Perth Voice Interactive

THIS North Perth butcher shop has a great pedigree.

Originally M Princi Butchers, it was owned by Michele Princi who emigrated from Italy to Perth in the 1970s.

The Princis clearly know a thing or two about meat with eleven generations of butchers in the family.

After more than five decades in the trade, Michele decided it was time to hang up the apron and recently sold his popular Fitzgerald St store to nephew Pasquale Princi and his cousin Pasquale Leuzzi.

It was a good fit as Princi did his apprenticeship at the shop in the 1980s and Leuzzi started working there about 10 years ago.

The pair rebranded to Princi The Butcher, but kept the old-school traditions and quality control that made Michele one of the best-known butchers in town.

Or did they? We fired up the Voice jalopy and spluttered up the Canning Highway to investigate.

Parking on Fitzgerald St can be a nightmare, especially near the busy North Perth Plaza, but Princi is situated further up beside Woodville Reserve, where there is plenty of free bays.

It’s not that far from the Italian Club, so members probably pop in for same ex-pat treats on the way home.

I like the facade – it’s got a traditional red and white awning, and a classy sign with various nods to Italy including some heraldry and an over-excited cow standing on its hind legs.

The shopfront wasn’t overly busy like some butcher’s and although traditional, it had a pinch of modernity. There was no frippery or pretentious decor inside and the star of the show – the meat – took centre stage in a massive L-shaped display cabinet.

Behind the cabinet, three men in aprons were beavering away – cutting meat, retrieving meat or serving meat. The vast range included pork, veal, lamb, beef, goat and chicken with everything from beef shortcut ribs and marinated goat to pork belly and lamb rack.

No self-respecting butcher’s would be complete without a decent range of snags and Princi had a whole section devoted to quality bangers including Sicilian, aniseed, beef chilli cheese, mild Italian, BBQ and chicken, bacon and leek.

For those who like quality meat but aren’t into cooking, there were beef ribs in a bag, pork ribs in a bag, lamb in a bag and complete roasts in a bag. I was struck by how fresh and vibrant the produce looked, with the beef a gorgeous shade of red. I couldn’t go past the red wine kebabs ($33/kg).

The tender cubes of beef tasted delicious with a complex marinade and a nice punch of garlic.

The red and greens peppers added a subtle sweetness, and were nice and fresh.

These were big chunky kebabs with large pieces of meat and one was enough for an adult with veg. Extremely delicious.

Across the table my wife “Special K” was tucking into her Florentine stuffed Chicken ($23.90/kg).

“The thigh meat is good quality with a subtle tomato coating,” she noted. “I’m loving the cheesy filling which is perfect comfort food on a wet, cold night.

“The spinach helps to keep the dish fresh and gives the palate some respite.”

The kids rounded off the meal with some veal schnitzels ($31.40/kg). I had a sneaky taste and they were tender with a light coating of breadcrumbs and parmesan. Very enjoyable.

My only gripe was the service – there wasn’t much chat from the staff and they were talking amongst themselves which is a pet peeve of mine. But the shop is open from 5am-5pm, so I will cut them some slack, and it’s unfair to judge them on one visit.

The new owners have done a great job with their revamped website and Facebook page, which looks clean, modern and inviting.

Princi The Butcher is off to a good start and I’m sure Michele would be proud.

Princi The Butcher
527 Fitzgerald St, North Perth
princithebutcher.com.au

by STEPHEN POLLOCK