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Him

I spent the weekend in Melbourne with her. It was delightful. I arrived in time for lunch.

Malin Melbourne

https://www.malinmelbourne.com

Him

She suggested Malin Melbourne. Malin is situated in North Carlton or Carlton North, if you’re a local. I know very little about Melbourne. It is not a place I desire to live in. The restaurant is known for its Executive Chef Clément Pilatre and his French cuisine.

When we entered the restaurant, we were shown to a table for two. It was in a quiet corner, opposite a window overlooking the street. Our servers were friendly, informative, and knowledgeable about the food. They also made small talk in a way that was not uncomfortable. While they were knowledgeable, their use of French terms meant I had to start searching social media to better understand the dishes. While searching for the restaurant on Instagram, I found some posts with accurate descriptions of the dishes we were served. I know I could have asked our servers for more information. But I was in Melbourne to catch up with her, not to become more knowledgeable about French cuisine. She was my focus.

First Course (Queensland King Prawn):
The dish centres on a poached king prawn, exhibiting its coral colours. It sits atop a green herb oil or herb purée and a rich, velvety orange emulsion, likely a bisque-based sauce. It is garnished with fresh sprigs of bronze fennel and dark quenelles.

Second Course (Seafood in Cabbage Leaves):
This is a Choux Farci (stuffed cabbage). The tightly bound, steamed green cabbage parcel holds a rich shellfish filling (featuring clams and chicken or other seasonal shellfish). It sits in a pool of split, foaming sauce.

Side Accompaniment (Beans and Emulsion):
Served alongside the cabbage roll, this bowl balances the seafood with braised white beans in a light, savoury broth, blanketed with a thick, frothy, golden egg-based or potato emulsion. It is topped with vibrant red edible carnation petals.

Third Course (Meringue Pavlova):
This Australian (possibly New Zealand, depending on who you believe) dessert features a hollow, spherical crisp meringue shell cracked open to reveal a hidden yolk of bright mango and passionfruit gels atop Chantilly cream. A rich quenelle of dark chocolate sorbet crowns it, nestled among delicate ruffles of white botanic shards and dusted with fine cocoa powder.

Petits Fours (Hazelnut Chocolate Tartlets):
A pair of bite-sized tarts (looking like googly eyes) features a crisp, dark cocoa pastry base filled with a smooth, glossy ring of hazelnut paste cream. The centre is capped with a pool of hazelnut chocolate spread, served on a sandstone slab.

Him

I would prefer to end the meal with the pavlova. In French tasting menus, the petits fours are served after the dessert as a ‘sweet treat’ to enjoy alongside coffee, tea, or an after-dinner alcoholic beverage. However, because hazelnut and chocolate are dense and rich, they overshadowed the bright, refreshing acidity of passionfruit and mango, reversing the palate-cleansing effect.

Her

A love like this is illogical, but we both love food. It had been a while between shared meals so with need for three while sharing the same city, we arrived at the same conclusion to make meals of it.

The Plough Hotel

Him

During the afternoon, we worked up an appetite walking around the central business district and visiting various shops.

For dinner we visited The Plough @ Myrniong. https://www.theplough.com.au/

He had a slow-cooked Angus beef chuck steak with chips, red cabbage slaw, and pepper gravy. It came on a white platter, with the steak already sliced.

The Sliced Steak: The Angus chuck steak was charred on the outside and pre-sliced to show off a medium-rare interior. Because chuck is a shoulder cut with lots of connective tissue, standard quick grilling would make it tough. Slow-cooking melts the collagen into rich gelatine, which is why it was so tender, succulent, and deeply ‘beefy’.

Beef Tallow-Fried Chips: The chips were served hot inside a wire frying basket. Frying potatoes in beef tallow (rendered beef fat) gives the exterior a deep golden crunch while imparting a rich flavour that pairs well with the steak.

Red Cabbage Slaw: A vibrant, finely shredded mound of purple cabbage brought a crisp, refreshing, and slightly acidic contrast to balance the richness of the beef and fried chips.

The Pepper Gravy: The steak came with a jug of pepper gravy to drizzle over the carved steak.

Her meal was slow-roasted lamb roll served on mashed potato, with sauce and watercress.

The Lamb: A caramelised portion of rolled, slow-roasted lamb. As with the chuck steak, slow-roasting the lamb over several hours breaks down the tough connective tissue, allowing the meat to absorb its own fats and juices until it is tender enough to pull apart with a fork.

The Mashed Potato: The mashed potato was smooth and buttery, contrasting with the lamb’s roasted exterior.

The Braising Sauce: The dish sits in a pool of rustic, deeply savoury reduction sauce flecked with bits of slow-cooked braising vegetables (like carrots and onions), which ties the lamb and potato together seamlessly.

The Garnish: The dish is topped with a fresh, vibrant bundle of watercress. Its peppery, clean bite cuts through the velvety mash and rich sauce, cleansing the palate between bites.

Her

A love like this is fragile. In its history is hurt, its future is uncertain.

Baby Black Espresso Bar

Him

On Sunday morning they ventured into Bacchus Marsh for breakfast at the Baby Black Espresso Bar. It is a popular, retro cafe. The cafe is set inside a converted 1860s miner’s cottage with a vintage interior and an outdoor courtyard. It is known locally for its Genovese coffee, brunch options, and atmosphere.

His: French Toast: Features a generous stack of thick brioche-style French toast coated in powdered sugar. It is topped with multiple crispy strips of pan-fried bacon and heavily garnished with a fresh bundle of watercress. A small metal pitcher filled with maple syrup sits on the side, ready to be poured.

Hers: Smashed Avocado: Sourdough toast topped with chunky smashed avocado, crumbled goat’s cheese, and a crunchy blend of toasted pumpkin seeds and black sesame seeds. The plate is decorated with a drizzle of balsamic glaze alongside a lemon wedge. She added charred, grilled half-tomatoes.

Theirs: Smoked Salmon: A side portion of thinly sliced smoked salmon rolled together on a small white plate. It is garnished with microgreens and sprouts, accompanied by a fresh wedge of yellow lemon.

Her

Truth be told all plates were shared. A love like this is hopeful. In spite of everything it stands. Timeless, satisfying and wholesome, like Malin’s freshly baked bread and house-churned butter that he did not mention. Maybe we’ll break bread again. I’d like to.