100 Mile Cafe

Location: Level 3 Melbourne Central, 211 La Trobe St
Tel: 9654 0808
Website: http://www.100milecafe.com.au

CHAMPIONING LOCAL PRODUCE

Sustainable living is gaining increasing importance nowadays, and it was only a matter of time before this translated into sustainable produce making an appearance in restaurants. The 100 Mile Cafe eschews half-measures in this regard, sourcing their produce entirely within a 100 mile radius of Melbourne. Many would regard this as something of a handicap, but the 100 Mile Cafe manages to pull it off with style and panache.

We had to wait for about 20 minutes for a table despite a booking, which did not give me a positive first impression of the restaurant. However, the food more than compensated for the initial wait. For starters we shared woodfired bread covered with Mont Morency mushrooms. It was a rustic pita type bread generously covered with mushrooms. The flavour from the mushrooms was intense, with just enough salt and a slightly meaty taste. Fantastic.

Not so fantastic was the half-hour wait until the rest of our entrees arrived. I had the eel mille-feuille ($17) and I must say, it was worth the wait. 3 big chunks of gently roasted eel were sandwiched between two layers of golden puff pastry. The eel was sweet and succulent whilst the puff pastry was nice and crispy. On the side was a salad of endives with apple and sultanas, with an artful line of what I took to be sweetened balsamic vinegar separating the eel from the vegetables. The combined sweetness of the apple, sultanas and balasamic matched the eel perfectly. Overall a very well-thought out dish and competently executed.

My dining companions had the house smoked duck sushi ($5 / piece). Whilst this wasn't cheap, the quality of the local produce and the cooking was reflected by the speed at which the sushi was devoured. The duck itself was gently smoked and then covered with a light glaze of teriyaki. A simple and elegant combination that was very comptently executed.

Unfortunately, it was another half-hour before the mains arrived. This was disappointingly slow service from a restaurant that otherwise had everything going for it. The ambience was smart but not too stifling, with the polished wooden rafters lending a slightly rustic charm to the restaurant. The food was good and the service was polite and attentive. A shame about the long wait between courses.

For mains I had the King George Whiting tempura style. 4 small golden fillets of whiting arrived buried under a mound of capsicum, ladies finger and pumpkin. Accompanying it was a small bowl of tentsuyu sauce. The fish was well-cooked, with a light coating of crispy batter coddling the sweet whiting. The batter perfectly preserved the juiciness and texture of the fish, allowing the freshness of the produce to shine through.

The braised ox cheek my dining companions had also garnered significant praise.

Given the length of the wait between courses, we did not bother with dessert. Despite the tempting menu, it did not justify a further half hour wait.


Rating: 16/20

The food was great and deserved a higher mark, too bad the service did not match it.