Three Coins

There is one sentence you really don't want to hear 50 minutes after placing your food order.

"Did you guys order a main course?"

Yep, that's the one. And it came from the waitress who had delivered - within minutes of ordering - promising-looking starters of chilli mussels ($18) and a Cicciona pizza ($24). Instant service one minute and then nothing. Feted, then forgotten. In less than an hour buonissima turned to mannaggia.

To be fair, Three Coins was busier than the Trevi Fountain on a hot day in July. Even so, sitting at the best table in the house overlooking Beaufort Street, we were still thrilled to be part of the Mediterranean chaos Down Under.

In the open kitchen, chefs were busier than long-tailed cats in a room full of rocking chairs as they poked pizzas into the oven, swirled dough around their heads and whacked grilled spatchcocks onto timber boards.

On the floor, waitstaff were busier than March flies at Swanbourne beach, topping up water, delivering meals to the hungry hordes lapping up the Italian hospitality like they were extras in La Dolce Vita.

It's easy to forgive an understandable mistake, especially when a restaurant has got heart. And Three Coins wears that big, beating ticker on its red-and-white checked sleeve, literally.

It's perhaps easier to sum up the vibe by what's missing from the equation in this trattoria which has, in the six months since opening, become a popular hangout for Perth chefs on their nights off.

Interesting that the chefs choose a joint that doesn't serve its drinks in jars, has waitstaff devoid of facial hair and has no trace of hipster irony on the menu. When Three Coins offers Baileys and chocolate tiramisu ($14) and chilli mussels they're not being clever. They're being sincere.

That's because the restaurant is owned, not by a consortium of cool cats tapping into the next big trend, but a family – a big, loving family from Umbria, led by a Mum and Dad who recently moved here to be with their grown up kids.

When Fabio and Sabrina Trequattrini (that's where the Three Coins name comes from), realised their two sons, chefs Luca and Francesco, and their daughter, Annalisa, had made Perth their home, they upped and joined them to pursue the family dream of opening an Italian restaurant offering good, home-style rustic cooking.

Their children's partners signed up and now you'll find a family connection with just about every staff member.

Most of the dishes – apart from the pizzas which should be a must try on anyone's list - are prepared by Luca and Francesco staying pretty close to their Italian roots but with a modern twist. Think gnocchi with lobster bisque ($26) and beetroot carpaccio with house-cured salmon ($16).

Both chefs have worked in Perth kitchens and Luca worked at The European and The Grace Darling in Melbourne. And what they're churning out here to the 100-strong crowd as they sweat it out in the kitchen is good, reasonable, honest, feelgood fare made with well-sourced produce and lots of love.

Take the pasta, for example, which is made daily on a hand-turned domestic machine, a laborious job when you are rolling lasagne sheets.

We found ours, nestling between generous lashings of bechamel and bolognese, to be none-too-thick or too tough and held its shape beautifully. The bolognese was a rich mix of beef and pork and had enough liquid in it to prevent the dish drying out. The bechamel sauce and grated cheese topped it off but the top had failed to reach the golden brown crusty heights of the perfect lasagne. Still, it was good.

The three fat lamb cutlets, however, didn't lack in the golden brown or the crusty departments. After the long wait, the timing turned out well for these guys as they were – I imagine – rushed through when the order finally reached the kitchen. This meant that after searing and crumbing, they hadn't spent too long in the oven and were, thankfully, still pink in the middle.

They came with a wedge of lemon and some artfully spiralled grilled zucchini that had been doused in good quality olive oil, some grilled eggplant and slow roasted tomatoes. Bravo!

And the pizza? What a fine specimen that turned out to be – an undulating thin-nish crust piled with slivers of spicy salami and ham melding together with a non-stringy mozzarella. There was a heavy handed use of red onion which would have done well with some more caramelisation. But overall, it was a great product .

The wine list features enough Italian wines to satisfy any Italophile but their house wine, cleanskins bottled under the Three Coins label, hails from Margaret River. Now, that's ironic.

Scoring system:

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