New Menu at Altair Restaurant Features Indigenous Ingredients
Altair Restaurant, famous for it's innovative use of native ingredients, has just launched it's compelling new menu. The menu at Altair is always evolving, but you can bet it will feature fine dining options with outstanding tastes and textures, and clever use of indigenous ingredients.
Altair has produced it's finest menu yet. The clever use of native ingredients brings clean flavours, innovation and a point of difference. Fine dining is about big flavours and Altair delivers; with customers looking for dishes where the flavours explode on the taste buds. And Altair also brings the fine dining aspiration for excellent presentation on the plate.
Recently Altair rated 14.5 in the Good Food Guide making it the highest rated restaurant in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. It also rates highly against all restaurants in the nearby Yarra Valley (with only one rated higher).
Head Chef Kelvin Shaw is an acclaimed chef who likes to offer diners progressive cuisine that pushes the envelope while creating memorable dining experiences...
The New Menu features imaginative dishes with an emphasis on local produce, as well as the clever use of native ingredients...
Stunning entrees include -
- Rose tofu, soy, coriander, prickly ash, chilli & edamame (GF)
- Cured blue cod, saffron tapioca, tomato sorbet & almond gazpacho (GF)
- Seared scallops, oyster cream, bamboo & sea succulents (GF)
The World Loves Melbourne believes this dish to be the finest Scallops style dish we've ever eaten. The large scallops are cooked perfectly, and the finesse is in the use of sea succulents bringing the crunch to the creamy dish. The "ice plant" looks like it's name, while delicate sea blight and samphire also combine to give the dish a salty hit and texture triumph. The wakame seaweed brings a subtley sweet flavour and we enjoyed the oyster cream hit. A triumph was the tasty warm rich bamboo consume poured over the dish. The balance and diversity of the dish is amazing. We believe a short trip to Warrandyte is warranted just for this entree dish.
- Roast quail 'nasi lemak', vegetable pickle, curry, quail egg, peanut & ikan bilis (GF)
- Venison carpaccio, raspberry, liquorice, wild bush olives, anchovy bavarois (GF)
Main courses feature innovative dishes -
- Shiitake & porcini tortellino, smoked Warrigal Greens, parmesan consommé, slow poached egg
- Seared marlin, coffee cured marlin belly, sesame, pickled seaweed, fermented pepper & finger lime (GF)
The Seared marlin is another cracking dish, honouring the main ingredient of marlin. Lightly seared the marlin is top notch, and a dish many diners may not have tried. Fish crackling on top of the dish is a nice touch. The cubes of marlin belly cured in coffee are a highlight of the dish for the texture of the belly and the coffee nuance.
The fried sesame is a surprise, combining wonderfully with the marlin for crunch. The advent of desert limes is a touch of brilliance bringing a rewarding zest, along with the pickled seaweed.
Again, Kelvin's genius is in bringing a native ingredient, desert limes, to the dish for extra depth, rather than using ordinary limes.
- Grilled barramundi, galangal, spring onion & garlic, smoked eel & kohlrabi, pork crackle, green tea (GF)
- Roast chicken, lemon, tarragon, barbeque peas & chicken crackle (GF)
The roast chicken dish was a revelation. The World Loves Melbourne feels that chicken dishes at most restaurants can be boring, if not predictable. The only flavour intensity is often in the skin!
Kelvin has packed the flavour into the chicken in his cooking process for a rich chicken experience. The addition of lemon and tarragon is superb, and the BBQ peas and chicken crumble compelling for crunch. The chicken crackle adds even more crunch to this stunning dish. We think of it as the perfect dish in the Christmas season.
Again, this is one of the best chicken dishes we've ever eaten.
- Grilled lamb loin, sweet & sour neck, miso, Davidson plum, ash, white radish & native river mint (GF)
- Black Angus rump cap, fried tongue, tendon crisp, roast bone marrow, horseradish, pomegranate, native pepperberry jus (GF)
Dessert does not slow down with imagination and flair -
- Expressions of dark chocolate with Bergamot orange & yuzu, rice sorbet
- Altair Christmas pudding, iced brandy cream, gooseberry, currants, petit apple
- Blackcurrant, ginger, honey & myrrh trifle
This deconstructed trifle has been a huge hit and stays on the menu by popular demand. As you can see the presentation is spectacular; and the dish is a texture and flavour cacophony.
- Strawberry gum panna cotta, pistachio, rosemary, black olive sorbet (GF)
Again, this dish had a surprise element for The World Loves Melbourne. The strawberry flavour is sourced from a leaf something like a eucalyptus for the strawberry gum panna cotta. It's a sophisticated dessert with a savoury lean; not a sugar hit at all.
Pistachios and meringue complement the creamy panna cotta for another texture triumph. The inclusion of black olive sorbet is interesting and totally works for this savoury style dessert.
And the Cheese selections are notable...
Altair is also participating in Good Food Month with a stunning Indigenous Dinner on November 10. Bookings can be made on (03) 9844 5548.