Sezar is a modern-style Armenian restaurant hidden down a Melbourne lane-way. They take the traditional flavours and techniques of Armenian cuisine and create delicious contemporary dishes that are great for sharing.
We had these delicious cocktails that went down a treat. The sezar express, they had gin, raspberry puree, fresh lime and freeze-dried berries sprinkled on top. Deelicious!
The oysters were a perfect starter, the compressed apple and anise liven your palette but in a subtle way so the fresh oyster taste is not lost.
The bastourma (air dried beef) & egg was so yum I could have eaten a whole plate to myself. They were mini rounds of toasted buttery brioche w garlic jam. Then there was a fried quail egg (sunny side up) and a rolled piece of air-dried beef (mmm salty). The oozing yolk was creamy and rich and decadent.
The spinach & feta boreg are a good veg option. They were like little spring rolls filled with spinach and feta, served with Aleppo mayo (spicy capsicum mayo).
The twice-cooked chicken wings were a hit. They had a sweet sticky pomegranate glaze with some scattered pomegranate seeds about the plate with crushed pistachios and fresh coriander sprinkled on top. Chicken wings are always a crowd pleaser.
The spanner crab manti were these Armenian dumplings covered with a creamy sumac yoghurt & chilli oil. They were very creamy and the crab flavour was prominent.
The cured ocean trout was divine, it was thinly sliced and melted in your mouth. The apple & fennel salad complemented the oily trout and the crème fraiche & roe added richness to the meal. This dish was really lovely.
The grain salad had a combination of grains with toasted pumpkin seeds, almonds, and sour cherries. It had a creamy labne to bring it all together.
The kataifi wrapped braised lamb was delicious. The fried kataifi had crispy wispy bits that were awesome with the soft braised lamb neck centre. The spots of sesame mayo went perfectly with this dish. Yumness!
The BBQ wagyu beef tenderloin was rare and pink in the middle. It was marinated in aromatic spices and was so so tender. It went so well with the garlic yoghurt & lavash a soft Armenian flatbread.
The BBQ king browns mushrooms were really tasty and they were paired with toasted Israeli cous cous, sujuk & sweet potato puree. It had a nice earthy flavour.
The almond milk panna cotta was a beautiful texture and was a nice subtle flavour to go with the slow cooked pear and honeycomb. It was topped with toasted almonds & persian fairy floss. Very pretty.
The vanilla parfait was rolled in nuts and drizzled with sweet rosewater syrup. It was nice. Then there were pistachio cakes, which were really moist (like a syrup cake) and had a strong pistachio flavour.
The chocolate Marquis was like a rich and dense chocolate mousse with chocolate crumb. The sour cherry sorbet had a really subtle cherry flavour.
The new style baklava was an ice-cream sandwich twist on the traditional middle-eastern sweet baklava. It was my fave dessert. Quenelles of walnut toffee ice-cream between two layers of filo pastry drizzled with a salted caramel sauce with crushed nuts on top. It had all the flavours of baklava but in different form, very clever.
Sezar restaurant creates contemporary style dishes but has maintained the flavours and the essence of traditional Armenian cuisine. A great place to down some tasty cocktails and share some fabulous food.
I heart Sezar restaurant!
Olives x
Sezar Restaurant
Address: 6 Melbourne Place, Melbourne VIC 3000
Website: http://sezar.com.au/
Phone: 03 9663 9882
Trading Hours: Mon-Thur: 12.30-3pm (lunch), 5.30pm-10.30 (dinner)
Fri:12.30-3pm (lunch), 5.30pm-11.30 (dinner), Sat: 5.30-11.30pm, Closed Sunday.
Note: Olive Sundays was invited as a guest to Sezar restaurant.