Really like this place, especially since you can pop in for a quiet cold beer without eating anything, as I think their licencing has changed, but trust me, you'll want to eat something. The food is excellent, but a little on the pricey side, in my opinion.
Good vibe and great staff.
Celebrated my fiancée birthday. Great meals and service! Enjoyed everything, ordered fried cheese jalapeños, chicken bacon pate, mushroom caps. Even the specials was nice - mushroom ravioli! Will definitely come back again. One of the best meals we had in a while.
Went to The Cavern with the family to celebrate winning a new job. Totally spur of the moment, but they happily accommodated us with a booking (and with moving tables around to meet my needs). The vibe felt very European somehow, and naturally so - not common in Oz. The food was INCREDIBLE, as was the friendliness and speed of service. I don’t recall enjoying a meal out (quite rare...) as much as this in recent years!
We have been here thrice now, twice with group of friends and had an amazing time. What a place! It’s about 25 Kms – 30 mins from our place, but I do not mind driving to Kalamunda/ Hills to have tapas food. Delicious food with numerous tasty options to choose from, excellent drinks list, and really knowledgeable staff who were not intrusive and provided right advice about the food/ dishes or drinks.
We enjoyed a nice selection of tapas with the family. We ordered around 2- 3 serves of 10 tapas each and could not fault any of the dishes. Service was fast and wait staff was attentive. The fried stuffed jalapenos were amazing and spicy and not for the faint hearted. This place offers an extensive menu that would suit the fussiest of eaters (including me). We loved the menu and the presentation of the dishes.
The highlights or my top 5 from the menu are Moroccan lamb meatballs with couscous and garlic yoghurt, Crispy Fremantle sardines, Fried stuffed jalapenos, double crumbed french brie with pear and rocket salad and Honey panna cotta with poached pear and pashmak.
It is a great place to wine and dine, we loved it! Can’t wait to go back again. Highly recommend this restaurant.
What a great night out to celebrate Anthony's birthday. We chose the banquet ! What a great choice of lovely little morsels came out every 5 minutes or so. Waitstaff were cheery and helpful . Wine list excellent. The atmosphere was cosy and warm . Excellent value for the amount of food we enjoyed . We will definitely be back with more friends. A great night out!!!🍾🍷🎂🎉🏆@Anthony and Lynne Fel
Found out about this place from a friend and came as a group of 4. Its a tapas style of eating and so we ordered 2 "entrees", 6 "mains" and 1 dessert to share.
Standout was the gnocchi, soft tacos, truffle fries, fried brie with pear and rocket salad. The crispy spuds which were on special wasn't that crispy and the chorizo was average. Brownie wasn't fantastic either. The other dessert on special - milk & honey pannacotta was so tempting but we were too full. Service was great and overall, we'll come back again.
I love the cosy decor at the Cavern. Staff are all lovely and quick to serve. The wine list is pretty awesome! They also stock my fave - Picardy (that's enough to get me back!). Great range of tapas. I've seen a few comments saying it's expensive - well, I think not people. Tapas is all about gourmet small portions, bursting with flavour, and that's exactly what The Cavern provides! I loved the way each serving came out separately, about 5 or so minutes after one another so it gave us just enough time to try each one while they were nice and hot. I look forward to coming back and trying some more delicious tapas!
Valentine's Day was made extra special at The Cavern with an amazing set menu of dishes (not normally on the a la carte menu).
The duck liver parfait was at its best! The salmon and leek tart was to die for - the short crust was light and crisp, and the filling was creamy and moreish!
Next out was one of the best pork buns I have ever tried - great fusion of flavours with an Asian twist.
My wife loved the gnocchi - with a generous serving of the seafood sauce. The kitchen was more than accomodating - allowing me to have my gnocchi with the a la carte lamb ragu (seafood and I don't agree 😜).
To finish the meal we had the most amazing chocolate mousse - perfectly complimented with the praline crunch and fresh fig ... yum!
We were so full by the end - great value for $60 per head.
The "Father in law" Shiraz was a perfect compliment with the meal - great recommendation by the wait staff, who were attentive and friendly!
Can't wait to go back!
Great food with a solid wine list. More local wines would be nice..........
Service was prompt and friendly BUT it was a little over priced.
Will never stop recommending this place! Incredible food, never tried something I don't like and the staff are so friendly. Great place to try new things. Would give more stars if I could!!
Really enjoy the food at the Cavern. Great place for a bite to eat but service was not so good the last time we went. We were squashed in which I found a little claustrophobic as it was quite warm inside. Overall though a lovely place to dine.
Another great experience at the Cavern.
Food and service is fantastic.
Tried the Warm Limoncello pudding with vanilla bean custard and icecream tonight ! Amazing .....
Compliments to the chef and staff for a great experience.
Although some recent reviews have been patchy, we have visited several times and went again last night. The food was good, service very informal (!) but helpful and fun. My one concern is the way the wine is served...I ordered a $50 Spanish Grenache Tempranillo, and was surprised when the bottle arrived having been pre-opened at the bar. When I commented, the waiter stated that the owner wants informality...? What? A basic courtesy to diners is to allow for checking the bottle description before opening, and then tasting, still necessary for Spanish wines due to the continuing use of corks. Rather than creating formality, the correct procedure shows respect for customers (it's my decision re the wine selection and standard, not the bar staff), and can frequently lead to some light-hearted conversation with the waiter. Overall though, the restaurant has a pretty good average standard, pleasant atmosphere and staff who seem to enjoy their jobs.
The Cavern is amazing! Have never had a bad meal there. The favourite dish is obviously the deep fried cheese. The stuffed jalapeños are amazing too - but they have a very decent kick so make sure you have the water handy. The staff are always friendly and attentive. It's one of our go to places!
Am so happy to say food is always of a high standard and the staff friendly! This is a local gem. Come for the gnocchi and I must say I miss the polenta dish that used to be on the menu.
My grandparents used to live in Glen Forrest, so the family frequently visited the hills. It’s a lovely part of Perth, abundant gum trees and a beautiful view across the scarp to the city skyline on the horizon. With my nana now living in Noranda I can’t say I visit the hills all that often, but an opportunity presented recently to visit Kalamunda for dinner. I say it presented when in reality it was that a girl at work reminded me about a place I’d heard of a while ago and had been keen to visit so I arranged a dinner with some friends to try out their $45pp banquet menu and just like that we were booked in to The Cavern. The allure of The Cavern for me was the fellow in the kitchen, John Mead. He had previously had a restaurant called Cream in East Perth, which I had visited and enjoyed many moons ago. Like a lot of moons. And now he was in the hills with his wife Maria offering what on paper looked like a totally tasty banquet style dinner. I couldn’t wait! The menu was described as ‘world tapas’ and as you gave the different dishes a read you could see why, with many countries signature dishes or ingredients showcased.
Never had a bad experience!. I've been here numerous times and the food and service are always great. Wouldn't change a thing!
Outstanding!!!. Great service and delicious food. The draught beer is as good as the website touts. Looking forward to returning.
What a great little gem in Kalamunda!
Food was delicious and great menu with lots of good vegetarian options. I found the wine menu quite extensive with some not so usual options. I will definitely be back for dinner again soon!
Amazing!. I went here for a drink and a light dinner with a friend. The staff were super friendly and our waitress was lovely and well informed of the menu. My cocktails were DELICIOUS! And the food was even better. We had the Mushrooms and Pizza Subs which I highly recommend. Will definitely be returning.
Updated Feb 2018
We have loved The Cavern for years and always rated the food highly, especially their legendary potato & ricotta gnocchi 😍😍. I adored the sauce and found the utmost comfort in our trusty old friends, them cloud-like melt-in-your-mouth pillows of happiness.
Our fried chicken wings 🍗 arrived golden and crispy, with a hint of fish sauce. The Vietnamese salad surprisingly hit all the right notes as promised and it was as delightful as it could get.
Wild mushroom mac n cheese 🍄🧀, however wasn't as satisfying as we hoped. It was under-seasoned and nowhere near creamy or cheesey enough. There was mushroom there and clearly more room for flavours.
The biggest disappointment of the night was the almond pannacotta 🍮😔. When it was served in a jar, we thought it was strange and found the texture even more disturbing as we dug in. The creaminess, bounciness and jiggliness we were once used to were replaced by a grainy, breakable and thin effort 😐. Upon paying we discovered the dessert was now gluten-free and soy milk was used instead. No wonder it was in a jar, it would never have held its shape otherwise. It was understandable that there was a GF option but why remove the creamsical milk & honey pannacotta completely 😭? There was udderly no word to describe our sadness.
I truly hope that we will see the return of our dearest milk & honey pannacotta in the near future and till then, I will try not to mope over its departure. Maybe just a little. 😢
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MUST ORDER PANNA COTTA, MUST MUST MUST!!!. We came here not knowing what to expect, from the outside the place looked quiet and small but wow there are actually 3 sitting sections! The atmosphere was great and what delicious food we had! The service was so wonderful and friendly too, and did we loveeee our yummy cocktails! We had quite a few dishes, stuffed jalapenos, chicken salad, pork ribs, beef ribs, pavlova & honey and milk panna cotta. Every single dish was sooo divine, especially the panna cotta. O M G. It was creamy, dense, looks delish and tasted even better!!! Every mouthful I just could not stop eating!! Definitely the best panna cotta I've EVER had anywhere!!! The dishes were reasonably priced considering the portions, including the cocktails. What a gem, we would definitely come back and this time I ain't sharing my panna cotta!! :P
Great food, wine, old menu!. Love this restaurant. Great food, okay prices, good service. Great wine and cocktails. Can't fault The Cavern.
It's realllly overdue for a menu change though :)
Hidden gem. Food is just amazing. great wine list, personable staff. lovely way to spend an afternoon, or perfect place for dinner.
Perfect. Dined this evening at the cavern and it was pure perfection like always. Gnocchi, light and fluffy, ribs smokey and tender and salted peanut caramel to die for.. Back next week.
Delish !!!. Such an enjoyable meal. We ordered about 6 dishes and all were amazing.
The garlic prawn risotto balls and the gnocchi were our faves.
We'll be back for sure.
Really good. I don't usually like the Australian version of tapas. It usually means really trendy joints where you pay big bucks for greasy morsels, in really loud, dimly lit surrounds with arrogant waiters who try to push expensive Spanish wine on you. Not this place though. The wait staff were great, we were seated politely, served promptly and treated attentively by an excellent crew. It wasn't too noisy, it wasn't too dark and no-one tried to push expensive wine on us.
The food was great too. The serves were decent size - bigger than you would usually get at a tapas joint. Mostly they were big entree sizes and priced accordingly. Four plates were ample for two people. We had truffle oil and parmesan fries (seriously deluxe chips really), polenta with egg plant jam, cheese stuffed green Jalapenos (these were slightly challenging, but in a good, makes you sweat kind of way - freshly picked with the seeds still in rather than out of a jar) and prawn stuffed risotto balls. All were fantastic and were easily enough to fill us up nicely. They had a great drinks menu as well. Trumer Pils or Bridgeport IPA on tap and a great bottled beer menu, fabulous and varied wine menu, by the glass or bottle, and plenty of cocktails. I had a Drambuie to finish and it was the biggest liqueur I have ever been served in a restaurant - it seemed to go on forever.
So between us we had four dishes, two glasses of wine, two pints of imported craft beer AND a huge drambuie for less than $100. All with excellent service and good advice about what to order.
Highly recommended and we will be back.
Amazing! From the superb food, to the attentive staff. Will definitely be back to try the food we could stuff down :)
Great venue and menu too. Loved the food, very generous portions and the price so reasonable. Worth going if you can get in.
Love the food. My husband and I eat here often and the food is always beautiful. I have absolutely nothing but praise for all of the dishes. I do however, have a couple of gripes-
*If the restaurant is busy, service can be slow, we once waited 15 minutes from the time we were seated to have our drink order taken. This is easily rectified by putting on more staff during busy times but there only ever seems to be 2-3 wait staff. It is definitely not enough with a full restaurant.
*On a Sunday afternoon, there is live music. This normally wouldn't bother me but The Cavern is such a small space that the music is actually deafening and you can't have a conversation without yelling.
*Price wise, it is slightly expensive. My husband is a big eater, our bill for 2 people is around the $160-$180 mark.
We keep coming back though! There is no other restaurant South of the city that even comes close to matching the beautiful food The Cavern produces.
Amazing food at a really reasonable price
Everything was delicious but the lamb shanks with gnocchi was like angels dancing on my tongue.
Perfect. Visited The Cavern a few nights ago with my parents and boyfriend - the food was amazing, I especially loved the pear and walnut salad. Also thankyou to our waitress (Sam?), you were lovely and extremely helpful!!
Been many times since the first review (below) and the food is still aaamaaazing.
One criticism ... why did you have to take our favourite wines (Prosecco and Pinot Grigio) and beer (Nevada) off the menu???
Good job the food rates :-)
A Gem In The Hills. We've been here on many occasions and have recommended it to many. Once again last night, we were not disappointed. We went with friends who also love this place and the great thing was they had their favourites and we had ours, so we all tried things we would not normally order. The chorizo and sweetcorn croquettes from the specials board were exceptional, however the brussel sprouts could/should have been cooked a tad longer. Our friends had not tried the crostini of smoked salmon and avocado before and couldn't believe how good it was. The Asian Slaw, the tacos, chicken wings - it was all great.
The main downside was once we moved from our table to the bar to enjoy another drink after dinner, many staff were hovering around, but it took quite a while for us to be served. Certainly only a hiccup and definitely not enough to keep us away from this amazing find.
Kalamunda has long needed something like this and obviously others agree, because the place is always full. Best make sure you book. :-)
This is one of the best restaurants in Kalamunda with a awesome selection and amazing food. Modern Australian tapas is the theme I would say. The chalk boards always have fab choices too. Standout favourites are the Asian chicken wings and the Brie and pear salad! We go on a regular basis and love the food, staff and vibe! Certainly a hidden gem in Kalamunda and one everyone should try out! Need more places like this, beats many Perth city restaurants for sure.
Hidden Gem in Kalamunda. Didn't know this foodies heaven lives here. First time here I had the BBQ Ribs and the Roast vegetable cous cous. The ribs are so delicious!
Will be back here to try another dish out.
INCREDIBLE. I have been to the Cavern 3 times now and have tried almost everything on their latest menu. I LOVE this place, the food is just off the charts. The mac and cheese is a must, the watermelon and pistachio nut salad is so refereshing and delicious, the baked polenta and ricotta gnocchi is amazing, vietnamese chicken wings, arancini balls, all beautiful. As a local it is so nice to finally have a decent place to take people for dinner, the desserts are great too. The tall, Canadian (?) waiter/chef is the nicest man ever and very professional and helpful when it comes to choosing dishes, the only downfall of the evening was the unfriendly, surly blonde waitress who clearly didn't want to be there and slammed dish after dish down on our table. I hope they change the menu soon so I try some of their other masterpieces!
Went here for dinner on Sunday night and it was amazing. We had the deep fried Brie, the lamb shank ragu gnocchi, and the roasted mushies. My partner isn't/wasn't completely sold on the tapas style of eating, believing that "sharing" often equals "insufficient amounts", this place convinced him otherwise and it was mainly due to a) the good quality of the food and produce and b) the extensive knowledge and in-depth descriptions of serving sizes given by the staff. They run like a well-oiled machine, each staff member clearly have their own roles and they perform them precisely to come together to give an impeccable service. Wine list is substantial, a few nice brews on tap to keep everyone happy, and prices are reasonable. Thank you!
Fantastic establishment in the hills. We dined at The Cavern just over a month ago for my fiancé's birthday and had a fantastic meal. The interior was warm and cosy, the staff were friendly and attentive and the live music on a Sunday was great.
Between us and our daughter we shared the baguette with truffle butter, crumbed Brie, pear and walnut salad, old school mac and cheese (which our toddler almost single handedly demolished), king prawn arancini and the gnocchi with lamb shank ragu followed by the chocolate brownie with salted caramel sauce. Everything was fresh, flavourful, well cooked and just plain tasty.
We paired dinner with a bottle of Spanish Castel de Bouza Albariño which is a beautiful wine, well worth the price tag of most expensive white on the menu.
Would happily recommend The Cavern and am looking forward to returning soon.
What a difference one fantastic waitress can make! Waited at the bar for a table. drink menu prices very reasonable. Tapas style dishes and all were appealing.90% had a cheese element in them which was fine with me. Truffle fries, pesto homemade pasta, baked figs with cheese..all screaming with flavour. Dessert was a little less blissful but very good experience overalll.
Highly recommend this place! The food was great. Didn't have to wait long at all. Friendly attentive staff. Awesome atmosphere. Loved it!
Fabulous. I now gave been to the cavern about 4 times at different times and days. I must say that I have never been disappointed. The service is great and the good even better. Great prices for the quality of the food. The kids and adults love the mac cheese. The pork is superb, the attention to detail is very good. It us fast becoming my favourite place to eat. As Molly says "do yourself a favour" and try it.
Those Meads know how to do good food. Tapas style in Kalamunda. Everything on the menu is exemplary. The staff know good service. Try the margherita. Brilliant. The standards in the hills have risen. New menu coming, I can't wait!
Great gluten free selection, as long as you don't dine in a large group. There was a separate gluten free menu available, with about 10 mains, sides and even a few gluten free desserts. However for a group of 8 they insist you use the set menu which is not gluten free. A gluten free guest can dine separately, but it spoils the tapas experience if you can't share!
Myself and a party of 6 ate at The Cavern last night and I would highly recommend it for those who love seriously great food and drink!
Tell me where in Perth these days you can eat the equivalent of an entree, main course and dessert/coffees including drinks for between $50-$70pp ?? (depending on your choice of alcohol of-course)
For example last night we shared a minimum 12 (yes 12, I counted) share dishes + 4 deserts + 6 soft drinks + 4 beers + 1 wine + 2 coffees. For a total of $50 a head. And we're all good eaters. Especially me I'm eating for two!
My and my hubbies favourite Perth restaurant. We will keep coming back :)
Having been to the cavern several times now we had always loved the food. Tonight we went with a group and had the set menu. A total waste of money we had 7 people but had enough food to serve 4 in particular with gnocchi, diy tacos and fried camembert disappointing and we won't be returning. Tonight was an overpriced snack. This place has lost it.
Nice. Second time I've been here,this time with a party of six. Everyone enjoyed it,good food,Gnocchi is a standout,waitstaff very good.
The secret is you can BYO wine on Mondays and Tuesdays.
We went on a monday and obviously a lot of locals are on to it as the joint was jumping....on a monday!
Good to have somewhere that gets you back in Kalamunda.
(Used to be Bangles indian which went gradually downhill after the original owner sold some years ago).
Going back for sure.
YUM!. Came here for a 20th birthday celebration and oh my god, the food was AMAZING! We had the banquet, at $45 a person and were deliciously stuffed by the end of it. All courses were wonderful, enjoyed by everyone at our table and every scrap was eaten even though it got hard to eat more towards the end.
Staff were very accomodationg to our rowdy group, service was excellent and food came out in a timely manner. The wine list was great, boys enjoyed beer selection and all of us had a tibble at the cocktails - very nice! All in all, it was a great dining experience and for $45 a head, really not that bad on pricing - I've been to other places that have cost more and been terrible.
I will be coming here again and again! I recommend it to anyone on the hills (or indeed, out of the hills) for a great night out with friends, you can't go past it. Thanks to all staff and chefs, you made our night!
Keith W. Ferguson Dsc
+4.5
22nd Anniversary dinner. Shared 3 mains, 1 sides, and dessert. Were picking from the menu what we were going to have the next time. The specials blackboard looked enticing too. Yes, we will go again,soon.
BEST tapas we have ever had..ever! The gnocchi was better than my nonas. Every dish was amazing!!! The port and cheese player was a great way to finish the night. To die for!! Every mouth full!!
Beautiful. We had the fried Brie, gnocchi with lamb sauce, baby back ribs and the tortillas. All was very nice. Favourite was the tortilla. I will have one to my self next time I think.
Strength to strength. After a disappointing first visit to The Cavern when it first opened this little wine bar/restaurant has blossomed. There were some early teething problems when it first opened but decided to give them another go and weren't disappointed second time around (or 3rd or 4th). Tasty food and a great atmosphere. A breath of fresh air in our village.
This was the best meal I have had out in a long time! We had a last minute decision to go out for dinner with my parents for my birthday last night. It was absolutely amazing. The best thing about the menu is it should appeal to everyone. We had the risotto balls, tasting plate, polenta and mushrooms, Asian style ribs and my parents had the soup as well. I will definitely be back to try more from the menu. All round it was a great birthday experience.
Faultless service. Greeted with warm smile and endless options for pre dinner drinks. The tapas arrived in a smooth succession of fabulously authentic tastes. Good Rioja in Perth can be hard to come by but this wine menu caters for all sorts of tastes. I would absolutely come back... fabulous food wine and service
Ate here with my husband, shared 4 dishes (crumbed brie, sticky ribs, DIY taco's and chips) and a dessert (panna cotta) and left feeling full after a delicious meal! We have already booked in to return! Glad to have this little gem close to home!
Ate here last night, delicous tapas, good wine selection, but most of all some of the best service ive had around Perth, will definatly be back to try the rest of the meny. A very cosy and inviting place to eat :)
What an amazing amazing meal! Every single bite was exquisite and full of different flavours. An absolute taste sensation. So nice to have something different, exciting and modern in the hills
OMG OMG OMG OMG Amazing, loved it. Great ambiance, great staff, even better food. (Not bad on the wallet either) agree with other review about wine list, drinks are well priced and taste great.
The only fault I have is I got full and couldn't eat desert, however we shared one and what a way to finish. The apple crumble is to die for. 20/10 you guys best restaurant in Kalamunda, (better value than the bloody Thai on th hill)
Defs will return
Great Saturday night out.. Thoroughly enjoyed The Cavern. Food was fabulous, great wine list which is well priced and the service was exceptional. Hope to get back soon to try out more of the great sounding menu items.
We went here last night just the two of us for my boyfriends birthday & we are now totally in love with this place. Amazing food & great value for money! We had the DIY tacos, the baby back ribs, the gnocci & we ordered the specials which were soup & italian snags. I have honestly never eaten such well cooked food in my life, everything was cooked to perfection! We were super full & we had all that and 4 glasses of wine for $110. Will definatly be returning to this fantastic restaurant! Just what kalamunda needed! :)
Excellent food and service. Dinner on Thursday May 9th and Friday the 10th.
Food, wine and service was excellent.....again
As a local not sure if i want to let everyone know how good this place is.
Will be back next week
Just Devine. Went with a group of friends and we all thought the food and place was great. Look forward to returning.
Second visit to this lovely but busy little spot in Kalamunda.
Love: The Gluten free menu and customer service. Food was tasty and something different for a change.
Great and popular concept.
Will return again.
Pleasantly surprised. Six of us went there for dinner at 6pm on a busy Friday night. Received a big smile and hello from one of the wait staff and were shown to our table. Drink orders were taken swiftly but the waiter seemed a little distracted and had trouble understanding us. Then only 2 out of the 6 drinks arrived, and after waiting 10 minutes we asked another busy food waiter to get them. Food arrived at different times.
The Good:
Potato and ricotta gnocchi with 3 cheeses and tomato - these little clouds of gnocchi with tasty Mexican style sauce just melt in your mouth. Sauce was a little salty though. Portion looked small but was filling.
Double crumbed French brie with pear and walnut salad - Chowing down on a large wedge of fried brie was not something I have ever contemplated, but the crunchy crumb and oozing centre won me over. This is a good dish to share and the flavours and textures made it a winner. Included lettuce and redcurrent sauce .
Spicy chicken salad - enjoyed by my fellow diner.
French fries - a few notches up from MacDonalds.
Deserts were tasty and fresh.
The Bad:
Mac Cheese with special combo of cheeses - came in a glazed clay bowl, looking like it been teleported from 1975 straight from someone's dining table. Unfortunately it tasted like it had been made in the 70's too. The cheese appeared to have been cooked into submission and there was a pool of orange oil under the maccaroni. This stale tasting mac seemed to have been infused with the flavour of the ramekin's glaze, but the strange taste may also have been due to their 'special' cheeses. I think the restaurant should re-think this dish because it was chosen by the youngsters in our group and may have put them off mac cheese for life.
Bookings were for either 6pm or 7.30, so if you want to linger abit longer, best to eat at 07.30. All in all, a pleasant dining experience.
Top Notch. Thanks to the Cavern I have had my faith restored in great service, great atmosphere and sensational food , the cavern is warm and friendly perfect for a romantic meal or some family fun. This place is must try completely delicious top pick for the area and beyond. The Pavlova is a taste sensation top marks!
Brilliant all round. Modern, beautifully cooked, well-served cuisine. Great bar and wait staff. Gorgeous interior design. One of the best restaurants in the Hills and worth traveling for.
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