|
Home | About Christine Salins | Food | Restaurants | Wine | Travel | Photo Gallery | Books | Events | Destinations | Links |
|
|
Mirka at Tolarno Hotel
42 Fitzroy St, St Kilda, Melbourne, Vic
Out There magazine - Issue 36
|
|
|
Talk about ladies who lunch – there is one solitary male in the room on this Friday lunchtime in Guy Grossi’s newest venture, the Dining Room at the Tolarno Hotel, a Melbourne institution with its colourful Mirka Mora murals. The artist was commissioned to restore the 1960s murals and create some new ones, providing a lively backdrop for Grossi’s mostly classic European food. His Italian roots are evident in a strong line-up of pasta and risotto dishes, including my entrée of Gnocchi with a little too subtle Gorgonzola sauce. Oysters, Russian eggs and an omelette with truffle and game bird feature on the entrée menu, along with Iberico jamon, an aromatic melt-in-the-mouth Spanish ham that is for super-rich palates with pockets to match. Highlight of the mains is the roast chicken, a dainty little bird that is cooked to a crisp and served whole with wonderful chunky chips, gravy and shallots that are lovely and sweet from their long slow cooking. The other mains are also quite retro, including crayfish Newburg, chateaubriand, and trout with lobster and almondine sauce. The extensive list of Australian, New Zealand and European wines includes 25 available by the glass. A cherry gelato centre fills a wickedly delicious bombe glacee dessert that is brought to the table as the noise levels step up a notch. The lively chatter is perhaps a good thing as many of the tables are very close to each other, which doesn’t provide a lot of privacy. Indeed, so close are the tables that it is easy to sense my neighbour’s relief when a few more men eventually walk in.
© Christine Salins
|
|