Last week I was lucky enough to be invited by Gun Communications to join restauranteur Paul Mathis for an introductory dinner at his latest inner city venue, Henry and the Fox:
"Located in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD on Little Collins St, Henry and the Fox combines European-inspired flavours to create a unique and modern Australian menu.
Head Chef, Michael Fox - Age Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year (2011) - showcases his passion for provenance using beautiful produce in a range of bistro-style dishes with great technique and a contemporary approach."
Head Chef, Michael Fox - Age Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year (2011) - showcases his passion for provenance using beautiful produce in a range of bistro-style dishes with great technique and a contemporary approach."
Paul Mathis has an extraordinary list of restaurants on his CV including Taxi, Soulmama, Blue Train, Sharing House to name a few.
Henry and the Fox brings a fresh take to the city's eateries with an extensive Modern Oz menu of sharing plates, bistro dishes and pizzas nicely complemented by an international wine list.
It is targeted at the business audience (open week days only) and certainly a welcome addition to the area's food scene (not much fine dining going around King St!)
We had:
jamon & manchengo croquettes ($4 each)
Crispy and fluffy, the croquettes were nicely cooked, but could have done with a bit more seasoning.
goats cheese, roasted baby beets, pickled shallots, shiso, raspberry vinegar ($18.5)
I loved the tangy beets, great texture and taste. Not a great fan of the goats cheese peculiar chewy texture.
Rabbit terrine, rhubarb compote & salad with toasted brioche ($23.5)
The terrine was by far my favourite dish of the night. Amazing flavour, chunky and perfectly cooked pieces of rabbit, rich yet not greasy... it simply melted in the mouth. I also loved the unexpected combination of flavours with the rhubarb compote.
Toasted brioches
The brioches were sweet and crisp. The perfect accompaniment of the terrine. Highly recommended.
Confit ocean trout, salted cucumber, radish and horseradish cream ($23)
With a very subtle combination of flavours, the confit ocean trout was a nice & light dish.
Cured king fish, coriander & fennel seeds, mandarin, coriander shoots ($23.50)
The cured king fish was my second favourite. I loved the freshness of the mandarin and coriander and each mouthful of the cured king fish burst with flavour. Also highly recommended.
Roasted moreton bay bug tails, cauliflower puree, spiced cauliflower ($24.50)
I was already feeling pretty full by the time the bug tails were brought to the table, but obviously could not resist to grab a bite, they smelled so good. I loved the silky buttery taste of the bugs; another great dish.
Crispy pork belly, fennel, dill & orange ($30.50)
Next came the main courses. Hubby found the pork belly inconsistent. One of them was perfectly cooked and crispy while the other piece was chewy. He thought the combination of flavours worked well and enjoyed the dish overall.
Mulloway, avocado, chickpea, chorizo & red pepper ($29.50)
I really enjoyed my fish. The fillets were nicely cooked and the chorizo worked well to bring some spice and edge to the dish. I quite liked the creamy avocado and wished there was a bit more of it to go with the fish.
We had a great night of food, wine and good conversation. I was glad to meet other food writers / lovers and chat with Paul about his amazing culinary journey.
Henry and the Fox dishes out some seriously tasty food. I particularly liked the sharing dishes and think this would be a great place for an after work get together. Nothing better than some good food and wine to help you relax after a long day at the office. And don't miss the rabbit terrine!
**Disclaimer**
Melbourne Dining dined courtesy of Henry and the Fox and Gun Communications. Prices shown are indicative only may not reflect the restaurant's portion sizes.
No comments:
Post a Comment