While still uncommon, it's been in vogue for a while now to use vegetables in ice cream. The flavour on this one's subtle, with the nutty sweetness of the root vegetable barely registering. What it is though, is well-executed ice cream, spiked with fermented strawberry gel and sandwiched between Salted & Hung's signature honeycomb burnt butter tuille and a dark chocolate cracker.
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Taste: 3.5/5
Inspired by childhood memories of his family's farm back home in Australia, this dessert from chef Drew sees lacto-fermented apple brunois and crumble garnishing a sharply refreshing ginger & apple sorbet, which in turn sat atop a beautifully pearly white sphere of ginger semifreddo. I loved the palate cleansing combination of fresh fruit and iced confectionery, but found the semifreddo a little powdery and dry.
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Taste: 3/5
Probably the most straightforward of courses during our lunch so far, but no less delicious for it. Stupendously good Wagyu beef cheek that literally melts in your mouth, its meaty unctuousness lavished in savoury jus. Alongside it, a disc of creamy salt baked potato blanketed in vinegar cream and a dollop of caviar. There was also a refined yet punchy garlic puree to accompany the beef. A more luxurious steak and potatoes I have not had in recent memory.
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Taste: 4.5/5
Summer sang from this plate of the sweetest scallops adorned with translucent discs of paper-thin daikon and pear, whose crunchiness played off the soft shellfish beautifully. Buried under, discreet dobs of apple gel added spikes of fruity tanginess, whilst the modern art-esque riot of green and yellow lemon herb cream sauce was the perfect zesty and bright counterpoint to the raw seafood.
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Taste: 4/5
Whilst the firm and fleshy barramundi was impressively well-cooked, it was almost upstaged by the glorious ode to umami that was the shellfish emulsion it rested in. Light and frothy yet intensely punchy, I could not help but wipe the plate clean long after I had no more fish left to accompany the sauce. The ebi dust sprinkled atop was a small yet well-thought out touch that elevated both the flavour and complexity of the dish even further.
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Taste: 4/5
Like a bejeweled crown of ruby shards and tangerine pearls, the atypical combination of Yarra Valley trout roe and frozen grapefruit provided simultaneous bursts of briny fishiness and semi-sweet bitterness, playing off the salty umami-ness of the creamy soy panna cotta below.
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I must admit my taste buds were initially confused, but I was quickly won over by the refreshing coldness and harmony of flavours in each spoonful. To seamlessly weave such seemingly disparate components is no easy task, but here it is achieved with masterful aplomb.
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Taste: 3.5/5
Punching way above their diminutive weights were these gorgeous golden balls. Inside the crisp deep-fried sourdough batter spheres sat on mounds of celeraic puree, was unctuous slow-cooked pork with onion, just bursting with an intense, sweet, meaty savouriness. Probably one of the most memorable amuse bouches I've had at @saltedandhung.
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Taste: 4/5
The beginning of our final meal at Salted & Hung was bittersweet, as they shuttered their doors for good two days later. It only took the news of their imminent closure to finally bring us back there after almost half a year.
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To start, a trio of amuse bouche triplets, first amongst them a delightful raw shrimp and creme fraiche springroll shell tart topped with luxurious Russian caviar.
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Taste: 3.5/5
We finish off our 4-course lunch on a high note with this cheeky play on Australia's favourite ice cream bar. I'm not one for deconstructed anything - it just smacks of laziness to me most of the time - but this was so well-thought out, tasty and most importantly, reminded me of that iconic Ozzie ice cream with each mouthful.
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Artfully plated, a delicate honeycomb lattice is perched atop a quenelle of rich and smooth toffee ice cream, itself sat upon an umami olive crumb. A companion piece of dark chocolate-coated white chocolate completes the core ensemble, with carefully tweezered in place mint and edible flowers rounding off the composition. Take a little of each in your spoon for that perfect bite.
Taste: 3.5/5
Two precious pieces of absolutely tender and juicy Iberico pork that have been slow-cooked and charred, served with a meaty jus and accompanied by a delicate medley of hazelnuts, blueberries and cauliflower puree that serve only to accentuate the centrepiece protein. Salted & Hung's gastronomical creations have only gotten better over the years.
Taste: 4/5
Remarkably rich and potent with umami, the risotto was infused with the funkiness of prawn head butter and a reduced prawn shell stock brimming with the taste of the ocean. It goes without saying the rice was perfectly al dente, and topped with sweet and crunchy chunks of charred Spencer Gulf prawns. My top pick for mains off the lunch set menu.
Taste: 4/5
🍴DINE OUT🍴
📍Salted and Hung, Purvis Street📍
💸 5 course: $88
*additional $25 for the Sirloin option
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Visited Salted and Hung a while ago and had such a great experience! Every dish was plated exquisitely, it was a feast for our eyes🤩. Our favourites were the Ebi and Seaweed Muffin, IPA Sourdough🥐 with Whipped Lard and Wakame Butter, Prawn Butter Risotto🍤 and Fermented Pear & Sage Ice Cream. These were really some interesting and bold flavour combinations that worked super well together. The Fermented Pear & Sage Ice Cream acted as the perfect palate cleanser, a refreshing course that we needed towards the end of the meal🍦. Perhaps we were getting a little too full, the Gold'N Gaytime dessert was a tad too creamy and heavy for us. Nonetheless, a superb dining experience🤗! Also note that we’ve visited quite a while ago, hence the menu could've changed slightly🤏
It’s more like dinner for 3-4 haha! The whole smoked chicken enough can fill 2 up🤤 and then the crumbly cheesy Mac and cheese is toasty satisfying!🥰 the roasted cabbage has an peculiar pickled flavoring - it’s a weird one for me👅! The ones that I really love is their appetizers - that glass jar of cured king fish and ikura is 💯💯💯 - I need more of that crunchy fluffy sourdough to pair with it! Not enough for their delicious kelp butter and crazy oof whipped lardddd 🐷😮 and finally for dessert is a soft dome of chocolate and toffee beauty 🍫
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💡 : Would appreciate it if there is a menu note 📝 to describe the courses in more detail to bring that restaurant experience closer to home 🏡 for the price I would said it fits the bill but worth it hmmm would need a more experiential touch to it 🤨
Heard that Salted & Hung recently transitioned to just doing tasting menus and had to check it out. Chef Drew is a genius when it comes to using all parts of his ingredients and it really shows in his new 7- and 10-course sets (from $148). Loved every part of the menu, but if I had to pick favourites, it'd be the Aged Turbot with turbot tea broth and turbot liver vin jaune sauce, as well as the Green Lip Abalone with savoy cabbage and charcuterie broth that he makes with the leftovers from his famous cured meats.
Amazing uni pudding, or better known as uni panna cotta due to its silky texture.
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These little bottles of happiness feature infused fish soy made from roasting fish bones for 30 days. They're really good because it engages all dimensions of the palate - there's sweetness from fish to balance the savoury umami, lifted by zest of yuzu and complemented by aroma from the wakame. The panna cotta is creamy, yet silky, with nori crisps to add texture.
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This is what I mean when I said it hits all the dimensions, because it's a very balanced uni pudding both in terms of flavour, texture, and aroma. When you think the uni is what excites you, wait till you try the entire mix.
This 𝘄𝗮𝗴𝘆𝘂 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶 ($25) is a massive alpha that shames all other sandwiches.
That thicCcCc stack was crammed full of hefty smoky beef juices. These rich flavours were then allowed to boldly pop with help from sharp mustard and tart pickles.
Pastrami was immensely tender and graced by scores of gentle fat, though it was slightly chewy at parts. Topped with impeccably toasted sourdough, it compelled me to swiftly fell this beast like David fell Goliath.
IG: indulgentism
Bringing the outdoors into our homes with a pretend picnic, but with all the legit house-cured meats and sourdough that Salted & Hung is well-known for. It's especially for those who miss the outdoors and want some semblance of our regular lives back, for a fun time with our partner or family.
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All the good stuff from @chef.drew.nocente is coming together in this picnic box. There's a house-cured and smoked country ham, manchego cheese aged for six months, house pickles, kelp butter, duck rilette, and Salted & Hung's famous sourdough.
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There's a lot of effort in curing these. Besides the process, Chef Drew also knows his produce well, and that allows him to make the best cured products. This restaurant is known as Salted & Hung afterall.
Really nice gesture. It's super crunchy, almost hard and there's a tad of savouriness right at the end. Interesting texture for sure, and i enjoyed it despite usually preferring chewy cookies
The meringue was ok but the other elements were impressive. From the fermented mango with a slightly umami taste without losing its sweetness and slight sourness, to the super crunchy dehydrated pineapple which released its flavours as u chew it, and finally the incredibly good macademia ice cream. Comes with frozen sangria normally but even without, it's an amazing dessert alr
When i heard it's glazed instead of marinated, i was a little disappointed but all the apprehension was dispelled upon the first bite. Probably my favourite dish of the meal, and i slightly dreaded reviewing this dish as i could barely understand, much less review what made it so good. The Lamb was so tender and tasted so clean, that it was almost a different meat. Combined with the sweet and savoury Char siew glaze, it was absolutely phenomenal. The Small piece of lamb belly was a bit tougher though. Probably everything that comes out of this kitchen is good, but i Gotta say this is a must try out of all the other good stuff here.
