Nestled away in Perth’s (sometimes) sun-kissed café quarter, CriDo’s Restaurant and their neighbours will be hoping to see their business boom when the City Hall is reopened after the major works being carried out there.
But don’t bother waiting for the crowds to try out some authentic cuisine.
When you arrive at the outside of the eatery, you are immediately greeted by an outdoor patio, with fairy lights and vines strung from each pillar, encasing diners in a cosy outdoor haven.
If you are braver than us, then there are plenty of seats outside, but as summer was petering out, we hunkered down inside.
CriDo’s Restaurant
Walking into CriDo’s, you will not be able to avoid locking eyes with Marilyn Monroe – the famous blonde bombshell adorns every wall of the restaurant.
Over the last few years, there will be precious few Perth denizens who haven’t ducked inside to CriDo’s for a cosy date night or a meal with workmates, and we were no exception. Our friendly server hurriedly came over and met us at the entrance and walked us over to a table in the centre of the room, handing us a menu each.
The Italian music that was playing gently in the background made the atmosphere seem even more welcoming and made for a perfect dinner accompaniment, with one couple next to us quietly humming along with the rhythm.
Settling down to peer at the menu, you can’t help but let your eyes wander the interior of the establishment. As well as Marilyn, the grey brick walls are covered in vintage photographs and yet more vines.
The smell of food was mouthwatering, so we got to picking out some dishes and drinks.
We both decided to go for a starter and main, with a great selection of food on offer.
For drinks, we decided to go for one alcoholic beverage each, with a carafe of tap water for the table. I went for a personal holiday favourite of mine, pear cider (£5.50) and my boyfriend chose a pint of Peroni (£5.95).
I had not intended to have an alcoholic drink but seeing the selection of fruity ciders on offer was too tempting. It is rare to find pear cider on a menu in the UK and it is more commonly served in European cities, so I leaped at the chance to have one with my meal.
The food
It can be hard to find a restaurant that has a meal to suit everyone, but CriDo’s puts that notion to the test and serves up food that everyone can enjoy, with a range of steaks, burgers and pasta to tuck into.
Doing my bit for the environment and choosing to go vegetarian three years ago, I was on the lookout for any dishes with a bold ‘V’ in brackets next to it, and was not disappointed with the food available. Despite there being minimal vegetarian options, I was happy with what I could have and chose to go for the mozzarella and tomato bruschetta (£6.50).
Bruschetta does not leave much room for error, and the fresh tomatoes scattered across the creamy mozzarella made for a delicious appetiser. The dressing of balsamic vinegar added a sweetness to the dish, with the delicate textures of the toppings working well alongside the crunch of the sourdough bread.
My boyfriend decided to be slightly more adventurous and dig into the deep-fried calamari (£7.95) paired with garlic mayonnaise. For his main, he chose to go for beef stroganoff (£18.95), which may well be the most ubiquitously seen eastern European meal on occidental menus, and was far and away the most ubiquitously seen during our visit, with plates arriving at each table.
In 2018, the restaurant’s founder Cristian Cojocaru was attacked by thuggish patrons who dined-and-dashed at his other Fair City establishment Broth3rs, with one swinging steak knives at him.
A legacy of this traumatic incident could well be the needlessness for sharps, certainly for those whose orders mirrored ours. The beef submerged in creamy stroganoff sauce was tender enough to slice with a disposable plastic knife.
The lashings of beef, mushrooms, shallots and sauce perhaps slightly outweighed the portion of sticky yellow rice it surrounded – an occurrence that really only merits criticism if flipped topsy-turvy.
I myself could not easily decide what I wanted to have as my main. CriDo’s offer several tasty sauces that can be used for either a pasta or risotto dish.
I am a pasta lover but decided to go for a risotto instead as something slightly different and went for an arrabbiata risotto (£12.95). Like Marilyn Monroe’s 1959 film Some Like It Hot, I was keen to source a spicy dish.
The risotto was creamy and had a fiery aftertaste, but was sweet at the same time with the tomato flavour coming right through with each bite. The portion was slightly too much for me to finish, and I was feeling rather full.
However, this did not stop us finishing off our dining experience with a crème brûlée (£6.50) to share which was vanilla flavoured. This was the first time I had tried the classic dessert, and it was truly just melt-in-your-mouth fantastic.
It combined cream with crunch, and I can safely say I will be ordering it again as a pudding.
The verdict
CriDo’s Restaurant had a real cosy feel for it, making for a perfect date night spot for couples or even a warm family meal. The food was fresh and all of it was made in a timely manner so we weren’t left hungry.
With vintage décor lining the walls and Marilyn Monroe watching as you take each bite, the vibe is welcoming and homely. I will definitely be making a trip back to CriDo’s in the near future (and I definitely have that crème brûlée on my mind!)
Information
Address: 5/6 St John’s Place, Perth, PH1 5SZ
T: 01738 440777
W: www.cridosrestaurant.co.uk/
Price: £64.30 for two starters, two mains and one dessert
Scores:
- Food: 4/5
- Service: 5/5
- Surroundings: 4/5
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