Outstanding restaurant. That about sums it up…read more
Before we arrived in Melbourne at the tail end of our Australian holiday, I spent some time searching for restaurants that would make for a memorable last meal. I came across glowing reviews of Burma Lane on a different website, and wrote down the name as one to consider once we were there. In a city so rich with restaurants, it can be difficult to choose.
As fate would have it, we had booked a hotel at the Stamford Plaza Hotel, which is literally directly across the street from Burma Lane. How could we not go when the front door was closer to the reception desk than the hotel's own restaurant?
We made a reservation and upon arrival we were seated in the upper mezzanine level, which gave us a nice view of the restaurant, the bird cages hanging from the high ceiling, and the mural on the opposite wall. We opted for one of their so-called "Feed Me" prix-fixe menus. Specifically, we chose the "Shut Up and Feed Me" dinner option, which was eight courses. I was tempted to go with the ten-course meal because there were a couple items on that which sounded interesting to me, but it just seemed like too much food. Our waitress inquired about any food allergies, and said that the meal could be modified if desired, but this wasn't necessary. We expressed some concern about the spiciness as some in my family don't prefer this. She did warn us that a couple of dishes would have some heat but it wouldn't be too bad.
Over the next two leisurely hours we enjoyed a fantastic meal of innovative Asian fusion dishes:
Shan tofu with tomato, peanut, and radish - lightly fried cuts of soft tofu in a mild sauce; very nice introduction to the meal.
Beef brisket in betel leaf - this was prepared with XO sauce, which is mildly to moderately spicy. Eating the beef wrapped in the betel leaf (never had this before) helped cool it down a bit. Very tasty.
Smoked chicken wings with sesame - this took us by surprise, because it turned out to be very spicy. The smoke flavor of the wings was delicate; just a hint of it came through the sweet and hot flavors from its preparation.
At this point, we were concerned that we would be in for a hot meal that might not be very well received. In particular, the next dish on the menu loomed menancingly...
Gochujang and honey roasted salmon tacos with a tomato, avocado, wombok (napa cabbage), and jalapeno relish. Gochujang usually screams 5-alarm fire to me. This came with home made mini hard shells, two per person. Amazingly, it wasn't really hot at all. This was absolutely delicious, and the different flavors worked together very well.
Five spice pork belly with black pepper caramel, chili pepper, peanuts, and papaya - I had serious doubts about this dish, as I really don't like five spice powder or papaya. But it was another excellent dish, with an unexpected but interesting combination of tastes.
At this juncture, we had only had the appetizers and entrees ("entree" in Australia is basically an appetizer as well, similar to the "primi" course in Italy) and we were already feeling pretty satisfied. The portions had been more generous than anticipated, and we were thankful that we hadn't ordered the larger meal. The mains had yet to come.
Lamb shank with turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass served over a coconut mash (not pure coconut, but coconut-flavored mashed potatoes) and topped with think strips of fried sweet potato - this was in fact two large legs, tender and meaty. Again, the chefs at this restaurant came up with an excellent dish. Even though we were starting to drag at this point, we happily consumed it all. The inclusion of lamb in the meal was a nice tip of the hat to one of Australia's major agricultural products.
Charred corn salad with peanut, sesame, cilantro, and shallots - this was basically the vegetable main to go with lamb, and it paired well though it wasn't a big hit with the table. But maybe it's because we were too stuffed by then.
The last course was dessert, of course, and I'd have to say that they saved the best for last. On paper it sounded very odd:
"Tea time chai pannacotta, China jasmine jelly, Earl Grey sorbet, milk gel, tea crumble".
I don't know what I can say about this dessert, but it was incredibly good. We lingered the longest over this final course, enjoying every bite.
Thus, our last dinner in Australia was truly memorable. What made this even better what the excellent service from the waitstaff, who always made sure our water glasses were full and providing us with clean plates in between courses whenever we requested them. At AUD72 per person, we felt that it was a very reasonably priced meal given the broad diversity of flavors and ingredients. Very highly recommended.
