Thursday 9 April 2015

Supernormal









Sea bream, white soy & ginger

New England Lobster roll


Whole roasted flounder, seaweed butter, potato & spring onion

Slow cooked Szechuan lamb to share

Spring onion pancake/ coriander paste (comes with the Szechuan lamb)


Apricot kernel custard, elderflower, raspberry & aloe vera

Peanut Butter Parfait, salted caramel & soft chocolate




SUPERNORMAL pretty lives up to its name. The menu wasn't beyond your imagination. You won't read the menu and raise an eyebrow at it. It's not even a menu that would confuse you like many others but it really was the best normal.

Stepping to Supernormal was like stepping into a silver land. The futuristic vibe of the restaurant was provided by the dominant metallic interior, toned down by wood decors. Situated on Flinders Lane (close to Swanston Street), Supernormal is a pretty hard to miss restaurant with its eye catching red neon light. The bar area and table area were split apart by a long 'corridor' in between, as if imitating a runway platform. You can feel the linearity of the building just beyond the door, as the style extends into the restaurant. The atmosphere of the restaurant was great as we see the busy bustling of waiters/waitresses running in and out of the kitchen.

Oh the wait was forever (okay, not forever but 40-50 minutes wait pretty much seemed like forever). We were seated at the bar area afterwards, facing the kitchen and feeling very hungry. As my eyes were taking in all of the menu, I knew I wanted the lobster roll. It wasn't hard to make decisions as we were situated across the semi-open kitchen with hawk like eyes on every single dish being put together. Something from the raw bar, lobster roll, mains and 'stressed' spelt backwards.

The sea bream from the raw bar was sea-fresh (ha. ha.) and a little bit of oil was used to retain the moisture of the raw fish. The seaweed taste was a little dominant and it tasted exactly like the korean roasted seaweed, Gim (or Kim). The ginger taste was subtle and added a refreshing taste to the dish.

Next up, it was my favourite, FAVOURITE dish of the night. Dun dun dun DUUUUUN: the New England Lobster Roll. It's a must try, must have, you-won't-regret-it dish. The bun was amazing, it was sweet and moist on the inside but a thin layer of crisp on the outside. It complimented the mouth watering poached lobster that was naturally sweet, mingling with a mustard like sauce. Just thinking about it makes me want to make a midnight run back to Supernormal.

The mains didn't make a lasting impression compared to the lobster roll. The flounder was cooked to perfection, the fish meat was firm, telling us it's definitely fresh. The lamb was Szechuan inspired but very different from the original Chinese dish. Tomato was used as the base of the sauce paired with Szechuan peppers and chilli oil. The lamb was tender and neither fatty or gamey.

We finished the meal of with desserts and ahhhhh I wanted to order every single one of it. We settled with the Peanut Butter Parfait and the Apricot kernel custard. The parfait was a combination of peanut butter, chocolate and salted caramel. It was a safe pairing but what surprised me was that the sweetness came from the salted caramel only. Hence, it wasn't overbearingly sweet that comes with most dessert like this. The crunchy peanuts added texture to the smoothness of the peanut butter and the chocolate. Those who love peanut butter? Go for it. The Apricot kernel custard are definitely for the fruity dessert lovers. It's sweet and refreshing, fragrant from the elderflower. Definitely recommend this to those who are very stuffed from a meal but still calls for dessert.

Conclusion: Kindon and I have already planned our next visit for the lobster roll and soft serve.



180 FLINDERS LANE
MELBOURNE VIC 3000

T. 03 9650 8688
SUNDAY TO THURSDAY
11AM – 11PM
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
11AM – MIDNIGHT


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