Laurent Perrier Dinner at Spoonbill
Laurent Perrier has partnered with Spoonbill restaurant at The Olsen for a new winter menu degustation that is affordable and a touch of class.
The Restaurant Manager Aaron Glenn told us the philosophy was to provide top notch cuisine in a relaxed environment and ensure it is value for money. For $65 you can get 6 courses of shared dishes along with a glass of Laurent Perrier champagne. Of course Laurent Perrier is a fine champagne from France, and I enjoy its dryness and bubble structure.Spoonbill restaurant onChapel Street is a chic and imaginative restaurant with great modern food options including sublime tapas. Spoonbill is best understood as part of the whole package of the classy and arty Olsen Hotel.
The Olsen Hotel is a favourite with the fashion industry in Melbourne due to its amazing spaces and design conducive to showcasing collections and industry events. Notwithstanding the penthouse suite is one of the best in Melbourne with great views of the city. The World Loves Melbourne was invited to the launch of the Laurent Perrier Tasting Menu...
Spoonbill has attractive spaces for any function (including your fashion shoot) and we enjoyed Laurent Perrier champagne in the adjoining gallery to the dining room. As part of the tasting menu we enjoyed Cloudy Bay oysters with a delightful vinaigrette of pickled ginger, spring onion and lemon with our French champagne.
Spoonbill also wowed us with their Salumi plate including aged jamon, Calabrese salami, cured pork, aged farmhouse cheddar, and pickled vegetables.
Spoonbill is known for its excellent tacos and my personal favourite is the Tempura soft shell crab, wombok and Thai basil.
Also impressive is the Carpaccio of venison, beetroot relish and yoghurt. These are inventive and wonderful tacos.
The soft shell crab close up reveals fine technique.
And the venison shone through with strong flavour.
Next on the tasting menu was the Seared scallops - Chimchurri, cauliflower puree, and red pepper salsa. These scallops were cooked perfectly and textures matched well with the puree. The pleasing kick of the peppers made this a dimensional dish.
Spoonbill served up another favourite - Gamekeepers sausage with pork, fennel, chilli, grilled scamorza and pine mushrooms. This was hearty and excellent combination of flavours.
The Olsen itself is a trendy hotel with artistic touches. The small blackboards with our place names was another example.
Spoonbill is famously known for its paella - John Olsen's famous paella tells a story about the artist John Olsen featured at the hotel. His philosophy was that life is like a paella, and the restaurant has picked up on his version of this classic dish. Wonderful textures, flavours and colours abound. The dish is served in a pan with mussels proudly displayed on top. We enjoyed this paella immensely.
The Laurent Perrier Tasting Menu also showcases ever changing dishes from the land and sea.
The dessert is also impressive with Hazelnut meringues and A Taste of Chocolate being a dish of chocolate decadence. Unfortunately it was getting late and we needed to return to our babysitter, missing out on dessert. However I've enjoyed the dessert here on previous occasions and find it a feature.
Chilling with friends with Laurent Perrier and an excellent degustation for $65pp is a great option. Spoonbill is in a great location and parking has never been a problem for us. You may want to stay a night or two in the hotel.