Noble pursuit A
A new restaurant has opened on Rokeby Road - nothing unusual about that, you might think. But Noble Perth is special - with an ethical, vegan focus - which is set to make a splash for all the right reasons. BY | Gail Williams ONE Subiaco isn’t the only development causing a buzz at the bottom end of Rokeby Road. The old site of the Funtastico restaurant has also had passers-by agog as they awaited the new incarnation. Curious onlookers were greeted with an interesting spectacle – that of a VanGogh-style figure in a feverish frenzy scrubbing walls, laying tiles, painting and plastering as he transformed the icon into a whizz-bang new vegan restaurant with a difference. That figure was James Sparrow, one of the venue’s new owners who has swapped his former photography career to pursue his passion to bring a muchneeded new vibrancy to this part of Subiaco with an ethical and sustainable approach throughout. His business partner, Kartik 10 • SUBIACO: Eat drink shop
Shah, who owns La Vida – Perth’s only vegan grocery store, also located in Subiaco – wholeheartedly agrees that the time is right for Subiaco to have a fully fledged vegan pizzeria, complete with natural wines and food scraps being diverted to compost and fertiliser. When Sparrow and Shah threw open the bi-fold doors of Noble Perth in October those invited were stunned to find themselves in a sea of matt black finishes on floor, wall and tables. They recognised only the faithful old Funtastico wood-fired pizza oven and the layout of the open kitchen and bar. Verdant trailing plants and a wall mural by local artist, Hayley Smith, completes the picture. “I wanted this place to have a real Melbourne feel about it,” says Sparrow. “I have spent a lot of time there and wanted
it to have a moody, darker feel. I also knew the success of Fremantle’s vegan Mother restaurant and thought that something like that would work well in Subiaco.” The longtime vegan felt that the timing was right to focus on organics, low carbon footprints and sustainability and he has enlisted some vegan luminaries – Alexandra Duggan and John Wearne – to put together the short and concise menu featuring burgers made with bean and vege patties, roasted eggplant in Romesco sauce and spaghetti and meatballs made with mock meat. Six choices of pizzas, made with Caputo flour, come with names like Funghi, Margherita, Focaccia and Marinara and are made in the traditional Neapolitan style with a very thin and puffy
airy crust. The wines are all-natural, mostly local and vegan, which don’t use egg white, fish products or gelatine in the fining process. Beer comes from Gage Roads Brewing Company and it seems the locals have already taken to it like ducks to purified water – with bookings flying in for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the venue, which is open Wednesday to Sunday. “We are also taking bookings for Christmas functions,” says Sparrow. “And we are planning on doing live music and comedy nights.” He says the response from locals has been very positive. “A lot of people have thanked us for doing it up,” he says. “And they’re saying they would like to have a vegan Christmas here.” And that’s music to Sparrow’s ears. Noble Perth, 12 Rokeby Road Visit nobleperth.com.au
