It’s that time of year already – the 12th annual Eat Drink Perth festival is here!

From 16 March to 23 April, some of the City’s best restaurants and cafes will be offering exclusive menu items and discounts so leave your lunchbox at home and escape from the office for some seriously delicious treats.

If you’re not convinced, see below for nine compelling reasons to leave the leftovers in the fridge (or the dog) and head out into the beautiful Perth sunshine for some great breakfasts, morning teas and lunches.

I’ve presented this list in alphabetical order – they’re all great so I just couldn’t choose a favourite – so maybe work your way from top to bottom, or ask your IT guy for a random number generator.

Whatever you do, make sure you try them all, and see the Eat Drink Perth website for information on even more exclusive menu items available during the festival.

BAMBAMBOO – DIM SUM PLATTER

BamBamBoo in 140 Perth gathers foods from all regions of China in the one place – whether you’re a fan of dim sum, dumplings, noodles or BBQ meats you’re going to find something to enjoy here.

All items are freshly made from high-quality ingredients and the kitchen is visible from the restaurant so you can see your meal being prepared.

In addition to their already well-priced menu is the special Eat Drink Perth “dim sum platter” combo, which is fantastic value at only $12.

It includes a chilli squid tentacle, vegetable spring roll, steam prawn dumpling, crispy prawn wonton, pan fried pork & chive dumpling, Shanghai pork juicy bun, BBB pork bun and a 200ml Coke!

A vegetarian version is also available, so you’ve got no excuse.

Make sure you sign up to be a BamBamBoo “Panda Pal” while you’re there to receive exclusive offers and discounts.

Location: Shop 25, 140 Perth, 140 William Street, Perth
Hours: Mon-Thu 11am-8:30pm, Fri 11am-9:30pm, Sat 11am-9pm, Sun 11am-4:30pm
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ADELPHI GRILL – FIERY ANGUS BURGER

Located in the Parmelia Hilton, the Adelphi Grill began its life as the iconic Adelphi Steak House & Bar back in the 1960s, and still serves some of the best steaks in town.

Joining the Adelphi’s already mouthwatering menu for Eat Drink Perth is the Fiery Angus Burger, featuring Chef Chad’s secret blend of fiery spices, a striking charcoal brioche bun, roasted capsicum slaw, jalapeno mayo, rocket and a generous serving of shoestring fries with spicy roasted garlic salt.

The deal includes a glass of house wine or beer for $25 and if you’re a fan of spicy food, I suggest you head straight to the Adelphi because this burger is a knockout (in a good way).

Adelphi Grill is also hosting the Earth Hour Dinner on 19 March and offering an exclusive “Meet and Meat” private dining experience for Eat Drink Perth.

Location: Parmelia Hilton, 14 Mill Street, Perth
Hours: Mon-Fri 12 noon-10pm for lunch & dinner
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THE BIRD CAGE RESTAURANT AND BAR – CHARCOAL CHICKEN SATAY AND BEER

Located on level one of 140 William, The Bird Cage Restaurant and Bar at The Aviary is quiet and sophisticated, the perfect location for a quick business lunch or after-work drink.

The menu at The Bird Cage is based around shared dishes, offering a unique combination of modern Australian and South East Asian cuisine.

In addition to their existing menu – which includes a $20 “Express Lunch” option – The Bird Cage is offering a great meal for you and a colleague during Eat Drink Perth.

For just $40 you can both feast on charcoal chicken satay with roasted peanuts, ikan bilis, tempe chips, sambal, pickled cucumber & coconut rice – plus you each get to relive that recent holiday and wash it down with a Bintang.

Location: Level 1, 140 William Street, Perth
Hours: Mon-Thu 12pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 12pm-1am, Sun closed
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DUOTONE – TRENDY GOURMET TOAST

DuoTone is a great example of a cafe with a sharp focus – providing healthy and delicious food – that it executes very well.

They also serve some of the best coffee in town, using beans from different roasters which are rotated on a regular basis.

During Eat Drink Perth, DuoTone are offering any of their gourmet toast varieties with a takeaway or dine-in 8oz coffee for only $10 all day.

I guarantee that once you try this, you’ll be back for more.

Their toast varieties include boiled egg & crisp bacon with garlic hollandaise, espresso nutella with banana, chocolate buckwheat & hazelnuts, smashed avocado with mixed herbs, popped quinoa and dukkah and my favourite – brie, proscuitto, truffled maple syrup and chives.

Location: 313 Hay St, East Perth
Hours: Mon-Fri 6am-4pm, Sat-Sun closed
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GAME CITY – NYC HOT DOG

Game City is located in Raine Square as you head towards the train station.

As well as offering great coffee, breakfast from 6:30am during the week and some excellent value lunches – BBQ rib burger for $9.50, anyone? – you can spend many hours there when you should be at work playing pinball or remembering how bad you were at vintage console games.

Game City’s Eat Drink Perth exclusive menu item is the massive NYC Hot Dog, which features an American Frankfurt, tomato sauce, spicy mustard, caramelised and oven dried onions topped with cheddar, gourmet diced bacon, chipotle sauce and jalapenos.

Wow.

They use a special Turkish hot dog bun which is crisp enough to hold everything together, but manages to stay soft inside.

This is sure to be a popular item, and deservedly so.

Location: Shop TR-2/3 Raine Square Shopping Centre, Perth
Hours: Mon-Thu 6:30am-7pm, Fri 6:30am-10pm, Sat 1pm-6pm, Sun closed

GRAMERCY BAR AND KITCHEN – PULLED PORK & PILSNER

Gramercy Bar and Kitchen in Central Park is a great place to stop in the CBD for a meal, coffee or something a little stronger.

Their food menu covers all bases from breakfast toasties to bar snacks, burgers and more substantial main course items.

Gramercy’s “$20 Pulled Pork and Pilsner” for Eat Drink Perth is a great deal. As well as a pint of local “Last Drop” beer, you get a huge bowl of delicious pulled pork with black beans & pico de gallo and a cheesy quesadilla on the side!

This is the kind of dish that you could share with a workmate, but you’d just end up fighting over the pint so I recommend grabbing one each and taking a nap later in the day when the boss isn’t looking.

Location: Shop 10 Central Park, 777 Hay Street, Perth
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-late, Sat 12pm-late, Sun closed
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LE VIETNAM – EXCLUSIVE BANH MI

Le Vietnam consistently produces the best banh mi in town, and they’ve raised the stakes for Eat Drink Perth with this exclusive new recipe.

This authentic Saigon banhi mi includes Vietnamese ham, pork belly, fish sauce, home-made soy sauce and pork floss, which isn’t as odd as it sounds – it’s surprisingly sweet, and works beautifully here.

They even pick the coriander for each banh mi at the last minute to ensure maximum freshness.

If you’ve never tried a banh mi then I recommend you start with this one, which I thought was just about perfect… and since you’re being adventurous, wash it down with a Vietnamese iced coffee.

Oh, and don’t forget Le Vietnam’s famous waffle fries! – only available at the William Street store.

Location: 1/80 Barrack Street & 92 William Street
Hours: Mon-Fri 6am-3pm, Sat 8:30am-2pm, Sun closed
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PANCAKES AT CARILLON – BLACK FOREST WAFFLE, GRIZZLY PANCAKES & THICKSHAKES

Pancakes at Carillon has been around for as long as I can remember, and I doubt there’s anyone reading who hasn’t been there at some time for a plateful of sweet or savoury pancake goodness.

There’s no shame in eating dessert at any time of day, which is handy because Pancakes at Carillon are offering several exclusive menu items for Eat Drink Perth.

Their Black Forest Waffle is as much a joy to eat as it is to look at, and the grizzly pancakes with banana, walnuts, bacon & maple syrup aren’t just for breakfast… but they certainly could be!

To quench your thirst, two great thickshakes are also available during the festival – choc-mint and honeycomb.

Location: Level 3, Carillon City
Hours: Mon-Thu 9am-3pm, Fri 9am-8pm, Sat-Sun 9am-3pm
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WILLIE WAGTAIL – BREWS & BITES

Willie Wagtail is a small, always busy cafe on William Street (near the corner of Wellington Street) that opens early, and serves great food and coffee with some of the friendliest service in Perth City.

Their Eat Drink Perth special menu item is Brews & Bites, a $12 tasting paddle of two single origin coffees.

Each coffee will have its natural flavour profile enhanced by a specially designed, matching sweet treat made in the Willie Wagtail kitchen.

I can’t think of a better way to spend your morning tea break, and you can even brag to the office coffee snob afterwards!

Willie Wagtail are also hosting two events for Eat Drink Perth, the Fancy a Filter? afternoon of coffee exploration on 19 March and the Pour like a Pro espresso-making crash course with a latte art smack-down finale on 2 April.

Location: 131 William Street (adjacent to Raine Square), Perth
Hours: Mon-Fri 6:30am-4pm, Sat-Sun closed
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