One of the best restaurant experiences I've had, no delusions, I am in awe of Malt Dining.
A celebration was in order, and a good opportunity to tick off a restaurant on my list of 'must dos'. Malt is located on Market Street, Brisbane, and offers the ultimate food, wine and dining experience with a cellar, bar and restaurant dispersed over three levels.
A bit of history for you - Malt Dining resides in Wenley House, built in 1865, the original site of the state's first public market. The location was quickly outgrown and the markets moved to Roma Street Parklands, then Rocklea where they are still operational today. The brick building has been maintained beautifully and Malt has created an intimate meeting place with elegant wooden floors, double hung windows and the original raw brick is left exposed.
The dining room in the attic, quite full for a school night, was abuzz with chatter and a pianist playing classical tunes. It was a warm and welcoming space, stylish and intimate.
Once seated and presented with our menus we quickly decided on Coffin Bay natural oysters and a glass of sparkling wine each 'cheers', it was a celebratory occasion after all and a good excuse to indulge.
The wine list boasts an eclectic array of Australian, New Zealand and other international goodies. This caused indecisiveness but we eventually settled on the 2010 Tellurian ‘Pastiche’ from Heathcote, Vic.
For main course I selected the pan seared Tasmanian salmon with celeriac purée, beurre blanc and a salad of smoked tomato, shaved octopus and pickled lentils. My companion chose the selection of Bangalow sweet pork with a carrot purée, coffee, onion rings and pine nuts.
Once the ordering was complete we had a chance to soak up our surroundings and swirl our big glasses of red. Malt dining has a lot of charm and elegance and I felt very comfortable and relaxed sitting back and enjoying the atmosphere.
Both main meals were outstanding, applause to the chef. The salmon was cooked perfectly and melted in my mouth, the complimenting purée and buerre blanc were both creamy and delicious. The octopus, tomato and lentil salad were a fantastic bonus and I would have been happy with a main size serving of this alone!
I couldn't resist tasting the Bangalow pork, as this would have been my second choice. Also cooked to perfection I became slightly jealous, but not for long, as my salmon was incredibly good.
The service staff and kitchen were on a roll, I could not fault them. So why not finish off an already wonderful evening with cheese. I did note the desserts sounded very tempting but I couldn't go past a Brie from Udder Delights, Adelaide Hills. Hand made from local milk, with a creamy rich texture, served with lavosh, oat cookie, warm thinly sliced fruit loaf, quince paste and pear.
To our surprise we were offered complimentary fortified wine to finish. Which really ended our evening just perfectly.
Details:
28 Market St, Brisbane
Open Mon-Sat
Ph: 07 3236 4855
Mains from $18-$44
Live music in the attic, select Wed-Sat
