Most of us experienced the taste of cheap wine from a bag in our youth, but the new Mt Lawley osteria Testun changes people’s perception of the iconic toddy.
Diners can buy goon by the glass for $10 or the carafe for $50 at the new neo-italo osteria on Beaufort Street.
Venue manager Katia Taschetti said the goal was to make the space accessible and affordable for everyone who entered.
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“We looked around and saw the option of natural wine in a box,” she said.
“We thought it would be a good way to offer something that’s fairly affordable in a fun way and reinvent the goon’s perception that it’s just awful wine but could be something delicious instead.” to drink.”
Goon isn’t the only reflective element at Testun, with the space decked out to make any Italian-Australian feel like they’ve walked into their grandparents’ house in the 90s.
Camera Icon Testun Bar opened on the corner of Beaufort Street and Second Avenue in Mt Lawley, Perth. Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian
The mismatched serving plates and white crochet curtains hanging over the bar greet you as you enter and leave you with that warm, cozy feeling when you step into the nonnas for something homemade with love.
“The way we cook is very similar to how we furnish the space,” says co-owner Christopher Caravella.
“When you walk in, it doesn’t just feel like a restaurant; you step into a place where everyone is invested not only financially but emotionally in the venue and in what we do and what we believe in, and I think that’s something unique in what we do.
“We’re tapping into this nostalgia that grew up in Italian households in the 90s — a little bit of stuff we grew up with mixed with a little bit of stuff we like.”
The space is very different from its former incarnation – the former TRIO cafe and wine bar – as the four owners envisioned.
Camera Icon Testun Bar opened on the corner of Beaufort Street and Second Avenue in Mt Lawley, Perth. Credit: Ross Swanborough/The West Australian
“From the cafe side, we didn’t like it, and there’s so much competition, so we just thought we’d make it something we like,” Ms. Taschetti said.
“(We wanted to) bring some freshness to Italian cuisine, to add something newer, a little fresher, a little more fun, and a little more youthful energy.”
Mr. Caravella said the four owners – one of whom is the man who runs the nearby Threecoins trattoria – have used their Italian heritage and combined it with things they grew up eating.
“There are no real rules; as long as we have some kind of connection, we can go back to Italian cuisine, however esoteric it is, then it’s fair game for us,” he said.
“There are so many Italian restaurants around, but not many with young people, young owners, young people working the floor, and young people invested in nurturing Italian and Italian-Australian heritage flavors.”
Testun is open Wednesday through Saturday from 4 pm to late and Sunday from noon to 9 pm.
