The Lion, Melbourne Street

I went here for lunch with a friend yesterday, having not been here for years.  I was pleasantly surprised by the very chic decor and furnishings in the dining area and was pleased that we were seated in a cosy and comfortable semi-circular booth.

The service was superb right throughout the luncheon and the food was beautifully presented and tasted terrific.  We began with an appetiser of warm, marinated sardines with pickled green peppers  and pearl onions as shown left and were not disappointed, as the marinade was subtle and didn't overwhelm the sardine taste and the miniature pickled peppers complemented the sardines perfectly.   

This was then followed by an entree each and I chose the kingfish ceviche with Vietnamese flavours which is shown right while my companion chose the scallops dish shown under.  My kingfish was artfully garnished with micro-greens and served with finely sliced radish, sour melon and coconut and yuzu.  The fish was also sliced delicately in symmetrical rounds and marinated for the right amount of time so that it was not cooked, like some ceviches can often be.  Overall a lovely dish that I enjoyed immensely.

My companion commented that her scallops were perfectly pan fried and tender and that she enjoyed the contrast between the smooth, soft texture of the scallop with the crispy chicken wings that were served beneath as a base.  She also liked the presentation of the dish with its accompaniments of almond gazpacho, black garlic and the colour that was added to the plate with the bright red cocktail tomato, tomato basil jelly and  micro greens.

We finished our meal by sharing an almond and vanilla chocolate bar, but agreed that while it tasted delicious and satisfied our need to finish with something small and sweet it was too rich and too sweet for our palates.

Overall this was a really pleasant experience for us both and we  agreed to return on another occasion for dinner, when we had larger appetites.