Had a quick stopover at Melbourne so I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner, and picked Amaru cos I thought it looked interesting especially so with their high number of reviews. Located at High street, the restaurant was hidden among many fashion brands though if you are there for dinner, most of the shops would have already closed by then

It’s a small intimate dining space but what I thought was interesting was all the diners were Asians on the night I visited

I went with non-alcoholic pairing for the dinner and I had to say the non-alcoholic drinks were fantastic

Marigold | Carrot | Finger Lime (Left) Radish | Bonito | Horseradish (right)

Meal started soon enough. First 2 finger bites were good. I liked the pesto sauce on the first. Can’t really taste the carrots but the whole dish was pretty cohesive. The radish (on the right) had a nice crunch to it. I thought the dish was fresh, raw yet creamy

Kohlrabi | Sunflower Seed | Desert Lime Kosho, (from left)

I have to say I don’t really know how to appreciate this. It was a little too complex for my liking. It tasted bitter, yet sour with so many layers. I was confused

Sweetbreads | Turnip | Spelt

The taco tasted a little better, though nothing wow about this

Sea Lettuce | Beetroot | Skipton Eel | Quandong

I liked the smoked eel tart out of all. The sweet, creamy flavour along the savoury component of the eel went nicely together. Though I wish it came in smaller portion

Oyster | Lemon Aspen | Sheep’s Whey | Smoked Cream

Honestly, oyster was good on its own. The cream wasn’t needed

Australian Bluefin Tuna | Desert Lime | Lettuce | Shiso Roots & Skins

This tasted.. very normal

Crystal Snow Crab | Pumpkin | Sudachi | Caviar Fat Washed Sudachi

First thought – pretty good. But I thought the pumpkin cream wasn’t needed cos it was so rich and creamy it kind of overpowered the delicate flavours of the crab. The crab itself was sweet and had really nice textures that go well with the pumpkin bits and it went well with the pairing too

Fermented Potato Bread

Western Australian Marron | Anise Myrtle | Fennel Mussel | Shitake & Sesame Tea

Probably my favourite dish thus far. Marron was cooked really well and it was sweet and succulent. Sauce wasn’t needed. The potato bread was pretty good too

Barramundi | Brassicas | Green Ant Paste | Desert Lime Cabbage & Apple

This was a very sweet dish. Fish was sweet, the cabbage was also very sweet. Perhaps they could give the dish a little kick to it so the flavours could be a little more distinct

Sourdough | Soybean Butter

Blackmore Wagyu | Macadamia Miso | Ox Tongue | Mustard Beetroot | Shiso & Jasmine

Beef was executed nicely, though overall nothing to rave about

Pressed Ox Tongue Terrine

Ossau-Iraty | Beeswax | Pineapple | Sunrise Lime | Quince Tepache

Personally, not a fan of the mousse. I understand palate cleanser was to clean the palate but this was too sour for my liking. At this point I was so full I was so done with the meal

Jersey Milk | Cocoa Bean | Sandalwood Nut | Bunya Branch | Sourdough Kvass

Last of desserts

Complimentary Cheesecake

Smoked Eel & Passionfruit Gaytime, Rhubarb & Roselle, Chocolate & Mandarin

I didn’t like the desserts. But maybe my mind and stomach was already shutting down so I wasn’t really enjoying anymore

Personally, the meal at Amaru was pretty forgettable. Like if I looked back at the photos, nothing really stood out to me. For the price point, I don’t think it was exactly worth it. Still, service was great and food came out at a steady pace but for me, a visit once is enough

Amaru

1121 High St, Armadale VIC 3143, Australia