Bar Lourinhã
37 Little Collins Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000
wwww.barlourinha.com.au
e
use the email form on their web site
t
+61 03 9663 7890
open
12.00 noon – 11.00 pm, Monday to Wednesday
12 noon – 1.00 am, Thursday to Friday
4.00 pm – 1.00 am Saturday
FOOD This is a great little restaurant; vibrant a little cheeky and fun this young ownership team have managed to get the tone just right. As for getting the food just right, Matthew McConnell is tops. Slow braised veal heart $16, two generous skewers lapped gently with an aromatic paprika based sauce and garnished with coriander, the heart was tender but still had some of the required resistance that makes it interesting. Even my companion who professed to not liking ‘bits’ thought it was delicious. Soft shell prawns ’a la plancha’ $17 were ordered more as a test than a longing. All too often chefs are foolish enough to think that a fair amount of Chinese garlic will disguise bad olive oil, even vegetable oil. This of course is not true and these were first rate. Four large Australian prawns swimming in a lovely seasoned garlicky oil with loads of roughly chopped local garlic and served with good (and sufficient) bread to sop up all the oil, garlic and juices. It is astonishing to see people pull the tails off of the prawns and discard the heads. This is what you are supposed to do. Scoop some of the garlic and oil in the he head cavity and put it in your mouth and crunch the head with your teeth to press out all the head meat and juices and then suck the heads out. It’s the best bit.
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The salad of Iceberg hearts, anchovies and aioli $15 was perfect with the right amount of crunch with the lettuce, a well-seasoned dressing and the added tang of really good anchovies. The Wagyu ’carne cruda’ & shaved horseradish $15, the Spanish version of steak tartare was excellent. Devoid of fat, (the only time it should be) minced very finely it was properly seasoned and bright red without a hint of oxidisation. It was an impressive presentation of this dish and executed to perfection.
There is always a great sense of reassurance about a restaurant where the management and staff are not just professional but also enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Chef Matthew McConnell is clearly delighting in cooking his food and his dedication to seasonal produce and good cooking is very evident. In a five hour lunch we had the opportunity to see people come for lunch, come for drinks, come for snacks after work and were lucky enough to see most dishes on their menu as they passed us by. Next time we are in Melbourne we hope to slot in one of their ’Long Table Dinners’, check out their website, which is the sum of this fabulous little restaurant.
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WINE The wine list at Bar Lourinhã is proof that small lists can be fabulous. Great champagnes, excellent Australian and old-world choices with ample great (and well priced) wines by the glass. This type of list is the sum of the passion of the restaurant sommelier, in this instance co–owner Simon Benjiman and it is a list priced for drinking.
OWNERS — Joanne Gamvros, Simon Benjiman, Matthew McConnell
Chef — Matthew McConnell
Restaurant Manager — Joanne Gamvros
Sommelier — Simon Benjiman
