Tali is a refreshing, new restaurant that has recently opened its doors in the beautiful town of Alice Springs. It is where the phrase "à la carte dining" truly defines the experience of being served at
Tali.
Tali Restaurant and Menu (Courtesy: Official site)
means 'sand dunes' in the Pitjantjatjara language of Central Australia and is a recurring theme in many local artworks featured within the new Premium hotel wing.
Upon entering
Tali, I was dazzled by the layout of the restaurant. The colour scheme of
Tali complements each other nicely, and the tables are placed in a very neat manner. There is the perfect balance of intimacy and personal space that one feels when being seated here.
Tali Restaurant layout
We decided to try out
Tali to celebrate two birthdays in the family. And I can daringly say that this was a very good choice.
The table started its festivities by ordering cocktails and drinks. I decided to go for the Melon Daiquiri and was not disappointed. They also have Strawberry Daiquiri, but its availability is subjected to that of fresh strawberries.
The Melon Daiquiri was beautiful to taste and although not as strong as I had wanted it to be, proved to be a great summer drink for the warm NT weather.
Melon Daiquiri
We then decided to order both the options on the menu for the table's dining. The first was the
Chef's Tasting Plate. This plate had a variety of meats - camel, kangaroo, crocodile and barramundi - served with a dash of bush fig chutney.
The meats were absolutely scrumptious, although I do have a favourite - the barramundi. It had a perfect combination of soft and crispy.
The camel tartar could have been enjoyed a lot more with less amount of the sauce, making it my least favourite of the lot. However, if you use a butter knife to ward off the sauce, then it tastes beautiful. The kangaroo meat was a bit too rubbery, but if you have it with the breadstick provided on top of it, then it complements the flavour well. The crocodile meat didn't seem to have much of a taste (except for the lemon sauce drizzled on it), but it was still a fairly good piece of serving.
Chef's Tasting Plate
Next came in the
Roma Tomato Bruschetta. What a pleaser!
I would highly recommend this as an entree option because of the flavours encompassed in this dish. The bread was toasted to a perfect crisp, the tomato and onion salsa worked extremely well with the cream cheese frosting on top. There are four on a plate, which were quickly consumed by the other members of the table (hence I have only my piece to showcase to you).
Roma Tomato Bruschetta
After the entrees were devoured and enjoyed, it was time for the mains. One of the dishes that I ordered was the
Free Range Breast of Chicken.
Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed the chicken. It was cooked to perfection! The chicken was well done, and served to the delight of my tastebuds. I still cannot explain the flavouring of the orange sauce around it (it seemed a bit bland) but if you have it with the smoked cauliflower & potato gratin, then it is a winner.
Free-Range Breast of Chicken
My partner ordered the
Wild Caught NT Barramundi that I was fortunate enough to sample.
The meat simply melts in your mouth, very similar to salmon. I had never tried Barramundi before, but I can assure you that it has become my new favourite in the seafood component of meals. The meat was beautifully presented with green peas, clams and baby spinach and had the perfect amount of lemon butter sauce drizzled over it.
Wild Caught NT Barramundi
Overall, I'd highly recommend trying out the food at
Tali - the presentation of the food is absolutely spectacular, the portions may look small but are more than sufficient to satisfy the grumbling belly, and the customer service at
Tali is beyond exceptional.
If you are looking for a great place with amazing customer service and exceptional food around the Alice Springs area, and don't mind spending a dear amount of money, then go to
Tali - you will be pleasantly surprised!
