Fifteen courses of premium seafood, wagyu and foie gras.
Melbourne has only just caught its breath after Chris Lucas unveiled his lavish new restaurant Kisumé, but the man isn’t done yet. Now, his multi-storey Japanese venture offers a 15-course tasting menu that’s heavy on abalone, toro, black truffle and other star ingredients that befit a restaurant with its very own Chablis Bar.
Kyungsoo Moon at Kisumé.
Served at an intimate 12-seat bamboo and brass table on the top floor of the three-storey space, master chef Kyungsoo Moon’s menu – his take on kaiseki – raises the bar for luxurious dining experiences. While the menu will be strictly seasonal, from tomorrow guests can expect three different preparations of toro, including a roll with foie gras and black truffle, which squares off against several other contenders for the title of richest dish. A rock lobster-filled tempura nest with roe sauce – also topped with a scattering of roe – and the mud crab with sea urchin and caviar pose stiff competition, as does the “journey from light to dark chocolate”, a long bar of coconut and blackcurrant foam topped with shards of white, milk and dark chocolate.
Journey from light to dark chocolate.
The presentation of warm custard in an artfully balanced egg shell is a fantastical take on eggs and soldiers, with the egg topped by a slender piece of brik pastry and two cubes of pearl meat. Glass tubes striated with pineapple, lychee and passionfruit also tread the line between sculpture and food.
Rock lobster tempura with roe sauce.
When it comes to choosing a drop to go with Moon’s 15 delicate creations, guests can peruse the wine wall in the Chablis Bar, make some tough decisions from the 60-strong white Burgundy offer or submit to the expertise of group sommelier Jonathon Ross, who will pair each dish with wine and sake.
The Table, Kisumé, 6pm-late Wed-Sat, 175 Flinders La, Melbourne, Vic, (03) 9671 4888, kisume.com.au. 15 courses $175.