If many of you have been loving the South Melbourne area then you would know the story about The Motel where that nightclub had a fire 2 years ago. But two years later, a name and a venue renovation turned The Motel into The Albion. The Albion is now a lifestyle venue which can cater corporate functions and has a rooftop licence till 5 in the morning. Anywho, I was lucky enough to check out the venue before the official opening date and to check out their food (WOOHOO!).
Open spacious area on the rooftop
Of course we had to start the night off with drinkies and we went straight for the cocktails. For a refreshing gin based drinkie, go for the ginvender.
Ginvender
Bombay sapphire, St Germain Elderflower, Capi Tonic, lavender
For the coffee lovers out there, the House-made espresso martini is just the thing for you.
House-made Espresso Martini
Bacardi fuego, De Kuyper Creme de Cafe, Boston Black cold drip coffee
The grazing platter was oh so fresh and oh so yummilicious which are fresh produced sourced locally.
The seared nori tuna was fresh, it was amazing and it just complimented everything on the plate.
Seared nori tuna, edamame, seaweed salad, wasabi mayo
The chicken karaage was quite average and was not crunchy at all bu the soft shell crab bao was AWESOME! The baos were fluffy and a touch on the sweet side but we were loving everything about it.
Chicken karaage, umami mayo & Soft shell crab bao, chilli mango slaw, kewpie
The calamari was lightly battered and didn’t feel oily at all.
Calamari fritti, fennel salt, wild lime aioli
The pork belly was a touch on the salty side
Crispy cider braised pork belly, parsnip puree, kale, candied sprouts, apple mustard sauce
The dry aged beef shortloin was cooked medium rare but we did find it to be a touch tough which was a tad disappointing.
Dry aged beef shortloin served medium, witlof and fennel salad, herb potatoes, jus
The rainbow carrots were TO DIE FOR! THEY WERE AMAZEBALLS! I went to town on these babies. They were soft, flavoursome and oh so good!
Rainbow carrots, toasted chickpeas, tahini
The tofu was totes awesome sauce, so fluffly with a slight sweetness to it with puffed rice to give it a crunchy texture.
Miso glazed tofu, puffed rice, spring onion, sesame
Finally we ended our night with a cheese platter with truffles. The truffles were heaven and it doesn’t matter if you like white, milk or dark chocolate, there’s something for everyone. The blue cheese and the brie were totes AMAZEBALLS, especially when you have quince with it. Definitely get this if you guys are just having drinkies because this is the BOMB!
Cheese platter with truffles
The window from The Motel before the fire
The Albion has reinvented itself and boy oh boy, the view from the rooftop is stunning, the drinkies they’re serving up are amazeballs and they’ve got some pretty awesome sauce dishes too!
Disclaimer: I was honoured to be invited to dine by True Tribe and The Albion and all opinions expressed are my own.
172 York St, South Melbourne VIC 3205
Tel: (03) 9645 5277
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