$$$$ • $35 up • Vegetarian Friendly

312 Drummond St Carlton

<03 9347 3312>

Opening Hours:

Lunch: Friday – Sunday: From 12pm

Dinner: Wednesday – Sunday: From 6.30pm

I wanted to go to Embrasse so bad because I was truly attracted by their food presentation as shown on their website and by other food bloggers; fresh, pretty, unique, creative and very attractive (especially the mushroom dish!). Very disappointed when the food came to the table; it looks ‘okay’ or more to the ‘boring’ side –  not as beautiful and divine as their show case gallery. It’s probably because  the Lunch Express only costs $35 which means we must have less ‘decorative’ food .  In my defence, if they put the masterpiece work on their showcase, it means I  have the right to have a high perceived value of the food, in this case, the presentation.

Squid Cooked In Red Wine, Parsley, Zucchini And Family, Lemon, Bergamot Oil

Black Pudding Croquette, Garden Peas, Dried Bay Leaf Oil, Pickled Beetroot

Roasted Corn Feed Chicken, Eggs, Stone Fruits, Our Own Rooftop Honey, Baked Onion

Fish Of The Day Poached In Brown Butter, Burnt Onion, Chive, Carrot Cooked Under A Pile Of Mud, Grapes, Cucumber, Cauliflower, Custard

Coconut Mousse, Frangipane, Passion Fruit, Corn, Orange Blossom

Food:

From the short two courses that they offered, I personally think it’s pretty standard and nothing special about the food. Yes, it showed some cooking technique; it was perfectly cooked, it was fresh, the taste was not bad, but it’s also a typical dish that you will forget five minutes after you ate it.  It seems their dinner menu had mesmerised quite a few bloggers, even though they have failed to impress me at the MFWF ‘promotion’, I would give them another chance for the dinner experience, but it might not be in the short period time.

Service:

Can’t really fault the service; strong customer service and high quality staff with generous smiles.

Venue:

It is a small venue with a decent space between tables. Very simple design and it has a similar atmosphere to a classic old European restaurant even though they serve a contemporary French cuisine.

$$$ • $25 – $35 • Non Vegetarian Friendly – Unless You Only Want Salads

641 Chapel St South Yarra

<03 9040 1188>

Opening Hours:

Lunch: Friday Only: From 12pm

Dinner: Monday- Sunday: From 6pm

Honestly, I hate steak. I always thought that I would come to a restaurant to relax and have nice food and not simply to exercise my jaw with 200g piece of blood-soaked meat. I can still vividly remember my last bad steak experience in Mad Cow-Ivy, Sydney, where, so I believed, if they have the guts to use ‘Cow’ in the restaurant name, they should serve an impeccable piece of steak – but that turned out to be a disaster. A few weeks ago, I chanced to meet an old friend of mine who apparently works as a chef in Steer. On our first meet-up after a few years, he bragged non-stop about how Steer should be acknowledged as one of the best steakhouses in Melbourne; Steer, he says, knows how to ‘render’ their beef (PS: I only know how to ‘render’ with CAD). I told him I was very sceptical about a good piece of steak and he challenged me to try the well ‘rendered’ steak at Steer; and now it’s a done deal.

Spotted: Black Cow Bum.

It's Real Fresh Meat, It's wow, It's Creative, It's.. ughh..

Tataki: David Blackmore Wagyu Oyster Blade With Wasabi, Ponzu and Radish Salad- THE BEST ENTREE

Buffalo Mozzarella, Figs, Bruschetta, Heirloom Tomato, Mint, Chilli And San Daniele Prosciutto

For Those Who Hates Blue Cheese, This Is The Perfect Cheese For You.

Fried Zucchini Flowers/ Buffalo Ricotta/Lemon/Basil

Wam Salmon Gravlax, Creme Fraiche/Rye Croutons- SECOND BEST ENTRE!

Hello Fat!

Sher Ranch F1 Wagyu 450 + Days Fed - RIB EYE

The Marbling!

Choices Of Different Sauce For Your Steak: Mustard, Seed Mustard, BBQ, Horseradish, and I Forgot The Rest.

French Fries With Herbs

The Side Dish

Autumn Green Vegetables/ Smoked Bacon

Happy Birthday My Dear Best Friend

Reece's Peanut Butter Cup

Bombe Alaska/Cherry/Coconut- FAV!!!!

Petit Four

Food and Service:

I was shocked when the waitress brought out a tray loaded with a selection of beef cuts to our table; well, I was shocked as they are very creative in presenting their meats to the customer and shocked as it’s been a while since I got so close to raw meat (Reminder: I hate steak and I don’t cook). On the other hand, the ‘beef-genius’ waitress was also shocked to learn that I know almost nothing about beef other than “Wagyu” or “marbling” jargon. The beef expert made it simple for me: “Do you like a strong or subtle flavour in the meat?” and, of course, my answer would be: “Subtle, please”. He recommended grain-fed-beef and not the grass-fed-beef. We decided to share the steak, in case the steak vexed me again; at least I had others there to not waste it.
Most of the entrees were well executed but did not have WOW factor except the Beef Tataki. Maybe it’s the David Blackmore ‘magic’ or I don’t-know-what that made that dish beyond sensational. The thinly sliced meat was so soft and did not have the strong taste of raw beef; it’s like… beef sashimi.

Here’s the most important part of this review: The steak.

We ordered: Sher Ranch F1 Wagyu 450+ days grain-fed, Rib Eye FI-7 1000g (‘BMS’7) $120. I only understood the price, the weight, Rib Eye, and it’s beef meat. It was requested as a medium-well and it came as medium-well. No blood running on the plate and had the ‘chargrill aroma’ effect. I confirmed the meat was tender the first second I jabbed my knife through the meat because I only needed to cut it lightly, rather than saw through it. I could see the marbling on my cut meat and, for the first time, I finally understood the expression “the meat just melts in your mouth”. I hate to admit that I’m wrong, but, in this case, I confess (happily) that there is actually steak in a restaurant that could make me happy to eat it! I kept taking slice after slice and eating my own ‘sceptical’ until only the fat was left on the plate. It was the best steak I’ve ever eaten in Melbourne. Good-bye Rockpool.
My eyes opened wide when I saw “Bombe Alaska” on the dessert menu; I’ve been dying to try one since I saw it on My Kitchen Rules. The presentation of the Bombe Alaska was not as pretty as Reece’s; I’ve read some bloggers who said they did not enjoy it, and it was the same case with my friends on that day. Why did I find the Bombe Alaska so delicious? It’s a 17th Century dessert that is rare to find in Melbourne, which I totally loved; I honestly enjoyed it more than the Reece’s. My taste buds loved the marriage of the alcohol, the cherry and the light coconut flavour on it; apart from that, the meringue was ugly looking. Pardon me, but I strongly disagree with those who did not like this dish.

Venue:

Seriously, from the outside, Steer looks so boring and uninviting; boring glass door with glass windows, typical. Greeted by a huge black cow statue and woody interior design splashed with fresh red colour, I was surprised that the venue was bigger than I thought from the outside. It has two floors and a very high ceiling; it’s a clean simple-looking restaurant with lots of tables and a few different private dining areas. Not blown away by its interior design but it goes beyond those typical steakhouses around.

$$$$ • $35 up • Vegetarian Friendly

Level 55, Rialto
525 Collins Street Melbourne

<0 3 96913888>

Opening Hours:

Lunch: Tuesday- Friday, Sunday: Reservation from 12pm- 2pm

Dinner: Monday – Saturday: Reservation from 6pm- 9.15pm

In this post, you will see two different kind of photos; One is from my dad’s camera, Nikon D3s and the other one is from my (sad) little camera, Olympus XZ-1.

I know, it’s not a fair comparison between these two gadgets (it’s like I compared a Honda Accord and an Aston Martin, Doh!) but oh well, these comparison is sort of  like a statement that one’s skill could translate into a different level of pictures just by the choice of gadget. With the Olympus, after a lot of this and that, noise reduction, sharpen the colour and etceteras, the result is still no where near the Nikon.

Why don’t I use SLR? personally I think  it’s a non people-friendly by it’s size, especially in a small environment restaurant.  Sooner or later, I will eventually need one, just because I could not stand crappy low-light-situation pictures from my Olympus anymore .

Billy Law‘s photography  is my favorite amongst other  food bloggers in Australia. Really wish I could attend his Food Photography class one day

Lui Bar

The Open Kitchen

Our Table

The Table 'Decoration'...

Salt & Pepper Revealed From The Stone

Hot Stone Inside The Leather Bread Pouch To Keep The Bread Warm

AMUSE BOUCHE ONE Housemade Chips

With Vegetable Remoulade

AMUSE BOUCHE TWO Venison Roll

AMUSE BOUCHE THREE Smoked Eel, White Chocolate, Caviar

AMUSE BOUCHE FOUR Oysters & Lemon

AMUSE BOUCHE FIVE Truffle Marshmallow

AMUSE BOUCHE SIX Celeriac, Sunflower Seed

-NIKON D3S -Entrée One

Shrimp On The Grill- Blow Torched On The Table

Paper-Like Thin Shrimp. How Did They Do This?!

-NIKON D3S- Entrée Two

Rabbit, White Asparagus, Smoked Potato, Rosemary

-NIKON D3S- Entrée Three

Lamb Sweetbreads, Dandelion, Apple, Cashew

-NIKON D3S- Entrée Four

Ox Tongue Salad, Gascony Butter

The Kitchen's 'Jewel', White Truffle

-NIKON D3S -

Fried Duck Egg, Lamb Sweetbreads, Pickled Onion, Truffle

Palate Cleanser

Cucumber Sorbet, Crushed Herbs

DIY Crushed Herbs

Cucumber Sorbet Is Then Placed On Top

-NIKON D3S- Main One

Pike, Tarragon, Swede

-NIKON D3S- Main Two

Smoked Eggplant, Onion, Thyme

-NIKON D3S- Main Three

Pork, Apple, Prune

Beautifully Presented

-NIKON D3S- Main Four

Wagyu Beef, Onion, Mustard

The View From Our Table

Shannon Bennett!

-NIKON D3S- Palate Cleanser

Passion fruit, Licorice, Coconut

Selection Of Cheeses

Camembert, Oen from Bruny Island, Beaufort (I think this is correct, I'm not a 'cheese' person )

Breads To Accompany The Cheeses

-NIKON D3s- Dessert One: Lemon Meringue, White Chocolate, Parsley

-NIKON D3s- Dessert Two: Pineapple, Carrot

-NIKON D3s- Dessert Three: Apple, Jerusalem Artichoke, Caramel

Sheets Of Apples

-NIKON D3s- Dessert Four: Chocolate Souffle

The BEST Dessert!

'Goodie Bag' For The Morning After

Food:

They have the ‘full package’ of the fine dining experience: fresh ingredients, creativity, taste, technique, skills and gorgeous presentation. This was my fourth visit and I never had any problem with their food, it is always consistently perfect and amazing. With the price of $150 for 5 courses  (with a lot of small dishes) I think it’s worth it. We were lucky to be able to taste the White Truffle dish, it was unbelievably delicious, especially when they shaved the truffle thinly, layer after layer on the table infront of us! Genius combination with the creamy fried duck egg, the acidity from the pickled onion gave vibrance to the whole dish; as the waitress said, it’s a super fancy ‘breakfast’ that is rare to find.

Service:

You certainly would expect a five star service from this place and be ready to be blown away by it, and it’s what I got each time and every time. The service starts in the moment you walk in to the building lobby on ground floor, greeted by a friendly host, sent in to the private lift, greeted by another host on the top floor and etceteras; they even walk me out from the table to the restroom. All of the waitresses and waiters were super polite, well polished and friendly. I still can remember a few old faces from the previous venue. A little surprise with the “The Morning After” goodie bag before the lift doors were closed was a smart way to make the customers walk away with big smiles.

Venue:

Much better than the previous venue on the lt.Collins st. The view was amazing, the open kitchen was enjoyable to watch, the space between the tables were perfect for ‘private’ conversation. The design of the venue is great, but I can’t say that it is the best that I’ve ever been, although, it certainly made me feel very comfortable during my long lunch.

See the final result and the his guests reactions

For more information about the designer Click Here or Click Here for the location map

1. They only exist for a limited period (20 days for Melbourne Food & Wine Festival; 2nd March – 21st March 2012)

2. Brag to your mates that you’ve been to an eco friendly restaurant build by a well known architect

3. The Pot Plants Wall!

Second Floor For A Quick'y Food Or Drink

4. Experience eating out of Clay pots and drink from a jar

5. Awesome Custard cider!

6. You can see funky punk’y chefs cooking from the open kitchen

'Good Charlotte' Style Chef

8. Simple menu but Superb quality foods

Smokey Eggplant Dip, Flat Bread

Roasted Baby Cos, Smoked Sardines, Megas

Mussels(Substitute For Clams), Cider, Sea Lettuce

Beef Rib Eye, Romesco ($75!! but very very worth it)

Spiced Chicken, Quinoa, Yogurt (The Chicken Was Dry)

9. The OX heart is super AWESOME!

Ox Heart, Mustard Greens, Fried Shallots

10. Donate your wee in their Urine Harvesting toilet to help them grow their Mustard! (I know it sounds gross, but hey! it’s a fact)

E water by Shannon Bennett! 

Have I convinced you guys to try?

We visited these three restaurants in one lunch time. Three bowls of Special Beef Combination Pho in 2.5 hours. Each of them cost the same, $8.00. To make it fair, on the next week we did the opposite sequence of what we did  last time (yeah that’s how much we love Pho!)

Please don’t forget to vote on the bottom on this page and PLEASE  let me know if you have a different favorite Pho restaurant other than these three.
 

❤ The Candidates ❤

Pho Chu The

270 Victoria st, Richmond

<03 94287797>

I Love Pho

264 Victoria St Richmond
<03 94277749>

Hung Voung

128 Hopkins St, Footscray

<03 96896002>

❤ The Special Beef Combination Elements ❤

Beef Slices, Beef Ball, Brisket, Tripe, Tendon, Red Onion, Onion, Chunky Shallot and Coriander

Beef Slices, Beef Ball, Brisket, Tripe, Tendon, Onion, and Coriander

Beef Slices, Beef Ball, Brisket, Tripe, Tendon, Offal, Onion, Chunky Shallot and Coriander

❤ The Soup ❤

FAV!! Perfect balance between sweet and salty. You can taste the real beef on the broth. The only problem that I have is the soup gets cold real quick.

It's Delicious and very sweet.

Again, Delicious But Mainly Just Sweet

❤ The Beef ❤

Soft Beef

Chunkier Piece Of Beef But Still Very Soft!

FAV!! Super Thin Sliced Beef, Melt In My Mouth.

❤ The Noodle ❤

FAV!! It's Perfect Between Soft And Chewy.

Thicker Noodle But It Won't Get Soggy As Quick As Others.

Very Delicate, Soft And Perfectly Cook. But It Gets Soggy Very Quick, Especially For Slow Eater Like Me.

❤ The Table “accessories” ❤

FAV!! Sugar, Fish Sauce, Red Onion, Banana Chilli, Chilli oil, Chilli Sauce And Plum Sauce

FAV!! Fresh Red Onion! I Prefer This Than The Normal Onion.

Chilli Sauce, Chilli Oil, Fish Sauce, Plum Sauce And SUPER HOT Chop Chilli

Plum Sauce, Chilli Oil, Chilli Sauce, Not-Too-Fresh Onion, Pepper, And Fish Sauce

❤ The Chilli ❤

Sweet, A bit of Garlic And Nuts, the Saltiest Out Of All

Chopped Banana Chilli- Perfect For Those Who Likes Mild.

Very Sweet And Has The Strongest Flavour of Nut Out Of All

FAV!! Super Hot Chilli- Perfect For Extreme Spicy Eater.

FAV!! Super Strong Garlic And A Bit Of Nuts. Married Perfectly With The Sliced Beef.

❤ The miscellaneous ❤

     Spring Roll – Prawn

FAV!! Prawn Spring Roll With Mint Leaves. Loves The Idea Of The Mint Leaves. Very Strong Flavour Of Prawn, Delicious!

Second Favorite. Delicious And Fresh.

Not A Big Fan Of Hung Vuong's. Not As Good As The Other Two. Won't Order Again

    Rice Paper Roll

FAV!! The Best Rice Paper Roll I've Ever Eaten In Melbourne (Yet). Sweet and Slightly Hot Dipping Sauce. Perfect!

Chicken Rice Paper Roll. Wasn't Fresh And Very Messy - Ugly Looking.

Pho Chu The doesn’t have rice paper roll in their menu.  
 

❤ The Venue ❤

The Painting Does Gives Modern Touch To The Venue

What The PHO?!

It Reflects The Owners Friendliness. At Least, It's Nice To Look At While You Line Up For The Table

❤ My Favorite : Beef bowl only Pho ❤

 
I normally order Beef Ball only Pho with Egg Noodle, My Favorite!
 

Chu The Does Not Have Egg Noodles

FAV!! Their Beef Ball Is So Soft, Juicy, And Super Tasty!

Hung Vuong Does Not Have Egg Noodles

FAV!! Best Drink For Pho!

Pho Chu The : I will go here if i’m craving for a good soup and delicious Prawn Spring Roll.

I love Pho: the most complete package. The Beef Ball only Pho with egg noodles and the Prawn Rice Paper Roll are unbeatable!

Hung Vuong: the chilli oil and the sliced beef… hm..

So which one is my favorite? all of them
 
 

$$$ • $25 – $35 • Limited Vegetarian Menu

Basement 115-117 Collins Street Melbourne

<13 0079 9415>

Opening Hours:

Lunch: Tuesday – Friday: 12pm – 3pm

Dinner: Tuesday – Saturday: 6pm-10pm

Very Clean And Organised Open Kitchen

Private Dining Room- Spooky

Best Of The Kitchen Cat - Herb Bread

Victorian wagyu beef carpaccio with mustard mayonnaise

Prosciutto di San Daniele, Giorgio's Mozzarella di Bufala

Steamed Spring Bay mussels, chilli, garlic, tomatoes, capers, parsley, grilled focaccia

Hand rolled spaghetti chitarra, Bolognaise

Conchigliette, Mussels, Clams, Squid, White Fish, Chilli, Garlic, Parsley, Tomato, White Wine and Dill

Risotto Of Prosciutto, White Asparagus, Thyme, Lemon, Pecorino

Spit Roast Free range chicken, lemon, sage, garlic and quinoa salad

Food:

This place was formerly Fifteen which most people know as “Jamie Oliver’s restaurant” and now it’s owned and run by Tobie Puttock; I had a lunch there once about five years ago and… It wasn’t a nice food experience L.  I love Toby when he appears as a guest judge in some of the top TV cooking shows; he looks like a nice, humble and down to earth gentleman. It is very sad for me to write this review, with all due respect, the food experience I had at The Kitchen is probably one of the worst. The entrées were okay but the mains were very bad. The risotto was the worst of all; it didn’t look good on the plate and it tasted very bland; the rice was still raw and watery. I had the spaghetti bolognaise; even though the pasta was cooked well, it lacked seasoning (I couldn’t even taste any salt), which killed my appetite right away. The conchiglie was not so good but still more enjoyable than the other two other dishes – at least they didn’t forget a pinch of salt. The chicken was slightly overcooked but the other ingredients brought a lot of flavour into the dish and made it the best mains. The best of all was the herb bread at the beginning; it was warm when served it and tasted very delicious.

Service:

I had a bit of a misunderstanding; I thought they ran the Lunch Special on the weekends. It doesn’t state on the website that it only runs on the weekdays, but it does. The waitresses were actually nice but details were lacking. They served bread but forgot the plate and the cutlery. I must say the floor service was pretty slow even though the restaurant was almost empty.  But If I have to choose, I prefer slow service to a rude waitress J.

Venue:

Located in the basement, this place might be easy to  miss. It is actually a very simple and romantic restaurant; dim lighting for a date. Clean and well organised open kitchen.

Breakfast or Brunch: $$ • $15 – $25 • Vegetarian Friendly
Lunch Or Dinner: $$$ • $25 – $35 • Limited Vegetarian Menu

131-133 Domain Road, South Yarra

<03 98665627>

Opening Hours:

Brunch: Saturday – Sunday: 8am – 11:30am

Lunch: Tuesday – Sunday: 12pm- 3pm

Dinner: Tuesday – Saturday: 6pm- late

Coffee:

Since we visited this place unplanned, we didn’t have any space in our stomach to try their food, not even a single bite. They have massive selections of alcoholic beverages and it such a shame we also had enough wine for a Sunday afternoon. Coffee was our only choice. They  use Single Origin coffee from Sydney. Coffee tasted good, milk was perfect.

Service:

When we arrived, the staff greeted us with warmth and lots of smile. They all were groomed and dressed in neat uniform which shows their service level is at formal dining standard not just a casual cafe. They even let us go upstairs to have a peek at their bar venue (it was closed when we came).

Venue:

This venue looks a lot like a home.  The outdoor area still looks like the veranda of a Victorian house, which was very inviting to us. My friend and I had a little tour around with permission from the waitresses; both of us were actually amazed by how beautiful this place is! From the sectioning, I had a feeling this place was once a residence and, amazingly, they turned it into a very cosy lounge, café and beautiful country style slash elegant restaurant. I fell in love with the café area, full of white colour, from the furniture, walls and floor; the fresh flowers gave a splash of soft colour. As you all might notice, my picture in the “I For One” section was taken in this lovely place. I’m looking forward to visiting Millswyn again, for a relaxing afternoon cocktail and, of course, their food; whether I love the food or not, I will still go to Millswyn for the venue itself.

$$ • $15 – $25 •Vegetarian Friendly

35 Market St, South Melbourne

<03 96862255>

Opening Hours:

Monday – Friday: 7am – 4pm

Saturday – Sunday: 8am – 4pm

Rosti, Herb & Potato Rosti With Poached Egg, Avocado & Smoked Salmon Or Bacon

Porridge

Porridge With Strawberry & Rasberry Compote, Brown Sugar & Cream

Dead Man's Big Breakfast

Eggs, Bacon, Tomato, Sausage, Beans, Mushrooms, Toast & Radish

Istra Bacon & Egg Sanga

Zeally Bay Organic Sourdough With Dead Man's Relish

My Favorite Scones!

Traditional Scones Served With Dead Man Jam & Cream

Food:

I have visited this place very often, probably more than ten times. I love their scones, but that wasn’t the case this visit. They usually toast the scone until it become crunchy on the outside, but this time it was cold, no crunchiness, and the cream had melted by the time it arrived at my table. What a disappointment . Their Big Breakfast was good; every single element was cooked to perfection, with perfect seasoning. Same case with their Istra Bacon and Egg Zanga; it was delicious.  The relish was a perfect fresh addition to balance the saltiness of the bacon. The rosti was super amazing; I would recommend this if you visit Dead Man for breakfast. It was very crisp and when it’s combined with the avocado plus a bit of that runny egg yolk… it’s heaven. The porridge itself tasted weird; can’t really comment on this one. It’s not my usual thing to order, never had something similar to it before, and I thought it would not be  fair to make my subjective comment about it. It could be something that doesn’t suit my taste buds but someone else might think delicious.

Coffee:

Their house blend is roasted by Seven Seeds. I used to love their coffee; in fact, I often come for a take away coffee. But this visit, the coffee tasted different. I had two cups of coffee: the first one was slightly weak and the second one was super weak (you can tell from the pale colour).

Service:

It was busy when we arrived, but luckily we didn’t have to wait for a table. Sadly, their service this time was their worst. I have always been pleased by their staff, waiting time and their professionalism, but this time we had to wait for a good 15-20 minutes for a waitress to come and take our order (and we reminded them twice!). But the service got better when the venue was less busy. The food and the coffee came within a reasonable waiting time. The staff were super nice and full of smiles. I think they might have been under-staffed at that time; usually they have genuinely good service.

Venue:

Big winner for this cosy place is the free wifi. There are three different seating options in the café: you can sit indoors, there is a balcony area that is non-smoking, and, if you are a smoker, there is the outdoor area on the pedestrian strip. I almost never sit down by myself in a café, but Dead Man espresso have a few things that could make me enjoy myself without any companion: a free wi-fi, a good cup of coffee and a super comfortable venue. Every time I need to meet a friend for a ‘serious’ matter, my first option has always been Dead Man Espresso.

Fine Dining $$$$ • $35 up • Limited Vegetarian Menu

169 Domain Road, South Yarra

<03 98207888>

Opening Hours:

Lunch: Monday – Sunday: 12pm – 3pm

Dinner: Monday – Saturday: 6pm -11pm

One Of The Private Dining Room

Cozy Lounge Area

Sambal Prawns, Crispy Wonton, Asian Herb Salad

Soup Of The Day - Pumpkin & Sweet Potato

Fried Prawn And Pork Plums With "1000 Year Old Egg" And Pickled Ginger

King Salmon, Fennel, Smoked Tomato, Orange Roe Salsa

Crispy Skin

White Miso Grilled House Smoked King Salmon With Fennel Puree, Horseradish Creme

Crispy Pork Belly, Apple Slaw, Chilli Caramel

Tagliarini With Bottarga, Pancetta, Coddled Egg, Capers, Lemon And Chilli

Organic Berkshire Pork, Potato Puree With Laksa Sauce And Almond Chilli Beurre Noisette

Hand-Cut Klipfer Chips

Food:

We went to the Botanical for a Lunch Special deal – $35 for 2 courses including a glass of wine.  What a deal!

With fairly cheap prices, we didn’t have any high expectation. For the Entrée, Sambal Prawns was obviously the winner! It was very delicious, a perfect balance of sweet, spicy and salty; the prawn was perfect and you can tell it was very fresh from the crunchiness.  My friend had the ‘not so good looking’ pasta; he said it tasted weird– not like any other pasta – but he liked it! The flavour combination was like a party in his mouth and, most importantly, the pasta was perfectly cooked. The salmon on the lunch special was also good but nothing really special. My other friend had the miso grilled salmon; everything was prepared well, but we couldn’t taste any miso (I had a small bite) and it just tasted like an ordinary grilled fish.

There were two types of pork dish at our table: one was included in the special menu (Crispy Pork Belly, Apple Slaw and Chilli Caramel) and it was delicious, according to the guys, but it was too much fat, according to the girls; the other one was a mistake – it was supposed to be the lunch special Pork but it came out as a pork with potato puree, which was on the a la cart menu and wasn’t included in the lunch special. I had a small bite from each of the pork dishes and I liked the one with the potato puree; it was different, had a strong Asian influence and memorable.

Service:

Our table waitresses deserved big tips! They were polite, helpful, and very patient (it took us approximately twenty minutes to decide what to order). They were also responsible for the ‘pork dish’ mistake but charged us a normal lunch special price.

Venue:

Lovely Lovely Lovely! Shame, their beautiful restaurant is hidden behind the café area. From outside, some people might not realise that there are beautiful private function areas and a cosy lounge. Very well designed venue – elegant, and comfortable. Looking forward to holding an event in one of their private function areas.