Wish to be amazed @ Maze

It has been ages.... like way too long.
Last time I entered an entry, the weather was still bearable.
Now the average temp is around 12 every single day teaming with rain, hail & icy winds.
Winter has set deep in indeed. It is a very cold year this year.
I am feeling so uninspired about blogging.

Oh and that I am using my really shitty Sony Camera...
The photo editing afterwords drive me insane. Have to make myself bring out the D90 next time instead of pulling my hair out while editing photos on ACDsee (another reason annoys me but let's not get into that for now.)


Not that my life has been boring.
Actually I ate out quite a lot in the last few months,
I think I just can't be bothered to blog about it.
Thought I would try to get back in by adding my last night's experience dining at one of the latest creations by Gordon Ramsay - Maze Restaurant.

I was very excited about this dinner because the reviews I came across have been mainly positive and their degustation is so reasonably priced... I used the online booking which instantly confirm the availability and really appreciated that. I am mildly annoyed with all these casual-hence-do-not-take-booking dining venues popping up in Melbourne these days because they are so popular (due to the food not the no booking policy) it is a norm to wait between 30min to 1.5 hrs... on week nights! (Mamasita anyone?) which I think really defeat the whole 'casual no-booking' policy. Maybe they just want you to keep on drinking while waiting at the bar... Anyways...

We opted the chef menu and started with fresh bread (of some sort) and seaweed butter which everyone raved. The seaweed taste came through beautifully but I exercised self control knowing we have 7 dishes ahead.

Marinated beetroot with goats curd, cabernet sauvignon vinaigrette, toasted pine nuts: The combination of beetroot with goats curd are really nice. The tang of the beetroot made my mouth water and really get ready to enjoy the dishes later on.

Applewood smoked kingfish, fennel puree, pickled celery, globe artichoke & finger limes: first of the 3 courses diner can choose between 2 dishes. I purely chose this because babe opted for the other. Tasted lovely but didn't really impress me.

Seared yellow fin tuna, white radish, yuzu, enoki mushrooms & black garlic: the other choice other than Kingfish. This was probably the best dish of the night for ALL of us. The melt-in-your-mouth tuna teamed with what I thought being miso sauce (mayb it is yuzu) was just simply divine. Love this!

Pan seared scallop, caramelised kelp, samphire, mussels & champagne foam: famous dish of Maze. Quite nice probably my 2nd favourite. The scallop were actually from Canada which surprised me a bit because GR is all about fresh local produce isn't it?

Pan roasted barramundi, butternut squash, compressed cucumber; pumpkin seeds: 2nd choice to do of the night. I didn't choose this even though barramundi is probably my fav fish atm. I cook them alot at home myself. Actually I think that is why I decided to go for the quail. I only had a bite and it was ok if not a tad dry. I was told the fish skin were very crispy. 

Quail with vegies: errr just realised this dish is actually not on their site hence my poor description. The quail has fast becoming a favourite ingredient of restaurants in recent years. I had tried the best one ever from The Press Club and I just thought I would give it a try again. (not a big fan of quail esp done Chinese-canton way). Beautiful platting and I think they only take the best parts of the quail and lightly fried. (they were from Bendigo btw) Very tasty but not as juicy as I hoped. Maybe I should just go back to The Press Club... 

Lamb Cannon; shoulder, cauliflower puree anchovy, stinging nettles: last choice of the night for us to make which is not mine as I am not a big fan of lamb. And turned out a bit too lamb-y for everyone's liking. I only had a little bit.

Ox "tongue & cheek" caper; raisin, carrots; horseradish pomme puree: my last savoury dish and it is hm.... alright. Tasted very much like braised beef that my mum makes but with western sauce. The tongue has been braised for perhaps too long and lost its special texture that you go for when you order tongue... the carrots was actually very sweet. 

Have to say... something about the main courses, each components just didn't seem to compliment each other well enough IMO... Moving on to deserts, please excuse the blur pix, actually please excuse the shit photos, the dim lighting and my crap camera produced the worst possible photos. My Sony has this amazing ability to take blur photos even I have turned on: close focus, dim-lighting, auto-focus-at-nights. go figure.... argh!

another dish not included on the web menu. I remember it being passion fruit sobert and merigue with some fresh fruit: they are nice and sour which I love in a desert.

Maze "lamington", rosella jam with coconut sorbet crisp teamed with chiffon cake: a slight variation from the website again. Lamington is rich in chocolate and my favourite parts of the dish were the coconut sorbet with the crisp. I actually didn't finish this dish because a chocolate desert has to be amazing to make me finish all. (like that one from Jacques Raymond)

A pleasant surprise at the end, I think it is strawberry ice cream coated with white chocolate. I really liked it actually. Wish I could had 2 or 3. We were also given a little bag with sugar/chocolates to take home.

All in all, I think the chef's menu of $95 for 7 courses is really good value for money. However the whole menu lacks certain something to really impress me... 15hours on, I can only remember beetroot/goats curd and the tuna. I recently visited Embrasse whom proudly procure many local produces in their dishes and they were simply mind-blowing. I think I am slightly confused at what Maze is trying to achieve as it is not really a casual dining joint, yet the dishes are slightly too simple for a fine dining restaurant seeing its very modern deco/ formal service. 


Furthermore, apparently all the dishes are designed to be shared OR order more than just your usual entree/main/desert. But the serving sizes are leaning to the petite side...even for degustation. The boys actually commented on how they ain't very full after all 7 courses + bread. And to be honest, with $95 p.p budget, I can get an amazing entree and descent steak from Rockpool Bar&Grill. The service is friendly however I felt a little rushed at times perhaps I just eat too slow. 

I never think my blog is a foodie one and I don't think I am capable reviewing the food like a pro food critic esp with my fobby English.  At the end of the day I just want to record the food I have because my memories are getting really rustic. I feel I was perhaps expected too much from GR/Maze but I had a fantastic time with babe and 2 dear friends. That is what matter the most.  After dinner we walked to Crown and shops were still open so we went shopping. You can't get any better than that. :)

maze Melbourne
Level 1, Crown Metropol
Corner of Whiteman and Clarendon Streets,
Southbank, Victoria 3006