Prince Dining Room
/
Having been open for decades, Prince Hotel’s celebrated restaurant has undergone a radical transformation to provide its diners with an experience that is less "fine dining" and more relaxed. Enter Prince Dining Room. Gone are the formal settings – you won’t see white linen table cloths here. In its place is a refurbished dining room dominated by urban and grungy tones - consistent with the current restaurant vogue.
The current setting has a bright airy spaciousness which creates a comfortable informal feel. At the same time, the use of separate adjoining rooms connected to the main dining room fosters the impression that the dining room is smaller than it actually is and manufactures an element of intimacy.
Over the years, the PDR kitchen has played host to a number of highly acclaimed chefs. Now at the pass, Head Chef Dan Cooper is charged with the responsibility of maintaining the restaurant’s esteemed reputation.
The current menu is light, flavoursome and inspired by hyper-seasonal ingredients, always working at the peak of the seasons. We loved tasting our way through the menu.
To start beautiful tender ribbons of calamari, chilli, peppers and almond whet our appetites. The dish of pork and fennel sausage, smoked scamorza and honey flatbread was similarly delicious. The appeal of PDR’s flatbread lies in its beautiful crusts and the use of quality produce.
For mains the lamb shoulder cooked on the bone with pinenut and raisins was a stunner. Simply falling off the bone, the perfectly seasoned lamb possessed the customary punchy flavours influenced by Middle Eastern cuisine and was beautifully hearty.
The dessert that followed was consistent with the savoury courses - superbly executed. The vanilla parfait, wood oven strawberries and shortbread had a vibrant combination of flavours. The parfait simply melted in our mouths and possessed just the perfect level of sweetness which was further enhanced by the strawberries.
Combining warm, amiable service, and an impressive menu within chic yet relaxed surrounds, PDR is worth visiting, and revisiting. Under the guidance of Cooper, PDR is more than capable of maintaining its legacy forged over the past decades. And it just so happens to be located in a hotel if you fancy staying the night.
The restaurant also currently as a 22% off dining offer to keep you in the holiday mood all January long. All you need to do is dine between Wednesday and Sunday, between 4pm to 8pm.
Location: 2 Acland Street, St Kilda
Phone: (03) 9536 1122
