Amid celebrations for its 20th year on the Perth hospitality scene, Julio’s Restaurant in West Perth is welcoming one of its best-known names back to the kitchen.
Amid celebrations for its 20th year on the Perth hospitality scene, Julio’s Restaurant in West Perth is welcoming one of its best-known names back to the kitchen.
Enigmatic chef and restaurateur Aldo Dichiera will take over as head chef with plans to steer Julio’s product into the realm of authentic Italian cuisine.
Mr Dichiera helped put Julio’s on the map through his traditional methods of Italian cooking and often generously proportioned menu items when the restaurant was opened on Hay Street in 1985.
It was the place to lunch in the 1980s. Julio’s attracted Perth’s wheelers and dealers to its garden terrace and private dining rooms.
In the era of garlic prawns and the two-martini lunch, its ‘power lunch’ crowd grew legendary for attracting the who’s who of Perth’s booming private sector.
Mr Dichiera said that, during the 1990s, Julio’s survived the temptation to join the emerging cafe scene that soon enveloped West Perth and Subiaco.
Accepting that the restaurant has changed in its 20 years of operation, he believes a more casual atmosphere still goes hand in hand with a distinct Julio’s style.
Mr Dichiera remained head chef at Julio’s until 2003, when he began a stint as front of house representative.
Arriving to Australia in 1968 he worked his way up from kitchen hand positions and chef apprenticeships to the helm of one of Perth’s most recognised restaurants.
With a passion for cooking instilled in him by his mother, he learned to cook in the traditional Italian manner.
A return to the kitchen for Mr Dichiera is no doubt going to accompany a return to the more tradition elements on the menu. Signature dishes such as roast duck and porcini mushroom risotto, Moreton Bay bugs in champagne and saffron sauce are likely to return, joining the ever present garlic prawns.
Flagging a return of the era of business lunches just as the weather warms up, Julio’s has just obtained a liquor licence for its courtyard area.
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Further to a story that appeared on September 22, Gusto would like to reiterate that Anne and Jim Price, proprietors of Mt Barker producer Forest Edge Farm, won WA’s only gold medal at this year’s Royal Show Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition. As stated earlier, they also won best WA oil.
