Waterfront Soutgate
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Melbourne’s newest riverside outdoor dining destination at Southgate will leave city-goers spoilt for choice while soaking in some of the best views of the spectacular CBD skyline. Located outside the iconic food and retail precinct which fronts the Yarra River, Southgate has transformed its Yarra Promenade into an outdoor dining oasis, with a selection of restaurants that have launched their new pop-up spaces to the public and will remain open until mid-2021.
Southgate’s outdoor dining precinct offers unrivalled, panoramic views of the CBD while guests dine on the restaurants’ refreshed summer menus and drinks – with dining options and seating stretching over 800 square metres between the Evan Walker and Princes Bridges along the river.
An absolute must-visit is Waterfront, which offers Japanese-inspired seafood and grill options complemented by an extensive selection of both local and internationally sourced wines.
The cuisine is bold and meticulously prepared. Traditional cooking techniques used in the kitchen to produce contemporary combinations of flavours. Inspired by fresh produce, the new menu delivers an urban sensibility to this iconic Southgate restaurant.
The restaurant is ideal for serious grape lovers, laying claim to an impressive and comprehensive wine list. Ceiling-high temperature controlled wine cabinets are elegantly displayed. The lengthy wine list covers the major grape varieties, but also includes less familiar varietals.
We started with the dish of King Fish Carpaccio. It was an excellent dish displaying technique and skilful restraint. The kingfish was beautifully presented and accompanied by a chive, shallot, chilli sauce, white soy-based marinade that cured the kingfish. It was a wonderful mélange of salinity, sweetness and acidity.
The dish of local bay scallops served with Thai red curry, kaffir lime and crispy garlic was similarly delightful.
For mains we opted for 400g Rib Eye, Certified Australian Black Angus and a bowl of Moreton Bay bugs. Both dishes were expertly prepared. The steak was a memorable dish particularly noteworthy for its fragrant and complex beefy flavours whilst the Moreton Bay bugs were plump and juicy with the meat easily pulling away from the shell.
Our dining experience concluded on a sweet note with two classical desserts – sticky date pudding and chocolate fondant. As was the theme of the evening, both were superb. The sticky date pudding was wonderfully rich and satisfying while the chocolate fondant was a chocoholic’s dream, boasting a billowing chocolate centre.
Location: Shop 20, Southgate Precinct, 3 Southgate Avenue, Southbank
Phone: (03) 9686 9766
