Pop Into Peasants Paradice, A Breezy New Northbridge Joint Full Of Flavour And Friendly Faces

It may just be a little bias as the author of this piece lives there, but there’s a bit of a vibe going on up the northern end of William and Lake Street, just out of the hustle and bustle of Northbridge proper. Wines Of While set the tone early, but in more recent times Miller & Baker has joined Sayers Sister in dishing out great coffee and food, 7 Grams moved in from North Perth and Vincent Wine has basically been packed every day since opening a few months ago.

And now we can very happily add a new addition to the area – Peasants Paradice, taking over the old Lay Up location across the road from Hotel Northbridge (which is still slinging cheap pints at Happy Hour). Over the past few years Peasants Paradice has been running pop-ups, kitchen take-overs, catering and functions bringing menus filled with flavours from all over the world, and now they’ve launched their first brick and mortar – a bright, spacious and airy spot designed to be equally enjoyed by big groups of pals or intimate couples.

Owner/operator Dwight Alexander West (hailing from Zimbabwe) cites a mish-mash of “Afro, Indian, South American and Asian influences” when it comes to those global flavours, courtesy of himself and his business partner/Head Chef Justin, who is half Indian/Burmese. “We have always wanted to showcase our heritages with a twist as well as bring a few of mum’s recipes into the mix – the idea of peasant food is so relatable, it brings that nostalgic notion to food and that is what we deliver.”

Having eaten there not once but twice last weekend (on the same day, mind), we can attest to not only an abundance of flavours, but generous servings, a warm and welcoming atmosphere and one of the most pleasant dining experiences we’ve had in a while.

Menu highlights included their Polenta fries with shakalaka and minted yoghurt, Korean Fried Chicken with homemade kimchi, cucumber and kewpie pocket, market fish en papillote, Peasants Shashuka for breakfast (pictured below), and a charred cornbread for dessert that had no right to be as delicious as it was. This is barely scratching the surface though, with Pork Carnitas Curry Puffs, Prawn Toast with Asian Slaw, Steak Sandwich, char grilled peri peri chicken, chimmi churi flank steak and so much more awaiting discovery.

For now the venue is BYO, but Dwight is looking forward to bringing some serious wines once the liquor license is approved: “Our food is very spices-driven so the wine list will focus on textural whites, medium-bodied reds with a focus on local, small, boutique producers as well as an array of Italian whites, Argentinian reds and some South African wines to go with our food vision. There’ll be natties for the kool kids too,” he laughs, before mentioning there’ll also be a small local beer selection, with cocktails too.

Lastly, he’s is also looking forward to being able to continue Peasants Paradice’s focus on helping the homeless and those less fortunate around Perth. “One of our core focuses is helping the homeless and less fortunate Perth. We have in the past partnered up with Homeless Healthcare WA and have generated donations of gift packs comprising of sanitary pads, toiletries and wipes through our customer base, and then have matched them and passed them onto Homeless Healthcare WA to distribute them to their outreach programs.”

“We are looking to do a lot more tangible events for the homeless and less fortunate in Perth and now that we have the outlet, we plan on doing a lot more. We are hoping that we may be able to reach out to anyone who is in the not-for-profit section to come in have chat and see what we can come up with!”

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Peasants Paradice is open Tuesday-Friday 12pm-9pm and from 10am on Saturdays and Sundays, follow them on FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM.