Crown Melbourne, Level 3, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank
After Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck departed from Melbourne after it's 6 month opening at Crown Melbourne, it left behind Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. A sister restaurant to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - located at London's Mandarin Oriental and praised as one of the world's best restaurants.
Having missed out on having a chance to dine at the more experimental The Fat Duck, I jumped at having a chance to visit Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.
Next the the level 3 spa at Crown
Located where The Fat Duck once stood, Dinner is situated on level 3 of Crown Melbourne past Koko restaurant, right next to the spa.
Dinner
Hard to spot entrance at the end of the hallway
After entering from outside, there is a dark hallway in which the entrance to the restaurant was difficult to find. After investigating for a bit we found the door on the right side of the end of the hallway.
Simple yet elegant
View of the city skyline and river
Our table was close to the window, which provided a great view of both the river and the night city skyline as our booking was quite late.
Open kitchen so you can see the magic happen
As you enter the restaurant, the first thing you see is the open kitchen to your left. Inside the kitchen you can see the team of chefs working on creating the intricate dishes as well as items like the pineapples roasting on a spit for the Tipsy cake.
Complimentary bread & butter
The crispy bread and slightly salted butter prepared us for what was expected to be a great experience.
Meat Fruit (c.1500) $38
As a fan of Heston, one of the dishes I was most excited to try was the iconic Meat Fruit. It lived up to my high expectations as one of Heston's most famous dishes. The chicken liver parfait which was coated in a mandarin jelly was incredibly light, while maintaining a light taste of chicken liver as well as a hint of the mandarin flavour from the jelly coating. Combined with the grilled bread, it delivered subtle flavours and texture from the crispy bread as well a stunning visual impact. This was a welcome surprise, as the chicken liver I have tried in other French restaurants carry quite a heavy liver taste.
Roast Marrowbone (c.1720) $34
The Roast Marrowbone was a combination of flavours that worked very together, the saltiness from the anchovy in the filling along with the texture and slight earthiness of the snails worked very well together. The pickled vegetables on the side provided a different texture in addition to a little bit of acidity to the dish. While the Roast Marrowbone was an excellent dish worthy of praise by itself, I could not help but compare it to the other starter which was hard to measure up to.
Powdered Duck Breast (c.1670) $54
The Powdered Duck Breast was a dish that originally confused me slightly. This was until our waiter kindly explained the process of "powdering", which was the process by which the duck was brined and salted. Although I didn't ask, I was fairly certain the duck was also cooked sous vide, which is a process of cooking that Heston is well known for. The result of these methods of preparation and the skills of the chef was nothing short of perfection. The combination of the perfectly cooked duck and skin along with the ale sauce and artichokes, was finished off with some small duck hearts which resulted in a marriage of the rich flavours and textures - one of my all time favourite dishes.
Lamb & Cucumber (c.1830) $56
My partner had the Lamb & Cucumber, which was a combination of lamb and sweetbreads, cucumber heart and broad beans with barilla and mint. After trying some of the lamb it seemed like it may actually have been overcooked just slightly, it was still nice and tender however slightly on the dryer side. The sauce for the lamb was also on the strong side.
Tipsy Cake (c.1810) $30
As we were deciding on what to order, we were informed by a waitress that unlike the other desserts, the Tipsy Cake had to be ordered with our mains and entrees as it took slightly longer to prepare. The thought of the pineapples I saw roasting on the spit on our way in made it so I had to order this dessert. This proved to be an excellent decision as the soft pillows of baked brioche soaked in a brandy sauce had a very distinct sweetness almost like butterscotch, which paired brilliantly with the roasted pineapples acidity and sweetness.
Sambocade (c.1390) $24
The Sambocade is a goat's milk cheesecake with elderflower, apple, perry poached pear and smoked candied walnuts. When you think of cheesecake, normally you think of something that has quite a strong flavour. However the Sambocade has a more subtle flavour in which the goat's milk cheese was able to shine through. This, paired with the subtle fruit notes both from the apple within the cheesecake, in addition to the perry poached pair made for a good dessert. Unfortunately the smoked candied walnuts had an extremely strong and overpowering flavour, which left a slightly unpleasant walnut aftertaste.
After dinner ganache
As we were finishing off our meal we were served with a complimentary ganache which is sweet and had a smooth texture.
The overall experience of the meal was nothing short of otherworldly, from the moment we entered the restaurant we were greeted with an excellent atmosphere, a great view and lovely staff members. From the lovely waiters and waitresses who took the time to explain everything with a smile on their faces, to the knowledgeable sommelier who helped pair a wine to multiple different dishes as we were deciding, and most of all, the meal experience which apart from one or two small issues was almost perfect.
Dining at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal can set you back quite a hefty amount. However what you pay for is not just the food. What you are paying for is for the entire experience, and while one or two of the dishes may not have been the best I have ever had, over my long journey in search for good food, this was by far the best overall dining experience.
Food Rating 9.5/10
Overall Rating 9.5/10