Bagels and burgers at La Veen

Recently I took advantage of the sunny winter’s day for a lunch date with my mum and my boy Jeremy. Mum’s friend’s daughter (try saying that quickly!) owns the new hotspot La Veen on King Street, and we’d promised her friend that we’d come by soon to try it out.

On the day in question we arrive around 1pm, missing her friends as they’re about to fly off on holiday but we didn’t mind – we were there to eat our little hearts away.

It takes us a few minutes before we all decide on our lunch meals. Jeremy’s always too nice to us so he jumps up to place the order for us all. I’m too busy creeping on everyone else’s lunches – I love looking at food that gets delivered to other tables. I always think I must look like the biggest perve!

It’s not a long wait at all before our food is brought out to the table. Mum’s ordered the pulled pork bagel which has a crisp coleslaw inside, plus chips and salad on the side. She’s kind enough to let me have a bite, which I’m pleased to see that the pork is juicy and flavoursome. It’s soft and tender, though a little on the messy side.

Having a bagel rather than your standard sandwich roll or bread is a really nice change of pace – making the portion a lighter, and more appropriate size for lunchtime. I love the chips – shoestring – with a satisfying crunch to every bite. I think I eat at least half of her chips! Whoops!

Jeremy’s choice from the Chef’s Special section of the menu is the double wagyu cheese burger ($17). I’m not quite sure where the ‘double’ comes into it since there’s only one beef patty, but it’s a great size and topped with pickles, ketchup and mustard sauce. Like mum’s bagel, there’s also a side salad and shoestring fries.

Love this dish! The beef is pink inside and well seasoned, with each bite juicy and moorish. The flavours are classic, with no deviation required from the tried and true cheeseburger formula. Like the pulled pork before, the burger is on a toasted bagel bun which is soft, sweet and pillowy goodness.

Typically when I spy the truffle risotto ($18) on the menu I find myself unable to consider any other options. It’s sunny outside but I’m always cold in winter so heartwarming Italian dishes are right up my alley.

It’s a small dish presented on a beautiful plate. Al dente arborio rice with parmesan, truffle oil and shaved Monteil truffles, plus some herbs to garnish.

Jeremy and mum tease me quickly since I’m such a sucker for congee and risotto. It’s a go to for me! This one is tasty and simple – creamy, full of truffle flavour and with a nice salty kick from the parmesan. I finish it quickly, so I am glad that I had mum’s chips to finish munching on for that extra carb hit. I have to say, I think the serving size definitely needs to be reviewed for this dish – I feel like the risotto disappeared in only a few bites!

La Veen is a lovely addition to King Street and the emerging foodie front in Perth. Bring a laptop or book down and sit by the window, soaking in the chaos of the foot traffic outside and the tasty goods on offer. Rumour has it there’s a bar opening next door too which means there’s going to be even more reason to hang out on King soon.