The Grand Richmond’s Italian Yum Cha, Richmond by Ruby Grapefruit

The Italian yum cha lunch event was created by the Grand Richmond for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and has been such a success that it is now held on the first weekend of every month. We were very intrigued by the concept and were pleased to discover that we would be having a range of Italian sharing plates. If you’re worried that it will be some sort of weird fusion cuisine, don’t be. 

Squid ink risotto

In fact the dishes are classic Italian with some modern flourishes. Some of the items are available on their regular menu, although these are in smaller servings, so you get to taste a larger range of dishes. These events are held in the dining room so expect to have the full luxe experience of fine tableware and linen.

The dining room is decorated with Chinese lanterns and umbrellas hanging from the ceiling, and there was the ubiquitous lucky charm waving cat. We didn’t end up using the chopsticks provided on the table, although we noticed that other diners were using them.

My dining companion Bruce Ketter and I chose five shared dishes and two desserts from their extensive menu. We were impressed by all the dishes but the standouts were the squid ink risotto and the char-grilled quail.

The risotto was a spectacular looking dish because of its dark inky colour and deep gloss (see first pic). The rice had just the right texture and bite, and the squid ink sauce was rich, creamy, and full of flavour. Sensational! We also loved the generous sprinkling of gremolata which added a nice textural element to the dish. Interestingly the gremolata was dry roasted, rather than the standard version with fresh garlic, lemon zest and parsley. The dish was topped with a few pieces of grilled prawns which added a nice fishiness to the dish but we found that they were slightly dry.

The other standout dish was the char-grilled quail which was served with charred baby leeks, and a corn and lemon sauce. The butterflied quail was moist and perfectly grilled, and the corn and lemony sauce brought the whole dish together. There was a garnishing of sea herbs which looked like a succulent and had a lovely salty flavour and an interesting texture.

The grilled sardines dish was beautifully presented with perfectly charred and fresh sardine fillets on a bed of caponata. The caponata (a Sicilian dish usually containing eggplant, celery and capers) was very well balanced with the right levels of sweetness and acidity to complement the sardines. There was also a subtle but interesting parsley emulsion served with the dish.

The char-grilled octopus dish was served with BBQ green chilli, broad beans and lemon. We felt that the chilli and lemon flavours needed a bit more punch. We liked the broad beans with the mint, and the texture of the grilled cos lettuce, however we felt that the different elements in this dish just didn’t quite work together.

The roasted barramundi dish looked fantastic and was a very generous serving. The skin on the fish was perfectly crispy but the flesh was a little dry. It came with a lovely salad of julienned heirloom carrots and a tasty lemon sauce. We particularly liked the marinated mussels that came with the dish.

For dessert we had the tiramisu and the lemon tart. We found that the desserts were a perfect size (on the smaller side) to finish on after a big lunch.

Bruce is a big tiramisu fan and he was very satisfied with his which had the right amount of mascarpone, and a strong coffee flavour.

My lemon tart with mascarpone was light and had the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.

Bruce was also impressed by the range of wines that were available by the glass, and thoroughly enjoyed the Pizzini riesling and Even Keel by Polperro pinot noir he sampled.

There were many other tantalising dishes on the Italian yum cha menu and we hope to make a return visit to the Grand Richmond to try them out. Their regular menu was also very impressive and the Monday Italian night and Wednesday duck night sound like great value ($30 with a glass of wine or beer).

Verdict

We loved it.

Mid value.

Overall

I’m a big fan of sharing dishes when eating at restaurants because I like to try as many things as possible, so the Italian yum cha lunch was right up my alley. We were very impressed by the range on offer, and the great flavours of the dishes that we chose from the menu. We thought the dishes were good value as the quality was top notch and were priced about the same as an entree.

Also have a gander at Bureaucrat's review of the Grand Richmond's a la carte menu.

The Eat and Be Merry Crew were guests of the Grand Richmond.

Find it at

The Grand Richmond
333 Burnley Street
Richmond VIC 3121
Phone: 9429 2530