Catalano's Cafe Victoria Park
To say this cafe is normally bursting at the seams is putting it mildly. It heaves, straining at its confines, while cars slow down and ogle at one of the most pumping places on Albany Highway. More than a few local celebs (particularly of the sporting kind) have been spied through the crowded windows tossing back a short macchiato or three.
The place is renowned for doing a great antipasto and for its gargantuan servings; on first viewing, the signature seafood platter appears to contain half the ocean. The lasagne - the recipe for which has been handed down through three generations - is generous, while the delicious carciofi pasta dish of chicken tenders, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke and avocado will leave diners easing a notch or two out on their belts. The wine list is small, select and Australian, and was devised especially for Catalano's by De Bortoli Winery.
Catalano's has deep Italian roots, with the building having been in the family since the 1960s and a total of four Catalanos now sweating it out in the kitchen. This strength in numbers is needed in a kitchen that almost never sleeps, with the restaurant open all day, every day.
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