Plage Restaurant, Cremorne

Plage Restaurant is casual fine dining with Japanese flavours infused with European taste and technique. This venue is fabulous as it show cases fine dining technique at a reasonable price point. I've been here several times and intend on having a function here. They regularly update the menu so let's see what's new. 

I am a big fan of Tomoyuki Usui's work, he's such a talented chef, very much worthy of the hat from the Australian Good Food Guide.

Matt and I are here on this particular Thursday night and it's almost a full house. There's a special chef's selection menu and also a full a la cart menu to choose from. But first, Matt goes for a refreshing beer while I stick to sparkling water.

Tonight we start with the amuse bouche which is the fig, goat's curd and golden plum. This is a nice and light way to start the meal with a touch of sweetness and light smooth texture and tangy flavour from the goat's curd. It will awaken the taste buds.

Then there's the crusty warm bread with butter. I always get excited when there's warm bread. Nice bread  and butter always sets the tone for the meal. Matt and I basically devour the bread. It's simple but delish.

Then there's the cuttlefish and scallop tart with truffle emulsion. Matt is allergic to shell fish so it's me who enjoys this dish solo. The delicate little tart shell encases freshly cut up cuttlefish and scallop in a light truffle emulsion. The caviar pops in your mouth. It's delicious. 

Plage Restaurant has been one of my favourite restaurants in the last few years. It's really clever in how the head chef has curated the journey of flavours. This dish sets up the flavour palette for the next dish.

The next dish is the Hirashima Kingfish. Matt and I love sashimi especially when it's curated with complex textures and little touches to add additional complementary flavours. There's a creamy foam and a light radish with a japanese powder and a sweet citris drizzle. This elegant and sophisticated dish appealed to my love of Kingfish and I'd highly recommend.

The next dish is a medley of Mushrooms.  I always underestimate how delicious vegetarian dishes can be. With several times of mushrooms, cooked in different ways complimented with lotus root and squash for a medley of flavours - I was absolutely blown away with this dish. The fried enokitaki mushrooms provided crunchy contrast with the giant mushroom-like steak. The sauce brings everything together. I would recommend - even those who wouldn't normally like vegetarian dishes.

The next dish is the Tajima Wagyu Beef Rump Cap with crumbed carrot with greens, young garlic and a smooth rich sauce to bring the beef to life.  This dish combines the hearty and homely feels of the wagyu with a little bit of posh. This more substantive dish is very cleverly paired right after the mushroom dish and the flavours gel very well on the palette. I highly recommend!

We also enjoy a side of greens in a cheesey sauce and crumb. This is a great way to enjoy side vegetables in a tasty and sophisticated way.

What a beautiful meal so far. For dessert, we have the Rockmelon x Sweet Potato with lemon myrtle, yoghurt. I am so surprised about how well the savoury tones of the sweet potato work well with the lemon myrtle yoghurt and rock melon. It's a really well crafted dish. How clever.

Matt also devours the Dark Chocolate x Cherry with white chocolate and pink pepper corn. This dish has more traditional dessert flavours and has nice textural contrast. I enjoy this dish as well but I am still thinking about the first dessert.

Summary: Overall, another flawless meal at Plage Restaurant. The sophisticated technique coupled with delicious flavours always makes for a pleasant meal. I highly recommend dinner or a degustation here. I enjoyed all the dishes and can't wait to have my function here. Make sure you read about my previous experiences here.

Price: Seasonal Chef's Selection $65 or you can do a Prix Fixe 3 course meal (Entree, Main and Dessert) for $55

Location:  8/255 Military Rd, Cremorne

Opening Hours: 
6pm to 11pm Everyday except Tuesday. Closed Tuesdays

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of the venue or their representatives. All photos, opinions and words are my own.