Lune Lab experience

If you live in Melbourne and you haven't heard of Lune... then you must be living under a rock. Being crowned the best croissants in Melbourne (or dare I say Australia ... or potentially even the world), it is place that foodies from all across the world go running to when in Melbourne.

For some die hard fans (such as myself) to be able to get my hands on Lune Lab tickets was a very sacred achievement.

With Lune Lab, it is a 3 course degustation. The first course is always the same, it is a classic croissant fresh out of the oven but the second and third course vary by the season.

The ticket price are steep and I wont deny it is a lot to pay for 3 croissants. However if you love (eating) croissants as much as I do, then you might want to hang in there and keep reading.

The first course 

First croissant is one that is 10 minutes out of the oven. Your host will give you a choice from a huge tray, if you like your croissants softer then you go for something in the middle of the tray or if you prefer it more crispy then the edge of the tray. I went with my trusty food buddy (my lifelong eating partner) and tried one of each. When you taste one after another then the differentiation is  there, however if you just taste one, then it is much harder to call out that difference. Either way you pick, you will still taste fresh out of the oven croissant is still warm and the layers of the pastry is defined and fluffy. This is what I would term buttery goodness.

The second course
Second course is the savory croissant. Fortunately for me, I visited during truffle season and had a lovely surprise awaiting me. The dish was Beef Bourguignon. This was a classic croissant served as a classic French dish. It came with a red wine jus, mash potato and generous shavings of truffle shaved in front of you. The croissant was baked perfectly and you cut through layers of pastry and paired with a perfectly cooked beef. The kale crisp adds that extra texture to balance off the dish. I am a tad sad that this was seasonal. As I finished my dish I was thinking to myself that I  am not sure when I will get another chance to taste this again (if only they offered seconds).

The final course
Final course was a Yuzu tart. This is the Lune version of a tart that is made from croissant pastry.

During the whole experience you will have bottomless coffees and hot chocolate. You can drink yourself silly, like my partner did and be very energetic for the rest of the day. The staff won't judge you and be very attentive to ensure all your coffees/hot chocolates arrive promptly.

Final words
I would highly recommend this experience and would go again. If you are questioning why would you pay $60+ for 3 croissants... well this is why

• creativity and thought that has gone behind the process to deliver something exceptional on the plate
• dedication and art of finessing the details of a perfectly crafted croissant
• taste of something that you cannot easily get anywhere else
• being able to taste croissants done in a very different way
• being able to buy as many of the croissants as you like without having to line up
• truely experience and taste the dedication that Kate Reid and her team has gone to, in order to perfect and elevate the humble croissant.

Oh also, I would recommend the first session over the second session. By the end of our session, some of the croissant varieties have sold out. If you don't want to miss out, best to wake up a bit earlier.

Lune Lab tickets need to be bought in advance and sell out very fast. So if you want to go, head to the Lune website and find the next lot of ticket release, set a reminder on your phone and just have super fast internet when the ticket release day comes. Good Luck!!

Additional rambling notes: I have been a loyal Lune fan (since the Elwood days). I honestly think it is the best croissant I have ever tasted in my travels. I set out on a food adventure on most my holidays and yet to find something that comes close to Lune. Would love to hear other people's Lune or general croissant experiences. 

Panama Dining Room

Dad had Saturday night off which was quite rare so I took up the opportunity to take mum and dad out. Normally when dad is off we eat at home because my mum is a fabulous cook but it means it's always Asian food. So to be different, I took mum and dad to Panama Dining room and followed up with a trip to Messina (dad loves ice cream.... think that's where I inherited that passion).

Located in Brunswick, it's not area that mum and dad venture to much. So it was an eye opener for them to see people know about restaurants not located with a street front. After climbing 3 flights of stairs, we were greeted with the lovely staff of Panama Dining Room who showed us to our table. We had 2 minutes before the oyster happy hour (6pm-7pm) finished so we got 12 as soon as the waiter got here. Dad and I both love oysters so there was no way we would say no to $1 oysters.

The oysters were the first to come out. Fresh shacked oysters served natural with wedges of lemon. These were not as creamy as your your Coffin Bay oysters but for $1 each, we were very happy.

On to the starters, since mum and dad wasn't very hungry we opted for 3 light starters to share. First one was the marinated prawns with roe and potato crisp. Mum really liked this one, the prawns were fresh and light and the crisp gave it that nice crunch.

Next was the Cured Ocean Trout with cucumber sorbet. Another light and tangy flavored starter. The cucumber added a light crisp bite.

Dad and I love parfait, so we got chicken liver parfait on toast to share. This was paired with truffle and marmalade . I love the taste in texture but didn't like how it was served in a box with a napkin underneath. It was hard to share and all the filling from the brioche bun toast, stuck to the napkin. There was a lot wasted by being stuck on the napkin in the end.

For mains we shared the John Dory with risotto with lobster sauce. The fish itself was a bit bland so it heavily relied on the lobster sauce and the dash of mustard. There was also slices of cucumber on the plate to add that fresh element.

Our other main was the roast chicken. The chicken was roasted with rosemary scent and lied on a bed of mash. The meat was tender and succulent however it lack a punch, it felt like it needed something else on the plate to complete it. This was a substantial size and we struggled to finish it between the three of us

For the sides we got the ricotta, mint pea salad. Loved the creamy, fresh combination of flavours.

The chips were thick cut. Fluffy, starchy goodness.

We decided to skip dessert, since Messina was downstairs.

Overall 15/20 I enjoyed most parts of the meal. Mains were a tad disappointing but the starters made up for it. This is a place that I won't mind trying again with D. Especially if there is $1 oysters. I know their menu changes quite regularly, so they do keep regulars entertained.

The Town Mouse

I wanted to come here for ages so I was stoked when D finally got us a table for date night. It is located off Lygon and had a great atmosphere. We were seated by the bar so we got to see some of the bartender action.

We wasted no time and got ordering straight away.Once the order was in, we were given some fresh bread with house-made black sesame butter. I went gaga over it. 

First thing we got was the fresh oysters, this came with a chardonnay/vinegar sorbet served with a wedge of lemon. This was not the usual way I have my oysters but I loved it, the acidity and sweet balance in the sorbet was a great way to get taste buds going. I wish we ordered more.

Goat cheese profiterole and duck liver parfait were the first tapas entrees we got. The goat cheese profiterole had honey and thyme with it so it gave a nice balance to the creaminess. The duck liver parfait came with pickled cucumber and a super thin potato crisp. It was intense and luxury on the lips. I wish I had bread to make this go further.

Smoked eel brandade was a nice surprise, I have never had brandade before so it was a nice surprise. I quite enjoyed the saltiness paired with the thin sourdough toast. I would have preferred the toast to be not so thin as it kept breaking each time I tired to spread the brandade on it. Overall still very tasty with the intense punchy flavours

For the main to share we got the snapper which came with grilled broccoli and clams. The fish was fresh and retained good flavour as it was cooked just right. The grilled broccoli with clam and olive oil was a nice complement that wasn't overpowering and provided just enough bite

Creamed corn was our side of choice. This came with creme fraiche and tarragon. Once spooned through this was like a thick, thick corn soup with a punch. It was heartwarming like a soup but not quite a soup

Lime posset with green apple, white chocolate and matcha. That layer so sugar film was finely created and the thing that held everything together. This is a great dessert for anyone who prefers a more of a fresh taste and not the typical heaviness in decadent rich chocolate desserts. The line cut through the sweetness and there was just enough sweetness

Yoghurt semifreddo with hazelnuts and feijoa. I really just ordered this because I saw the word feijoa, it one of the fruits I love but sadly not everyone knows how to use or have even heard of it. The semifreddo was lighter than ice cream but still enough to be cut and served like cake

Overall 17/20 enjoyable experienced and food. Liked all the dishes we tried and would go back again to try other things on the menu.