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Lady of Ro

Gail Williams

Flying the Greek flag with a dish of marinated octopus.
Flying the Greek flag with a dish of marinated octopus.Gail Williams

15.5/20

Mediterranean$$

Let's be frank.  Perth is not New York. And Subiaco is definitely not Williamsburg.

Nevertheless, wannabe hipsters still make like New Yorkers when they're discussing the go-to areas of Rokeby Road's pitiful bar and restaurant scene.

While New Yorkers talk about Williamsburg's imaginary "Mason-Dixon" line dividing the bohemian zone from the sleek quarter, punters at Juanita's bar on Rokeby love to declare: "Oh, I never go north of Bagot Road".

Yes, it's a joke, considering that Sorry Subi has so few options. But what it means is that, with a couple of notable exceptions - Subiaco Hotel and Bistro Felix - there is little to entice a punter to wander north on Rokeby. Who wants to sip a negroni or eat a plate of char-grilled squid on a ghost strip of empty shops?

There are, however, two standout jewels half a kilometre south of the centre strip which have valianty fought against the beige bureaucracy to become the tiny, but loudly beating heart of Subiaco.

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The beautifully salty and soup anchovy dip.
The beautifully salty and soup anchovy dip.Gail Williams

Locals -- starved of love, a good feed, a bit of warmth and unpretentious bonhomie -- head to Boucla (the charming, trinket-filled café owned by Brian and Despina Tanner)  and Juanita's, Murray Gill's chaotic and lovably eccentric small bar. Both form a technicolour oasis in a boring, dry desert.

And now, wedged between the two, there is a gorgeous new eatery – focusing on shared plates of lovingly-cooked Mediterranean food adding even more vibrancy to the strip. The Tanners have taken over an old shop, put their architect son, John, to work on designing a funky interior and, hey presto, Lady of Ro is doing a roaring trade one week into business.

It's named after a heroine who fled, before World War II, from the island of Kastellorizo -- where Despina's family come from -- to the nearby island of Ro where she flew a Greek flag every day.

Lady of Ro serves up share plates of vibrant Mediterranean food.
Lady of Ro serves up share plates of vibrant Mediterranean food.Gail Williams
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And just like her namesake hero, Despina proudly waves the Greek flag in the dishes on the daily-changing blackboard menu: anchovy dip, slow-cooked lamb shoulder, marinated octopus, grilled tiger prawns and a heap of the desserts she's already well known for.

All are designed to share – even the finger bowl -- which keeps things as simple and sincere as a Greek handshake.

With hubby Brian in the kitchen on the second day of business, it was all a bit like going to a friend's house for dinner.

Except in this case you hand over around $45 each plus $5 corkage for the wine you've brought, and then bond over a meal you'll talk about for months. Not for its technical precision. Not for its slavish following of trends. But for its warmth which comes, largely, from Despina's smiling presence as she wafts, kaftan clad, from table to table welcoming her guests.

You don't have to sit on the Rokeby Road sidewalk for long before a friend comes along.

As we sat ripping the heads off prawns and delving Brian's house made sourdough into a beautifully salty and soupy anchovy dip a veritable parade of wanderers stopped to say "hello".

Filmmaker, Nelson Woss, meandered along. "Nice looking prawns," he said.

Fi Adolph from Scoop Magazine zoomed in for dessert. "Gotta try the grilled peach," she said. "It's an absolute must."

And Murray Gill, owner of Juanita's next door, couldn't contain his curiosity as he paced, like a leopard, up and down outside his own joint watching over his customers.

"Hmm, nice prawns," he said as he leaned over the dividing line.

The prawns, four of them were … well… nice. Huge and smokey and freshly charred on the whizz bang new grill, then served with parsley and a wedge of lemon. They were a different product to the sweet stuff of childhood memories of Matilda Bay. These were from Queensland and we devoured lemony, olive oil laden shells and tails baulking only at the head.

Things got a bit crowded – a bit like a Greek wedding – when every dish arrived together. The shoulder of lamb threatened to cool too quickly while we dealt with occy, the prawns and the dip. It was slightly fatty and could have done with some more seasoning, but it pulled apart easily with a fork, having benefited from the moist cooking process.

Similarly subtle in flavours was the marinated octopus which, though soft and pillowy, lacked some punch.

Glistening leaves of iceberg and cos came together with orange and fennel in a simple, cleansing just-dressed salad.

And then there was the peach. You can't really go wrong with a combination of warm peach, cream cheese, bourbon and salty caramel sauce.

It was a generous serve -- one half of a peach, a smidgeon under-ripe, and several slices – all liberally doused in the sauce.

If warm peach and salty caramel sauce are a match made in heaven, then Boucla, Juanita's and Lady of Ro has got to be the holy triumvirate.

And I'm sure I saw at least one of the Subiaco residents genuflect as he wandered past them all. 

Scoring system:

0 - 10 Don't waste your money
11 - 15 Worth a look
16 - 20 Put it on your bucket list

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