Lûmé
Lûmé is a modern Australian fine dining restaurant in South Melbourne. The restaurant is in a traditional brick house tucked away on the quite end of Coventry Street, South Melbourne. The airy room decorated in the minimalist Scandinavian design and along with the chilled out music which had immediately put a spell on me.
We were sitting next to the semi-opened kitchen, there was a sense of calm and harmony in the air. Chef Shaun Quade and his team were busy cooking but in a rather relaxed manner. Beautifully presented dishes steadily being served throughout the night without any unnecessary gap in between. The staff paid attentive service to the diners without being intrusive.
The degustation menu for the night comprised of thirteen courses. Ready for drooling while reading?

Breakfast eel on burnt barley crumpet
You don't expect to have a crumpet for dinner, but this one is special... sweet and savoury flavours melt in your mouth. Really impressed by the fluffiness of the crumpet as it was made of barley flour & eel. The taste of fish (eel) goes really nicely with the honey & cream.

Last fruits of summer, dashi & citrus
Look at all these colorful veggies... Refreshing tomatoes with the dashi dressing.

Abalone with barbeque flavours, glace muntries & powdered liver
Bought up eating abalone cooked in the Chinese way... love this new combination and flavours.

Emu tart with warm fig leaf milk & mountain pepper
This fine shortcrust pastry rocks with the emu meat fillings & toppings. Can easily have another one!

Pearl on the ocean floor
A beautiful combination of sea plants. The edible soil with the dried sour fruity flavour and the crispy sweet vanilla / white chocolate ball... a dish bursting with flavours - salty, sour & sweet. Just another wow!

Seacorn taco with grilled camel hump
Never eaten camel in my life... A lovely mini crispy taco with unusual fillings.

Raw asparagus, taro & calamari entrails warmed with saltbush butter
This is not spinach spaghetti but nicely cooked calamari... perfect texture. Love the squid ink sauce too.

Saltgrass lamb perfumed with cherry wood, rhubarb, hibiscus & rose
A beautiful piece of tender lamb... wrapped inside the floral petals with rhubarb. Incredible combination of flavours. Another wow!

Dry aged duck smoked over botttlebrush finished with elderflower honey
This is not the traditional duck a l'orange... the tender smoked duck breast and the sweet yolk are perfectly matched.

Cauliflower cheese with a pastry smoked over pear wood
Cheese & croissant? Not so simple... cauliflower cheese. Just delicious.

Shaved ice from pistachio skins with stone fruit soaked in raspberry vinegar
A clever way to clear the palate... yum too!

Blackberries, blueberries & sour goat's milk
I'm not a fan of goat/sheep dairy... but I polished off this dessert. Well done! Smooth creamy "ice-cream" with berries.

Cacao pod from Maralumi with notes of tobacco, green banana & currants
The cacao pod is smashed to review the other sweet fruit inside. Beautiful crunchy chocolate indeed... also goes so well with the ice-cream!
My favourite savoury - Saltgrass lamb perfumed with cherry wood, rhubarb, hibiscus & rose
My favourite dessert - Cacao pod
It's an romantic dinner... we loved the ambience. Of course, we loved the food and wine. It was a very impressive dinner with sophisticated and creative dishes. We loved the exotic ingredients and the flavours entailed. Lûmé is another outstanding restaurant exemplifies modern Australian fine dining culture. Surely we will visit again! Hope you will enjoy the beautiful dinner there too!
Lûmé
226 Coventry St, South Melbourne VIC 3205
(03) 9690 0185