Anthony W.
Yelp
In the almost 8 years that I have had the pleasure of dining at Il Lido I have never, ever, had a bad meal here. The food, service and view are always exceptional. That having being stated, the Uber Blonde and I have always dined alfresco, rain or shine, as the noise inside is debilitating at best.
And as it was on a hot, breezy summer Sunday arvo we rocked up to see what was new. Going here mid-afternoon is the deal. Just fairy-faced coffee drinkers around and plenty of room to spread yourselves out.
As I have said in many reviews, the staff at restaurants like Il Lido, the Biv, Bread in Common and No Mafia to name a few, are driving table service to where it should be.
Efficient, courteous and knowledgeable staff are really making venues stickier - people stay longer, and spend more, because they are made to feel comfortable and content. And it all appears effortless. Love it!
Anyhoo back to Il Lido.
We kicked off with a superb pair of Rossi & Riccardo Proseccos from Veneto ($13), perfect for such warm digs and ordered the Pork & Duck stuffed Zucchini flowers with Apple ($17).
A couple of new items caught our eye so we threw caution to the wind and also laid in the Clams with prosciutto, garlic and parsley $16 (neither of us ever had clams before - I know, so bohemian!) and threw in the Potatoes with rosemary, garlic salt and lemon aioli ($10) and greened up with the Wild Rocket with lemon and olive oil ($9).
It sounds a lot but these are actually tapas sized serves and well adequate for two.
The last of the arvo coffee set had departed and we had the place to ourselves. It is beautiful to sit with a chilled glass of wine looking straight out to Rottnest - bit like a picnic without the ants.
The food arrived along with two delicious Mancini Roncaglia Albanella 2011 from Marche in Italy ($13). Any trepidation about clams was swept away in one taste - just fab and a perfect foil for the plump and juicy zucchini flowers. The potatoes appeared as wedges, a bit surprising but perfect for jus mopping duty. The rocket was also great - crisp and salty. Yum.
Yet another perfect Il Lido experience. How you can maintain such quality in a menu over so long defeats me but we will be back just to make sure they don't drop the ball.