For a thumbnail sketch of high-rolling good living, Melbourne-style, swing into The Atlantic, an enormous space lined with floor-to-ceiling windows for prime riverside gazing. This temple of seafood includes a subterranean drinking den, a casual oyster bar and a huge dining room segmented to provide a little intimacy. Slick service doesn’t miss a beat and the massive wine list is helpfully ordered to provide easy reading. The menu includes some serious meat, but why are you here if not for seafood? Push the boat out with lobster and sustainable caviar (to enjoy with Perrier-Jouët, of course), while dramatically sculpted seafood platters entrance dining groups. Fish can be ordered whole, grilled or fried, while fillets, like the barramundi, come charred to smoky perfection. For slightly more modest budgets, there are freshly shucked oysters, prawn cocktails crowned with quail eggs or tempura soft-shell crab with jalapeño and ponzu dressing.
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide
Wine: ★ ★
Gourmet Traveller’s star-ratings, which range from zero to three stars, reflect reviewers’ first-hand experiences. The best-rated restaurants form our national Top 100. Our wine ratings, from zero to three stars, are made by wine editor Max Allen on the strength of the quality of the restaurant’s wine list. View our rating key here.
The Atlantic
Crown Melbourne 8 Whiteman St Southbank, Melbourne, VIC
