Whenever I visit Palm Beach, I feel like I am on holidays. One of my favourite places to travel is Italy, so you can imagine how delighted I was to visit The Boathouse Group’s (TBG) latest offering, Italian pop-up Casa, located in the Boathouse Home store. Casa has been turned into a relaxed dining venue, with different spaces surrounded by a tapestry of colour. Shelves line the walls filled with Mediterranean ceramics, lemon-shaped salt shakers and gorgeous green glass water pitchers. Best of all, the tables are set with these unique pieces.
TBG has cleverly transformed its homeware store, already licensed as a venue, into a cool place to have some cocktails or a family meal just in time for summer.
TBG commercial and marketing head Ben Collis says the group wanted to provide locals (and beyond) somewhere for pizza, which was lacking up at Palmie. As a pop-up, the menu is simple, with a selection of dishes to share like calamari and creamy arancini, pizza for mains (with toppings like prawns and porchetta) – and don’t forget dessert, with gorgeous gelato and genuine-tasting tiramisu on offer. The homemade bread is divine, and partners well with the super fresh salumi (prosciutto) and dips on offer.
When I visited one balmy Saturday night with my children, it was packed. There were couples having a romantic cocktail at the bar and a glass of champagne outside on the deck, families with young children grabbing a bite on larger tables, and many friends sharing the antipasti and pizza dishes on offer – washed down with a refreshing Bacio Estivo cocktail (you have to try this if you love gin!) or an Aussie pinot gris. The room is large enough to accommodate a range of spaces, with chilled music creating a very relaxed ‘post-beach’ vibe. With the addition of the deck out front and tables out back, there is plenty of room, sometimes lacking in large restaurants.
The décor is quirky, with lobster pots as lightshades and corner lamps creating a beautiful light. I love a beautiful looking venue which has had a lot of thought put into it. Just as any house should, Casa welcomes all, including post-beach sandy bodies and pooches outside.
Check it out for breakfast (7am to 1:30pm daily) lunch/dinner from Thursday to Sunday (11am to late), and order take away through the website.
Casa by The Boathouse
1 Beach Road, Palm Beach
Phone: 4379 1131