District Dining
Editorial
District Dining is brimming with corporates so relaxed, they could be in their own dining room. Except this one happens to be catered by award-winning chef Warren Turnbull of Assiette fame, and its bar is abundant with brilliant boutique wines and international beers. Turnbull casualises his fine dining talents and serves a more relaxed, after-hours atmosphere at this new venture.
International influences weave through the menu from French-cooking techniques to exotic Middle Eastern spices. Some dishes keep Turnbull's fine dining presentation with informal yet calculated garnishes, such as the honey-bound walnuts over spiced pumpkin and marinated fetta, whilst others like the cluster of baby prawns and aioli are presented casually on wooden boards. The eclectic menu offers share-plates and larger dishes making it perfect for indecisive diners and relaxed gatherings. A quick snack may start with a glass or two of wine shared over crispy quail eggs with anchovy mayonnaise and tarragon; and soft slices of veal tongue arranged over aromatic salsa verde; the flavours cut by pickled turnip and rounded by almonds.
When a glass leads into a bottle, curious eyes ponder over mains such as lamb shoulder gently falling apart, the rich meat accentuated by the flavours of cumin and sweet, honey-glazed baby carrots. For dessert, a cluster of meringue pieces is sprinkled with freeze-dried raspberries and slices of fresh strawberries and cloaked with a billowing layer of glossy vanilla cream - mouthfuls of the softly crunchy meringue dissolve amongst the cool cream, finishing with tiny burst of sweetness from the raspberry seeds.
District Dining contrasts between inner-city style and a casual character that is sure to have the corporate crowd leaving work early for their soon-to-be second home.
Edwina Storie, November 2010
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