Originally just a bar serving up little Nordic snacks, duNORD is now a full fledged restaurant and bar.
The dimly lit restaurant/bar is perfect for those wanting to try something a little different or even just for after work drinks. The space itself channels typical Scandinavian style by keeping things simple with subdued colours and blonde wood furnishings.The Scandinavian influence is also present in the food with Chef Matti Fallon (formerly front of house at Touche Hombre & Mamasita) using Scandinavian flavours and ingredients, like juniper, lingonberry and elderflower to create his own unique and inventive menu.
For starters, we had Ocean trout, dill oil, linseed and caraway crisp with butter milk followed by Swedish meatball croquettes topped with a lingonberry foam. Both starters were excellent, with lovely combinations of flavour and textures.
For my main, I had duck in a chocolate, lingonberry and blood jus with stone potatoes and foraged leaves. The duck was perfectly pink on the inside and the jus complimented it nicely. The plating was very beautiful - the duck breast was plated amongst foraged leaves and stone potatoes, that resembled smooth pebbles upon the ground.
Our other main was Venison with cacao poached apples, smoked potato puree and sour leaves. The venison was cooked really well, it had a lovely char on the outside whilst the meat was ridiculously tender and melted in your mouth.
To accompany our mains, we had Charred cauliflower in soubise, horseradish and mustard foam. It was a gorgeous cauliflower covered in a rich, creamy sauce with a hint of horseradish and mustard for an exciting kick. A moreish but refined take on your average cauliflower and cheese.
Finally after our meal, we were ready to order dessert. To our delight, our wonderful waiter had informed us that our dessert had already been arranged. Fallon sent us out a very pretty Parsley parfait with pineapple and shortbread. The parsley flavour was very subtle and I loved the gorgeous shade of green. The textures of the dish were fantastic, the creamy parfait paired well with the crisp and buttery short bread.
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My night at duNORD was excellent. The staff were so kind and attentive and the food is exciting. Fallon has done very well interpreting Scandinavian food into his own individual style without falling into the trap of being too Noma-esque. His creativity and generosity is enough reason to go back. I'm definitely looking forward to the spring Menu and seeing just what ingenious new creations Fallon will come up with.
367 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne
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