Archive for the ‘Partners’ Category

Maurizio Restaurant

Tuesday, November 20th, 2012

Stepping into Maurizio Restaurant is like visiting the old country. A place where English is the second language. Where “carb” isn’t a four-letter word. Where, after a meal, you’ll be inspired to join the Italian Club next door.

It’s also known for being one of Perth’s premier dining establishments, providing authentic Italian cuisine and a high standard of service, in elegant surrounds, all with a good dose of Italian charm.

Owner Maurizio Di Ciano has received a number of accolades over the years including an Honour Award from the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association of WA for his distinguished service and professionalism to the restaurant and catering industry.

Demanding nothing less from his staff, customers have come to expect the same standard of exceptional service with every visit. This is evident from the strong patronage the restaurant continues to attract.  The man behind the restaurant is often seen drifting from table to table. This is his dining room – and you are his extended family.

Head Chef Lara Pegoraro has been at the helm of the kitchen for the last year and a half. Originally from Veneto, Lara quit her job as a bank manager to focus on her passion for cooking four years ago. To help her is newcomer Giovanni Paolucci, a fellow classmate of Maurizio from their time at the famous culinary institute Villa Santa Maria in the 90s.

On being involved with Dine for Life a second time, Maurizio manager Marco Di Ciano says, “It’s very important to support the community and Dine for Life is a great opportunity for Maurizio Restaurant to do that.”

We’re so happy to have them on board!

Co-Op Dining

Friday, November 9th, 2012

Kiren and Kelli Mainwaring, the brilliant husband and wife team behind Dear Friends Restaurant in Caversham, have opened a new degustation restaurant in East Perth called Co-Op Dining.

But that’s not even the best news.

Are you ready for it? Co-Op Dining has signed on as one of the participating restaurants in our 2012 Dinner!

Like Dear Friends, Co-Op serves 100% gathered or foraged local produce that is prepared in-house for their ever-changing degustation menus. But while Dear Friends’ hyperlocal focus may have tied Kiren’s creative wings to the Swan Valley, at Co-Op his creativity is less loose to fly throughout the state.

“We wanted to create a premier place to promote what we’ve got in WA because, really, we should be proud of it,” Kiren said. “Our produce is used all over the world. Over east at Attica, at French Laundry in California and Per Se in New York.”

There’s pork from Bullsbrook, vegetables from Muchea, marron from Margaret River and wild fennel, garlic and wattle seeds that Kelli and Kiren forage for themselves in the Swan Valley.

“We try to keep the menu as simple and minimal as possible so it’s full of goodness but still presented in fine-dining form,” said Kiren.
And the philosophy seems to have extended to the décor as well, which is elegant and stylish.

Ten lucky Dine for Lifers will be dining at Co-Op on 28 November, and Kelli and Kiren couldn’t be more thrilled about it.

“We are excited to get on board with Dine for Life!  It’s great for us to have the opportunity to be able to contribute to such a good cause.  As small business owners we aren’t in the position to donate directly so to be able to offer our food and service is a privilege,” Kelli told us

It’s a privilege for us, too, to count Co-Op Dining as one of this year’s twenty restaurants!

Lamont’s Bishops House

Wednesday, October 24th, 2012

We at Dine for Life are so proud to have Lamont’s Bishops House on board for the upcoming Dinner 2012.

Lamont’s is one of those iconic Perth restaurants that like The Heritage, The Trustee and Print Hall, offers fine dining in a beautifually restored heritage building. Lamont’s home is Bishop’s House, a building contructed in the late 1800’s and used as a private home for nearly 100 years before being converted into a multi-level restaurant in late 2010.

Lamont’s not only continues to be one of the city’s best restauants, but also has some undergone some exciting changes. As of Monday, Bishops House has a new bar on the balcony overlooking the heritage listed gardens at Bishops See. Lamont’s Manager Matthew Schwind told us “The new bar concept is in addition to our current level of service. [It’s] a relaxed area to enjoy a drink and a nibble, or simply a low casual atmosphere for a gathering after work.”

The Dinner 2012 will mark the restaurant’s second Dine for Life event.

“Lamont’s Bishops House was fortunate enough to be involved with Dine For Life on our opening night in December three years ago, and we have enjoyed being part of it ever since. What a great way to give back to our community and to share our passion for dining with other likeminded guests,” said Schwind. “To be included in this event along with our peers is a privilege.”

In other exciting news for Lamont’s, Corin Lamont was announced as the Icon of the Swan Valley at the recent 2012 Swan Valley Wine Show Dinner. Lamont’s wine has also been recognised of late. Its 2012 Riesling won the trophy for Best Table Wine (Grown Outside the Greater Perth Zone) and also won a gold medal at the Perth Royal Wine Show!

1907 Back for Third Dine for Life Dinner

Monday, October 15th, 2012

Interacting with restaurants is one of the best parts of organising a Dine for Life event. Their dedication to improving Perth’s dining scene and giving back to the wider community is downright infectious. And boy, do their offices smell delicious!

So when it came time to lay down the plans for the 2012 dinner (happening 28 November), one of our first calls was to a restaurant that never ceases to inspire us: 1907 Restaurant.

This fine dining restaurant’s classic style and elegance carries over into every aspect of the restaurant experience. The service, headed by restaurant manager Harold Faizal, is refined, attentive and top class. The menu, with a strong emphasis on fresh, seasonal, quality ingredients is creative, international and delivered to perfection.

Driving the kitchen is Indian-born head chef Alan Desouza, who came to 1907 after a successful international career spent in 5-Star hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants around the world, including Gordon Ramsay’s much-celebrated Maze Restaurant in London.

The hard work has paid off. 1907 Restaurant was recently awarded a ‘star’ in the 2012 West Australian Good Food Guide and earlier this year won Best Fine Dining Restaurant in the 2012 Restaurant and Catering Awards for Excellence. The foodie blogosphere has gone wild for the restaurant’s state-of-the-art cheese trolley and cocktail-making courses.

This is 1907’s third Dine for Life dinner and Harold Faizal told us how thrilled he and the 1907 team is to participate.

“It is always good to give something back to the community; not just nationally but also internationally,” said Faizal. “Events like these bring restaurateurs, chefs and the industry as a whole back down to earth.”

As in previous years, Dine for Life diners will be treated to a WA-inspired seasonal menu, showing off the best of what the restaurant’s Toodyay farm, local producers, and chef Alan Desouza has to offer.

“This year our chef Desouza will be debuting some new dishes, incorporating new cooking techniques on the evening of Dine for Life. We are very excited to unveil these and get feedback from the diners,” Faizal told us.

Judging from past Dine for Life dinners, 1907 can expect the feedback to be very good indeed.

A Fashionable Donation by Aurelio Costarella

Wednesday, December 1st, 2010

Tonight’s Summer Dinner is gearing up to be an incredible event. We exceeded our goal of securing 10 restaurants and now have 13 of Perth’s best dining establishments on board, surpassing our goal of raising $15,000 for the Samaritans Crisis Line. Our soon-to-be-disclosed after party will be attended by 100+ diners, celebrities and media figures, all of whom will be enjoying dessert and cocktails concocted especially for the night by the mixologists at Cocktail Gastronomy.

If the Summer Dinner is anything like last May’s Autumn Dinner, the event offers the perfect opportunity to celebrate the featured charity and donations raised for it.

This spirit of giving has prompted the involvement of award-winning fashion designer Aurelio Costarella. The WA-based designer has dressed the likes of Rihanna, Sharon Stone and Eva Mendes, and is fast becoming an internationally recognised luxury brand.

The fashion house has generously donated the exquisite Cunnard Cape (pictured above) to be won by one lucky female diner. The Cunnard Cape is one of only five created by the designer. Made from silk and hand beaded, its retail value is $1600.

Aurelio Costarella has also donated hand-made silk flowers that will be worn by the Dine for Life Ambassadors – the representatives who will be welcoming the diners at each of the restaurants and attending the after party.

We are extremely grateful to Aurelio Costarella for their generosity and look forward to discovering which lucky diner will be taking the gorgeous Cunnard Cape home with them.

Love at La Lola

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

Nedlands’ quaint cafe strip on Hampden Road has always been known for its coffee shops (like the delicous Boubar) and tucked-away fashion boutiques – but that’s now changed thanks to the recent arrival of Italian eatery La Lola, which the West Australian Good Food Guide 2011 calls “the sexiest Italian in town”.

Head Chef Tony Garita – best known for his work at Bar One – has created a menu to transport you straight to Rome, with mouth-watering antipasti plates like heavenly buffalo mozzarella, crunchy bruschetta and fried calamari. The homemade pasta – pappardelle, linguine and ravioli – is to die for. Diners are spoilt for choice with the array of classic Italian desserts like tiramisú, semifreddo and affogato – all perfect for a warm summer evening.

And a warm summer evening is just what we expect at the Summer Dinner – making La Lola the perfect addition to the upcoming event, happening in just one week on 1 December. We’re thrilled to offer diners the chance to sample from La Lola’s fare for a good cause.

While most of the Summer Dinner restaurants are offering a set, multi-course menu for the night, La Lola is allowing diners to choose from the full menu – a generous act that adds a different element to the event.

A made-to-order Italian feast without the guilt? Priceless.

So Much More than a Friday Night Watering Hole

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

There’s only one thing better than the moment the work week ends on a Friday arvo: the moment just after. You know, the one where you head off for drinks to celebrate the beginning of weekend bliss.

For most people, the choice of where to partake of said drinks is a clear one: the George. This bar cum restaurant attracts smartly dressed Perth professionals who appreciate the George’s super convenient CBD location, contemporary decor and extensive wine and beer lists.

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Thirteen is a Very Lucky Number

Monday, November 22nd, 2010

For anyone following the flurry of activity surrounding these last few months leading up to Summer Dinner, you’ll know that we were cheering when we reached our goal of 10 restaurants a couple of weeks ago. You might also have heard the squealing when we hit 11, the screaming when we reached 12.

Now might be a good time to plug your ears – we have THIRTEEN restaurants on board for the Summer Dinner!!! That means on 1 December, diners will be toasting the fact that together we raised an incredible donation – the total amount will be announced at the after party – for the Samaritans Crisis Line.

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A Snapshot of Restaurant Amuse

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

It’s been a good year for Restaurant Amusé, a degustation restaurant run by husband and wife team Carolynne and Hadleigh Troy. The Western Australian Good Food Guide 2011 gave Restaurant Amusé an impressive score of 18/20 and two stars – the publication’s highest rating. And in October the eatery won the esteemed award for Restaurant of the Year by the National Savour Australia Restaurant & Catering Awards For Excellence, beating the likes of Tetsuya’s in Sydney, Adelaide’s The Manse Restaurant and La Fontaine in Queensland.

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Dine for Life Has Hit the Airwaves

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

With just two weeks remaining until the big event, the buzz surrounding the Summer Dinner is growing and growing. Word has spread through tweets, blog posts, Facebook updates, emails and texts.

And now? Airwaves! Dine for Life was the topic of discussion last Friday on AM station 6PR between presenter Tony Mac and Perth restauranteur Steve Scaffidi. The latter, owner of Summer Dinner restaurant Bar One, lauded Dine for Life on the work it’s doing to raise money for the Samaritans Crisis Line as well as reinvigorate the mid-week dining scene in Perth.

Take a listen: