Cantina 663, Mount Lawley

Cantina 663 Beaufort Street Mount Lawley review, photos and blog 
Cantina 663 is one of those canteens (or cafes) that I heard mentioned quite a bit.  I heard mainly very positive comments, and I had been meaning to try it for a while.  Finally, I managed to secure myself a lunch there and see for myself what all the fuss was about.

If you don't know already, Cantina 663 is one of the cafes on the Beaufort Street cafe strip.  It's open pretty much for breakfast, lunch and dinner (except Sunday dinner)  and has corresponding menus to each meal of the day.  You can book for lunch and dinner, whilst breakfast is first come first served - and Cantina 663 with its reputation can get really busy.

Cantina 663 state that their menu is inspired by what's in season, and they use local and organic ingredients where possible.  This gives Cantina 663 a modest menu, but one that still has a decent choice with lighter entree or tapas dishes along with more main sized ones.  To top this off, Cantina 663 is licensed and has a wine list they say reflects the varietal diversity of Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Duck liver parfait - $15

The duck liver parfait was served with crusty toasted bread and a sweet caramelised onion jam  The parfait itself was silky smooth with a relatively mild taste that made this parfait enjoyable and better than a lot of other parfaits I have tried.

Pan fried gnocchi - $22

The best gnocchi I've ever had was in Lake Como at the one-woman establishment "Mama Rosa".  Eating Mama Rosa's freshly made-on-the-day gnocchi that melted in the mouth like no gnocchi before it, this set the standard for me.  But alas Mama Rosa isn't in Perth and I've yet to find gnocchi that I think is as good.

Ordering Cantina's pan fried gnocchi, the waiter said "the gnocchi is really good."  The gnocchi in fact was really good - pan fried with a medium crust, a lightly coarse texture, and melted in the mouth without any rubbery feel.

The gnocchi was served with zucchini, beans, salsa verde and a roast garlic marscarpone giving a good Mediterranean taste.

Unfortunately, still not as good as Mama Rosa for me though.

Peperonata - $15

The peperonata had a couple of poached eggs, capsicum and yoghurt.

Whilst I didn't try the peperonata, I was told it was a light meal and nice.  The poached eggs looked really good, with runny centres that I'm sure would be the same in the breakfast menu.

Cappuccino - $3.80

Short mac (traditional) - $3.80

I thought the coffee at Cantina 663 was pretty good.  The beans produced a blend of bitter and sour in the short mac that blended into the milky Cappuccino quite well.


We liked: Great light meals that show that they care about the food they serve; friendly service.

We didn't like: Sometimes it can be hard to get a table.

Other things to note: You can book ahead for lunch and dinner; they serve alcohol.

Cantina 663
Astor Arcade
663 Beaufort Street
Mount Lawley WA 6050
(08) 9370 4883
http://www.cantina663.com/

Trading Hours
Breakfast: 8am to 11:30am (7 days)
Lunch: 12 noon to 3pm (7 days)
Dinner: 6pm to late (Monday to Saturday)