Perth Voice Interactive

A  GIANT blue and yellow macaw mural looked down from the wall, flanked by a steam-punk inspired coffee vat, and everyone seemed to be speaking Italian.

Pappagallo Cafe and Pizzeria in Leederville is a sharp cosmopolitan eatery that wouldn’t look out of place in Rome’s Piazza Navona.

Pappagallo means parrot in Italian, and is co-owner Nino La Verghetta’s nickname: “It’s to be a big chatting man,” he says.

And the famous square is known for its eateries, huge baroque fountain and funky modern art for sale by aspiring artists. So the colourful  mural, complete with gnome-like chefs and coffee cups was very fitting.

La Verghetta and mate Piero Menna kicked off the successful Dolce and Salata, but he sold his slice of the business to set up Juggler, on Oxford Street, before opening Pappagallo a few doors up.

With a focus on the food of Rome, all the ingredients — including the flour and cherry tomatoes that feature in a variety of dishes — are imported from Italy.

“It cost a little more money but it’s the taste. [The tomatoes] are very sweet.”

The imported five-grained flours are the reason the pizza is so crisp and tasty, La Verghetta says.

That, and the two days it takes to make the dough: “It’s like French sour dough. The sugar reacts with the yeast and it’s easier to digest.”

My lunch companion was proof of easy digestion, ploughing through an entire large pizza.

The aroma of the eatery is an intoxicating mix of pizza dough and coffee that sets the mouth watering, but in the mood for pasta, I ordered the casarecce melanzane ($26).

The free-form pasta was oddly shaped and knobbly, perfect for holding the deliciously oily sauce, and swordfish pieces, garlic, parsley cherry tomatoes and eggplant were a magical combination.

We’d decided to share a tiramisu and serve of ricotta donuts with vanilla gelato ($12), and were at first saddened to find the donuts are only available for dinner.

But it was smiles of relief when a massive slab of tiramisu arrived, because there was no way we were going to manage that on our own.

Washing it down with a particularly good long black ($3.50) our tummies were groaning as we bid arrivederci, although perhaps ciao a dopo (see you later) would be more appropriate because we will be back.

by JENNY D’ANGER

Pappagallo Cafe & Pizzeria
250 Oxford Street, Leederville
open Mon–Sat
11.30am–3.30pm, dinner 5pm till late
9444 0889