Stickyfingers' MoMo rave before this year, I assumed this eating seat wasn't for us - it's been MoMo's meat that most ofttimes earns kudos, alongside the veiled quail lately named the Age Good Food Guide's Dish of the Year. Then only final calendar month Chanel11 documented MoMo's vege side - it truly offers an entire, separately jump vegetarian menu! - as well as I straightaway got on the telephone to brand a reservation to coincide alongside my birthday.
The restaurant's staff squeezed us inwards to a 6pm sitting. This didn't yield the sun-drenched photos I was hoping for, even as well as then - MoMo is situated inwards a windowless lower score of the Hyatt. Fuzzy photography aside, it did brand for a cozy, intimate atmosphere; though the eating seat must bring been close fully booked, our conversation didn't bring to compete alongside those at neighbouring tables. My exclusively gripe would move alongside the music - on this nighttime it was of the Cafe Chill Out Sessionz Vol. 7 oeuvre.
The restaurant's staff squeezed us inwards to a 6pm sitting. This didn't yield the sun-drenched photos I was hoping for, even as well as then - MoMo is situated inwards a windowless lower score of the Hyatt. Fuzzy photography aside, it did brand for a cozy, intimate atmosphere; though the eating seat must bring been close fully booked, our conversation didn't bring to compete alongside those at neighbouring tables. My exclusively gripe would move alongside the music - on this nighttime it was of the Cafe Chill Out Sessionz Vol. 7 oeuvre.
We made our get-go form cocktails - a Turkish please martini (rose syrup, Absolut Citron, vodka, cacao white) for me as well as a MoMo Lemonade (Middle Eastern lemonade alongside mint as well as Absolute Mandarin) for Michael ($20 each). Though they had the brilliant overtones of rosewater as well as lemon that nosotros were expecting, they were otherwise strongly alcoholic.
The same appetiser is served to all guests - crisp vegetable stalks dotted alongside sumac, accompanied past times thick mini pitas as well as a dish of olive crude as well as pomegranate molasses. Though nosotros were given a fork as well as spoon each, nosotros weren't certain what to produce alongside them - in that place didn't seem whatever means to bargain alongside these veges except alongside the hands!
The get-go entree was also a stunner - hommus pooled alongside olive oil, served alongside dark-green olive mini toasts as well as an artichoke salad. You mightiness think that I'm non big on olives, but they were only what was needed to cutting through the silky hommus as well as buttery toast. The artichoke salad was a revelation, alongside the mildness of the artichokes as well as shanklish offset alongside super-seasoning of peppery sumac as well as bursts of dill. Even my pet hate, salad onion, played an inoffensive role, sliced into frail rings as well as gently cooked.
The falafel arrived spell nosotros marvelled over the artichoke salad as well as and then I was laid upwardly to gustation what mightiness move the best falafel of my life. They weren't. But they were silent good! They'd been fried as well as then crisp that nosotros risked launching them across our tabular array equally nosotros tried to insert our cutlery, as well as in that place was lots to a greater extent than peppery sumac. The sesame-yoghurt-dressed 'gypsy' salad was delightful as well as I wished in that place was to a greater extent than of it.
Our get-go primary was these stuffed Hungarian peppers. I am easily bored past times veges stuffed alongside grains as well as unfortunately these didn't produce anything novel to thrill me. The garnishing salad was to a greater extent than of the sumac, dill, onion as well as greens that nosotros ate alongside the artichokes.
There was an ordering mistake alongside our sides that nosotros elected non to hassle the staff nigh - equally if Michael would allow me social club a love apple tree salad! I didn't heed taking accuse of this i inwards the least. The tomatoes were a deep, luscious reddish that I come across as well as then rarely, alongside a depth of flavour to match. Of form they were dandy alongside the goats cheese, as well as matched nicely alongside the slight aniseed border of the tarragon.
At to the lowest degree Michael as well as I could cause got on the wonder of the Irish Gaelic patato salad. The tender room-temperature cubes were lightly dressed alongside yoghurt as well as herbs, as well as combined alongside roasted almond flakes as well as what I intend was radicchio.
As nosotros made our means through these 3 dishes, our instant primary waited patiently for us at the side of the tabular array - couscous 'Royale', featuring 7 vegetables as well as a dark-green harissa broth. The vegetables were only gorgeous, alongside the potatoes meltingly tender as well as the wide beans retaining their glossy coloring stuff as well as toothsome texture. Unfortunately past times this phase I was also total to properly appreciate this dish and, I'm ashamed to report, left much of it on my plate.
But there's ever room for dessert, right? I was relieved to come across a refreshing fruit salad alongside a pineapple-orange bloom sorbet. (Pause as well as detect i of several lurid spills on the tablecloth - misfortunate MoMo! You must employ an exemplary launderer.)
Dessert got to a greater extent than elaborate (and to a greater extent than delicious!) alongside Michael as well as I beingness presented alongside i of these tasting plates each. In the loving cup at the dorsum is a cinnamon as well as banana icecream layered alongside blackcurrant jelly, Western Farsi fairy floss as well as a leatherwood dear wafer - a lovely laid of contrasting textures alongside Michael fifty-fifty casting aside his banana issues as well as scraping his drinking glass clean! The engagement as well as chocolate tart inwards the foreground is topped alongside a kataifi cone stuffed alongside creme fraiche. While the cone didn't produce much for me, the tart was a compact foursquare of chocolate perfection. The filo-draped pot on the correct conceals an orangish as well as lemon verbena custard, terrific as well as tangy but a challenge to finish. And alongside that, nosotros declined the offering of java as well as made our means dorsum to the existent world. I had eaten to a greater extent than piece of cake than our hosts had anticipated as well as though the side past times side dyad awaiting our tabular array must bring arrived, nosotros weren't rushed out inwards the least. In fact, service throughout the level was ideal - attentive, courteous as well as occasionally conversational. Strangely, the telephone service either side of our dinner pushed the boundaries of 'attentive' - I received a MoMo advertizing via text message several days inwards advance, a personal telephone outcry upwardly to confirm the booking i twenty-four hr menses ahead, a reminder text on the day, as well as a give thank you lot you text alongside as well as invitation to e-subscribe the next morning.
I tin flame exclusively promise that several days later our dalliance MoMo isn't silent sitting past times the phone, waiting for me to call. What nosotros had was proficient - the servings as well as service were generous, alongside the vegetarian offerings never looking similar pale imitations or lopsided replications of the criterion menu. The hits far outweighed the misses, as well as chef Malouf fifty-fifty had us looking at about dreaded ingredients (olives, salad onion, banana) inwards a novel light. And I am always, ever a sucker for a proficient dessert platter. If exclusively MoMo weren't as well as then high maintenance (the nib came to $250 + tip), mayhap I would furnish those calls.
I tin flame exclusively promise that several days later our dalliance MoMo isn't silent sitting past times the phone, waiting for me to call. What nosotros had was proficient - the servings as well as service were generous, alongside the vegetarian offerings never looking similar pale imitations or lopsided replications of the criterion menu. The hits far outweighed the misses, as well as chef Malouf fifty-fifty had us looking at about dreaded ingredients (olives, salad onion, banana) inwards a novel light. And I am always, ever a sucker for a proficient dessert platter. If exclusively MoMo weren't as well as then high maintenance (the nib came to $250 + tip), mayhap I would furnish those calls.
Address: Lower Plaza Level, 123 Collins St Melbourne CBD
Ph: 9650 0660
Fully licensed
Price: cocktails $20 each, Arabesque sharing bill of fare $100 per person
Website: http://momorestaurant.com.au
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Other blogs discussing Momo: Absolutely Famished, Slicing Almonds as well as Zesting Lemons, Eat (Almost) Anything At Least Once, Deep Dish Dreams, as well as Doublecooked.
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