Best of Lamb at Stamford Plaza
Post
Subscribe
When Ketan Seth, Stamford Plaza's Executive Chef, was on holidays he was still thinking about food.
Driving through the rich green pastureland of the North West Coast of Tasmania he stumbled across Clover Valley. If the stock weren't exactly wrapped in cotton wool they came close.
"If they do have to be in pens for a short while the wire was covered in foam," he said. And they fed on free range forages such as clover and the gentle music playing was probably for them as well.
Seth is keen on the "paddock to plate" philosophy, now deservedly popular among top chefs, where restaurants source quality ingredients directly from the producers.
And this is what he has done in bringing you a spring season of lamb dishes that use this beautiful Clover Valley lamb.
Basically the meat is in the paddock on Monday and then on your plate by Wednesday and it is tender and succulent, as well as being free range and hormone and antibiotic free.
This is one of those rare incidences where you can be assured of where your meat is coming from.
I was lucky enough to join with Melbourne food bloggers where we got to taste all the remarkable dishes on this Best of Lamb Menu.
So here is what is store for you at Harry's Restaurant & Bar at the Stamford Plaza. And one of the great things here is the pricing. This is a five star hotel bar and restaurant but these extraordinary quality meals start at just $17.
The Stamford Plaza proved they could create affordable luxury with their recent
lobster promotion now they are doing the same with choice cuts of lamb.
All Day Dishes
First my favourite—slow cooked maple sticky lamb ribs with thyme and lemon. The meat is so tender it falls away from the bone. We unashamedly ate ours with our fingers, which left a slightly sticky maple syrup residue on our finger tips but how decadently wonderful! A total and unforgettable indulgence. (Half ribs $16 – full jazz $25 - the ribs comes with with crunchy coleslaw and fries.)
Then there are the char grilled lamb lollypops. Not only stunningly tasty, but the novelty presentation is a treat. These pinwheels of lamb look like lollypops on sticks. They are served on a cushion of peas made greener and sweeter by being pureed with fresh mint. A sun blush of mash with a subtle hint of cheese completes this remarkable dish.
Stamford Plaza are renowned for their burgers. At lunch they do what they call their
Magnificent 7 which are burgers inspired from seven countries around the world. The lamb burger featured for this promotion is 'a la Mykonos' an extra-thick and succulent lamb burger with a hint of Mediterranean spices served with sliced onions, cucumber, haloumi and topped with a dollop of tzatziki and hummus. It also comes with a side serve of straight-edged, golden fries. ($17)
Like many chefs Setan considers back strap the perfect cut of lamb. His creation comes from coating perfection with cumin and crushed pistachios. It gives the tender meat a special nutty zing. He serves it sliced in soft pita bread, with tomato, iceberg lettuce and the simply marvellous kick of harrissa infused yoghurt. ($19)
Finally on the all day menu are the glazed sizzling lamb chops and this would have to be my second favourite dish on the menu. This is partly because I am a big fan of lamb on the bone. In this innovative dish sizzling chops are served on bulging beads of Israeli couscous. These are slightly chewy on the outside and then soft and pillowy on the inside and there is just a hint of smoky flavour from the grilled peppers. The dish is made slightly creamy and lush with smashed feta and crunchy with fennel seeds. Wow! ($20)
Dinner Options
As well as the all day options there are a couple of show stoppers for the evening meal. Instagram anyone? The lamb loin 'en croute' must be incredibly time consuming to prepare but the effect is incredible. The lamb loin comes encased in puff pastry, with a midriff of baby spinach and this is served with baby carrots and a lamb reduction. ($30).
Another dinner option is a lamb rump, medium grilled and well rested. This comes with a creamy pea puree, potato fondant, grilled peppers with rosemary jus.($30) This dish is also stunning because of the decoration.
Real thought has gone into the juxtaposition of colours and textures.
The suggested beer that matches perfectly with your lamb dishes is
Yenda Pale Ale an Australian craft style ale, light bodied and amber coloured with floral and tropical fruit hop aromas and subtle malt character.
Or lamb goes perfectly with a glass of red. We ate our dishes while sipping on a glass of shiraz from the Signature Reserve Range from the Barossa Valley and Adelaide Hills. This was a rich deep red colour with a bouquet of spice and fruity overtones. On the palate it was rich and deep with a hint of berry and blackcurrant flavour.
For dessert we tried a couple of selections from the Stamford Plaza's high tea menu including pistachio frangipani & vanilla mousse with apricot jelly (shown below) and Hazelnut praline pops which we could dip in tiny beads of sugar that looked like pebbles of gold nuggets.
High teas are something else you can organise to do at the Stamford Plaza. For more information
click here . They also have activity based high teas for kids during school holidays.
Nadine Cresswell-Myatt was invited as a guest and genuinely loved every morsel and minute of this tender lamb experience.
#bars
#family
#food_wine
#city
#restaurants
%wnmelbourne
119616 - 2023-06-12 21:36:39