Last week, I wrote about my top five $55+ menus for this year’s Restaurant Month. In what is now turning into somewhat of a miniseries, I want to shift gears and direct your attention to another set of Restaurant Month menus… the $40 menus. I have selected my top five picks and here they are in no particular order:
Dirty Laundry
$40 for a 2-course dinner or lunch
Entrée:
Market fish ceviche: Citrus, chilli, pear, ponzu | Lamb tartare: Buffalo cheese, piccalilli, dill
Main:
Green lipped mussels: White wine, chilli, garlic, grilled ciabatta | BBQ ribs: Barbeque sauce, slaw
Served with:
Truffle parmesan shoestring fries with main
Frida Cocina Mexicana & Tequila Bar
$40 for a 3-course dinner
Entrée:
Papas bravas: Fried crispy potato served with spicy three chilli sauce | Sopesitos: Thick corn shell tortilla filled with refried beans or chicken and topped with tomato, onion, cheese and sour cream
Main:
Pollo con Mole: Poblano Grilled chicken with traditional red chilli pepper, peanut and chocolate sauce served with whole or refried beans, rice and corn flour tortillas | Tacos carne asada (3 pieces): Traditional corn tortilla with marinated grilled steak, onion, tomato & cheese | Enchilada salsa verde: Corn tortilla rolled and filled with shredded chicken and topped with choice of salsa, mozzarella, onion and sour cream
Dessert:
Arroz con leche: Traditional sweet rice pudding with cinnamon | Mosaico Mexicano: Traditional dessert of colourful jelly and condensed milk
Ortolana
$40 for a 3-course dinner
Entrée:
Beef tartare: Radish, house mustard, egg yolk | Beetroot, blue cheese, hazelnut
Main:
Fazzoletti: Shiitake, portobello, swiss brown, pangrattato | Organic chicken cotoletta: Kale, pine nut, goddess dressing
Dessert:
Pear and ginger upside down cake, yoghurt, honeycomb | Chocolate torte, chocolate crema, rhubarb, macadamia
Culprit.
$40 for a 3+ course dinner
Koha:
Chip and dip
Entrée:
TV dinner – four bite-sized dishes from their regular night time trolley service
Main:
Roast monkfish: Celeriac purée, chicken wing jus, cavolo nero | Pressed roast pig face: Bitter leaves, puffed pork skin, apple and pork sauce
Dessert:
Peanut slab mousse: Milk chocolate, caramel popcorn, peanuts
Soul Bar & Bistro
$40 for a 2-course dinner or lunch
Choose an entrée and main, with an option to add dessert
Entrée:
Tuna tartare, aji amarillo and orange, coconut labneh | Salt and pepper squid, lemon, almond skordalia, chilli oil | Smoked chicken live pâté, sweet and sour date syrup, grilled sourdough
Main:
Ricotta cavatelli, homemade pork sausage, truffle | Grilled tarakihi, celeriac and smoked lardon fricassee, bacon dashi | Beef and Guinness short rib, parsnip purée, horseradish gremolata
Dessert:
Pear and ginger pudding, butterscotch sauce, yogurt ice cream (supplement $6) | Crème fraîche panna cotta, lemon curd, shortbreads (supplement $6)
