Persimmon - Melbourne - NGV

Name: Persimmon at the National Gallery of Victoria

Address: Ground Level, NGV
180 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
8620 2434

Food: ModOz
Average price: Entrée - $14-16, Main - $23-32, Dessert - $14-16.

Complimentary: 4 pieces of bread - brioche, sour dough and pumpkin seed - served warm with lovely salted butter.

We ordered the degustation menu (one vegetarian):

(Unfortunately it seems the draft I wrote the day of the meal no longer exists and therefore I shall have to write from memory, so there may be some meals with no description, apologies).


Beetroot, sour cream, apple (veg)

Basil cured kingfish, smoked tomato sorbet, pigs cheek, bacon

Parsnip soup, shallots, almonds, dried grapes, parsley

I enjoyed this dish. Although the menu said white onion soup the waitress told us that it was a parsnip puree - either way the puree was luxuriously smooth and silken.

Jap pumpkin salad, scallops, coriander, yabbie foam

Braised lambs neck, celeriac, candied hazelnuts, artichokes barigoule

This was the savoury dish that R enjoyed most, the others he cannot remember. The meat was soft and the accompaniments went well.

Goats cheese fondant, aubergine, potato, roma tomato vinaigrette basil

I definitely remember this dish - classic flavour combinations done beautifully. The goat's cheese was strong but paired well with the acidic tomatoes and 'meaty' eggplant.

Lemon thyme risotto, pickled mushrooms, truffle oil, black cabbage

I vaguely remember this dish having another element tossed through - perhaps a nettle leaf. The strongest flavour was the bitter lemon. The texture was nice but the flavours were a little soft and bitter for me.

Toast and jam

Bitter chocolate fondant, mint ice cream, pop rocks

R loved this as usual but I found the fondant wasn't rich and chocolaty enough for me.
What surprised me though was the mint ice cream - I hate creamy mint ice creams but this literally tasted like mint leaves freshly picked - twas more of a sorbet than ice cream.

Cost: $240 for 4 degustation menus.

Service: Perfect. The service is always flawless - that perfect amount of attentiveness. 

Atmosphere: Lively but very relaxed. The interior is a mixture of black, red and white with a modern minimal feel. There are textures of plastic, steel and leather with one slate wall surrounded by panoramic windows that allowed us to view landscaped Grollo Equiset gardens. There are leather and fabric booths with red leather chairs, or small black veneer tables with Perspex chairs. The window seats are lovely as the booth seating is very comfy and the view of the gardens is really calming. It can get a little noisy when full but the tables are well spaced so you never feel cramped or listened in on. The dark interior helps to frame the gorgeous outside surroundings.

Parking: Limited as car spots are generally taken - although a tram runs along St Kilda rd, and Flinders station is not far down the road. We managed to get a car park a block down the road and there are side streets you might get lucky with. There is also underground gallery parking which is $12 for non-members.

Website:http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/visit/places-to-eat/persimmon

Hours: Daily 11am to 4pm (except Tuesdays).

Would I return: Yes.