I can understand how someone from Melbourne would think Perth food establishments are overpriced. There are several contributing factors that I am aware of: some food has to travel further (from the eastern states - not everything can be sourced locally), waitstaff are harder to find due to a large proportion of the young workforce following the mining boom (restaurants have to offer higher wages to attract staff) and rents are higher than in the east, forcing up restaurant prices.

In regards to this article, it seems to be less about the worst of Perth and more about the author increasing the click rate to articles he has already written.