Kornat (Zadar, Croatia) 08/2018

By now we have eaten at dozens of Croatian restaurants. The food has always been fresh and varied from haute cuisine to generally reasonable home cooking. Venues have been characterised by their simplicity. Many have had incredibly beautiful views from sea side or port side settings. Some have had elegant crockery and glassware and some food has been served with extreme attention to detail and presentation. What has been absent, so far, has been a truly attractive and elegant venue. Kornat is the exception. From the large white clothed tables,

to the comfortable chairs, the solid cutlery and the fine Rona glassware, the uniformed waiters, the bar showing silent Charlie Chaplin movies on a wide screen 

to the art nouveau decor including the attractive glass ceiling 

and the Klimpt toilet decoration 

it speaks everywhere of thoughtful good taste.

They have terrace dining but we were fortunate to get a table opposite the bar. Actually we were fortunate to get a table at all. If you want to go, to be safe, make a reservation.. 

The emphasis of the menu is on fish. We didn't know what to order so, to make it easier for us the waiter brought out a tray of fresh fish. The lobster was still alive and walking off the platter!

Sandra chose a Grouper, the red fish at the front.

The meal started with an amuse bouche of chick pea and olive. 

I chose muscles for an appetiser. 

Most of their fish are offered by weight - x Kuna /100 gm. The mussels were 15 Kuna, about A$3.50 per 100gm. Sandra had a selection of raw seafood.

The cooked fish (baked or grilled) was brought whole to the table 

and then boned by the waiter and served.

The most popular side dish here is Swiss Chard, with or without potato. I chose the Konat thick, rich fish soup. 

We finished the meal with a dessert, initially we were encouraged to take a mille fleur 

which fell apart on presentation and we asked instead for chocolate cake. 

Our young waiter, a son of the proprietor, kindly replaced it without charge. 

So what about the food? The raw fish platter was extremely fresh and helped by the small piles of spicy wasabi. The muscles had not been bearded properly and, despite being tasty, were unpleasant to eat. The grouper was a bit dry and the only sauce available was olive oil. This turned out well as there was no bitterness in the oil they gave us. The soup was rich and delicious with enough fish in it. The langoustine, or what ever it was, was hard to eat but worth the effort. It was fantastic, sweet and moist.

We didn't taste the mille fleur but the chocolate cake was also excellent.

With coffee and three glasses of wine and water the bill came to approximately A$250.

Score 16.5/20

Aria (Brisbane) 05/2018

*Click on pic's for enlargement. Aria, according to Google, is a long melody with an accompaniment, usually an orchestra. That's a very appropriate name for Matt Moran's Brisbane restaurant. Although there is no orchestra they serve a long and complicated meal which somehow fits the definition.
The restaurant on Eagle Pier, looks over the Brisbane river across the Story bridge, towards the city. A great scene both day and night.

A comfortable bar is separated from the adjacent restaurant by a wall of wine.

The restaurant occupies an elegant split level room with curved floor to ceiling glass wall. 

Well spaced tables are minimally set with white linen cloths. Extra cutlery comes with later courses.

One rather ordinary abstract painting adorns a wall but there is little wall space for decor.

The seasonal tasting menu offers four courses for $135 (/matching wines $190 or  premium wines $235) and seven courses $185 + wines $270 or premium wine $350. For the wine buffs it should be noted that they have an impressive wine list. A little out of step, as usual, I had saki with my meal.
It began with a lovely chef's amuse bouche-  a fig with cheese and a puffed grain

giving a great taste and textural variation.
Sourdough bread came with a caramelized butter as well as the normal butter. 

Kingfish, sea urchin, parsley, kohlrabi

Well disguised I now find sea urchin very palatable
Gold beetroot, sesame cheese, pear, witlof

A pretty dish but I'm not sure why all the ingredients are there.
Spanner crab, black rice, avocado, wasabi leaf

The delicate crab was rather lost with all the rest plus a little too much salt.
Wagyu bresaola, parmesan, eggplant, fried bread

A super palate cleanser.

I love wagyu  but drying it for a few weeks and serving it up like prosciutto really didn't cut it. 
Smoked pork, turnip, mustard

Simply the best dish of the meal
Roast duck, carrot, orange, wood ear mushroom

Equally as good as the pork.
Plum, gingerbread, yoghurt

Petit fours

 This was a beautifully presented meal, every dish a picture. I began to think of the problem of justifying everything that was being served. Would simpler have been better. The more ingredients one puts on a plate the more likely it is that someone will find something not to their taste. In this meal nothing offended my senses but the taste of many ingredients was diminished  so that some dishes became quite bland. Regardless you'd go a long way to get a better meal.
Score: 17/20

Kisume (Melbourne CBD) 04/2018

Kisume occupies three floors. At ground level a Japanese a la carte restaurant, above that a bar

where casual meals can be served

and on the top floor a fine dining modern degustation restaurant for 12 patrons, which is where we ate.. 
From the start there is a marked element of theatre about this place. 
We were advised to be seated by 7.00pm. There is a horse shoe shaped table from which guests see a curtained doorway through which the chef 

enters at precisely 7.15

This was not actually his first appearance but it looked great

He has a central bench where he plates some dishes, although many are prepared in the kitchen behind him and are ready to serve to the seated guests.
TOMATO CONSOMME, WASABI TOFU

Our first course, a sip or two of perfectly clear delicate palate cleanser.
PUFFED RICE, MENTAIKO EMULSION

A medley of textures, a beaut dish
UNICORN, UNI, CORN, CAVIAR

This pic shows a root of raw wasabi on  a board ready to be grated. The menu title is a little joke. The Unicorn may not exist but the food was real, but not so special.
OYSTER, UMESHU GELEE

The gold leaf on top was a nice touch. Sweet and plump I could have done with a couple more. GREAT BARRIER REEF, SPANNER CRAB, ABALONE, MUSSEL, SCALLOP, CALAMARI

Not much cooking in fact pretty much raw but the taste and texture of each element was distinct and I loved them all. Others didn't.
STORM SHELL CRAB AND BONITI SIPHON BROTH, SMOKED EEL
Made using an old style coffee maker where the heated broth is forced up to the upper compartment from where it infuses through the seafood ingredients. Cute to do it at the table.
SCAMPI, SASHIMI, NORI, SCAMPY ROE

Another almost raw dish.

EGGPLANT AND SWEET POTATO TEMPURA

Not quite as delicate as the previous fare, the batter had also retained a lot of oil.

SUNOMONO, GINGER, ELDERFLOWER

ABURI WAGYU, CHOPPED TORO

QUAIL YAKITORI, SMOKED LEEK,CARROT, KOMBU PUREE

This was, for me, the best prepared quail that i can remember.
BLACKMORE 9+ WAGYU, SHIO KOJI ZUCCHINI, FRESH WASABI

MOREL MUSHROOM RICE

PASSIONFRUIT, LYCHEE, FINGER LIME, PINEAPPLE TUBE 
You suck it up! Deliicious.

SUMMER DAIFUKU

Comments: This was as much an entertainment as an Interesting and unusual meal. The chef was amusing, full of fun and happy to share cooking, and other information during the meal but he would not tell us exactly where he goes to eat out!
The meal was excellent but the dishes were not exquisite. Except the quail, for me, we did not feel that we could rave about them, nor that any, individually would remain forever in our memory. For an experience in Kaiseki we would highly recommend it.
Score:16.5 /20