Il Pasto has been much discussed and I was eager to try it out, because Italian food is my calling, seriously. My first thought was how comfortable it was, I was happy to sit outside on a cold and rainy night in thanks to the exceptional heaters and air-tight cafe blinds. I was seated with seven other people and still felt that I could stretch.
Our waitstaff were professional and well-appointed, very comfortable and menu-informed which is always a big plus. We ordered an anti-pasto platter with everything from pork sausages to soft cheese, calamari, artichoke hearts, so much more, the whole shebang.
When we ordered our mains we were excited to see big plates coming out but the portion sizes were not what I was expecting for such prices. I would say $20 is my absolute limit for a slice of lasagne so for $25 I'd like a slab but it was not forthcoming. It also didn't come with salad, which I just thought was odd. Very yummy though. Even the steak wasn't particularly impressive, perhaps half the size of an outstretched hand. The largest plate at the table was the calamari, it seemed to be a whole serve of calamari and another whole serve of salad. That I snapped, because it was so impressive.
That's a potato in the middle, I promise.
I ordered gelato for dessert and it was absolutely fantastic, pistachio has long been a favourite. A friend ordered an apple and almond torte that I tried and fell in love with, it smelt like heaven from across the table. I cannot stress this enough, I would go all the way to Inglewood (45 mins away) every night just for those desserts if I had the time.
The restaurant is not licensed, it is always hard for me but my party brought enough wine. The other disappointment was that they did not have a bathroom. To use the bathroom you would be given the key, attached to a spoon, which you can use to unlock the public bathroom next door between the restaurant and the post office. Honestly it was a little too pricy for an unlicensed restaurant with a truck stop bathroom, but the food was great and I had a great time. Still I could have had that wine, that conversation and lasagne just as good at a lot of Italian places in and around Perth.
