Number 50 off the list!! On a Sunday night i decided to head out with a friend on a spur of the moment decision to Embrasse to complete the 50th restaurant of my list. Located in Carlton slightly away from the main shopping and restaurant areas was a old converted house with a plain black and white fit out but with some elegant touches - chandeliers and draped curtains.
I was offered a decent wine list that broke the wines down into Old World or Australian and had a small selection of wines by the glass with a decent range of prices that flirted with a slightly higher range than similar restaurants. After selecting a beer to start (from 3 choices) and a pinot gris with the main course, i was offered the menus by the attentive polite but restrained wait staff and explained the different choices.
I went for the 5 course degustation which offered no options and was at the discretion of the chef but with your option to discuss like or dislikes. There was also an a la carte menu. Before any of the courses were served i was offered a choice of olive bread or smoked wheat bread. I went with the smoked wheat bread which was served warm with a slightly smoked flavour and accompanied with french butter and served served on their own tiles.
Also before the main courses came out a pre dinner appetiser was served. Served on a wooden tray were two spoons, one containing a artichoke puree with hazelnut and small cubes of beetroot and the other an asparagus puree with pickled wombok and black sesame. Fresh and delicious flavours and a good start and great way to build towards the actual courses.
All the dishes were beautifully presented with a variety of different techniques on display especially desert.
The first course was a dish of onion and green and white asparagus cooked in a variety of way including an onion jus and complemented by a Camembert foam. Surprisingly with a dish with so much onion it did not overpower the other flavours and it was well balanced with a variety of different textures and flavours.
The second course was a seafood dish with a yabi tail, crystal bay prawns and a razor clam sitting on a cauliflower puree with a heart of cucumber, carrot jus and a single large circular potato. Quality seafood and a perfectly balanced dish with subtle and complementary flavours that worked well together.
After the seafood dish came a palate cleanser. A rhubarb granita which had a rhubarb tea poured over the top at the table. Sweet, fresh and delicious and cleansed the palate well for the next course.
The next course was a thick square piece of pork belly with maple syrup glace combined with a series of purees and gels of pumpkin, burnt carrot and square pieces of melon covered in a horseradish and bamboo ash soot. The pork belly was dense and chewy with a crisp glazed top and mixed well with the fresh purees. The melon was an addition that the dish could have done without and it was a mismatch with the other flavours.
The final savoury course was a Wagyu rump cap marinaded in a squid ink so the outside was completely black and covered with a crush bread crumbs. It was matched with a crisp outside and soft inside of potato croquette, an asparagus puree, spear and gel and a rice gel. Well cooked meat that was still very pink on the inside and the potato croquette was magnificent.
The desert course was named 'Forest Scene' and if you ever have it you could tell why. Chocolate leaves, a white chocolate branch, mint and wood sorrel granita soil, chocolate gateau crumbs and to finish it off a mushroom consisting of a chocolate and hazelnut parfait for the cup and a french hard meringue stalk. Amazing presentation, a little bit of fun and some great flavours and textures throw in.
I also went for a salted dark caramel petit fours that was presented in a elaborate 'Embrasse' box mounted on a serviette. The soft caramel was decadent and tasty and a great way to finish.
The use of gels, purees and foam bought a level of sophistication and quality to the meals and boosted already quality ingredients. The presentation of the dishes was amazing and the food was nearly as good and was exemplified by the desert dish that was definitely a winner. Service was decent if a little impersonal and the value was fairly good even if the wines were marked up a little more than usual. Overall a great night out.
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