Attica

I revisited Attica yesterday in reaction to the wholesome praise being heaped upon it recently. Age food writers seem to be spell bound and Gourmet Traveller chose chef Ben Shewry as best 'new talent' of the year 'tho he doesn't seem very new to me having been at Attica for 3 or 4 years now And Ed Charles had something of a rave review on his site (http://www.tomatom.com/)
So is Attica set for a stellar rise - I don't think so.
The degustation menu is in the general style of Interlude, Fenix and Vue de Monde. The number of dishes is less but the serves are bigger
The venue is something of a noise trap with bare walls, stone floor and reasonable height ceilings but it's pleasant enough.
the service was exemplary, the wines reasonably priced - we had a 2006 Villa Wolf Pinot Gris ($38) and the presentation of the food tops
BUT
These were complicated dishes with many ingredients, often in amounts too tiny to savour, barely a mouthful of anything. There were a profusion of textures but the tastes did not titivate the taste buds. the only exception was the venison which was cooked to juicy perfection.
For me Attica has a long way to go before it justifies the recent reviews! Here are some pictures The food does really look good It's not that the Emperor has no clothes it's just that there not quite regal - yet!






Homage to Alain Passasd's egg with a W.A. Truffle from Peche his Paris restaurant

A Almond cream, shaved squid, kinkawooka mussels and clams, candied olives, red gaspachio jelly! Smoked ocean trout, cured kingfish, pickled melon and and cucumber, lemonade fruit, soy vinaigrettte

Butter poached sea bass, spring onion, oyster sauce, oyster fritters, chive flowers, prawn paper

The worst photo but the best taste! Rare seared NZ venison, caramelised pumpkin,air dried quince, black pudding crumbs and beetroot

pear in tea, carrot and sauternes (not really tho) custard, pear cider, pop rocks

My original review follows but I would now increase the mark to 14.75/20

Introduction: Set in a former bank on Glenferie Rd a few doors from Hotham. Food is strongly Thai influenced
Ambience: White linen table cloths and serviettes, unrushed comfortable atmosphere
Service: Quietly efficient
Food: Menu is divided into Appetisers about $6, Pear in tea, carrot and sauterne custard, pear

The Dessert a taste tease gone in a bite cider, pop rocks

Entrees about $12, Mains about $27, Desserts about$12 and some small sweet things to go with coffee $2.5 up to $12
The hand picked crab remoulade was a delicate and tasty appetiser. we also had the baby barramundi entree which was dominated by coriander and a sweet chilli sauce. For mains the beef cheek in alovely red wine sauce was outstanding but the side salad of smoked eggplant, rice, mushroom and a lightly boiled egg was inedible and tasted only of ?preserved lemon or lime juice and coriander. The pressed lamb shoulder was very good but a little dry. Grandma's chocolate cake also failed to inspire any special feelings and, surprisingly there was no ice cream available.
Wine: Fully licenced - no BYO. A very small selection. By the glass $7 the Long Gully Pinot noir was OK and the Sally's Hill shiraz excellent
Price: About $100 for two.
Comments: If you like Thai and you live around there give it a try
Score: 13.5/20

Orita's

Introduction: Fusion food - Japanese modern at 34 Jackson St, Toorak
Ambience: A plethora of young Japanese waiters and plain setting give Orita's a distinctly Japanese feel
Service: Confused and error prone. The manager did well acknowledging. apologising and doing a reasonable job of repairing the errors
Food: I had the Signature Omakase (Degustation) Menu ($68) upgraded from the fish to to the Lobster main course ($97). The half lobster tail came from a very small lobster and was not quite as good as I'd hoped a little dry and hard. All the other dishes were excellent. Beautifully presented and tasty. The marinated salmon, topped by a small ring of onion containing a colourful delicate edible flower was enhanced when combined with the light vinagrette lettuce. The stewed beef spare rib with a fine potato salad was very good as was the delicate sushi. Perhaps the best was the small cup of carrot soup- I have no idea how they did it but it was devine.
The crispy garlic fried rice was very acceptable and the dessert, a peanut mousse was interesting but not outstanding. Of the other dishes we tried the tempura was unsurpassable, there was a a Japanese prawn rice, a bit like a porridge, well worth trying. The pigeon, which turned out to be half a pigeon ($30) was extremely tasty but rather a small serve. Other desserts- mint chocolate mousse and the tempura icecream were not notable.
Wine: We drank some basic cocktails - G&T cheap at $6 and Mt Adam Pinot Noir (60) which I found indifferent. You can bring your own.
Price: Around $90/ head
Comments: After closing for 6 months for refurbishment there is little change to see in the main body of the restaurant. The food is as good as ever. Chef Hikaru Orita is innovative and interesting. If I gave out hats he'd get one
Score: 15.5/20

Bacash

Introduction: Recently elevated to one hat by the Age Good Food Guide this South Yarra restaurant deserves to thrive
Ambience: Walls decorated with a couple of Ala Wolf-Tasker's striking works, and some pleasant still life works (for sale), provide a comfortable environment
Service: Very attentive
Food: Michael Bacash's signature entree Garfish and prawn Nori rolls ($19) stuffed with prawn salmon, King prawns and garfish, the head and tail of which decorate the dish, is outstanding with most delicate flavour imparted by the careful addition of ginger, garlic and coriander. The roast pumpkin and goat cheese Agnolotti ($15) are much stronger but also exellently flavoured with sage and a rich garlic brown butter. Mains: The grain fed Filet Mignon ($35) seved as ordered, very rare, was tender and extremely tasty with its port wine juice served with mushroom, onion and potato Dauphin (incorporating cheese). The fish of the day, founder, was surprisingly succulent A handsome bowl of fries and a garden salad completed the meal.
Wine: An adequate list by the glass or bottle but clearly not their specialty
Price: At the upper end of prices but, in my view, worth a visit
Comments: I have no hesitation in recommending Bacash for a very good dinner. A revisit did not quite live up to expectations.The two tiny stuffed Zuchini flowers were disgracefully expensive at $17. The spaghettii Marinara ordinary. The pork belly also a small serve very nice as was the sweatbread entree. The home made icecream less than ordinary but the sticky date souffle really excellent. A patchy dinner - only 15/20!
Score: 16/20

Lynch's

Introduction: Fine dining
Ambience: The feeling is of old and refined. The odd conglomeration of prints, autographed photograhs, paintings and pictures on the walls reminded me of a teenagers bedroom!
Service: Attentative, informed and faultless
Food: This was outstanding. We had a crab tortollino with prawns and a mushroom rissotto wrapped in spinach for entrees both - two excellent tasty dishes. The cornbeef and mashed potato was made into a fabulous meal by the accompanying light, creamy mustard sauce. the roast duck was cooked to perfection. The soufle dessert was also as good as it gets!
Wine: By the glass our waiter advised us to prefer the Seville Pinot Noir which was a good choice. Surprisingly he later offered us a good size taste of the Geelong Pinot that he had guided us away from and another sample of a most excellent shiraz. Both confirmed his judgemen.
Price: Expensive. Our bill with coffee was over $200
Comments: A worthy winner of the Michelin award for overall excellence in 2003
Regretably the high standard was not maintained at a second visit 9 months later
The atmosphere of the place is unchanged and it was really nice to enjoy a quiet meal in their upstairs room.
Unfortunately the service was exceptionally slow and our young waitress seemed somewhat distressed.
Oysters Kilpatrick ($48) were small, the bacon overcooked and all together unimpressve. This was an unfortunate start to an otherwise impressive meal
the entree of Goat cheese souffle on a bed of grilled eggplant was excellent as was was the Chef's special roast pheasant in a wonderful jus. The potato that came with it was barely cooked and woody in the middle. The King George whiting fish and chips had a fine batter and the chips were crisp. A side dish of Caesar salad was also very good The raspberry Souffle dessert had excellent texture tho it might have been a little too sweet for some
Wine by the glass is very reasonable Scotchman Hill Pinot Grigio and Scotchman Hill sav blanc were both acceptable at about $8/glass
Score: 7 /20 second visit 15/20

Benito's

Introduction: Could not resist trying this restaurant after a very nice article in the Age
Ambience: Feels like an Italian wine bar
Service: Amiable and unhurried
Food: The chicken liver parfait ($7.50) is exquisite and would not be out of place across the road at Vue de Monde. The small antipasto ($16.50), quite a good size, with eggplant, tomato cheese, calamari, sausage peppers and meat was an honest dish of consistant good quality. The duck sausage on a bed of mash is a strange main course ($25.00) and not much to my taste. The pot roast rabbit was tender succulent and very tasty ($25.00), The veal saltimbucca was also excellently prepared ($25.00) The marinara made from fresh ingredients was another good dish. The desserts, of which there were only two choices by the time we got to them, were unusually good. The two flavours of semi-frodo, pear and passoinfruit were exceptional and the chocolate parfait really nice ($6.50) eac.
Wine: We had a 2004 Mornington Peninsula pinot noir - Massala by Kooyong ($35.00) I'd try something else if we return. There is a modest range of Italian and local wines at reasonable prices
Price: Good value
Comments: There is a fairly limited dinner menu which means it will be quite a while before I return. I have no complaints about the food some of which was quite excellent and well worth the visit.
Score: 14.5/20

Morri's Place

Introduction: Formerly Cafe Renzi, after several changes of owner, this 1121 High St Armadale restaurant seems to be thriving.
Ambience: Gave me a feeling of an unpretentious 'good restaurant'
Service: Efficient, informed uniformed young staff
Food: The Oysters Alaska - stuffed with smoked salmon and crab meat with grilled Mornay sauce ($19.50 for 6) were fabulous. The oxtail and beef cheek ragu with baby turnips, shallots on a bed of crushed chats was filling and tasty, the meat cooked beautifully 'till it was falling off the bone. Crispy skin roast duck with prunes, blood oranges and armangac served with lightly cooked peas in the pod, young carrots and broccoli was also a handsome well prepared serve but sounded a lot fancier than it was
Wine: Licenced or what I rarely resist - BYO corkage $5
Price: Entrees about $12 Mains $21 to about $27 Desserts $10.50
Comments: Cuisine bourgeoise no doubt tasty substantial and sustaining
Score: 13.5/20

Radii

Introduction: A unique elegant restaurant set on 5 levels at the Park Hyatt
Ambience: Sophisticated breathes quality
Service: Unobtrusive suits the venu
Food: The starters are excellent. we had Chilli flour dusted cuttlefis, Wood roasted herb bread and Prosciuto, olives and reggianno parmesan - all excellent
The Shellfish soup with blue swimmer crab fritte and rouille was very tasty but for those who can afford the cholesterol the Chicken liver parfait with Pedro Ximenez jelly was to drool over
Unfortunately the main courses were not that fantastic. I felt the slow cooked pork scotch filllet needed a few more hours although the crackling and the quince paste that accompanied it were excellent. The ocean trout was not distiguished.
Desserts looked good but again were not really special The liquorice sorbet most interesting and the panacotta laced with cognac (I think) was also quite good
Wine: A very pleasant Punt Road Pinot Noir at $50 went well with our meal
Price: On the expensive side Around $75 plus wine
Comments: I found the quality of the meal somewhat uneven but this is a fine venu and a good place to take a visitor
Score: /16/20

Sails on the Bay

Introduction: Recently enlarged. Well spaced tables mostly fronting what can best be called a bay window present an attractive view over the water lapping at the sand. Strollers and joggers make for a constantly variable distraction
Ambience: Hanging bits of supposedly sail cloth off the ceiling creates little effect on the generally quiet agreeable and comfortabe atmosphere
Service: Unobtrusive
Food: the Ravioli stuffed with prawns and scallops in a Champgne and chive sauce is an outstanding taste however the sauce was a little on the gluggy side of perfect. The deep sea blue eye in a puff pastry shell was also excellent but again the cream sauce was too heavy. The roast duck and the duck Italian style differed only in what they were served with. The polenta with sage rosemary and onion stuffing accompanied by roast garlic and buttered brocholini in a light jus was very good and the vahronna icecream not to be missed.
Wine: Moderately priced with a reasonable range by the glass. I am not impressed when wine by the glass is poured without the bottle being sighted. In this instance the pinot we were first served had passed its use by date by some time. It was promptly repalced with a frsh glass
Price: Around $50 per head
Comments: Close to being very good
Score:14 /20

The Near East Restaurant

Introduction: Around the corner from the South Melbourne town hall at 254 Park St this restaurant serves a variety of modernised South East Asian dishes
Ambience: With few tables occupied being being back to back with an irritable baby dulled any joy I might have felt about the surroundings. I also found the jaundiced cutlery unattractive
Service: Good!
Food: Mains were just OK. A lobster san chao bau entree was tasty. A deep fried baby snapper was also good, however the fillet steak with vegetables was ordinary and a very small serve at that, the pork ribs in mandarin sauce was in a heavy batter and the pork had been stripped off the bone which did not leave the kitchen, and the beef hot pot was uninspiring.
We tried 3 desserts - a lemon tart, a triple chocolate creation and a passion fruit custard none of which I would ever order again
Wine: BYO and licensed - we brought our own
Price: At about $50 per person all in all I think it's expensive
Comments: Not my cup of Thai !
Score: Maybe 13/20

Taxi

Introduction: It may be a little unfair to judge Taxi on the special dinner organized by the Chaine de Rotisseurs on July 25 accompanied by five very good wines starting with Moet et
Chandon to accompany the Scallop Prawn and unagi (Grilled eel) sushi entree
Ambience: The brilliant views of almost 360 degrees across the city and the Yarra lend an atmosphere unique to Melbourne
Service: Attentive unobtrusive
Food: Strongly Japanese influenced with Chef Ikuchi Arakone adding flavours which modify all Michael Lambe's dishes. They have a Sushi tasting plate with about a dozen to choose from including salmon prawn tuna and eel among others ($12 for 3 or$18 for 5). The raw scallop was a delicacy There is also a Sushi and Sashimi entree for $19.50 or as a main for $35.
We enjoyed Smokey Bay oysters, crab salad with a Thai style (Red nam jim) dresing, followed by a Spanner crab and truffle salad, tempura oysters and rhubarb compote - yes it is an odd conglomeration and then a main course of Yuba wrapped lamb noisettes - a nice dish made more interesting with a miso jus, some pea puree and a tiny apple and spinach salad with blue cheese. A dessert of rhubarb and apple crumble with custard and vanilla icecream was a pleasant though not special end to the meal greatly enhanced by the BrownBros 'Patricia' Botrytis Reisling (1999) Absolutely luscious. Get some from your local bottle shop if you can!
Wine: As the Chaine included wine I did not look at Taxi's offerings
Price: Not cheap but if you like modern Japanese style food you could not find a more outstanding venue to enjoy it.
Comments : An impressive addition to Federation Square however I did expect something more exquisite
Score: It's even harder than usual to to judge because of our special menu Say 14.5 /20

Arintji

Introduction: This bistro/restaurant in Federation Square has some assocciation with Jaques Reymond
Ambience: Warm and friendly.
Service: efficient without being hurried
Food: Nothing to write home about. Everything is OK even quite good but nothing is special. The fishn beer batter is frozen (Hake) The pork belly, the rissotto and the pasta pretty ordinary despite the somewhat fancy descriptions on the menu. Their Burger is substantial, as it should be for $17. Mains run from $17 to $26 with desserts around $10.
Wine: The 2003 wine I ordered turned out to be 2004 which the waitress failed to note. The 2003 being not available we tried a Red Hill Pinot Noir which was corked. The replacement from Tamar (Devils Ridge was just passable but not cheap at $36 and that was about the cheapest wine on the menu!
Price: There is a lot better value around for about that price
Comments: Regretably the name may be there but Jaques Reymond's magic is not
Score: 13/20

Vue de Monde

Introduction: Now at 430 Little Collins St (Ph 96913888) Shannon Bennett is a true master of modern French cooking I have now been to Vue de Monde four times at its new home. On every occassion the food has been outstanding
Ambience: The entrance to the building is not quite finished which sets a slightly unsophisticated tone. The dining areas are comfortable, the decor simple, the tables well spaced and initially set with rustic style crockery.
Service: Initially very slow. I was peeved at being asked to come at 7.30 rather than at my preferred time of 8.00 pm and then to find myself waiting almost half an hour before a waiter arrived to discuss the menu and a little more irritated when the ice water, poured from an elegant jug was slightly warm and had no ice
Food: The main task was to choose how many courses to have (We chose 7) and ensure that any food fads or restrictions were not breached. After that the menu was a series of surprises - I should say delightful surprises
An initial offering a cup of truffle jelly covered with potato mousse with truffle oil was rich in flavour and an excellent start. Our first course was a cervisce of scallop on shredded celeriac on a remoulade sauce decorated with dots of squid ink around the margin. This was a delicacy most beautifully prepared and presented. This was followed by a mushroom rissotto using reconstituted cep mushrooms, you may know them as porcini mushrooms, which had a rich very strong flavour and was a little oversalted to my taste.
The next course was a cherry tomato creation including tomato on milk fed buffalo cheese, a Sorbet, a tomato torte.
The next course was a terrine of foie gras. Sandwiched between a leaf of Savoy cabbage and layers of Spanish pork proscutto the foie gras was served with Pui lentils and the most delicate small leaf cress salad
The next course, even more outstanding than its predecessors was a tain of linguini flavoured with truffles, beneath a delicate barely cooked quail egg, and surrounded by a delicate crustacean meat which I presumed to be crab
We then had a superb palate cleanser a clear tomato consomme with small cubes of jellied tomato
The next course was a duck cassoulet with Spanish style ham sausage and white beans
Another chef's offering a miniature bomb alaska with a raspberry sauce got us ready for the dessert
The mystery dessert was a trilogy including a rich chocolate tart chocolate pudding.
Finally we were offered a selection of petit fours served on a cute silver multi level candle stick like device (for want of a better word)

For the record here is the menu
Thursday 21st July 2005

Ceviche Saint-Jacques
Ceviche of scallops over a celeriac and apple remoulade,
bound in truffle mayonnaise, completed with Yarra Valley salmon roe

Risotto aux ceps
Ferron Arborio risotto infused with ceps

Tarte Á la tomate confie et au fromage
Confit tomato and mozzarella filo pastry tart with marinated anchovy,
crispy sage and Ligurian olives

Terrine de foie gras
Terrine of Strasbourg foie gras, layered with braised cabbage,
confit rabbit, wagyu salami and a duxelle of wild mushrooms,
served with sautéed Du Puy lentils and sherry vinegar

Linguini 'a la carbonara'
House made linguini wrapped with Spanish Cardoso ham,
accompanied by a soft quails egg and spanner crab

Consomme froid a la tomate
Delicate tomato consommé with gazpacho jelly

Cassoulet de canard
Duck cassoulet set into a puff pastry vol au vent with white beans,
roast breast and duck sausage

Fondant au chocolat
Manjari chocolate fondant, blood orange granita
encased in chocolate bread, served with milk ice cream
Notre sélection de cafés, thés, infusions et petits-fours

A selection of coffee, teas, infusions and miniature teacakes

Wine: Extensive range of Australian French and Italian from about $50 upwards. We had an excellent 2003 Calledonia Pinot Noir from Gippsland.
Price:We paid $110 a head for the food
Coments: It was odd that the expensive heavy cutlery did not rest on the raised edge of the plate and kept sliding onto the plate. Minor irritations aside this is a culinary experience worthy of the best restaurants in the world. Shannon Bennett is a most imaginative and creative Chef a master in his field For more information and reviews see their web page at www.vuedemonde.com.au
Score: 18.5/20
For those really interested we sat at the Kitchen Table, see comment and here is the menu
friday 16th september 2005
Mousse de saumon fumÉ et d’estragon façon
‘tom cooper’ au caviar
‘Tom Cooper’ smoked salmon and tarragon mousse,
salmon crisp and Beluga caviar
~Risotto aux truffes
Classically inspired Italian summer truffle risotto
~Ballantine de faison au foie gras et À la mousse de pistache
Ballantine of pheasant with foie gras and pistachio mousse,
served with quince jelly
~FRICASSÉ DE COQUILLAGES
Braised prawns and crayfish sitting in a crispy puff pastry case,
the juices emulsified with butter and tarragon
~CONSOMMÉ FROID À LA TOMATE
Delicate tomato consommé with gazpacho jelly
~SuprÊmes de volaille strasbourgeoise
Poached Kangaroo Island chicken breast, leg meat tortollini,
served with albaforino sauce and white asparagus
~Echine d’Agneau pochée au cous cous de safran
Roasted loin of lamb with saffron cous cous, espice sauce,
babaganoush and aubergine crisps
~Soufflé aux fruits de la passion
Passionfruit soufflé with raspberry sorbet, dusted with strawberry sugar
~Coupe de chocolat, trois parfums
Chocolate espresso cup filled with caramel mousse, orange syrup,
Grand Marnier and milk cappucino
~Notre sélection de cafés, thés, infusions et petits-foursA selection of coffee, teas, infusions and miniature teacakes

For my 4th visit we had several previously untried dishes including a crabclaw and shredded crabmeat in a light creamy tomato sauce and a "deconstructed" cassoulet both most excellent I highly recommend them.