Perth Voice Interactive

THE salted caramel donuts were glistening with sugar, the sweet and salty centre peeking out as temptingly as a burlesque dancer’s decolletage.

I should have reserved one because by the time I got to dessert and coffee they’d gone.

“We usually sell out by 11,” Aliment co-owner Grant Greyling tells me, too late to be of any use to me.

Formerly a sous chef with some pom called Jamie Oliver, Greyling made a few “slight” changes to the New Orleans beignet to come up with a donut that stays crisp even when cool—and he’s added a Nutella version, a donutella.

The jam-filled ($4) one I shared with my lunch companion was light and fluffy inside and deliciously crisp on the outside.

Pretty much everything is made on the premises, including a range of gluten-free delights.

“A lady makes our puff pastry, we make the filling in-house,” Greyling says.

My mate vouched for both, stopping mid-mouthful of Mexican beef pie ($12 with salad), to exclaim “wow!” and going on to sing the praises of the light pastry and moist, rich filling.

Fresh, seasonal vegetables, especially in the char-grilled salad, help keep prices down, Greyling says.

Aliment’s spring version is packed with asparagus, artichoke, mushroom, capsicum and aubergine, all glistening in a satisfyingly oily dressing.

The menu is brief, with the likes of silverside and kale rosti ($17) and pulled pork eggs benedict ($18) for lunch, but there’s a heap of things to choose from in the cabinet, including a selection of quiches—huge serves that are a mere $11 with salad.

I went with the pumpkin, a chunky flavoursome serve I struggled to get through. The donut was easy eating, but a really good black coffee ($3.50) helped with the sugar overload.

On the ground floor of the WA local government association’s new building, the decor is fresh and modern, with floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides.

by JENNY D’ANGER

Aliment
170 Railway Parade, West Leederville
open 7 days for breakfast and lunch