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

Tulum (Balaclava) 06/2018

Tulum occupies a very plain space in a popular strip shopping street which also has restaurants offering Shinese, Vietnamese, Italian and Japanese ethnic restaurants as well as fish and chips and numerous coffee lounges and hamburger joints.
Decor is minimal, 

there is a small bar near the entrance, tables are almost bare 

and chairs are not very comfortable.
There was a very friendly atmosphere, perhaps a little too familiar for some people. We were seated promptly and at my request the volume of the pleasant Western 90's music was turned down.
What is extremely interesting is the food. We've eaten at Turkish restaurants in Australia as well as Turkey and other countries such as Israel. No other place has served a meal to compare to this one. It's a banquet style five course ($70) meal currently from the SE Anatolia region. The menu changes again in about three months.
So here's what we ate.
SOGAN

Chestnut Mushrooms & Spiced Rice Stuffed Onion, Mushroom Puree & Turkish Apple Tea. A great start, the slightly vinegary apple tea was excellent in this dish.
BALIK

Barramundi, Tahini Baba Ganoush Soup, Leek Cigar Borek. Very modern with a little ?fennel foam, lightly cooked barramundi a super dish I could have it every day.
ANALI KIZLI

Lamb & Bulgar Meatballs, Lamb Fat Onion Puree, Chickpeas & Lamb Bones Corba. This is also known as mother and daughters, the meatball representing mother and the chickpeas the daughters!
KUZU

Lamb Neck, Tulum Cheese Custard, Sucuk Crumble, Tahini & Jerusalem Artichoke Puree, Smoked Date Jam. Slow cooked at 85 degrees left this overcooked but still less stringy than usual and tender and tasty
BILDIRCIN

Half Quail Salt Baked with Sumac, Quince Puree & Pickled Quince.
a supplement ($16)
The quail was very very small and also overcooked but nevertheless this was a dish not to be missed.

A surprise canteloupe palate cleanser
SEKERPARE,

Sekerpare, Hazelnut Mousse, Turkish Black Tea Ice Cream & Black Tea Syrup.
Not too sweet, this was a nice finish to the meal.
They have a small wine list and do not accept BYO.
It was also nice that chef Coskun Uysal, who was born in the Anatolian region, 

served some dishes and visited our table to chat.
Score: 16/20

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