Australian Gourmet Traveller - (02)February 2020 (1)

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