DONOVANS
40 Jacka Boulevard
St.Kilda, Melbourne
Ph: 03 9534 8221
www.donovanshouse.com.au
We used to eat there a lot eons ago when it was the much-vaunted Jean-Jacques by the Sea. It was a sequel to the famous Jean-Jacques and the menu and food impressive, if a trifle expensive for its time.
On the St. Kilda foreshore overlooking the bay, the converted and restored bathing pavilion was a great place to drink chilled Houghton’s white burgundy (when it was still called Houghton’s White Burgundy) and have huge plates of King George whiting with chips. From memory they also served delicious almost-purple tuna sashimi with wasabi long before sushi became the craze.
But in the early 1980s J-J’s BTS struck some problems – so critical they even called in a psychologist to hold sessions with the kitchen staff.
Now it is Donovans. And the only shrink they need is shrink wrap to keep food fresh in the kitchen.
I loved Donovan’s in its new clothes but it remains eclectic and at times puzzling on the menu and off. It has a décor that is both formal and informal. Just inside the entrance are big leather lounges and over-ripe cushions. In the top half of the room the tables and chairs are drawing room types with rows of Wedgwood china plates on the shelves of high cabinets.
The lower half, closer to the water, the ‘beachy’ theme kicks in with faded, holiday-house style tables and chairs and an outside sitting/smoking area right next to the beach. Despite that seaside feel the men’s room is a timber-lined affair like a chalet in the snow. And that theme continues with Nordic snow scenes on the walls and a set of old skis propped in the corner of the washroom.
At the table the crusty bread loaf (always a good barometer for a restaurant) was perfect and morish. The food -- both entrees and mains – had its ups and downs.
I pulled the right rein with both. For an entrée I had a superb dish of Tom Cooper’s freshly sliced smoked salmon with a light blini, big red balls of salmon caviar and dill sour cream. I don’t know who Tom Cooper is but his salmon seems to be popping up on plates in top restaurants everywhere. And it was a fair price at $19.50.
They also had a selection of oysters from NSW, SA and Tasmania so I had four natural from Coffin Bay (best oysters in the world) for $3.25 each.
For a main course I splurged $40 on a ‘market price’ dish of Queensland leader prawns grilled with chilli and oregano and didn’t regret a single dollar. It was one of the best presented and most succulent dishes I have had in a year.
These beauties made a big yabby look stunted. There were four of them. They had been splayed, butterfly-style, then chargrilled on the barbecue and displayed on the plate like an open fan. The red and green flakes of the spices gave them added colour.
Mrs. Nosebag didn’t have quite as much luck with her entrée which was a faux beef Wellington. The ‘meat’ was a mixture of mushroom and cashews. It was in a Wellington pastry case and served with marinated mushrooms. It was dark in colour and I enjoyed it. Her complaint was that it was way, way too salty. And, as always, she was right.
For a main course I had eyed the grilled swordfish ‘crusted with pepper and orange zest’ but went for the prawns instead. Mrs.N, not a real ‘ meaty fish’ eater had the Atlantic salmon with mussels and clams. It got about a seven out of ten – I suspect because the ‘winter vegetables’ were dull and not a patch on what they serve with style at Circa.
(It is great to see how many restaurants have now found the right balance with cooked salmon. You don’t have to have it seared but you also don’t have to have it cooked dry to get a good tasty crust).
At my urging our guest ordered the linguine with seafood and Western Australian scampi. It’s the sort of dish I have eaten heaps of times lately. Spaghettini with crab and prawns and clams and mussels in the shell. Seafood marinara. A seafood risotto. A mariniere of mussels in white wine with onion and herbs. With any of these you need a delicate mix of herbs and garlic and a top quality olive oil.
It didn’t work at Donovan’s this time. The dish was served in a veritable pool of oil. Not appetising at all. One consolation: one of the side orders was a bowl of house chips… tiny, tasty, toasted nuggets that were irresistible.
Also hard to resist is the inviting list of desserts including Sicilian nougat semifreddo with citron and cherries and steamed ginger and date pudding ‘grandmother’s style’ with butterscotch sauce and pouring cream.
And they have one of the longest and best wine lists in town.
I’ll go back. I’m a fan of that fan of prawns.
October 3, 2006
