It was recently my boyfriend, Jack's birthday and so to celebrate the occasion I made a booking at Jacques Reymond's eponymous restaurant. A little Jacques for Jack.
The gorgeous restaurant is located in Prahran, an 1880's mansion with a beautifully lush garden. We rang their doorbell and were warmly welcomed by the staff. We sat in the cellar room, a simple yet modern room with a vast collection of wines and champagne next to our humble little table.
After ordering myself a glass of champagne and having a glance at the menu, we of course decided on the 9 course degustation menu. I unfortunately forgot to take a picture of our first course but it was a flavorsome mushroom broth. A great start to the night that left my taste buds ready for more.
Our second course was yellow fin tuna, smoked salmon mousse, togarashi and lemon caviar. Described as one of the highlights of the evening, this was easily my favourite course of the night. The tuna was heavenly and melted in your mouth but it was the spiced nougatine on top that made this dish a revelation. The delicate snap and the sweetness of the nougatine paired with the tenderness of the tuna was an unusual but genius combination.
Next was King George Whiting with an acidities of pickles and yuzu. A perfect example of Jacques Reymond's affinity for french technique with asian flavours, a prevalent theme in most of his dishes.
The fourth course was cuttlefish, pork shoulder and crispy chicken skin. A bold dish with an unmistakable Thai influence of tangy, sweet and sour flavours.
Our palate cleanser was the most interesting dish of the night. Parmesan custard, green peas, macerated grapes, wasabi and apple granita. A daring combination to say the least but one that surprisingly works well. The granita was my favourite component, such great and refreshing flavours.
Next was a salad of Flinders Island lamb, smoked eucalyptus scallop, scampi and masterstock jelly. An elegant surf and turf with unbelievably tasty lamb. There was so much flavour packed into that single slice of lamb, and with the addition of scampi and scallop, you simply can't go wrong.
Our next meat course was Sher Wagyu a la plancha, burnt onion and coffee. The beef was of course cooked to perfection and the sauces were a great accompaniment. The mushrooms and every other element of the dish served to enhance the flavour of the beef.
Our adorable little pre-dessert was Carmague organic red rice, apricot and sencha sorbet and champagne foam. The dehydrated raspberries gave the rice pudding a nice bit of bite but I adored the sencha sorbet. As a self proclaimed tea lover, I really enjoyed the it. The sorbet was sweet but still kept the delicate flavour of sencha tea.
Our dessert was Chocolate and chestnut mont blanc, bayleaf and cassis, bourbon chantilly and some spiced figs. What really made this dessert special was a little parcel that arrived with it, pictures above. It was warm and gave off a beautiful aroma that complimented the components of our dessert. It's those sort of little things that really impress me and give the whole dining experience an added....je ne sais quoi.
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We ended our evening with tea and some petit fours. It was very sweet of the staff to write Happy Birthday in chocolate for Jack as well. It was a lovely evening, which I hope he enjoyed as much as I did.
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After dining at Jacques Reymond's my boyfriend and I have officially eaten at all the three hatted restaurants in Melbourne. I feel like I've won some sort of culinary bingo hahaha.
Jacques Reymond has been an iconic Melbourne chef for well over 20 years but unfortunately he has since retired The restaurant has been left to his two long time deputy chefs Thomas Woods and Hayden McFarland, appropriately renaming the restaurant to The Woodland House.
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