EAT: SPRING & SUMMER LAUNCH [CLOSED]
In true Melbourne fashion, it seems we're still in for a bit of a wait for some solid spring weather, and we can probably forget about summer! But we can certainly get a taste of it with the recent opening of Spring & Summer in St Kilda.
The Barkly St eatery serves up quite a contemporary Asian-inspired menu, with crowd favourites that include finger-lickin' delicious chicken wings, and lighter refreshing options such as the deep fried Barramundi wraps. Perfect for the warmer weather should Melbourne's weather gods choose to deliver on that front... Rugged up in my winter gear, I recently visited the eatery during a bloggers preview dinner.
The evening kicked off on quite a cheerful note with some pretty, bright-coloured drinks. Almost too pretty to drink. The Jungle Bird (white rum, Campari, pineapple juice and lime) and Grandmas Vacation (Hendricks gin, St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur and dry vermouth) cocktails made their way around the room. For the non-alcoholics, the Spring to Summer purple lemonade was both eye-catching and refreshing.
Starters came in the form of fried chicken wings, edamame and lotus root chips. Coated in an assortment of fragrant and subtly spicy seasonings, all three were extremely addictive. This was well and fine for the edamame and crispy crunchy chips but the super generous serving of wings did leave us feeling quite well-fed before the mains even made an appearance. Self control fail.
We were next served the prawn glass noodles claypot and deep fried Barramundi wraps. Though on the tasty side, we were probably more excited by the ginormous size of the prawns than the actual noodle dish itself. The deep fried barramundi on the other hand was a stunner, striking a gorgeously fresh balance between the flavours. Load up on the herbs and sauces for maximum impact.
We may have felt a twinge of food envy as we spied the distribution of matcha pannacotta around the room but this went away as soon as we tucked into the pandan coconut ice cream we were allocated. The combination of pandan and coconut is one of a vibrant and harmonious union and is one that is frequently visited in Asian desserts. And with good reason! The thinly shaved sweet potato chips added a salty, delicate crunch that served as icing on the cake.
Melbourne's weather may be temperamental as heck, but you can always count on the spring and summer vibes when it comes to the spread at Spring & Summer.
The starters:
Chicken wings - with bull killer mayo.
Wok-tossed edamame - with wasa furi.
Lotus root chips - with shichime salt.
The mains:
Deep fried Barramundi - with sweet and sour nam-jim and mixed greens.
King prawn and mushroom glass noodle clay pot.
Poached spinach - with black sesame sauce.
The desserts:
Matcha pannacotta with chocolate soil and sesame brittle.
Pandan coconut ice cream with sweet potato chips and yellow bean.
Spring & Summer
192 Barkly St,
St Kilda, Victoria, 3182.
0431 172 648
Disclosure: I attended the dinner as a guest of Spring & Summer, and Zilla & Brook Publicity and Production. All opinions expressed in this post are based entirely on my experience and observations made during the time of my visit.