Melbourne Fine Diner Series, Part I: The Press Club

The Press Club channels itself to its patrons as modern, Greek cuisine. Walking up to its dark wood floors gave off a rustic feel, yet welcoming among its warm coffee-coloured interiors. Splashes of white linen and sparkling wine glasses neatly align the dining area, while all diners will have a full view of the action emulating from the open kitchen.

I considered myself lucky having to dine at such upscale places and figured that maybe, it will just come once in my life. I decided to make the most of it so I took the four-course Lunch Kerasma. It was a bargain, considering the percentage of my stomach to the percentage of the food I’m about to enjoy. Dining in The Press Club has been my longest lunch to date, it took me almost two hours to finish and savour every bite of the course.

This wasn’t really the first course but I loved it anyway. Almost every restaurant I’ve been to served crusty bread with olive oil and fleur de salt but this one was different. Olive oil from Cyprus and volcanic sea salt. Beat that. The olive oil was rich and full-bodied. I didn’t expect I’d say this but it tasted really good. I didn’t really know the difference but the olive oil was also fragrant. The volcanic salt had a story of its own. Yes, so what’s with the salt? It’s just salty, right? No. It tasted irony but still delicate enough to accompany the rich olive oil and soft then dough-y bread. Sprinkled on top of a small piece of the bread dipped in olive oil, it was a match that should always be for every piece of crusty bread.

First course eventually came and I was a bit overwhelmed. Only then did I realize that what I was about to devour is good enough for two. Anyway, better brace myself.

Saganaki with a shot of Cucumber, Candied Olives and Tomato – the saganaki was a piece of either pan-fried or grilled haloumi cheese on a stick over a shot of juice made from cucumber with bits of candied olive and tomato. One word to describe: excellent. Warm piece of haloumi washed down with cool cucumber with crunchy bits of cubed tomato and sweet olives. Yum!

Marinated Octopus – tangy and sharp in taste but something about the grilled baby octopus was creamy and sweet. I can see the paprika that it has been marinated on along with olive oil.

Bresaola and Feta – I haven’t tried bresaola and I’ve only seen it on TV. The taste was complex. Bite that gives a little, light saltiness and a bit gamey but paired with the feta it was a pure delight to the palate. The two thin pieces of meat was well marbled with fat and cured red meat.

Marinated Cabbage – Ok. This really looked interesting. At first, I thought it was stir-fried cabbage. Sorry. It was a refreshing twist to what you can do to your usual cabbage. I think the cabbage was cooked from the marinade of lemons, olive oil and herbs. One distinct taste: cilantro. What was surprising was that the cabbage leaves were crisp and light instead of soggy and boring.

Second course came while I was still contemplating on the delights of my first course.

Shredded Lamb Wrapped in Filo Pastry with Grape Dressing and Yoghurt– Another one of my favourite mezzes. I have no idea how they made the dressing but I loved the grape and sultanas with pieces of chives. It was just light and the lamb with filo almost melted when I cut through it with my table knife.

Soft Shell Shrimps with Almond Honey Dip – Now this was something special. Not because of the shrimps, I’ve had these before. What made this special was the almond honey dip. The honey was so thick and sharp, I could imagine myself walking on a field of wild flowers and the warm sun on my skin. I literally closed my eyes as the sticky syrup lingered on my tongue and heard myself whispered, mmmm. It was that good.

Third course was the main. It consisted of two small main dishes and several small sides.

Salt-Crusted Salmon – How do I describe this dish? It was the best roasted salmon I’ve ever had in my life. It made the grilled salmon that I had at Donovan’s looked like a futile effort on the grill and roast. I felt that I’ve reached culinary heaven with this piece of baby right here. Perfectly medium-rare, full of flavour with a crispy skin, no trace of overdone-ness anywhere on the piece of coral flesh. The colour of the salmon flesh was gradient, from pale pink to bright coral, almost orange.

Roasted Chicken from the Rotisserie – Just ok. I had better. I can’t believe that the chicken thigh meat was dry and a bit tough. Good try, though.

Roasted Potato Wedges – I think my version of oven roasted baby potatoes is better. I found them a bit dry both inside and outside.

Beetroot Salad – Now this was one of my favourite sides. I loved the simple combination of yoghurt, lemon and sweet cubed beetroot with chives.

Couscous with pine nuts and herbs – Just ok.

Greek Salad – One of the good versions of Greek Salad that I had. No scrimping on crumbled feta here.

Last course: Dessert

Black Forest Panna Cotta – It was a good thing that they had this panna cotta in a glass. I sometimes don’t like the texture of panna cottas, especially when I see them wobbling. This one was a different twist from the usual vanilla panna cotta with fruits and even better, it has chocolate and wine-marinated cherries. Inside of the panna cotta was also a sweet surprise – shredded milk chocolate. So good!

Greek Donuts with Crushed Almonds and Honey – This was just ok but a delicate take on the usual street fare.

Walnut Cake with Chocolate Mousse and Vanilla Ice Cream – I can see the caviar from the vanilla pods on the ice cream which is a good sign. The walnut cake was also good and felt like a gooey biscuit. It wasn’t the best dessert around but decent enough to be part of the course.

The Press Club really did not disappoint when it comes to variety and bold flavours that can be seen and tasted across all the dishes that I’ve had. Everything has an authentic Greek flavour but with a modern twist. Some mezzes stick to their original formula while others are simply better with that something extra special. The restaurant truly is a Hellenistic institution on its own, serving up real Greek fare but at the same time knows how to be adventurous and veer away from the ordinary.