Huxtable Innovative and Casual Cool
Huxtable entralls with its cleverness in taking humble ingredients of sea, land and earth and presenting them in compelling modern fusion ways. We've visited Huxtable since its inception and can say that it powers on as a restaurant of flair and maturity. Daniel Wilson is still weaving his magic and has a busy calendar these days running something of a culinary empire, notably with several Huxtaburger joints. When I looked out the window across to Smith St Huxtaburger I noticed they'd added another dining space - where have I been? But its all part of Daniel Wilson's burgeoning growth.
We were off to the Stones concert and a dinner at pop cool Huxtaburger was the perfect pre-concert meal. I'm sure the Stones themselves would enjoy a meal at Huxtable with its retro appeal and fine cuisine. I could see Keith and Ronnie sitting back in the large brown chairs and imbibing.
We decided to order a collection of dishes for sharing, as is the way at Huxtable. The Indian spiced tuna tartare, cucumber, mint yoghurt, papadams was refreshing and a creative fusion Indian dish. The dish was delicate and seemed somewhat healthy. We scooped the tuna and elements on to the pappadams and enjoyed the crunch and combination of textures. Presentation was wonderfully artistic.
Huxtable surprised with this dish of charred squid, green nam jim, fennel, finger lime, puffed black rice. When I saw the word "squid" I had certain preconceptions. Usually you get a pile of squid with a few accompaniments around it. This is a savvy dish with pieces of charred squid interspersed throughout with an interesting almost piquant flavour combination of fennel, lime and other elements. There was crunch of the puffed black rice, the acidity of the fennel and lime, and kick of the green nam jim. A unique and rewarding dish.
We then enjoyed a new dish for us at Huxtable, the roasted duck breast, of parsnip puree, quinoa, cacao, caramelised mandarin. Rumour has it that one of the kitchen staff developed this dish. And its a knockout. This was a somewhat exotic offering with clever use of textures and flavours. The duck punched its way through with delightful crunch, with creamy elements of puree and mandarin. I was trying to work out where the cacao came into the equation, but the total combination of flavours and textures was a triumph. We wanted more of this.
Huxtable was packed out while we were there with most of the dining set coming in after 7pm. The Stones Concert was about to begin but we still wanted to experience the pork ribs and the desserts.
A dish that defines Huxtable is thekorean bbq pork ribs, spicy slaw, chilli gherkin. It's been a favourite on the menu and a favourite of The World Loves Melbourne. Several restaurants have got on the pork and slaw bandwagon but Daniel Wilson was serving this up years ago. One of the best pork dishes in Melbourne. Wonderfully sticky caramelised pork with a kick of spice is the highlight and is enhanced by a high quality slaw and crispy gherkins. The dish comes with three ribs but we ordered four for the two of us.
Huxtable also hits the mark with its desserts. The dark chocolate delice, peanut butter, crisp brownie, raspberry was a combination of all the things I covet in a dessert. And again, so pretty.
Huxtable has developed an outstanding team over the years and customer servicve is some of the best in Melbourne.
Of to the Stones we went, with Huxtable providing outstanding service (some of the best in Melbourne) and a bevvy of rewarding dishes. Satisfaction.