Chef Profile - Albasio La Pegna
Restaurants - Zaferrano, Rialto's, Sapori Gastronomia Italiana (Gourmet Food Store)
For someone with a string of successful restaurants, Albasio La Pegna doesn't see himself the way others might. "I'm not a businessman" he says, "just someone who is passionate about food." As we talk in his stylish, light and modern eatery Rialto in Subiaco, this becomes more and more apparent.
One look at the menu tells you that Albasio's is not a standard take on Italian cooking. From the quirky Italian spring roll, filled with artichoke and molten cheese and fried in a spring roll wrapper, to the gamberoni (large king prawns marinated in chilli & capsicum lime confit, grilled & served with avocado & cucumber salad) and the ethereal parmesan oil, a complex blend of parmesan, extra virgin olive oil and garlic served with toasty sourdough bread, these are dishes based in tradition yet modern in interpretation. For Albasio, this is what Italian cooking should be about. When he first arrived in Perth, the Italian restaurant scene was lacking vibrancy. "Italian food shouldn't be boring" he implores, "It should have a twist - it's important to be contemporary at the same time". It's a mantra he has always repeated to his chefs - it's ok to change the recipes.
He's also not jealous about his recipes, seeing them as a way to pass on knowledge. Albasio has done it so well that he now openly admits with a wry grin that he's ended up "competing against a lot of my old students". Education always has been a key part of his approach to food, stemming from the belief that the only way being contemporary will work is if the basics are perfect.
"Take pasta, for example", he explains, "It's something not everyone can do. In Italy, since the day you are born, you start to build your understanding of pasta. It's not something you can just get at 25, it's a fine balance of texture, sauces and getting everything sticking together."
The importance of this deep understanding of food shows in other ways. When we speak of slow food, Albasio is very clear in his views. "It's an amazing thing if everyone was prepared to support it. To me it's just another way to describe the way Italians eat all the time." It's not only in the eating, but the ingredients as well. Tomatoes, says Albasio, are a case in point. "Tomatoes aren't meant to ripen in the fridge, they should always be vine-ripened. Some chefs don't understand that, and so the food never tastes like it should."
One dish that definitely tastes like it should is the amazing hand-made gnocchi in mixed meat ragu. This dish is simplicity and elegance in a bowl, and Albasio was good enough to show us one of his special "tools" used in the process. Made out of decking boards nailed side by side and seen in the context of his modern dining room, it very neatly sums up the two complementary facets of his cooking philosophy.
