Restaurant Review: The Press Club

Location: 72 Flinders Street, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9677 9677
Link: thepressclub.com.au
Cuisine: Modern Greek, Modern Australian
Overall Impression: 8/10

Being big fans of George Calombaris, J and I were excited to revisit his flagship restaurant, The Press Club.

 

Umame bread

The Press Club serves Modern Greek cuisine. We opted for the Symposium degustation menu with matching wines. Given it was truffle season, we had the option of receiving an extra truffle course for $35 per person - a proposition we could not refuse. 

 

Epanomi “Glykadia”- sweetbread

The degustation menu took us on a Hellenic gastronomic journey where the techniques executed were modern and contemporary but the food retained authentic Greek cuisine characteristics that had a lot of heart and soul.  

 

Mouzaki “Aiginares Artichoke”

The courses started with subtle delicate flavours. As the dinner progressed, the flavours increased in intensity, working its way up to the main – the Thraki “Moschari – Beef” which was the highlight of our evening. 

 

Karpathose “Xifias - Swordfish”

Crete “Psari – Hapuka” 

Tasmania truffle, Bannockburn chicken girolles

There was one downside to our dining experience at The Press Club and it was the additional truffle course. While the dish had commendably generous shavings of truffle, the truffle unfortunately lacked flavour and aroma. As a result, the truffles played a small supporting role instead of being the hero of the dish. It was however, difficult to be too critical given the fact that the other elements of the dish had been executed perfectly.

Epirus “Elafi – Venison”

Thraki “Moschari – Beef”

This was the dish of the night. The morsels of beef were the tenderest pieces of meat I have ever had. It melted in my mouth and was incredibly soft but not to the point where it had lost its texture and integrity as beef. It was brilliant. The flavours were beautifully intense and delicious.

Corfu “Refreshing”

Athens “Sokolata – Chocolate”

The Press Club is great for a relaxing dinner or a celebration. The ambience is lively and classy - the dining room is endowed with black marble, chandeliers and wooden panels. The service is attentive and friendly without being intrusive. Each dish was executed perfectly - each course had flavours that were well balanced coupled with a beautiful mix of textures. It is no wonder The Press Club remains one of the most highly regarded dining establishments in Melbourne.