The Weekly Special: Truffles take over Freo, and have we found Perth's cheapest jug of beer?

Sydney Morning Herald

09-07-2025

The Weekly Special Eating out What's on
Truffle brioche burgers. Bratwurst sausages with truffled mustard. Banh mi filled with roast duck and truffle.
These are just three of the dishes on offer at The Truffle Extravaganza: a three-day truffle festival being held this weekend at the Fremantle Markets from Friday July 11 to Sunday July 13.
In addition to truffle-enriched dishes from the market's food vendors, the free, family-friendly event also features tastings of truffle products, demonstrations and a chance to learn from mycologist and truffle expert Federico Paci. More details are available online.
A sake dinner unifying east and west
For more than a decade, Sydney-based importer Black Market Sake has been supplying restaurants around Australia with intriguing expressions of nihonshu (the Japanese word for sake) made by small producers using natural, low-intervention methods. On Thursday, July 24, team Black Market head west to host an intimate six-course dinner at Northbridge's one-hat dining room Ah Um showcasing the diversity and versatility of Japan's most famous alcohol export. Tickets are $200 (inclusive of matched sakes) and seats – as those that have eaten at the Astral Weeks crew's bijou eatery will tell you – are limited.
Is this Perth's cheapest jug of beer?
'$10 Jugs' proclaims a banner outside Vic Park sports bar Franklins Tavern. '3-6pm every Wednesday. Alehouse Full Strength 4.2%.' While anointing anything as the best, tallest, fastest or cheapest in class is fraught with risk, being able to score a jug for a tenner – even if it's just for three hours once a week – certainly counts as a deal. Has anyone found a place doing jugs for less?
Big flavours, big value
From utterly classic French charcuterie to curried fries, revivalist Freo wine bar Nieuw Ruin makes no effort to hide its love of the old school. There's something similarly yesteryear – and very appealing – about the pricing of its new Cold Nights Warm Plates winter meal deal for two.
On Wednesday and Thursday nights, $95 gets you a shared feast for two including pate en croute, airy Comte gougères and a choice of mains (truffled pork choux farci, a cooked filled cabbage, or the bar's famous cauliflower pie) before finishing with crème caramel. Savings on dinner means extra dollars to invest towards exploring a really snappy drinks list.
The irresistible allure of bottomless gnocchi
Until the end of August, The Peninsula in Mandurah is offering bottomless gnocchi on Thursday evenings. From 6pm to 8pm, $35 gets you all the gnocchi you can handle – choose from three varieties including pulled pork ragu; basil pesto cream with green oil and parmesan; and roast pumpkin with sage, feta and pepita dukkah – plus garlic bread. (You know, just in case you were worried you weren't going to consume enough carbs at an all-you-can-eat gnocchi dinner.) Reservations are available online.