Reserve

The Victorian Wine Precinct
Federation Square
Melbourne

A toffy address: “Reserve at the Victorian Wine Precinct”. Enough to make you do a runner.

But, it is deserved. One of the most classy, indulgent (and indulged) meals Sir Hinchalot has experienced in the past year was at Ondine in Melbourne’s CBD.

Reserve is in the same league. I know, when I reviewed Chocolate Buddha at the same location, I referred to the controversial new Federation Square as looking like “tinfoil in a tantrum”.

But the costly tantrum is over. This place works and the décor at Reserve bounces cleverly off what the audacious Federation Square complex is all about.

The chef, a youngster named George Calombaris, says such lofty things as: “Food is family, family is life, life is everything”.

Not sure about that but he certainly puts a family of tastes together at Reserve.

I tell you, it was a taste sensation.

I should explain that the “wine precinct" is a plethora of wining and dining places. There’s the Wine Bar with hundreds of Victorian wines by the glass. There’s the Cellar. There’s a breakfast nosh-house and there’s an al fresco bar. The lot coalesces as a clever centre for good wine and sensational food within a whistle blow of Flinders Street station.

The wine gets you going while reading the menu. A stunning Seville Estate Chardonnay from the Yarra Valley. An Elgee Park Viognier from the Mornington Peninsula.

Menu descriptions of dishes are often a load of codswallop. These ones almost don’t do them justice.

Try “Scallops and Smoked Ham” for an entrée.

“Seared Coffin Bay scallops, gnocchi-style smoked ham with Granny Smith apple slaw and apply jelly.” It tasted even better than it read!

The “apple slaw” was thirty out of ten.

My nosebag guinea pig had a small crab and cucumber salad.

That translates as Western Australian mud crab with green mango and a cute ravioli of Lebanese cucumber and a Thai sauce.

The Mains were as awesome as they were bizarre. I mean she took some talking into to order "salmon and pork belly". It worked big time.

The Atlantic salmon was seared perfectly and the weird twin of Pork Belly worked. But possibly because I love it’s pungent dress of Star Anise.

As a main course I went for a doozy. It was touted as Rabbit and Goat’s Cheese. Yeah, right. There was a package of braised and shredded rabbit meat they called “a puck”. Plus, the neatest, tiniest rack of ribs you’ll ever see.

There was rabbit belly crackling (yum!) and the goat’s cheese turned out to be ice cream. And it was fantastic.

What did I drink with it? Several glasses of Spanish red from their “New World” selection. Gazur Tempranillo from just outside Madrid.

Desserts were even more indulgent. Stuff like a White Chocolate Bomb with pistachios. Or an innocent-sounding “Bailey’s and Chocolate” with bitter chocolate in the dessert plus Bailey’s Irish Cream and a "warm Brittany biscuit".

I have absolutely no reservations about Reserve. But me thinks you’ll soon need one to get in.

May 2003