Tender Trap, Doncaster East by Obelix

The Tender Trap is an old Frank Sinatra movie from the Golden Age of Hollywood and I was expecting some sort of cinematic reference at the Tender Trap but it turned out to be modern contemporary dining.  It was a cozy intimate space and K, P and I had a wonderful time snaffling down fine food and a drink or two over a long overdue catch up.

The service was impeccable and some of our picks were under guidance by our friendly wait staff.

 

With a few drinkie-poos under my belt I tucked into my char-grilled octopus entree with kumara, crumbled feta and smoked citrus and capers.  The salty capers and feta combined beautifully with the sweetness of the kumara.  The char-grilled octopus joined smokey-flavoured forces with the smoked citrus.  Yum!


K ordered a seared scallops with black pudding croquette, creamed corn and native salt bush.  She declared the scallops to be perfectly underdone, that is, not rubbery.


Meanwhile P enjoyed her balsamic cured salmon with fennel, beetroot, quinoa, pomegranate and roe.

 
For mains, I had the beautifully presented fish of the day.  It was cod with a saffron sauce and Israeli couscous.  The flavours were very delicate.

K went with the recommended goat ragu with pasta.  It was rustic comfort food.  Perfect for the cold night.  

The most exciting dish of all was P's.  It was a veal pie and came with bone marrow to be mixed through.  It was divine.

Since we were on a roll, we decided to try a few desserts.  We were originally going to share a dessert but thought, "what the hey! let's just go for it".

My pick was the little mini donuts served with warm custard drizzled over and vanilla ice-cream.  All of my favourite food groups on one plate.

The panacotta came recommended and if you like the strawberries and cream vibe, you'll love this.  The meringue shards were pink hued and strawberry flavoured.  We joked that the fairy floss reminded us of our shedding dogs.

The tiramisu was intensely coffee flavoured with chestnut, chocolate soil and coffee parfait.  It was probably a bit too strong for me but I'm a light weight when it comes to caffeine.

I'll finish off with a pic of our champagne cocktail and starters.

 

Verdict

We loved it.

Overall

Tender Trap is polished fine dining.  The service was attentive without being intrusive.  The cuisine, excellent.  A very enjoyable experience.  I spent (including tips), $90 for one person.  A nice treat out.

Find it at

Tender Trap
Shop 2, 266 Blackburn Road
Doncaster East Vic 3109
Phone: 98423466