Pogo

The Verdict

Pogo has taken over the spot that used to be May Street Larder in Mount Hawthorn and the Middle Eastern eats are already making waves. It’s still under the Bib & Tucker and May Street team so you can expect chef Scott Bridger’s touch on all the dishes from the whipped hummus with king prawns and Aleppo pepper to the Persian duck pancake—a Persian take on the classic Peking duck pancake.

There’s a clear focus on fresh, local produce with the octopus coming from Fremantle before it’s coal roasted and finished with muhammara (a hot pepper dip which has its origins in Syrian cuisine), potato crackers and a sujuk crumb, while the heirloom tomatoes make the short trip from Pemberton before being turned into a refreshing dish with cucumber, shanklish—a type of cheese—and oregano.

The menu is varied with options for hardcore carnivores and vegetarians alike. We’ve got bets that both the 12-hour lamb shoulder and the roasted cauliflower with green raisins, capers and pinenut skordalia will become cult favourites in no time at all.

Dessert is an affair of its own with Tunisian doughnuts and frozen labne gelato plus more decadent dishes like the chocolate and cardamom tart and the lemon tart cones with Katafi pastry and Iranian pistachios.

Image credit: Emma Bryant