Under new (yet old) management, Lady of Ro is a throwback to how restaurants used to be

We need to talk about the soufra at Lady of Ro: the continental European restaurant in Subiaco that resurfaced in May after a short hiatus.

We need to talk about those wispy ruffles of crisp phyllo pastry. We need to talk about the comforting, just-sweet-enough custard that gets poured into the cake and soaks into said ruffles like Brylcreem into hair.

And we need to talk about how these two buds, ably assisted by the sweetness of crushed pistachio and cinnamon sugar, bring the best out of each other, Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed style.

But most important of all, if we’re going to lionise one of Perth’s most high-profile cakes, then we also need to talk about Despina Tanner: the Greek-Australian cook that introduced our city to the joys of this twice-baked custard pie via landmark addresses such as John Street Cafe, Boucla and, of course, Lady of Ro.

Do you remember eating Tanner’s soufra – or airy chocolate ricotta cake; or Sicilian-style apple tart; or any of her other baked glories – at these famous places?

Then I think you’ll appreciate the current iteration of Lady of Ro: two animated, tightly packed rooms that are low of light, but high of volume thanks to guests that are absorbed in conversation rather than their screens.

The kitchen gives it to us straight. Dishes are not deconstructed, reconstructed or obstructed, but as advertised.

Saganaki is fried handmade haloumi hit with honey. Crisp and floury potatoes are lifted with the intriguing fragrance of za’atar. Fast-moving staff hustle and bustle.

In short, today’s Lady of Ro has much in common with the neighbourhood eatery that Tanner and her husband Brian unveiled in 2014.

An operation in thrall with the algorithm this is not. Rather, this is a place that calls to mind what restaurants were like back in the day, largely because it’s being run by Jaycinta Zammit, Paul Zammit and Daniel Goodsell: hospitality veterans that know back-in-the-day very well.

(The Tanners, meanwhile, have left the building and now live on Kastellorizo: the Greek Island Despina and most of Perth’s Greek community can trace their lineage to.)

Wise heads know not to mess with winning formulas. Here, that means family-style dining and retaining established dishes that management should probably scribble on blackboard menus in paint rather than chalk.

Good-sized octopus is slow-cooked in olive oil and then blackened on the kitchen’s hardworking charcoal grill.

Braised lamb shoulder is another benefactor of the twice-cooked treatment and rightly considered another signature. (The chook, sadly, was overcooked and under seasoned on my visit.)

While Lady of Ro identifies as a continental restaurant, the site’s Greek heritage remains strong.

Although Hellenic cuisine is synonymous with lamb and seafood, many of my highlights at Lady of Ro were plant-based in nature.

The char and murky sweetness of well-charred cabbage suggests vegetables benefit just as much as any protein from the two-stage braise and grill treatment.

Terrific dips make already pleasing pita bread even more desirable. The meagre sounding “village eggplant” hints little at the rush of savour unlocked by grilling whole eggplants and red capsicums raw-dog on coals and combining them with the honeyed sweetness of slow-cooked garlic.

The fava dip, meanwhile, is made not of dried broadbeans, but yellow chickpeas patiently cooked till they surrender into a dense, creamy vortex of flavour.

While current management have retained a lot of the OG’s DNA, they’ve also found moments to inject themselves into the story. Urns, tablecloths, plates and other heirlooms from Jaycinta’s Italian grandmother feel right at home in this homely space. Her husband, meanwhile, has been quietly streamlining dishes.

(While Paul hasn’t directly referenced his Maltese heritage, his hefty gogges – think of them as Greco ricotta gnocchi – were inspired by his school days in Sydney’s multicultural Redfern and swapping lunch boxes with the other kids.)

Although seasoning can occasionally drift, generosity is the name of this kitchen’s game. More is more. Flavours are uncomplicated, yet not uncouth.

I never got to eat my Indonesian-Chinese grandmother’s cooking when she was in her prime, but dining at Lady of Ro chimes with a lot of what I imagine dinner cooked by yiayia – the Greek word for grandmother would be like. (Yiayia’s Table, meanwhile, is the apt name of the value-packed $88 set menu which gets you a heroic, Iliadic quantity of food).

As it was from the beginning, BYO is still available and feels especially welcome in these price-conscious times. Even better, Goodsell’s passion for wine shines through in the service: good glasses, cute coolers and a genuine enthusiasm that suggests he just wants you to enjoy yourself rather than try to sell you another bottle of claret.

While Goodsell’s focus is on the now, he (and the Zammits) are also looking to the future and have recruited some young, but promising talents. Admittedly, the current nature of hospitality often requires venues to hire green staff, but based on the meal I had, this shade of green is pretty good.

Could there be a potential future custodian of Lady of Ro among the team? Maybe. Maybe not.

Regardless, it’s reassuring to know that newcomers are learning and being taken under the wings of industry veterans and getting what seems like solid on-the-job training.

While Paul oversees the menu and takes care of preparing dishes, the kitchen is run by Michaela De Matos in his absence.

The waitstaff move with purpose and the vim of youth while soaking up and absorbing the wisdom of old heads. Just like a certain cake we were just talking about.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.