21 Bond St, Melbourne 9629 5900

 

Cherry, Pomegranate & Bitters Mocktail

(uludag sour cherry soda, pomegranate juice, rhubarb bitters)

Smoked hummus, lamb, cashew, cumin seeds, almonds

Local olives, maltese fel fel

‘Aegean coast’ – Wild greens, beach bananas, oyster cream and pork crackling

Zucchini falafel, almond, handmade haloumi and radish

Braised lamb neck, brik pastry, smoked eggplant and harissa pickled cabbage

Silverbeet borek

Market fish, parsnip, sesame, wild autumn mushrooms and hazelnut

Cracked wheat pilaf, barberry, date and almond

Fattoush, caramelised garlic, tomato and cucumber

 12 hour roasted lamb shoulder, sumac, garlic, green olive tabouleh

 Crispy skinned chicken leg, Iranian smoked rice, BBQ corn and egg

Vanilla rice pudding, toasted marshmallow ice cream, pekmez ganache and almond biscuit

Peanut butter and chocolate opera cake, brioche ice cream, salted caramel and lemon meringue

Turkish delight filled doughnuts, honey and walnuts

 

Overall:

Each serving comprised of a spectacular array of flavours and textures, and I truly enjoyed each dish down to the last bite. However I do want to give special mention to:

1. The hummus – fantastic! The underlying smoky flavour took hummus as I knew it to a whole new level

2. ‘Aegean coast’ salad – the smooth oyster cream was simply divine and provided a lovely contrast to the crispy pork crackling

3. Turkish delight filled doughnuts – crispy light dough with a tasty dollop of sweet Turkish delight inside

This place transcends you to somewhere else with its exotic rhythmic music and its dark elegant decor. In addition it is located in a sub-basement venue so that it perpetually feels like night. The service is efficient and the portion sizes are quite generous. (I originally had my eye on the 6 course menu but as it turned out the 4 course menu was already a struggle to finish) Note that the menu here changes regularly so that there is always something new and exciting to tantalise your tastebuds. If you haven’t been here before, put this on your places to try list!