Peter Verey

Dinner menu at Palace Garden is a good representation of Cantonese fine dining while still highlighting the kitchen’s unique style . A variety of cooking styles and textures is showcased and the service is terrific .

Favourite dish was the braised fish maw with king crab in pumpkin cream . The pumpkin cream which sits somewhere between a sauce and a soup is a lovely sweet vessel for flavour and texture . The fish maw was super tender and tasty while the crab was not only served up in sizeable chunks but also scattered throughout the cream delivering variety throughout the dish .

Other highlights included the textbook wok fried lobster cuisson , am always amazed at the accuracy of outstanding wok cooking when dealing with fragile ingredients such as lobster and this was perfectly judged .

The partridge bisque was comforting and despite being free of rice certainly gave congee vibes .

Pigeon with lemongrass is a great pairing and this was well scented , crisp and juicy

Full menu below

Roasted Goose served with Kristal Caviar
Iberico Pork Loin barbecued with Honey Sauce

Wok fried blue lobster with alliums

Premium Partridge Bisque with Bird’s Nest

Fish Maw braised with Alaska King Crabmeat in Pumpkin Cream

Baby Pigeon crispy with Lemongrass Scent

Seasonal Vegetables poached with Fresh Lily Bulb and Wolfberry in Supreme Broth

Minced Beef Fried Rice with Black Truffle Sauce

Sweetened Gorgon Fruit and Fresh Lily Bulb double boiled with Osmanthus Less

French inspired food in beautiful room in the old Melbourne Stock Exchange . Not reinventing the wheel but every dish hit the spot .

Saucisson and radish with a great crusty baguette

A two bite beef tartare enriched with bone marrow and chives

Excellent cured mackerel with fermented pear sauce and salmon caviar which actually works really well with the dish .

Tender as possible Corner Inlet Calamari , with a curried cafe de Paris butter .

O’Connell strip loin with bearnaise and absolutely stellar pommes frites . Less

Needed a quintessential well executed Mod-Oz lunch when visiting Melbourne and @atria.dining @theritzcarltonmelbourne delivered .

Beautiful property with a great view across Melbourne from the 80th floor . Terrific expansive wine list and the cooking was assured and aesthetic.

Pork jowl, puffed buckwheat , organic apple , lovage

Victorian seafood Crudo with white soy dressing , torched Alfonsino , snapper, sea bream.

Macedon ranges duck, cherry, radicchio.

Murray cod , nasturtium pil pil , zucchini , almond .

Pommes dauphinoise. Less

A short and delicious kappo lunch menu at Michelin ⭐️ ⭐️ Odo.
Definitely feels a little different to similar concepts in Japan as many ingredients here were local and serving size was certainly maximised . But every dish delivered on exactly what you would expect.

Chawanmushi with Hokkaido Uni , Oscietra caviar , Dashi thickened with kudzu , ginkgo nuts

Fish and Sakyo miso broth , madai , myoka ginger , gluten puff , yuzu

Smoked and chargrilled Hudson Valley duck with a sancho pepper and soy jus alongside a salad of shiitake , fig , cucumber , lotus root and peanut

Mini chirashi with chutoro, kampachi and ikura

Katsuoboshi dashi with soba noodles, Kumamoto A5 Wagyu with micro Shiso and radish

Green apple soft serve , pears , lemon meringue , toasted flakes Less

Amaru has always had a distinctive style . Native and foraged ingredients, light sauces, sustainable , expert level cuisson . It is really the only fine dining venue that I feel compelled to visit when in Melbourne .

some of the highlight components were

- bunya nut tofu , perfect texture and the nut flavour was pronounced .

- Mud Crab with zucchini chawanmushi was the dish of the night , layers of zucchini studded the dish, particularly taken with the chawanmushi and the zucchini ponzu

- The cooking of both the WA Marron and the Jurassic quail was faultless

-The final dessert with a koji and Davidson plum ice cream and rainforest cherries was utterly brilliant and definitely my front runner for dessert of the year .

Menu below

Heirloom Melons / Bunya Nut / Sunrise Lime

Mud Crab / Heirloom Squash / Basil

Western Australian Marron / Seaweed / Bitter Lettuce / Clams

Quail / Quince / Pumpkin Seed Miso

Dry Aged Pork / Muntries / Warrigal Green Kimchi / Fermented Pear

Bees Wax / Camel Milk / Green Tomato / Queen Garnet Plum

Rainforest Cherry / Koji / Davidson Plum /saltbush Less

My favourite restaurant in Melbourne , faultless pasta with terrific texture and amazing emulsions. Always number #1 place to revisit when back in Melbourne .

Rigatoni with nettle sauce , red pepper sauce and pistachios . The texture of the rigatoni was firm yet pillow like , the duality of the sauces combined beautifully.

Risotto with herb oil and super tender mussels and abalone .

Mafaldine with sher Wagyu shank and pickled chilli sauce .

Before the pasta the ubiquitous Australian kingfish crudo , this timed paired with Geraldton wax oil , grapes and caviar . Less

Have always been happy to avoid sushi in NYC on previous visits as it has always been the most expensive global sushi market . But since I have recently been diagnosed with a sushi addiction , a sushi meal became inevitable .

A very enjoyable experience at the hands of Shion @69leonardst , the neta is extremely pure , limited use of soy or any other flavours and the fish is left to shine. The Shari is intensely polished and has a near sake like quality , which also adds to the naked cleanliness of the bite .

Highlights were the tasting of two types of Murasaki uni - sweet from Hokkaido and briny from Kumamoto .
Superb Kegani crab with aged Japanese vinegar
And my favourite nigiri was the seared Kamatoro - absolutely melting .

Chef Shion was also so impressed with my Japanese fish knowledge that he asked whether I worked in the seafood industry so thanks to @jtfoodcation for the maritime education !!

Kuwe and tsubugai sashimi
Grilled Mehikari with green onion
Murasaki uni tasting - hokkkaido and Kumamoto
Grilled scallop from iwate with shimishi pepper
Kegani crab from Hokkaido with aged vinegar
Amadai with daikon radish

Yazu (young Yellowtail )
Sawara ( Spanish mackerel )
Kamasu ( barracuda )
Chutoro
Otoro
Yari ika ( spear squid )
Seared Kamatoro
Aji - horse mackerel
Anago
Toro and onion handroll

Tamago Less

Have a bit of travel coming up the next little bit so think this was the last sushi meal for about 2 months 😢.
Fun night with chef Osamu explaining the process and thinking about the nigiri he curates , alternating textures and temperature, he tries to give a unique omakase experience .

Loved the contrast of otoro from both the belly and the cheek , and the Nodoguro barely touched with flame to wake up the oil on the skin is always a pleasure .

Full menu below

Scallop and shrimp with caviar
Ark shell clam sashimi
Charcoal grilled Hamachi
Abalone cutlet
Seared Snapper
Snow crab and tofu in dashi
Nigiri sequence -
Cheek Otoro
Belly Otoro
Marinated akami
Iwashi
Uni
Nodoguro
Kuruma ebi
Anago
Toro handroll
Shizuoka Melon Less

Extremely stripped back minimalist Scandinavian cooking which nails the brief as it doesn’t leave you wanting at all .

Maine lobster is amplified by roast lobster butter , a white beet custard and a foam of salted white asparagus .

Live Cape cod scallop is draped over Japanese turnip with a broth of roasted onion and black currant leaf bringing the Unami .

Grilled Norwegian langoustine tail is paired with langoustine shell and red gooseberry sauce , leans sweet but stays in the pocket .

Favorite dish was a puck of Hake with beluga caviar , a vivid Swedish dark beer and dill was greedily mopped up with some barley rolls .

Dry aged quail in a pure broth of truffle and summer onion.

Very fresh milk sorbet, with grass fed cream and meadowsweet was a soothing finale before some terrific petit fours. Less