Event review: Spring Graze @ Ayatana [24th September]

Location: 97 Chapel Street, Windsor

Phone: 03 9533 8813

Cuisine: Thai, Asian

Overall Impression: 8.5/10

Ayatana celebrates Spring Graze with a delicious five course modern Thai feast prepared with fresh, local Victorian produce sourced from some of Prahran Market's star traders. Also partnering with Oakdene, each course is perfectly matched with one of the winery’s wines.

One of our favourite Thai restaurants in Melbourne, Ayatana serves Modern Thai cuisine with bold and authentic flavour combinations.

1st Course: Hot & sour portobello & flat mushrooms soup

Sourced: Damian Pike - Prahran Market

Matched with: 2010 Oakdene ‘Yvette’ Methode Traditionelle Sparkling

The sweet and sour soup was flavoursome and had the perfect hint of chilli. It was a lovely start to the meal.

2nd Course: Sweet crunchy roasted tamarind bio-dynamic brown rice salad

Sourced: Ripe The Organic Grocer - Prahran Market

Matched with: 2012 Oakdene ‘Jessica’ Sauvignon Blanc

The salad of sweet crunchy roasted tamarind brown rice had an intriguing combination of crushed cashew nuts, green apple, bean shoots, mint, coriander, red onion and crispy noodles. All the dazzlingly fresh ingredients blended harmoniously, resulting in a clean and bright dish with a perfect salt-sour-heat balance.

3rd Course: Caramelised crispy free range berkshire pork belly (Greta Valley free range pork)

Sourced: Gary's Quality Meats - Prahran Market

Matched with: 2012 Oakdene ‘Peta’s’ Pinot Noir

The pork belly was excellent, with a crispy but well-proportioned layer of fat sitting atop a succulent layer of tender, juicy meat. The balance of sweet and salt exhibited great skill.

4th Course: Slow cooked sher wagyu rump massaman curry

Sourced: Neil's Meats - Prahran Market

Matched with: 2010 Oakdene ‘William’ Shiraz

The sher wagyu rump in the masaman curry had been cooked gently, the tender meat falling off the bone and combining wonderfully with the sweet potato pieces and kaffir lime.

5th Course: Salted caramel ice cream sundae, sliced steamed banana, roasted honey macadamia

Sourced: Fritz Gelato - Prahran Market

Matched with: 2013 Oakdene Pinot Grigio

The banana was deliciously soft, gooey and sticky and was infused in a delectable spiced palm sugar caramel. The fritz gelato ice cream was desirably smooth and the toasted honey macadamias plus the salted caramel topped off this killer dessert.

Enjoy a Thai fine dining experience with a modern twist at Ayatana.

The restaurant’s Spring Graze menu will see you on a delectable journey guided by the Thai food compass of 'Hot', 'Sweet', 'Sour', and 'Salty' flavours. The 5 course menu is cleverly designed and incorporates premium produce from Victorian producers (sourced from Prahran Market) delightfully matched with Oakdene wines.

When: Tuesday the 24th of September from 7:30pm to 10:00pm

Where: Ayatana, 97 Chapel Street, Windsor

Phone: (03) 9533 8813

Price: $95.00 per person for 5 courses with matching wines