MoMo - Grand Hyatt - Melbourne

Name: MoMo
Lower Plaza Level (Grand Hyatt Hotel)
123 Collins St
Melbourne 3000 VIC

Phone: (03) 9650 0660

Food: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern
Average price: They have $100 and $140 degustation menus. Entree: $17-$26, Mains: $30-$40, Dessert: $16-$20

Complimentary: 4 pieces of bread with crudites and a pomegranate molasses oil.

The bread was fluffy and warm, perfect for tearing and dipping. The vegetables were carrots, cucumber, capsicum and radicchio. The pomegranate molasses gave the oil a lovely tart sweetness.

Tomatoes with sumac and cheese

Nice, refreshing, and simple, clean flavours.

We ordered the $100pp Arabesque menu for four, one vegetarian:

Entrees: prawns in olive brioche crumbs with Turkish style shredded celeriac salad with feta

I could tell by my husband's expression that this dish was a winner. In R's words - they were awesome.

Golden lentil stew with scallops, mussels and Syrian pepper noodles 

Although it was spicy everyone enjoyed this dish.

Silky hummus asparagus, feta and softer herbs with green olive toast

The hummus was smooth and the flavours melded well although I wasn't sold on the thin, crisp bread toasts. I think I would have preferred a fluffy bread.

Hazelnut falafel, mint cucumber salad and sesame yoghurt sauce

Traditional flavour and exactly what I was expecting.

Mains: Veiled quail covered in leaves with chorizo pine nut stuffing and mustard whipped feta

R was a little disappointed in this variation (it wasn't as crispy) as he enjoyed this immensely on his previous visit. That being said, S, who had an extreme 'quail aversion' thought it was good.

Venison roasted rare with cinnamon, ginger and black pepper, warm baba ganoush with scarmoza cheese

There was an issue with this dish. The venison came out cold and medium well so it was sent back to be served hot - but after reheating it came back well done and devoid of juice. Despite the disappointing texture, everyone remarked that the flavours were good.
I adored the smoky baba ganoush - such a taste sensation.

Spiced eggplant tagine, cous cous and herbed labneh

This was full of flavour, spice and everything nice. The herbed labneh helped to cool the warm elements. The chickpeas and cous cous added textural intrigue and overall it was a homey but satisfying dish.

White cabbage with sticky rice fig stuffing, shankleesh cheese egg and pine nut sauce

I enjoyed this dish but I didn't taste sticky fig in it? Overall it was quite a savoury, salty dish with some softer, sweeter elements.

Sides: Button mushrooms with shankleish and spring onions

These were yummy and the accompanying spring onions and cheese suited the mushrooms well, however the mushrooms were a little rubbery in texture.

Leek, currant and aged feta spanakopita with pear herb salad

I adored this on our previous visit but this time the pastry was a little too overdone and tasted powdery and a touch burnt whilst the filling had dehydrated somewhat making the cheese a little dry - other than that it was nice.


Malouf's tabbouleh with hazelnuts

R liked this.

Dessert: pears, orange, persimmon, pomegranate, passionfruit with pineapple anise sorbet

 

As soon as S saw this arrive she could barely refrain from tucking in. Refreshing, light and with a lovely fresh sorbet. Presentation was gorgeous. Couldn't pick up on the anise flavour though...

Vanilla bean-rose mousse, strawberry marshmallow and poppyseed crisp

I found the mousse was a little heavy and overpowered the soft marshmallow and crisp with its heaviness. The marshmallow itself was very delicate.

Halva macaroon, toffeed sesame seeds with honey, citrus and saffron jelly

I loved the chewy halva macaroon (great shell and feet), and I'm not a fan of macaroons which I find are generally too sweet. The sesame seed was yum. What perplexed me was the jelly, whilst I liked it and could taste the citrus but I wouldn't pick that it had honey or saffron from taste alone, that said I enjoyed it but D didn't.

Milk chocolate orange blossom ice cream, mandarin granita, pistachio wafer


I could have sworn the ice cream was jasmine - I'm a little shocked it was orange blossom unless it was changed and the menu wasn't amended with it as I could not taste milk chocolate either...
I found it a little too heavily perfumed for me (and I adore florals) and could not eat more than 2 or 3 spoonfuls. The wafer was crisp and delicious though and the texture of the ice cream was spot on.


Cost: $422 for four Arabesque menus and one glass of wine.

Service: OK - our water was never more than half empty, and the waiters were proficient and courteous, however our venison dish came out cold and D's wine took a while to arrive.

Atmosphere: Calm luxury. The decor is really gorgeous; From the dazzling Swarovski crystals hanging like stalactites from the ceiling to the lattice work windows and etched glass and velour walls - even the floral arrangements are lovely. The lighting was a little low but not enough to put you to sleep. The temperature became a little chilly towards the end of the evening. The seats are spaced well but the noise level is increased slightly by the nearby Spice Market Bar. Do check out the bathrooms ladies - they are a great place to have a chat whilst you powder your nose - nice lighting too :)


Parking: Hotel carpark - the hotel has a large underground carpark at a flat rate of $10 or $5per hour on weekends - otherwise you can chance a limited street park.

Website: http://www.momorestaurant.com.au/

Hours: Tue-Sat 6pm-10.30pm

Would I return: Yes - the servings are generous and you never leave hungry.