“Attica was ranked 53rd in the San Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant 2011 (compared to Amber in Hong Kong, which I tried earlier this May, which was ranked 37th). However, I was impressed with Attica’s unique dining experience. Their tasting menu was exemplary and sophisticated.
Surprisingly for a restaurant of such high caliber, Attica is not located in the center of Melbourne. It is located in Ripponlee, a southeastern suburb of Melbourne. The red brick facade greeted us and behind the black wooden doors we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with an 8-course tasting menu that took us almost 4.5 hours to finish.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was very simple. Dark (almost black) walls surrounded us with dim ambient lighting and a simple spotlight focusing on each table – as if to signify that the stars of the night would be the amazing dishes.
Since Attica doesn’t have a BYO policy, we ordered YarraLoch chardonnay (from the Yarra Valley) to go with dinner. We started with the Amuse Bouche, or Raw Prawn. Raw prawns had a refreshing taste thanks to simple-looking ingredients (Jerusalem artichoke and mustard seeds).
First, there’s the legendary Snow Crab, inspired by the Mount Taranaki volcano in New Zealand, the country where Chef Ben Shuri grew up. It’s legendary because I couldn’t find any images of what’s buried under that pile of snow-like fine powder. It becomes even more legendary after tasting it, as I have not tasted anything close to the texture of the white powdery substance!!! It turns out that the “snow” effect was created using lyophilized coconut (a tropical fruit commonly available in Southeast Asia). A mixture of crab and salmon caviar is buried under the “snow”. When you feel the “snow” melting in your mouth, you will feel the salmon caviar popping out. The texture is fantastic. It’s a shame that the crab flavor is a bit masked by the other ingredients that are fighting for attention. But it definitely made me think: “How did the chef invent this dish?!” Brilliant.
The second course was Marron, leeks, egg yoke. Marron is a type of crayfish from Western Australia that tastes like lobster and is considered a luxury product that is highly prized by chefs. We were left wondering whether to eat the leeks and zucchini together or separately. Either way, I liked the way the chef handled the leeks. The trick is to add leek ash on top of the leeks, which results in a complex flavor. Because the brain reflexively associates the smell of “ash” with burnt or overcooked food; but the leeks sprinkled with egg yolk were crispy and crunchy – it plays tricks on our brains =)
The next dish, “A Simple Dish of Potatoes Cooked on the Land She Grew,” is Chef Ben Shuri’s signature dish. It’s an oxymoron to call it a “simple dish” because apparently the potatoes were cooked for at least 5 hours (?!) to get the rich, creamy texture. The smoked goat cheese and fried saltire leaves gave this dish an “earthy” flavor.
Next up was “Pearl Oyster Meat”. Pearl meat is said to be a rare and valuable seafood, it is harvested during a short two-month season from July to August. Like any oyster meat, it is said to have aphrodisiac properties. The consistency of pearl meat is similar to that of scallop and abalone, viscous and meaty.