Hemisphere Conference Centre and Hotel
488 South Road
Moorabbin Vic 3189
Tel: (03) 9209 5959
www.hemisphere.com.au
http://www.hemisphere.com.au/melbourne-culinary.html
Menus:
http://www.hemisphere.com.au/catering-menus.html
Group dinner, Wednesday 30 May 2012
I dined in the Hemisphere restaurant with a group of colleagues after a training workshop which was being held at the venue. We had two tables of around eight people, seated in the back of the restaurant. We were served by a charming and attentive young waitress, and it transpired that she was training towards the same vocation as the majority of the persons present!
Only one person on our table had an entree, so I will concentrate on the main courses and desserts. There was a bit of a wait for the food to come, but all the dishes ordered for each course were delivered efficiently at much the same time. We also had some of the garlic bread ($5.00). The presentation of this was a little puzzling - thick slabs of triangular-cut white bread with a tasty enough melted garlic, butter and parsley topping. There was so much bread in comparison to the topping that it would have been impossible not to fill up on bread if you had more than one slice, so most of it went uneaten.
Two people at our table had the "Three cheese ravioli served with a medley of wild mushrooms in a creamy sauce, finished with wild rocket ($21.50)". I am told that this was nice. Two others had steaks, served with homemade chunky chips and seasonal vegetables ($27.50 to $36.00). Neither steak was cooked as the person had ordered, with the result that they swapped! I had the "Whole baked baby barramundi filled with pickled ginger, chilli and spring onions, served with wok tossed broccoli and shitake mushrooms in a soy and ginger reduction" ($26.50). This was pretty much as described. The fish had been de-boned internally and stuffed. However, the flavour of the stuffing and the reduction was overly astringent, and I did not enjoy it. My colleagues had ordered for the table side dishes ($6.00) of shoe string chips, buttered seasonal vegetables and garden salad with red wine and seeded mustard viniagrette. The latter two appeared fresh (and the vegetables tasted fresh if a little bland), and since I am not a fan of chips, especially shoe-string, I did not try these.
The desserts appeared to be more successful on the whole. Other people at our table tried (no complaints heard!) the "Warm compote of rhubarb and vanilla bean with ice cream" ($9.50) and the "Seasonal fruit platter with fruit sorbet" ($10.50) and I had the "Dark chocolate cake served with macerated berries and cream" ($9.50). This was beautifully presented and was the star of the evening for me. The cake was dense but moist, and the berries and sauce had a tangy tension between tartness and sweetness.
I also ordered a cappuccino as I had a long drive home. This was surprisingly good and I did enjoy it. It was obviously freshly made, with a rich dark bitter flavour which 'packed a punch', and just the right amount of froth on top. Definitely recommended!
In a venue such as this where a high volume of food may need to be served in a short time, there is going to be 'formulaic' preparation and cooking, but our experience suggests that there are some gems to be found if you choose wisely ...
Group dinner, Wednesday 30 May 2012
I dined in the Hemisphere restaurant with a group of colleagues after a training workshop which was being held at the venue. We had two tables of around eight people, seated in the back of the restaurant. We were served by a charming and attentive young waitress, and it transpired that she was training towards the same vocation as the majority of the persons present!
Only one person on our table had an entree, so I will concentrate on the main courses and desserts. There was a bit of a wait for the food to come, but all the dishes ordered for each course were delivered efficiently at much the same time. We also had some of the garlic bread ($5.00). The presentation of this was a little puzzling - thick slabs of triangular-cut white bread with a tasty enough melted garlic, butter and parsley topping. There was so much bread in comparison to the topping that it would have been impossible not to fill up on bread if you had more than one slice, so most of it went uneaten.
Two people at our table had the "Three cheese ravioli served with a medley of wild mushrooms in a creamy sauce, finished with wild rocket ($21.50)". I am told that this was nice. Two others had steaks, served with homemade chunky chips and seasonal vegetables ($27.50 to $36.00). Neither steak was cooked as the person had ordered, with the result that they swapped! I had the "Whole baked baby barramundi filled with pickled ginger, chilli and spring onions, served with wok tossed broccoli and shitake mushrooms in a soy and ginger reduction" ($26.50). This was pretty much as described. The fish had been de-boned internally and stuffed. However, the flavour of the stuffing and the reduction was overly astringent, and I did not enjoy it. My colleagues had ordered for the table side dishes ($6.00) of shoe string chips, buttered seasonal vegetables and garden salad with red wine and seeded mustard viniagrette. The latter two appeared fresh (and the vegetables tasted fresh if a little bland), and since I am not a fan of chips, especially shoe-string, I did not try these.
The desserts appeared to be more successful on the whole. Other people at our table tried (no complaints heard!) the "Warm compote of rhubarb and vanilla bean with ice cream" ($9.50) and the "Seasonal fruit platter with fruit sorbet" ($10.50) and I had the "Dark chocolate cake served with macerated berries and cream" ($9.50). This was beautifully presented and was the star of the evening for me. The cake was dense but moist, and the berries and sauce had a tangy tension between tartness and sweetness.
I also ordered a cappuccino as I had a long drive home. This was surprisingly good and I did enjoy it. It was obviously freshly made, with a rich dark bitter flavour which 'packed a punch', and just the right amount of froth on top. Definitely recommended!
In a venue such as this where a high volume of food may need to be served in a short time, there is going to be 'formulaic' preparation and cooking, but our experience suggests that there are some gems to be found if you choose wisely ...
No comments:
Post a Comment