At the end of January, we went to Charlie Carrington’s
Atlas Dining in South Melbourne. The menu changes every 4 months and this was
the first week of the Peru menu. Never having tried Peruvian food
before, I was pretty excited to see how the dishes
would play out. We opted for the 2 extra Nikkei courses ($25) on top of
the standard 5 courses.
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| Smoked Bonito Ceviche |
The first dish was smoked bonito ceviche. It was
swimming in a pool of passionfruit. It was a bit too acidic for my
liking but the bonito was super soft. I would have preferred more
crunchy elements as it was pretty sparse. It was not the
strongest start.
 |
| Grilled fig, eel |
Next was the first Nikkei course. This had Japanese
influence, which is what enticed me. It was grilled fig, eel, tempura
parsley and lime segments. This was hands down the best course of the
night. The flavours were truly a umami bomb
and I kept coming back for more. The textures were all spot on and
contrasted well and that sauce was a killer. I still think about it.
YUMMM!
 |
| Rainbow trout, fermented rock melon and ponzu dressing |
The second Nikkei course was the rainbow trout,
fermented rock melon and ponzu dressing. In my opinion, the rock melon
overpowered the trout. I am not a fan of fruit in my meals as it makes
the dish quite sweet. It did help that the little
pops of salmon roe brought it back to a more savoury finish.
 |
| Potato, ocopa and
aji |
Our next course was the potato, ocopa and
aji. This was described as a representation of a popular Peruvian street
food, like a fried potato cake. I loved the flavours of this dish. It
was cheesy but tasted really earthy. The ocopa and
aji sauce was absolutely delicious as it had the right amount of spice,
that just danced on your tongue. Such a good dish!
 |
| Duck, beans and eggplant |
Up next was the duck, beans and eggplant. The duck
breast sat on top of a smoked eggplant puree and accompanied by puffed
vermicelli and charred green beans. This dish was more reminiscent of
Asian flavours but still tasted nice. I liked
the crunch of the beans and smoky eggplant when paired together.
 |
| Lamb, arroz
and uchucuta |
Our last savoury dish of the night was lamb, arroz
and uchucuta. This had an Italian influence as arroz is the Spanish word
for rice and it was a Peruvian risotto cooked with parmesan. It was
topped with lamb jerky, uchucuta (Peruvian salsa)
and anchovy powder. This was so deliciously cheesy and I was in cheese
heaven. The jerky was a bit much to chew on so I gave most of it to
Kevin, who happily ate it all. It was a touch salty but I did not mind.
Fantastic dish!
Surprise! We were given an empanada each to replace
the bread and butter course. It was filled with minced lamb and spices
and we were dip it in a spice green sauce. TBH the empanada was a touch
bland.
 |
| Chocolate, quinoa,
pisco and lime |
Dessert time! This consisted of chocolate, quinoa,
pisco and lime. Kevin could not stop raving about this dish. The lime
ice cream was tangy and contrasted well with the bitter quinoa. It was a
very balanced dish. The candied lime was a
nice touch as well.
Overall, we had a great time at Atlas
Dining. The waitstaff were very friendly and explained the dishes well.
I had a great view of the kitchen and got to have a peek of how the
dishes are assembled for service. The food was great and I
am glad I ordered the 2 extra Nikkei courses because the fig and eel
dish was to die for. Not all the dishes blew me away but I didn’t leave
disappointed. For only $100 per person, it is actually quite affordable
fine dining. Kevin, being a carnivorous eater
preferred more meat portions but the dessert won him over. It was
interesting trying the Peruvian menu but I am quite sad I missed out on
the Mexican menu that only ended a couple weeks ago!
Taste: 7.5/10
Presentation: 8/10
Value for Money - 8/10
Service: 8/10
