One of Melbourne’s newest and most glamorous new restaurants is MoMo, headed by Chef Greg Malouf. Greg has worked the Melbourne restaurant industry for many years, but the new MoMo restaurant, in its glitzy new premises, is his most ambitious project yet.
MoMo offers food with a strong Middle Eastern influence, and was winner of ‘Dish of the Year’ in 2010 with its ‘Veiled Quail’. Did we try the dish? Of course – and it was very clear why this spicy quail, wrapped in baked leaves, won the award.
Nevertheless, the platter sharing approach didn’t entirely lend itself to a fine dining function. It was also very expensive in comparison to other Melbourne eateries, at least as a function destination (suggest you go in as a table of 2 or 4 and ask for the Arabesque, much better value). But it was good to see what MoMo was all about. It is possible that ‘bulk’ preparation of the dishes isn’t an easy ask of the kitchen. Great service though.
As it turned out, it is possible that the wines for the evening presented themselves as the major highlight of the night, with some spectacular inclusions.
You can’t argue that the 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape vintage is very special, described by Robert Parker as the vintage of his lifetime. However, most are simply not drinking at their best at present – just too big and jammy with very high alcohol levels, and needing time to be seen at their best. Nevertheless, there are some wines from this vintage that are capable of currently expressing the fabulous purity and fruit driven character of this vintage. The 2007 Marcoux Chateauneuf-du-Pape is one of them. Interestingly, we put this on with a Victorian ‘Pyrenees’ Shiraz from 2008, the Landsborough Estate Geoff Oliver Shiraz. Presented as a blind tasting, some of our most proficient tasters picked the wines in reverse order, expecting the cooler climate Victorian wine to be less up front, and the 07 Chateauneuf-du-Pape to be larger than life. It was a great revelation. They were two very lovely wines which, despite their youth, presented a delicious drink. Clearly, some of the 07 Chateauneuf-duPapes are capable of current drinking. At the same time, both will be even more delicious with a little more age.
A pinot bracket was presented with the ‘Veiled quail’. The spiciness of this dish demanded a youthful wine, so a bracket of 2006 pinots was presented, including the Amis-field Rocky Knoll from Central Otago (Amisfield’s reserve Pinot), and from Burgundy, Freddy Mugnier’s Clos de la Marechale (Nuits St Georges). In Burgundy, 2006 presented some very delicious ‘drink now’ propositions and the Mugnier Clos de la Marechale is the epitomy of that notion. It was terrific to pair it with one of the loveliest wines from one of the greatest vintages in Central Otago. While the Mugnier was generally preferred, the competition was very strong indeed – a great bracket which paid due homage to a special dish.
Perhaps the most visually impressive dish was the dessert platter, with four separate desserts presented in flamboyant style. Terrific! How lovely to pair this with a 1995 Rieussec Sauternes, with ripe, orange marmalade characters and in a great drinking window. The richness of this wine was a wonderful way to finish.
Menu
Canapé
Scallop in olive brioche crumbs en croute, fennel brandade
1997 Egly Ouriet Millesime, Grand Cru, Ambonnay, Champagne
Appetizer
Fresh vegetables dusted with Turkish black chilli, yellingbo olive oil and pomegranate molasses,
freshly baked jou jou bread
Entrée
Kingfish ceviche, smoky baba ghanoush and soft herbs, sugar dried olives and hazelnuts
2005 Domaine Stirn, Brand de Turkheim Grand Cru Riesling, Vieilles Vignes, Alsace
2005 Petaluma, Hanlin Hill Riesling, Clare Valley, South Australia
First main course
Veiled quail covered in leaves with chorizo-pine nut stuffing and mustard whipped feta,
Leek, currant and aged feta spanakopita with pear – prosciutto salad
2006 Amisfield Rocky Knoll 'Reserve' Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand
2006 J F Mugnier, Clos de la Marechale 1er Cru, Nuits-St-George, Burgundy, France
Second main course
Grilled lamb loin marinated in yoghurt, Turkish chilli and mint on sujuk sausage, giant couscous
MoMo chilled tomato salad, tarragon, sumac and soft goat’s cheese
2007 Domaine Marcoux Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone Valley, France
2008 Landsborough Valley Estate, Geoff Oliver Classic Pyrenees Ranges Shiraz, Pyrenees, Victoria
Dessert platter
Fresh figs, pomegranates and plums with prickly pear sorbet
Yoghurt panacotta with comfit orange, clementine and almond cake
Thousand layer pressed apples, chocolate mousse and honey wafers
Crunchy oats and dried strawberry crumble, strawberry rose ice cream with pistachio cream
1995 Chateau Rieussec, Sauternes, Bordeaux, France (from 375ml Bottle)