Delicious Australia – (11)November 2018

@huckstergram @anthuckstep

For more of our critic’s dining picks.

REVIEWED ONLINE THIS MONTH

Restaurant Moon, Darlinghurst, Sydney, NSW

Poly, Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW

Natural History Bar & Dining, Melbourne, VIC

Eastern Road Bar, South Melbourne, VIC

IRECENTLYDISCOVERED

something about a friend

that made me wonder how

we ever became friends in

thefirstplace.Turnsout

shehatessharingfood.Sheprefersher

ownpileonaplatebecause,otherwise,

shenevergetshershare.Now,Icould

suggest she gets new friends, but that

may jeopardise our friendship.

To break bread together is at the core

of many cultures.It’s why I’m surprised that

atnewventureLesa,theteambehindThe

Town Mouse (RIP) and Embla, restaurants

all about shared plates, are offering anàla

cartemenuwhereguestsgettheirown

dish. Not that there’s anything wrong with

that. The only problem, though, is that

chefandco-ownerDaveVerheul’sdishes

demand to be shared – which is what we

endedupdoingwitheachcourse.Alittle

rebellious,Iknow,butthestaffobliged.

Yousee,Lesa(‘togather’inOldNorse)

isthegrown-upsiblingofwine-slinging

saloonEmbla–whereyoucangetagood

feed,butthewineisreallytheskew.

While downstairs Embla bursts with

youthful energy, one storey up, Lesa is

calmandworldly–thoughit’sstilljust

as easygoing. Amid exposed brick walls,

vintagefurnitureandasmallopenkitchen,

co-owner Christian McCabe leads a team

delivering solid, affable service. His wine

list pushes the new frontier of wine without

forgetting the Old World.

Verheul’sfoodreliesonbest-in-class

producecookedoverfire,fermented,

aged,orsimplylefttotellitsowntale–

andityearnstobeshared.Butdinerscan

selecttwoorfourcourses,withuptothree

dishes in each course to choose from.

Beforeyoustart,orderthedoughy

delightofhouse-bakedfermentedpotato

flatbread served with macadamia cream

andshiitakeoil.It’sthatgood.Thencomes

purpleandthinlyslicedChioggiabeetroot,

layeredtocreateaterrinewitholiveand

saltedelderberry.It’svisuallyexquisite,

andlovelytoeat.Andwhilehazelnutand

greenalmondareabitdullwithdicedraw

flounder,thenaturalsweetnessofgrilled

leeksshineswithhorseradishandthe

acidicpanacheofgoat’smilk.

Of course, the penny dropped once

Iplacedasliceofporkloininmypiehole.

Cooked slowly above charcoal, the pink

flesh is delightfully delicate, the glassy

cracklingterriblyaddictive.It’sserved

so simply next to a fried kale leaf hiding

sautéedkale, pickled walnut and

buckwheat miso. Too rich tonotshare,

buttoogoodtomissouton.Suddenly

everythingaboutLesamadesense,or

at least within this one dish; everything

Verheulistryingtoachieveontheplate

wasmanifestedinafewmouthfuls.Lesa

has all the hallmarks of great sharing

feasts,andIwonderhowlongbeforethey

giveinandjustletpeoplegraze – because

they’re sure to gather forit.

sophisticated sibling, Lesa. Now, if only Lesa would learn to share.

GATHERING PLACE

PHOTOGRAPHY

KRISTOFFER PAULSEN

FROM LEFT:take flight

to Lesa; the decor is

warm and inviting; salted

bergamot meringue, koji,

walnut and quince.

LESA

CUISINEContemporary

CHEFDave Verheul

VISIT

Level 1, 122 Russell Street,

Melbourne

OPENING HOURS

Dailyfrom11amtolate

BOOKINGS

(02) 9935 9838

lesarestaurant.com.au

PRICE$$$

BYONo

OTHER FEATURESEmbla is

downstairs, a great cellar

CHILD FRIENDLYNo

42 delicious.com.au

REVIEW.