Scorched - Torquay - review

Name: Scorched
Address: 17 The Esplanade
Torquay, VIC 3228 
03 5261 6142

Food: Middle Eastern, International

Average price: $4-$34

Complimentary:  Zeally Bay Sourdough sticks,    dukkah    spice    &    “Camilo”    extra    virgin    olive    oil   

We ordered:
Salt cod fritter and aioli - $4 each

Mr.M: These were not the best salt cold fritters I have had. They were OK.

Fried school prawns, chilli salt and lemon - $12

Mr.M: These were delicious and quite a generous serve.


Baked haloumi, spiced baby figs, walnuts and mint - $12

This had all the components to guarantee a delicious dish and as I expected the combination of salty, sweet and crunchy was a winner for me.

Roasted cauliflower, currants, almonds and tahini - $16

We were told this was one of their most popular dishes. Unfortunately this suffered from excessive salting. Before the salt burned my tastebuds to oblivion I could detect a possibly lovely flavour profile, but I cannot be sure. Even after copious amounts of water whenever I went back for another mouthful I was hit with another wave of salt. Shame.

Fresh fig, cracked wheat, pomegranate and Persian feta - $16

This should have been grand with the classic flavour pairing but despite the heavy flavour hitters I felt it was slightly dull, nothing really 'popped'. Maybe some seasoning or some more acid was needed?


Fattoush salad with crisp pita, tomato, cucumber and  mint - $16

Another dish lost to the overzealous salting. This was even saltier than the seawater in front of us. Couldn't eat it.


Lamb kofta, hummus, tabbouleh - $18

Mr.M: Kind of boring and oversalted.

Dessert platter: (from memory) Persian fairy floss, rosewater turkish delight, strawberry ice cream, berry trifle, baklava

I cannot remember exactly what everything was but I can remember the impression they made.

We will start with the bad - the baklava. Very dry and personally hsould have been left off the platter.

I'm not a fan of fairy floss (no substance) but Mr.M ate it all.

Neither of us had the turkish delight (I love it, but as a vegetarian I no longer eat gelatin).

The ice cream was AMAZING - and I say amazing because I really am not a fan of ice cream (the cold temperature makes it less appetising for me). This was creamy and full of flavour with a lovely softness. Mr.M enjoyed it as well.

Saved the best for last, the berry trifle. I can't quite remember the flavour combination but it was a great dish and Mr.M and I devoured it in seconds.

Service: Good. The food came out quickly and the waitress was very nice.

Atmosphere: Beach casual. The decor is accented with bright orange and the outdoor seating is a typical wooden picnic table and bench, communal style. The noise level can get quite loud at night. There is a lovely view to the beach during the day.

Website: http://www.scorched.com.au/index.php

Hours: Wed-Sun 11.30am-5pm
Wed-Sat 5.30pm-late

Would I return: Yes, I think it was just an off 'seasoning' night and the food has potential to be great.

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.

MoMo - Melbourne - Grand Hyatt

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.


We were not expecting yet another dish, as we were already worried about fitting it all in. The bread was generous, and at room temperature, perfect for tearing and dipping. The vegetables were carrots, baby fennel, cucumber, capsicum and radicchio. The pomegranate molasses gave the oil a lovely tart sweetness that my husband finished up quickly and then asked for a refill (they obliged).

We ordered the $140pp Moorish menu for two, one vegetarian:

Entrees: Kingfish ceviche, smoky baba ganoush, lambs lettuce, sugar-dried olives and hazelnuts - $28


My husband loved this. I tried the baba ganoush, and oh my goodness, it was divine. The smokiness is absolutely perfect, right on the edge of being too smoky and not imparting enough depth, it really turned an ordinary dip into something wonderful and tantalising on the taste buds.

Crunch zucchini blossoms with house made haloumy on tomato & white anchovy salad - $26


My husband enjoyed these. I had a non-anchovy version. The tomato, with all of its juiciness, does tend to monopolise the subtle crunchy blossom with salty haloumy, so I ate them separately. Lovely, light and with clean, fresh flavours.

Eden bay sardine fillets in brik pastry, chermoula. egg, epinach and chive labneh - $27 (pictured below)

Hubby loved everything except the large sardine fillet that overpowered all other flavours.

Veiled quail covered in leaves, house made chorizo-pine nut stuffing, feta whipped with mustard - $30


This won best dish of the year. Although it wasn't Ryan's best dish of the year, it certainly scored in his top 10. He particularly loved the unusual, crunchy leaves.

Silky hummus, artichokes a la grecque & green olive toast


The hummus was the silkiest I have had, but after tasting the awesome smoky baba ganoush, I found it a little boring. The artichoke mix with slivered almonds was lovely (however, I find parsley leaves a little strong and domineering so I tend to leave those out). I really enjoyed the chewy mini olive toasts.

Hazelnut falafel with gyspy salad and sesame yoghurt sauce


Unfortunately the falafel was a little burnt and therefore a little too crunchy and a tad dry, thankfully the generous portions of luscious sauces helped disguise that and I enjoyed the dish.

Medly of vegetables with an egg


This came wrapped in paper, which just reminded me of McDonald's packaging, so I wasn't too keen on the presentation. This was fine, nothing wrong with it, but nothing fabulous either.

Drinks: Turkish Delight Martini - $20


Mains: Malouf’s pigeon bistayeea with Lebanese-style white cabbage salad


Ryan could not rave about this enough - he was moaning with every mouthful. The pastry was perfectly crispy and broke away under Ryan's eager spoon to reveal a pie jam packed with flavour. The best pie Ryan has ever had. Normally, with two meat eaters, this is split between two for the main, so Ryan didn't eat much of the salad as he wanted to make sure he got down every morsel of the pie.


Grilled devilled lamb loin, beetroot, sakleesh cheese & whipped parsnip - $50


Ryan enjoyed this - lamb was cooked perfectly, the puree was silky smooth, and the salad was lovely, although we barely ate it as we needed to leave room for dessert.


Long Hungarian peppers with sticky rice-currant stuffing and shankleesh cheese salad


These were nice, definitely on the sweet side, with tangy peppers. Although I didn't care for the bitter radicchio - I'm not one for bitter tastes.

Couscous 'Royale' - seven vegetable couscous with labneh and green harissa broth


I can't say much about this, as unfortunately the broth contained coriander leaves, and as the waiter poured it over the whole dish, I had trouble digging for unadulterated portions.

Sides: Warm potato salad, smoky paprika and almond tarator dressing - $14


Nice salad, with an interesting dressing, a little similar to tahini. Once again I avoided the bitter lettuce leaves.

MoMo chilled tomato salad, tarragon, sumac & soft goat's cheese - $19


Lovely, simple salad. Sumac adds a wonderful note.

Leek, currant and aged feta spanokpita with pear & prosciutto salad - $16


My favourite of the side dishes - really gorgeous, flaky pastry with the creamiest and tastiest feta I have had, punctuated with soft leeks and sweet currants with fresh pear batons to lighten it up. I would have loved this as one of my mains. Ryan's also had the prosciutto.

Baby ice berg and asparagus salad, soft cooked egg and preserved lime-Caesar dressing - $17


Nice, perfectly poached egg with baby asparagus.

Dessert: Canteloupe, strawberries, pistachio halva, pineapple and orange blossom sorbet - $20


The sorbet was lovely and refreshingly acidic. I particularly liked the chewy pistachio halva.

Cinnamon and banana ice cream, black currant jelly and leatherwood honey wafer - $37 for the next three


This wasn't like an ice cream for me. In terms of taste and texture it reminded me of rice pudding (rizogalo) just minus the rice, nice though. I don't really care much for jelly, but Ryan said the flavour was good. The wafer was just barely perfumed with honey and the dish also came with spearmint pashka.

Medjool date and chocolate tart, cardamom, kataifi and crème fraiche

I liked the crunchy (like rice bubbles crunchy) kataifi tube filled with tangy creme fraiche, but Ryan didn't. The tart had a nice chocolate taste, although I couldn't really get the date, just a lingering sweetness from it.

Orange and lemon verbena delicious bistayeea with pistachio sugar

My favourite of the desserts, and Ryan's too. Ryan fell in love with the pistachio sugar before he even tasted it, the smell alone made him drool. What I loved was the luscious, tongue coating orange and lemon verbena custard/curd beneath, wonderful stuff.

Cost: $300 for two Moorish menus and one cocktail.

Service: Great - our water was never more than half empty, the waiters were proficient and courteous, the food came out rather quickly and everything went smoothly.

Atmosphere: Calm luxury. The decor is ABSOLUTELY gorgeous - hubby and I were picking out which features we'd love to put in our own home. From the dazzling Swarovski crystals hanging like stalactites from the ceiling to the lattice work windows and etched glass and velour walls - even the large pink peony's were a gorgeous touch. The lighting strikes that perfect balance with dark moodiness and enough light to see your food clearly without falling asleep. The temperature was absolutely perfect (it was 30C outside at 8pm) and you are given a generous amount of room so the noise was always fairly low but not to the point that the place felt dead. My husband at one stage, so relaxed in the surroundings, asked if we could live here. Really, really gorgeous.


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

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

Hours: Tue-Sat 6pm-10.30pm

Would I return: Yes - my husband was already planning on coming back half way through dinner.