Attica - Autumn Menu

Long deemed to be the gem of the south, Attica has held its three hat status for the last few years and is internationally recognised on “San Pelligrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants”. Pretty impressive for Ben Shewry, who had his humble beginnings on the west coast of New Zealand’s north island. He expertly combines his passion for evocative, emotional food with the produce and tastes of Australia and NZ, a theme which heavily features throughout each course of the extended tasting menu ($195) and matching juices ($65).

There is one thing that you cannot fault Attica on, the beautiful design of the seating area and lighting which is perfect for enthusiastic Asians to take a bazillion photos of their food. It is cosy and romantic, without feeling like everyone can hear your conversation or bumping elbows as you get up to use the amenities.

First course, the Curd and Local Honeycomb, a beautiful symphony of two strong flavours of the goat’s curd and honeycomb straight from the hive. The only downside was there was a lot of beeswax in the honeycomb, which ends up in your teeth.

The Goolwa Pippies were next, smoked in a homemade seaweed butter which brought out the freshness of the morsels of flesh. It had quite a strong seafood taste, but was delicious nonetheless.

Baby Corn in the Husk was a small dish disguised as a course, they were presented in the husk, tossed in butter and forest anise, however they just tasted like corn.

The crockery used at Attica, like all fine dining restaurants, deserves a mention on its own. They really do enhance the experience, or just add a little something to look at whilst savouring each flavour. Aromatic Ripponlea Broth essentially featured heavily from Attica’s herb garden and the Ripponlea Garden’s flowers, mixed in with a delicate chicken broth. The flavours of chicken were complimented with the strong herb tastes ranging from bitter to tangy. A very green experience.

Not one to throw bread and butter at their customers, Attica raised the bar higher with their smoked macadamia puree with smoked grey leaf. This was done so, so right. It was a creamy, smooth, heavenly spread with the macadamia taste coming out clean and pure. The house churned butter was spectacular, of course. 

Snow Crab and Begonia was another delicate but full bodied dish. The crab was delicious, and fresh bean sprouts hidden in the mix gave a nice surprising crunch each time. There was a hint of tangy zest throughout as well, which I never before thought to associate with crab, but here it worked perfectly. This was paired with a grapefruit juice which was punchy but sweet, I envision it to be a nice breakfast juice.

The next dish was probably my favourite of the night. The Salted Red Kangaroo and Bunya Bunya (a large evergreen coniferous tree) considered of a beautiful rare tataki kangaroo bursting with flavour, topped up with crunchy beet-red dyed carrot. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy the carrot that much, but the taste was covered by the stronger kangaroo meat flavour, so it ended up as a complimentary addition easily looked past. The paired juice was a very spicy spin on a sweet plum juice, a lot of kick which was surprising but very nice.

Minted Potato, Medium Rare was a close first to my favourite dish. Massive fan of the carbs, so of course you cannot lose with a potato. It really truly was cooked medium rare in a brown butter sauce with aged cheddar, blanched garlic and finished with a mint vinaigrette. Who would’ve thought? The sauce was creamy and buttery and absolutely delicious. In a word, the dish was succulent. The paired pumpkin juice was weird and sweet but strangely tasty.

The way this next dish was presented reminded me of Otah, a south east Asian method of preparing fish paste in a fragrant leaf (it’s delicious, go try it). Marron, Lemon Aspen and Pearl consisted of a tender cut of fish cooked in a oyster butter and lemon myrtle sauce. You really could not go wrong here. Apart from the fact you got a lot of bark in your mouth. The cold smoked Granny Smith juice was sweet and slightly tart, but matched well with the fish.

Chicken Carrots was slightly misleading, as the majority of the chicken was in the shape of the dish it was presented in. There were definitely lots of flavours of chicken mixed through the croutons, carrots and vegetables, but no actual chicken pieces. This was disappointing, but also way too healthy for my liking.

142 Days on Earth was a fanfare of a dish which began as soon as the plate left the kitchen. A massive 142 day old aged red cabbage stacked high on the plate, and when the individual fronds were peeled back, there were more parts of the cabbage heart and leaves. This was then served with sliced emu and smoked egg paste. The taste was textured and full of flavour, definitely one of the better ones. Every bite ensured a new burst of flavour and cabbage went well with the emu. 

And then the fun part. We were invited into the garden outside, for the beginning of our dessert courses. We were told this was interactive dessert time, and to step in front of three space-age doohickeys. They turned out to be snow cone shavers, and as we shaved the ice shards into our bowl, I swear we were transported back to our childhood, squealing like idiots.

A beautiful house-made rose syrup was then poured onto our snow bowls, and we were invited to wander around the garden picking fresh herbs which went well with our dessert. 

Returning to the main dining room, the next dish Pears and Maidenii was presented on a gorgeous carved pear-shaped dish. The small roasted pear balls infused with the red wine were served with a cheese ice-cream and finished with chrysanthemum petals. It was definitely an interesting combination; sweet but with the texture of a semi-sour firm panna cotta. Though the dish looked beautiful, I feel Attica's degustation adventures are let down by their lacklustre desserts. The focus seems to be too skewed towards the use of Australian and New Zealand flora and fauna, rather than your traditional tasted like caramel and chocolate. I can understand the appeal for discovery, and whilst exciting, I can't say Attica does dessert to my liking. 

The Industrious Beet was met with questioning looks and tastebuds; a sugar beet combined with sugar cane and mandarin sorbet, with an orange sauce poured over it. I'm still at odds with how I felt about this dessert, it was crunchy like coconut, but also gave the empty feeling that chewing coconut for too long gives. The textures were definitely covered, from the cold sorbet, to the smooth sauce and granular sugar cane and sugar beet, but it was just too strange for my palate. 

This next part was probably the highlight of the meal. Attica are incredibly generous and take an active role in ensuring your dining experience will be treasured. We were celebrating three of our four birthdays and they surprised us with the beautiful Attica chocolate puddint and house-made strawberry ice-cream, with crackling candy and jellies. It. Was. Amazing. It ended up being my favourite dessert, and we finished every last bit. On top of that, the magical evening was finished off with Pukeko's Egg - a decadent white chocolate speckled egg filled with smooth slated caramel.



TL; DR A restaurant which is constantly featured on The World's Best Restaurants list is definitely worth experiencing. Beware its strong focus on the use of herbs and native flora.

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon Saint-Germain

Greetings from Europe!

To begin the international food adventures, let's celebrate with 2 Michelin Star restaurant (chain), L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon Saint-Germain. We tidied ourselves up from "student-traveller-trying-to-fit-two-seasons-and-clinical-placement-into-a-20kg-bag" attire and I put on my one formal dress to be worn to all Michelin Star restaurants. Going full keen-bean and getting there 15min early, the doors weren't even open yet; so we waited outside and perused our fellow dining companions. Mostly older, mostly couples and stinking of money (most we dropped off by private cars to the driveway of the restaurants). We were the youngest there, highlighted by the fact we ordered still water rather than pairing every course with Sommelier-matched wines. 

Atelier is set up open-bar style, with the idea that you can watch your meal getting prepared; it makes for a more casual environment and means waiters present the food in front of you rather than over your shoulder. 

The bread basket presented was pretty spectacular. A range of white bread, wholemeal rolls and grain-speckled dinner rolls were on display - all for us! They were of course, up to the Parisian standard of excellent carbs.

Though most Michelin Star Restaurants offer A La Carte options, I'm a stupidly big fan of degustations, so I opted for the "Discovery" Menu (175€/pp). What follows will be both the French and google-translated versions of the menu, as best as I can do. Feel free to comment below, you Francophiles, to tighten the descriptions. The menu online promised L'Amuse-Bouche but I didn't see any sign of it.

LE CRABE ROYAL: aux fines lamelles de Daikon épicées

First up was The Royal Crab: with thin strips of spicy Daikon. This was quite a light and delicate starter, with strong but delicious crab meat which matched perfectly with the Daikon and dots of spinach and crab cream sauce.

LA TOMATE: en gaspacho, croutons dorés sous un sorbet moutarde à l'ancienne

Gazpacho is hitting Paris in a massive way (they even had a documentary about it), and being a big fan of tomato I was glad. This particular Gazpacho featured browned croutons paired with grainy mustard sorbet. It was as amazing as it sounds, a refreshing, light gazpacho which was complimented by the hit of cold mustard sorbet. It was served tantalisingly cold and the plating was beautiful.

LE CAVIAR: chaud-froid d'œuf à l'érable, saumon Gravelax aux agrumes et à la Vodka

The Caviar with hot-cold maple egg and Salmon gravelax with vodka citrus was definitely the highlight of the evening for me. The presentation was great - I love anything presented in little egg shells (like the chawanmushi at Shoya, Melbourne, Australia) and this foie-gras infused-egg  was rich and satisfying. The caviar only added to the decadence of the dish. The salmon gravlax was delicious, like I'd died and gone to heaven. It was a nice size too.

LA LANGOUSTINE: grilée sur une rave végétale au basilic Thai coraillé

Now, for those who had no idea like myself, as per wiki: Nephrops norvegicus, known as the langoustine or scampi, is a slim, orange-pink lobster which grows up to 25 cm long, and is "the most important commercial crustacean in Europe". Which would explain why it is featured in most tasting menus at most Michelin Star restaurants across Europe. This particular Langoustine was prepared grilled, presented on a Thai basil. What the description doesn't mention is there was a pillowy ravioli and green bean hidden under that langoustine, and surrounded by a tomato foam. This was delicious and the bean made for an interesting addition to the dish. The flesh or the langoustine was very tender with a strong taste but probably my least favourite of the three parts.

LE FOIE GRAS: de canard chaud, cerises et amandes fraiches dans un jus acidulé à l'hibiscus

Direct translation means warm fatty liver of duck, cherries and almonds in a tangy fresh hibiscus sauce; but we all call it Foie Gras instead, to try and distance ourselves from the cruel means it originates from. Battling my hypocrisy I succumbed to the beautifully smooth, rich Foie Gras. I was so surprised at how well it went with the cherries, the strong sweetness cutting through the heavier decadence. It was again, the perfect size; any more would have been too rich.

LE GYOZA: à la plancha, farcie de volaille, dans son bouillon au parfum d'Asie

The Japanese couple sitting next to us were pretty chuffed to see the next dish arrive, chicken Gyoza served in Asian-style broth. This had an interesting but not very strong flavour. The broth was delicious!

LE ROUGET: de roche, girolles printanières et pois nouveaux à la racine de curcuma jaune

The next dish was Rock Mullet (fish) with mushrooms, fresh spring peas from the vine with yellow tumeric. I found the mullet to be too salty, but I did enjoy the "green" taste of the peas and sauce which neutralised some of the salt. The mushrooms were done perfectly and with so much flavour. An enjoyable dish but not standout.

For the mains we were presented with a choice of Lamb, Quail or Black Angus. We opted for the Lamb Chops with thyme and the Black Angus with shallot confit in a juice of black cardamom and tarragon. 

[not sampled - LA CAILLE: farcie de foie gras et caramélisée avec une pomme purée truffée]

L'AGNEAU DE LAIT: en côtelettes à la fleur de thym

The Lamb was succulent and tender, though tiny (though at this stage I was becoming surprisingly full); and that little blob in front was the potato mash. My God that was divine. Incredibly decadent due to the fact it was mostly butter. 

Then we were presented with another little bowl each; it killed me that I couldn't finish it due to the richness of the whole meal so far. Argh!

LE BLACK ANGUS: à la plancha, échalotes confites sous un jus à la cardamone noire et à l'estragon

As I tried the Black Angus I remember thinking 'oh yeah, a steak', being neither impressed nor disappointed with the dish. I definitely enjoyed my lamb a lot more, which had better combinations of flavours and more enjoyable (fatty) meat.

LE PARFUM DES ILES: crème aux fruits de la passion et à la banane, granité au rhum, légèreté à la noix de coco

And then, onto my beloved desserts! The Scent of Islands was a passionfruit and banana cream with rum granita, and coconut lightness. A great dessert to start on, my little cup was in no way enough to satisfy my stomach. The passionfruit and banana melded well together and the granita lifted the dessert up. That little caramel shard on top was a nice crunch and the chocolate disc introduced us to the next dessert.

LE CHOCOLAT TENTATION: ganache onctueuse au chocolat Araguani, glace au grué de cacao, biscuit Oréo

The Chocolate Temptation was a creamy chocolate ganache with Araguani cocoa nib ice-cream and Oreo cookie. This was so chocolatey I regret to say I didn't finish it. The embellishment on top was like a metallic coloured Smartie, and the inside had a decadent mix of chocolate ganache and the ice-cream. I didn't even finish the beautifully sprayed chocolate disc!

All in all a wonderful experience, I left satisfied and ready to take on the upcoming Michelin Stars on the trip. Cool side note, "Dogs are allowed" in Atelier and a couple utilised this fact with their pooch in a handbag! Best.

Lune Croissanterie

Rolling out of bed at 5:45am and standing in the brisk Melbourne morning for two hours isn’t something most people would be prepared to do, let alone for croissants. However, this “rite of passage” could be described as a Melbourne Foodie Experience, something you have to endure to experience the true value of the food scene, and you walk away with the treasure at the end!

Famed for the lines which snake around the corner at despicable hours of weekend mornings, Lune Croissanterie bakes beautiful pastries for distribution throughout renowned cafes of Melbourne, whilst also doing it for their own dedicated fan group on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. They currently write “due to the fact that we are currently operating at capacity (equipment & human effort) we can only produce a maximum number of pastries per day”. This is not a shock, as their occupied building space is tiny from an outsider looking in. Not one foot of floor space is wasted as they churn out coffee and bake their goods from scratch.

This maximum number of pastries per day would vary I imagine, but to put it into slight perspective for you all, on the Saturday morning I was there, they had made 222 pastries and due to the limit of six pastries per person, meant that only 37 customers would walk out with a smile on their face (assuming everyone bought the max – go maths!). That being said, the week prior they had managed to stretch the pastries out to ten customers past the expected number, so a few lucky ones didn’t have to leave empty handed.

The Lune team recently received some very positive exposure both on television and the interwebz, which encouraged a whole lot of people to rediscover (or discover newly) the joy that comes with baked goods. (Cool fact: owner and manager Kate Reid used to be an aerodynamic engineer who designed F1 race cars, before discovering her passion and talent for French pastries!) A regular informed us of the kerfuffle the newfound fame brought last Saturday, which resulted in the introduction of the ticketing system to discourage/avoid slack queue jumpers joining their more dedicated friends in line. Still in its infancy, there are still wrinkles being ironed out but currently it means you have to remain in line otherwise you forfeit your ticket number. Overall, it is a great way to ensure those who make the effort to line up are rewarded.

On this particular Saturday morning the timing went roughly like this.

First person arrived prior to 6am; second and third (moi) arrived at approximately 6:15am.  

The line was up to seven people at 06:45, eleven people at 06:47, twelve at 06:48, fourteen at 06:53, and sixteen at 06:54.

Twenty people were in line by 06:56, twenty-two by 06:58, twenty-seven by 06:59 and twenty-nine at 07:00 (still an hour to go till opening).

This jumped to thirty-four people at 07:04 and the proposed limit of thirty-seven was reached at 07:06 – after this point the lovely staff verbally warned punters joining the queue that pastries were not guaranteed but they were welcome to wait in line or have a coffee either way.

The lovely staff regularly walked the lines taking requests for coffee and delivering them to grateful hands. This definitely made the wait more tolerable, as did the excited buzz which grew closer to opening time, marked by the growing scent of ham and cheese and PASTRIES. The menu is up nice and early, as well as distributed menus for those who want a souvenir of their early morning craziness (moi); so you get to rationalise your six pastries nice and early. This moves the line along quite nicely too. The savouries tend to sell out faster, but I didn’t get the chance to ask if it was due to the popularity or decreased quantity.

I walked out with my six, happy as a girl about to satisfy her stomach with pastries galore.

The croissant pastry is incredibly flaky and crispy. I thought this crunch would be in place of the rich buttery taste, but it is definitely not so. When it got down to the softer insides, it was so soft and delicious I only wish there was less air inside so there was more croissant to eat.

The Ham & Gruyere: a croissant baked fresh with a filling of shaved ham, Swiss Gruyere & seeded mustard ($6.0). This was so good, balanced and no nasty cheap fillings. The ham and cheese went perfectly together and the mustard added a nice kick to each bite. I would definitely come back for this one, especially as the size is much smaller than my stomach desires.

The MP3 (sat/sun only): fresh baked filled with 10 hour slow roasted pulled pork, smoked chipotle tomato jam, queso fresco & manchego, topped with a pickled Spanish chilli. Very limited ($9.50). The monster of Lune, this savoury croissant sells out fast, and rightly so. The pork is lovely and tender and maintains the moisture throughout cooking. The supporting ingredients come together and round out the croissant nicely, especially the pickled chilli on top! The MP3 disappointed me; I wanted more fillings and a larger size, especially for the price. It was definitely not as satisfying as the Ham & Gruyere.

Now on to the famous Cruffins: A Lune original; croissant pastry baked in a muffin tin filled with weekly changing flavours. I scored a Tiramisu: coffee custard, espresso & marsala soaked savoiradi, topped with marscapone ($7.0) which was fantastic; I just could not save some for later as I needed to get it all down in me. It was surprisingly not too sweet, with plenty of pastry surrounding the delicious tiramisu centre. And it wasn’t just tiramisu flavoured cream or mounds of marscapone – it was the real deal, tiramisu coffee soaked cake with the cream, chocolate powder and marscapone dollop. So good.

The Twice Baked (weekends only) are a traditional French style of baking left over croissants a second time after being filled with an almond frangipane. I picked both the Almond and Coconut Pandan croissants.

Almond: the original Croissant aux Amande, prepared with almond frangipane & garnished with a health amount of flaked almonds ($6.50) definitely had a lot of the frangipane inside, which made it delicious and filled it out, however due to the second baking most of the moisture of the croissant was lost and the pastry became denser.

Coconut Pandan: filled and topped with coconut frangipane & a pandan ganache ($7.0) A great combination of flavours and you could really taste the delicious pandan, for me there was too many flakes covering the croissant, but I have never been a massive fan of coconut in the first place. A great tasty snack that was in reality, quite filling!

And there ends my croissant adventure (I did manage a bite of the Pain au Chocolate, which was nice, but the chocolate rods inside were miniscule); I am currently pondering whether the 6am line up is worth the croissants – it seems quite ridiculous but also somewhat fulfilling as a life goal. Don’t get me wrong, they are pretty damn good croissants, but I do enjoy my sleep-ins. I will definitely go at least another time, just to try out more Cruffins and the Ham & Gruyere again, and you know what, maybe even a Double Baked…

Tips for those who want to get it right:

1. Get there as early as you can muster to guarantee yourself the pick of the menu (I believe the savouries sold out around ticket 27 or so)
2. They do have EFTPOS so don’t worry too much about going all out; you deserve the six pastry limit.
3. Bring something to do if you’re not standing with friends; it is cold and dark out in suburbia.

TL;DR definitely worth the experience of standing (sitting) there in the dark waiting for your pastry hit.