Franklin, Argyle Street

Sourced locally and infused with imagination. With Autumn fully kicked in, the the dishes were surrounded with the idea “earth”. Every dish was cooked till perfection. Technical and execution were at the top tier. No pretentious dish. .
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However, I failed to see how this place is the top 50 in the world. Mostly was due to the lack of background stories in every dish. We could easily read the name of the dish and image the taste. Maybe we gave too little credit to the crew of the effort they spent to source for every ingredient. .
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Example: The way they presented the flathead. Maybe it was impressive to some whom they seldom fish served as a whole. But for us, Asian, it is just that. Mushroom butter with lemon or wine sauce on the side but failed to improve the flavor of the fish. My version would be the butter, soy sauce malt beer and lemon. It would taste MUCH better. .
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Chicken Liver Parfait with Yeast Crisp (AUS$5)
Honeydew Melon with Coppa (AUS$5)
Scotch Quail Egg with Sobrasada (AUS$5)
Ricotta Gundi with Wild Mushroom Broth and Poached Shiitake (AUS$22)
Wood Roasted Octopus with Pickled Currants and Smoked Macadamia (AUS$25)
Whole Flathead with Pine Mushrooms and Fermented Mushroom (AUS$35)
Grilled Quail with Persimmon, Radicchio and Charred Leek (AUS$20)
Dark Ginger Cake with Feijoa and Macadamia Sorbet (AUS$16)
Crisp Potato With Brown Butter and Salted Caramel Sorbet (AUS$16)