As they say, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do,” but luckily we don’t have to travel over 13,000 km to the Eternal City to indulge in some of the best carbonara dishes
By Daniele Foti-Cuzzola
Feeling hungry? We’ve put together a list of some of Perth’s best carbonara dishes from the traditional fare that tastes just like Nonna used to make, to the more experimental creations like carbonara bites and pizza!
Monsterella
Wembley hotspot Monsterella might be best known for their pizzas, but their take on the classic carbonara is a crowd favourite. While carbonara purists will insist on using only the holy trinity of ingredients – eggs, pecorino and guanciale; Monsterella’s addition of truffle oil proves that some rules are worth breaking.
46 Grantham Street, Wembley
Da Napoli
What’s better than a traditional carbonara? Deep fried carbonara! These delicious bite-sized snacks from Da Napoli are chef and owner Andrea Orabona’s take on a popular Neapolitan street food, ‘frittatine di pasta’ which loosely translates to pasta fritters or little pasta omelettes, and are essentially an arancino but filled with pasta. In this instance, the spaghetti has been added to a carbonara and béchamel sauce, before being battered and deep fried to crispy perfection. One bite of these golden, cheesy bites is simply not enough.
5/262 Canning Highway, Como
3 Pakenham Street, Fremantle
1/636 Newcastle Street, Leederville
Francoforte Spaghetti Bar
This humble spaghetti bar in Northbridge has been dishing up one of Perth’s best carbonaras for over a decade and there’s a reason it’s remained a firm favourite. It calls back to the simple, no frills spaghetti bars and trattorias all around Italy, where convenience doesn’t mean you’re compromising on quality. Expect hearty portions that are packed with flavour, perfectly al dente pasta and beautiful crispy guanciale. Ottimo!
Shop 4, 189 William Street, Northbridge
Casa Pizzeria
Carbonara and pizza are two things that the Romans do exceptionally well, so it was only a matter of time before someone combined the two. Enter the team from Casa Pizzeria who have taken a few liberties with their carbonara pizza, which includes pecorino romano and scamorza cheese on a white pizza base topped with onions, black pepper and egg yolk. We recommend pairing this decadent pizza with a bottle of white wine from Casa next door to fully enhance the smoky, cheesy flavours and peppery notes. Even Michelangelo would consider this combination a masterpiece.
397/399 Oxford St, Mount Hawthorn
Garum
You can’t have a Roman osteria without a carbonara on the menu, as carbonara is practically synonymous with Rome in the same way the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita is. Head chef Paolo Apuzzo prepares carbonara the fairly traditional way at Roman-inspired osteria, Garum at the Westin Perth. Handmade golden ribbons of fettuccine pasta are tossed in an egg and pecorino sauce, with crispy guanciale. Their secret ingredient is the addition of some reserved vegetable stock to further emulsify the sauce. Buonissimo!
480 Hay Street, Perth
Ischia
Slightly less traditional, but just as tasty is Ischia’s spaghetti carbonara. The team here opt for parmesan cheese instead of pecorino and use pancetta instead of the traditional guanciale (a similar cut of pork just less fatty) and a touch of cream. It might be considered controversial to some, but we know it’s considered delicious to many.
500 Beaufort Street, Highgate
155 Claisebrook Road, Perth
Lupo Lab
If anyone in Perth knows a thing or two about Roman cuisine and carbonara, it’s Lupo Lab’s Mirko Silvestri. Born in Rome, Mirko learnt the tools of the hospitality trade from his parents, who still run a restaurant in Rome today. At Lupo Lab, he puts a spin on beloved Roman recipes but when it comes to carbonara, Mirko likes to keep it traditional. His team use the lesser known pasta shape – mezze maniche; which translates to half sleeves. These pasta tubes are grooved and rigged, which makes them a great vessel to scoop up every last drop of that mouth-watering carbonara sauce.
151-153 Scarborough Beach Road, Mount Hawthorn
Lot One Kitchen
If you love your carbonara as much as we do, then you’ll be delighted to know you can devour a bowl for breakfast from Hilary’s hotspot, Lot One Kitchen. This neighbourhood cafe has spaghetti carbonara on their all-day brunch menu and puts their own spin on the Roman staple by adding salted egg yolk, bacon and crispy prosciutto. Why have bacon and eggs the traditional way for breakfast when you can enjoy them tossed in spaghetti?
Lot 1/46 Angove Drive, Hilary’s
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Nonna’s Pizzeria + Cucina
Long considered the “Little Italy” of WA, Fremantle has seen many iterations of the famous carbonara from the many Italian restaurants and cafes that have populated the streets. While some iterations have been less traditional, the carbonara from Nonna’s Pizzeria + Cucina in South Fremantle is sure to get every Nonna’s tick of approval. The team here opt for a rigatoni pasta which is commonly used in Rome, that is then coated in a creamy emulsion of egg and pecorino cheese and served with crispy chopped guanciale. It’s as Roman as they come.
488 South Terrace, South Fremantle
Sandrino
Fremantle favourite, Sandrino has been serving up their take on Italian-inspired dishes for more than 20 years, and while their carbonara might not be prepared the traditional Roman way; it’s definitely still delicious. This “Aussie-style” fettucine carbonara swaps the guanciale for mushrooms and bacon, which is then mixed through a cream and parmesan sauce with freshly cracked pepper. You won’t find this iteration in Italy, so consider it a home-grown Freo treasure worth savouring.
95 Market Street, Fremantle
Header image credit: Ischia