WEST OF KIN

17 Lacy Street, Braybook - ph: 03 9317 7553


West of Kin is like nothing you would expect in the outer western suburbs of Melbourne.

The sister restaurant to the successful Kin Vietnamese restaurant in Chapel St, West of Kin offers an Asian fusion food and cocktail menu that you would expect to find in of the city's busy restaurants - only in a secluded industrial estate.

Owners of both restaurants Andy and Tram Tran say they're excited to break into the relatively untouched Western suburbs, where they think a lack of restaurants will make West of Kin popular, and I wholeheartedly agree. The place was buzzing the night we visited.

West of Kin's menu is the brainchild of consulting chef Sam Pinzone (ex-Rockpool, Jacques Reymond and most recently exec chef at The Rose Upstairs in Fitzroy). Sam keeps things simple with a relatively small tasting menu - where you get to pick 3 options to try - and a really simple, 4 options only sharing menu of more substantial dishes.

My tasting plate consisted of beetroot tart with onion jam and goats curd, Sichuan style beef tartare with fried shallot and quail egg yolk, and kelp cured king fish with smoked oysters.

Everything was bite-sized and delicious. The perfect finger food to match their easy drinking cocktail list and enjoy the night.

Tasting entrees - beetroot tart, beef tartare with quail egg and cured king fish and smoked oysters 

For sharing, we chose the shredded duck with egg noodles. I loved the aromatic coriander and mint leaves to break through the duck fat and render a very well balanced, filling dish. Possibly my favourite of the evening.

We also tried West of Kin's house made pork and black bean tofu, served with rice and kimchi. Silky smooth tofu blended really well with the pork and crunchy shallots. 

The food was great, but I have to say what I liked the most about West of Kin was the atmosphere. The design is fantastic and they have a massive open space front yard covered in green when you can sip cocktails, grab a bite to eat and chatter through the night.

Unexpected in a very nice way and worth checking out!

Mel Din Blog dined courtesy of West of Kin