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. 

Rockpool Bar & Grill - Melbourne

Rockpool is one of those institutions that most people in Melbourne and Sydney would have heard of, if you haven't then you must be very good at hiding yourself from mass media juggernauts Masterchef. With every institution comes curiosity for those who haven't dine there. Well hopefully I can help you satisfy some of your curiously.

I am fortunate enough to have dined at Rockpool a number of times over the years for various celebrations. I will share my most recent experience with you. I don't get many nights out with Doggy Mummy (DM) so when I do we like to go somewhere nice especially if it's a celebration, Rockpool also happens to be one of DM's favourite places to dine at, so it armed me with a reason to go there.

To start we got a pasta each, DM wanted the lobster omelette but unfortunately it was not on the menu (their menu changes daily) so instead she opted for the Abalone, Brown Mushroom Pasta. For those who are unaware, abalone is a considered a seafood delicacy and is hard to come by. The abalone was cooked with brown butter and bottarga. Besides saying I wanted more, I don't think I could fault the dish.

I ordered the Wagyu Bolognaise. This is one of my favourite things to order here, Bolognaise is one of my favorite food and there is nothing I like better than a classic done with top grade ingredients. I like to consider this a guilty pleasure and treat to myself.

For mains we ordered a streak each. 36 month grass fed cooked medium rare for me. This was cooked perfectly, the meat was tender and it makes me wonder why I would go anywhere else for steak.

DM went with the 36 month rib eye medium rare. It was highly marbled with distinctive beef flavours.

Sides we got dutch potatoes sauteed with wagyu fat, garlic and rosemary. We really didn't need it but I couldn't say no to potato with wagyu fat. It was fluffy and had a great hit of flavour.

To balance out the guilt we also got the Radicchio salad. Good green crunch to cut through the heaviness with the rest of our meal.

For dessert, DM went with the Creme Brulee (I really had no idea how she was still fitting this in). It had the perfect burnt sugar top and paired with candied walnuts

I opted for the petite fours. A nice selection to finish my meal, I love a good canele and this definitely hit the spot.

Overall, I still love it and highly recommend any steak lovers to come and try it (if you haven't before).


 

Circa The Prince

D and I don't have very many date nights now, so when we do we like to spend it wisely. When we were at the Taste of Melbourne, we tried Circa the Prince and loved it so mu that, we went to the restaurant at the first chance we got.

Located on Acland St in St Kilda, Circa has a beautiful vibe and windows where you can look out to the water. It was definitely the perfect atmosphere for us.

Since there was a lot on the menu we wanted to try, we opted for the 6 course degustation. While we were waiting I got myself a cocktail to start my evening.

To start we were given the Cured Duck with Rye. This was a very interesting tapas, it came presented like a cigar. The texture was like bread, slightly chewy with strong flavours of cured duck throughout.

Next was the Spring Peas with Broad Beans. It was served with Garrotxa which was a soft tasting goat cheese broth. It created a balance of freshness with the peas and milkiness of the cheese. I really enjoyed this; could have easily had a second serving as it wasn't too heavy.

Together with the Spring peas was their house made foccacia and this was served with homemade butter, sprinkled with parsley powder. The bread and the parsley powder worked wonders with the butter, especially as the bread was warm.

BBQ Octopus with sorrel, apple and radish was served next. Small pieces of tender octopus paired with apple and radish which had more bite to it. This was more about the textures on offer and it was a great 'not too heavy' way to lead into the next dishes which were the mains.

The first of the mains was the Port Phillip Snapper. This was served with fennel and green olive. The fish was very fresh with a crispy layer. I loved how the green olive added a savory layer of flavour to this dish.

Due to a mix up we ended up getting the Flinders Island Lamb as a bonus dish. This was served with turnip and baby potatoes. The lamb was fatty but soft. The baby potatoes were seasoned with salt bush. Overall a classic modern lamb dish with potatoes which was executed well.

Next was our real main, the Western Plains Pork with kohlrabi and green apricot. Of course it was the belly of the pork, as most restaurants these days do.

Final main was the Sher Wagyu Rump Cap with slow roasted onion and mustard. The mustard had truffle laced through it and it was velvety smooth, wasn't too strong and complimented the rump perfectly. The rump was an excellent cut and cooked to perfection, it almost melted in your mouth. This was definitely one of my best steaks I have tasted.

As we were a bit greedy, we ordered 2 sides as well to go with the mains. The first one was the Dutch Cream Potatoes. I know I told myself I would eat less carbs, but I do love some great spuds as a side. This was creamy as the name suggested and well seasoned.

The other side we ordered was the  Spring Leeks with Roasted Scallops. The name confused us on this one as we were expecting actual scallops on the plate and was a bit disappointed when we just saw a plate of leeks but that was a mistake on our part to not ask and clarify. The leeks were cooked perfectly.

Lastly was the dessert. This was Strawberry with Sheep Milk Yoghurt. This was refreshing and light. Strawberries were done in various ways to ensure the taste penetrated throughout the dessert. Sheep milk gave it the creaminess and the coriander flowers provided that bite of unexpected taste. I loved this dessert.

The petit fours at the end was a chocolate and meringue combination. A winning way to end the meal the chocolate truffle especially was extremely nice.

Overall 18.5/20 I enjoyed my meal thoroughly. The service was impeccable and all dishes were executed well. The choice in produce and the method of execution is carefully thought out. The whole dinner was just divine. Only disappointment for me was the leeks but that was more because I should have asked before I made an assumption.


 

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.

The Fat Duck

Recently I was lucky enough to get an invite from FF as part of her table for 4 at Fat Duck. When she asked me, I felt like I had won the lotto. I placed my name in the ballot earlier in the year and like the 76,000 others I was unsuccessful and disappointed. So when the invite came, you cannot imagine how happy I was.

From the minute you walk into Fat Duck, it's like you are whisked into another world. You walk down a corridor like in Alice in Wonderland with a small door at the end leading you into the restaurant. Once that door opens, you are greeted with someone to take your coat and lead you to your table.

There is no food menu but only a wine list. The wine list is so big, it's like a huge dictionary of wines and drinks. Food is covered as there is only the single option of the 17 course degustation.

Dish 1 was aerated beetroot with horseradish. On a big plate came a small round ball. The texture looks like foam and when you look at it, you don't think of much. However when you eat it, it dissolves immediately in your mouth and there is just enough of the light horseradish there to complement the beetroot.

Dish 2 came with a big canister of liquid nitogen at our table and a lemon, grapefruit and lime. We were told this was nitro poached aperitifs. We were given the choice of vodka green tea, gin and tonic with lime or tequila grapefruit foam. I went with gin and tonic, the waiter went to squeeze a ball of foam into the nitrogen, then finished with a squirt of lime juice over flame. It was to be eaten in 1 go. The flavour was like nothing I had ever tasted before, the gin and tonic came through clearly but the texture of the cooling yet tingly feeling was just amazing. I wish we got to try all of them but unfortunately the waiter said only 1 per person. I was truly blown away and silently wished that my usual bar could do this for me too.

Dish 3 was a red cabbage gazpacho. I expected savoury ice cream and I wasn't disappointed; this was a pommary grain mustard ice cream with red cabbage gazpacho. This was a cold dish, and really plays on the sweet and sour elements from the different components of the dish. I've never been a fan of red cabbage or mustard but I didn't mind this combination and found it really good to get my senses going for the next dishes to come.

Dish 4 was savoury lollies and this is exactly a Heston crazy dish - you would see this on his show. To the eye it's 3 miniature ice cream lollipops but they are all savoury. Left to right, first was the waldorf rocket salad icy pole; salmon, horse-raddish and avocado twister and; chicken liver parfait with fig jelly coating and almond bits. They were all unique but the best one was definitely the chicken liver parfait. It was busting with flavour and I just kept wanting more.

Dish 5 was a walk in the forest, it started off with the "Fat Duck Film" which were listerine styled film that melted on your tongue, they were scented with oak and white moss, designed to make you feel like you are walking through the forest; the liquid nitrogen is poured in to the white moss to give off the smoke effect. Once you reach the centre of the forest you will be greeted with a quail jelly and marron with a truffle toast.  I'm a lover of truffle so I found this very enjoyable and the theatrics to be perfect.

Dish 6 was snail porridge. This is a long standing Fat Duck dish and well known with any Heston fans. The snail texture felt like a combination of pipis and calamari to me, just enough bite to it. The fennel, parsley and ham created a great base to accentuate the snail. The texture and taste combined can almost be called comfort food.

Dish 7, was a roast marron; this was a specialty for Melbourne and not part of the usual Fat Duck menu in UK. A generous piece of marron on shitake and finished with confit kombu and sea lettuce. There was intentsity from the shitaki, kombu and sea lettuce to round off the simplistic but refined taste of the marron. This dish wasn't as creative compared to the others, but what it had less in terms of creativity it more than made up for with taste.

Dish 8 and 9 was the Mad Hatter's tea party. This started with a mock turtle soup which was in a clear teapot, with a hot water and a small island of seasoned jelly, truffle, ham and vegetable cubes. This has an intense broth that came from the melted pocket watch which is presented to you in a ticking box and melted into the hot water. It came with a side of toast sandwich, which was a sandwich where the filling was a slice of toast and layer of truffle and butter.

Dish 10 was sound of the sea. This started with an ipod within a seashell, each person was to put on their headphones and close their eyes. Next our dish was served on a glass and wood box. It looks like a scene that you would see washed up on the beach. However everything was edible. The sand was miso oil and starch, then there was foam made from seaweed and vegetable stock (it tasted so real, I really thought I was tasting sea water). The core of the dish was kingfish, abalone, and another white fish. There was also an assortment of seaweed to complement the rest of the sea. I must say, this dish really does take the culinary experience to a whole different level.

Dish 11, was salmon poached in liquorice gel and golden trout roe. I am one of the few people who enjoy liqurice so I was quite intrigued by the idea. It didn't disappoint either, the salmon was soft, the flavour of the fish struck a cord with the sweetness in the liquroice then the burst of roe and creaminess of vanilla mayo.

Dish 12, was The Duck. This started with duck chip, made from duck fat and starch, then duck with green coffee and black pudding. This dish was much heavier compared to all previous dishes. There was also a duck egg roll which came later which added that element to break up all the meatiness.

Dish 13, hot and iced tea. The waitress came out with a double wall glass and set it in front of all of us and give directions on where on the glass to sip from. It was a weird feeling, one side of my mouth had hot tea and the other had iced tea.

Dish 14, was the Botrytis Cinerea  which is the famous 2015 Masterchef finals. It was as pretty as you see it on TV. This dish was as complex as they come. It had so many elements on the plate, jelly, popping candy, sorbet, alcoholic sultanas, chocolate; it was like a crazy party on the plate but so refined, it was hard to decide the best part of the dish and made you question if it was created by a crazy scientist or a chef.

Dish 15, puzzle in a box, this was the start of the breakfast experience. In a mini cereal box there was root vegetable cereal served with parsnip milk. Sounds gross? Taste? The dehydrated vegetables has a good sweet, savory and crunch to it, along with the parsnip milk, it was really like eating breakfast. Like any good cereal that came with a surprise, this came with a piece of the puzzle that was on the wall and unique for the Melbourne Fat Duck experience.

Dish 16, bacon and egg ice cream cooked with liquid nitrogen on the table. Along crazy signature Heston dish. The scrambled egg ice cream, along with candied pancetta was served on piece of sweet toast. Then... what is toast without marmalade? There was also a jar of marmalade that had an edible lid made from chocolate. This dish is so Heston, the play on theatrics and challenging the concept of norm.

Dish 17, was the whisky gums. on a UK/Tasmania map. Different strengths and type of whisky, reduced to a gummy lolly. Interesting concept as "a whisky to finish the meal". The gummy didn't disappoint in strength either, FF and her sister aren't normally drinkers so they found it extremely strong. I found it enjoyable for 3 of the gummies but the other 2 were too strong for my liking. In saying that, I'm normally not a big whisky fan.

Afterwards there was also the take home lolly bag. This had the queen of hearts, apple pie caramel (with edible wrapper), oxchoc, and aerated chocolate with mandarin jelly.

Besides the food, there is a very decent selection of drinks, I got a wine, juice and sake to go with my meal. The juices deserve a mentioned in their own right, there was the apple lemon, persimmon and strawberry with pepper. The latter is the more unusual and a more acquired taste for those liking vegetable juices and things of a peppery taste. I loved the first two as I love juices.

Overall 20/20 this was in a league of it's own, every detail was perfected down to an art. The creativity, innovation in methodology, taste, balance, sensory experience. It was art form from the minute you walk through the door.