Why does Noir have to make life so difficult? They offer a four course lunch special for $35 (which included a glass of wine), a full degustation for $80 (add $55 for matched wines) or you can just go your own way and order a la carte. And as all these options look great, how the hell are you supposed to choose?
Coming of the back of the tasting menu at Acland Street Cantina last night, I thought half the degustation would end up in the kitchen bin, no matter how good it was, so opted for the lunch special with a glass of McLaren Vale Shiraz.
First cab off the rank was a Meredith goat cheese croquette nestled on a pool of red pepper coulis. The potato was crunchy on the outside and fluffy and light in the middle with just a hint of the cheese flavour coming through. The coulis was slightly spicy but not enough to overpower the main ingredient. Simple and lovely.
Next was a generous filet of cumin spiced skate served with sliced and julienned carrots, garnished with flat parsley. The fish was quite firm and layered but very tasty - similar to swordfish I thought. I love cumin and often have a shaker of it on the table along with pepper and salt when
I cook at home. I particularly like it with fish, so not surprisingly this dish really worked for me.
To break up the fish and meat course I was served a little plate of sliced zucchini topped with sultanas, walnuts, brandy and some gorgeous Roquefort cheese. Nice combination of flavours, and very refreshing on the palate.
The final course was Rangers Valley beef rump with roast beetroot puree and sprinkled with "grains of paradise" (cracked premium pepper). Beautiful piece of meat, cooked somewhere between blue and rare, which is the only proper way to cook steak in my humble opinion. The puree was nice, but personally I would have served it with whole roasted baby beets as the steak was so tender it would have benefited from something on the plate with a bit more crunch to add some contrast to the textures of the dish. Still, that's just me quibbling, and to be fair, there were in fact a couple of pieces of golden beetroot on the side which were very nice. The meat was delicious; tender and flavoursome with a slightly smoky taste.
When I arrived for lunch a little before 1pm Noir was empty, and when I left an hour later it still was, which is quite astounding for a restaurant of this quality. Honestly, people should be lining up on the footpath to get in here. The food is very good, the decor understated and subtle (and as the name suggests, predominantly in shades of black), and the service friendly but unobtrusive. If you haven't been, you gotta go. read more