Finally the scaffolding is down and we can re enter The Melbourne Hotel. I’d watched for weeks as the iron girders were replaced with a giant decorative ribbon wrapping around the whole building. Last week we ventured in, starting with a trip to the roof top bar and then a meal at the Grand Orient Cantonese restaurant.
©The Ponder Room
The first thing you notice about The Grand Orient is the stunning decor.
©The Ponder Room
Knowing we three friends were going to chat, a lot, we opted for one of the two table settings in the bar area. The bar area remained empty all night as so we were lucky enough to have what was effectively a private dining nook.
©The Ponder Room
©The Ponder Room
And so to the food. The large and interesting menu of Cantonese options was overwhelming. I ran out of fingers trying to mark my suggestions. In the end we went for one of the set menus, $148 for four people.
First up were crunchy wrapped prawns. Quality, large meaty, soft prawns presented in a crisp pancake style wrapper. This was followed by a simple clear chicken soup, a puddle of bones in the bottom of the dish to prove there was no stock cube involved.
©The Ponder Room
Three share places quickly followed along with rice that was served for you.
The glossy pan fried beef tenderloin with Peking sauce was served on a bed of onions, the meat so tender it melted as soon as you put it in your mouth. I would suggest that bite size pieces would be more appropriate, especially for ladies eating with chopsticks.
©The Ponder Room
The homemade spinach bean curd dish was fascinating, not least because the curd arrived with three layers of green. The smooth crab sauce was delicious. Again it was a little difficult to eat the vegetables daintily with chopsticks. The flavour and textures were wonderful, for those like me who have developed an fondness for bean curd.
©The Ponder Room
The fish (pan friend trout) with ginger and spring onions had just the right amount of ginger so it didn’t overpower the soft delicate fish.
©The Ponder Room
©The Ponder Room
Dessert was a coconut osmanthus jelly stack which seemed to defy gravity. A perfect ending.
©The Ponder Room
Throughout the evening the service couldn’t be faulted. As we sat unable to move I pondered:
- What a different atmosphere from the front bar of the much loved 1897 Old Melbourne Hotel;
- So good to see this gorgeous old hotel cleaned up and teeming full of people again;
- The overall feeling was one of fine dining minus the feeling that your school headmaster is standing behind you;
- I’ll definitely be back for one of the one person packages.
For more details go to The Melbourne Hotel.
-
food
-
service
-
atmosphere
