Amaru (Armadale) 12/2018

We ate here almost two years ago (see https://1001dinners.blogspot.com/search?q=Amaru )and we were massively impressed. I described the place and discussed the meaning of the name at length at that time. After a term as sous chef at Vue de Monde Chef McIvor made the astonishing move to run the kitchen at a suburban golf club before taking the reins at Amaru. The eight course degustation menu is served on a variety of fairly plain

ceramic crockery. The meal began with some amuse bouche including an old favourite Onion/garlic/sheeps milk yoghurt. 

Another presentation of lightly smoked duck ham with fermented carrot, 

Smoked eel/Kohlrabi/apple, 

Dim sim/black garlic/natural yeast. 

Before the main courses began we were offered a white truffle (from Alba) supplement for an extra $25.

I like the flavour of truffles and use some truffle oil and truffle salt at times but I don't care for the texture so I had no problem resisting the supplement to have them added to one of the dishes.
Port Arlington mussels/charred broccoli/nasturtium.

This was paired witha 2015Marcel Deiss d'Alsace pinot noirBlanc
Mud crab/rock oyster/iced apple with a 

2015 Okonemeirat Rebholz Reisling Trocken from Pfalz, Germany.
We were then offered crunchy crusted home baked sourdough bread with a choice of butter or oil and balsamic vinegar.

Meantime line caught bass Grouper/fermented honey/yeast arrived 

matched with a 2017 Rodda 'Smiths vineyard' chardonnay 

from Beechworth, getting quite close to home.
Another Beechworth wine,a 2016 Fighting Gully Road Sangiovese 

accompanied Kipfler potato//sweetcorn custard/Victorian eel.

for Sandra while we enjoyed lamb sweetbreads/sweetcorn custard/Victorian eel. They looked very similar unless the truffle was added!
A very tiny piece of Seven Creek wagyu/ fermented turnip/ grilled lettuce 

came with a Crawford River 2010 cabernet savignon also from Victoria.

 Red Kangaroo/Hazelnut/apple/raw liquorice was the last dish before the dessert.

Mango/citrus curd/macadamia/elderflower which was served

 with a German 2016 Georg Breuer Reisling Auslese from Rheingau.

Not over yet the meal finished with Otway Shitake/shizo.cacao 

with a Henriques and Henriques 5 year Finest Medium Dry Madeira 

and after a palate cleanser,

 Meredith cheesescake 

with a Japanese Itano Shuzo Bellini from Okayama. This hybrid was not a patch on the original at Harry's Bar.

Although we skipped coffee we were still offered olive oil and pumpkin

caramel pastilles.

All that wine had some effect on me - it did not improve the dinner particularly but I found it difficult to use the strangely weighted fork which kept turning over in my hand, almost of it's own volition.

At half the price per person of very poor tickets for Hamilton this was still expensive in dollars but more than reasonable for what we got. This was another unique meal. Not quite as illusionary, if one can use such a word, as Lume nor as emphatically Australian as Attica and Vue de Monde are but very much in the same pattern. Every dish was excellent, nicely presented and unusual, not a meal to cook at home. Definitely a place for foodies.
Score 17:20

Matilda (South Yarra) 10/2018

It's not usual that Sandra and I disagree about a restaurant to more than a minimal degree. Matilda, named after Scott Pickett's daughter, was the exception.

I liked the simple, understated decor, although the chairs could be uncomfortable there is plenty of cushioned seating around the walls.

The attempt at noise reduction with the sound absorbing ceiling is admirable and not unattractive 

but not very effective.
I found the quiet woodwork, Australian themed decor 

appealing and the toilets clean and attractively set out.

The food was not without it's problems. 
you can't go far wrong with oysters, which were fine

A kingfish ceviche had a lot of cucumber and other ingredients which were not kingfish. 

OK if you like cucumber a lot.
Octopus was a bit overdone

but nothing compared to the flat bread which was burnt. 

Excusable for a bush BBQ but I would never choose to eat charcoal as part of my meal at a restaurant.

Spanner crab, described as the go to dish in the current AGFG, is a delicate dish. Attractively served here, with plenty of crab meat,

the taste was drowned out by the accompanying sauce. 
A vegetarian mushroom dish was quite nice but for me the best dish by far was the duck served as a breast 

With the legs and a duck rillette served on a separate plate. 

 Score: Sandra 13.5 Elliot 15.5

Montrachet (Bowen Hills - Brisbane) 09/2018

It's four years since I last visited Montrachet and things have changed a bit. It's been sold and it's moved from a slightly isolated spot in Paddington to a busy restaurant strip and now also have outside dining. In other ways it's very much the same. A seven course degustation ($110) or a four course degustation ($90) with matched wines if you wish. A very French a la carte menu, uniformed wait staff and at least one French waiter.
Table settings are simple

with half a dozen places along the bar

for those who might wish to sit there.
Time for the food.
I find a few dishes that are a good test of a chef, one of them being French onion soup.

They did it very well. Well balanced, not too sweet, enough onion and the crouton covered with just enough cheese remained crisp.
I had been seated outside looking in!

After the first course I accepted a seat at the bar. Fish? lamb? fillet? quail? duck?
Lockyer Valley Quail won the guernsey .

This quite large bird, pan roasted, was served with preserved lemon farce on a bed of baked rhubarb accompanied by a 'baby' potato, parsnip and Juniper scented pan juices was a little bland but the accompaniments made up for everything. The light lemon flavour, the extremely tasty pan juices and the rhubarb were incredible.
As good as ever
Score:16.5 /20