N
owthattheformer
LygonFoodStore,a
66 -yearItalianveteran
ofLygonStreet,has
becomea modernAsiandiner,it’s
hardtoresistthechanging-of-the-
guardstory.Andwhileit’strue
thatLygonStreet’sItalianaccent
is notasstrongasit oncewas,the
betterstoryhereis notaboutloss
butgain.LagoonDiningadds
somethingfreshandrelevantto
themix,bringingtextureand
depthtoLygonStreet’scanvas.
Texturealsocomestomind
withLagoon’sfit-out.Themoodily
litroomwithitswhitewashedbrick
walls,rough-edgedblackgranitebar,
mustard-colouredcurtainsat the
frontdoor,openkitchen,banquette
seatingandbright-yellowwaving
luckycatsis intimateandtactile.
There’stextureonLagoon’smostly
Chinesemenutoo,startingwitha
sensationalhot-and-sourshredded
potatodish.ChefsKeatLeeand
NedTrumble,who’vepreviously
workedtogetherat Ezardand
Longsong,nailsimplicityand
balancewiththesedesireespuds.
They’rejulienned,soakedovernight
andchuckedintoa wokwithgarlic,
chillioilandSichuanpeppersothat
they emerge with an enormously
Cantonese,SichuanandXinjiang
cuisines,buttherearealsoforays
intoJapan,KoreaandMalaysia.
A dishofgarlicchives,dried
prawns,shiitakeandcashewsis
joinedby’ndujainoneofthemore
overtfusiondishesonthemenu.
It’s a good example of how Lee and
Clockwise
fromabove:cos
lettuce,peanut,
savouryyeast
andstrange
flavourdressing;
chefsKeatLee
andNedTrumble;
charcoal-roasted
charsiu,spring-
onionrelish
and tare.
LagoonDiningbringsan
AsianflavourtoLygonStreet’s
expandingrepertoire,writes
MICHAEL HARDEN.
Crossing
borders
satisfyingspiceburnandbarely-
cookedcrunch.They’resplashed
withChinkiangvinegarandtossed
withpickledenokimushrooms,
andshouldbeoneveryone’sradar.
Thenthere’sthechar-grilled
halfcoslettuce.It’steamed
with“strangeflavourdressing”
- sesamepasteflavouredwithsoy,
cardamom,staranise,fennelseeds
andchillioil–andnutritional
yeastmixedwithblacksesameand
peanuts.There’sanoptionoflap
cheongforthenon-vegans,but
eitherway,it’sa riotofflavour.
Thesingle-pagemenuisfull
ofbold-flavoureddishes.Mosthave
their roots in China, specifically in
38 GOURMET TRAVELLER