huge chicken drumstick was well-cooked, moist and tender, and the tandoor flavours fantastic, she proclaimed.

A couple of coffees and something sweet to keep sugar levels up for the afternoon were called for.

I had the lemon slice, a tad sweet and lacking sharpness I thought, but my mate tucked into her fresh berry trifle ($6.50) with glee. Flourless orange cake, rather than traditional sponge was used, giving it more body and a great taste and texture, she reckoned.

It was all washed down with a couple of very drinkable coffees.

A lovely lunch as it turned out but I am left wondering: does lip taste like chicken?

Piccos Kitchen
38 Peninsula Rd, Maylands
open for breakfast and lunch
Tues to Sun | 9272 4491