I attended a sponsored dinner and Cutler & Co when it first opened a few years ago and I loved everything about it- the food, service, layout and location. With that memory in mind I had high expectations when I booked in for their four course Sunday lunch ($75) recently.
We were given a menu which allowed us to see what we would be eating for appetizers and entrées (prescribed but flexible for dietary requirements) and offered choices for a main and dessert (there were three options for each).
The first two courses included mini dishes such as; oysters, fried green tomatoes, leeks, baby beetroot, home made pickles, smoked ocean trout and buffalo haloumi. These dishes were all perfectly portioned and presented.
I chose the duck (confit of leg accompanied by tender breast, turnips and onions). The dish was too meat heavy and needed a salad or green vegetables to balance it. My partner ordered the seafood main which was a better choice- Leatherjacket with mussels, clams and salsa verde.
The dessert options included cheese (my dining partner assured me they were delicious) and tapioca. I ate a chocolate grenache with ice-cream and grapefruit gel- it was a stand out dessert.
The service at Cutler and Co is very good- something I notice at all Andrew McConnell restaurants. There is a very obvious hierarchy in their wait staff and this seems to work well for them. The biggest let down is that we left the restaurant without so much as a goodbye from anyone- it is a menial detail but one which I find important at a restaurant where you have just spend hundreds of dollars (and left a decent tip!)
Set course Sunday lunches are available at many of the best Melbourne restaurants and are a more affordable way to experience a multi course meal- I look forward to trying other restaurants in Cutler and Co's class to see how they compare.
