Portofinos Restaurant

LOCATION
30 minutes drive north of Perth, just past Joondalup.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Perth’s picturesque suburb of Mindarie, located on the coast just 30 minutes drive north of the city, may not be “around the corner” for some of us, but it’s certainly a beautiful spot to visit. Million dollar homes overlooking the sparkling Mindarie Marina give the suburb a distinct European feel. So when you start fantasising about eating delicious Mediterranean food, Portofinos is where you should head to. This newly opened restaurant and function centre has an ultra-modern interior surrounded by glass, as well as a children’s playground to keep the wee ones happy while mums and dads relax. The Portofinos menu offers a generous selection of light meals, pizzas, pastas and more substantial mains as well as a great kids’ menu.

The Caesar salad and chilli mussels are both delicious light lunch options but the Portofinos burger with bacon, cheese and apple and beetroot relish is great value for money and won’t leave you hungry. If you’re looking for something to share, you can’t go wrong with one of Portofino’s mouth-watering pizzas with toppings like garlic prawns, roasted capsicum, fetta and chilli or prosciutto, olives, mushroom, eggplant and basil. Being a sucker for pasta, I must mention the chicken papardelle with sun-dried tomato, spinach and mushroom in a creamy sauce. The simple flavours and wide ribbons of pasta in the decadent creamy sauce create a dish worth indulging in. The mains menu is simple (much like most things at Portofino’s) yet the food is fresh and extremely flavoursome. The Tasmanian salmon with brie tart, for example, is a fantastic combination of complimentary flavours just like the lamb rump with roasted vegetable stack, haloumi cheese and port jus. For a little taste of the Mediterranean, Portofinos is definitely worth the drive.

Karen Bilsby