amaru

an intimate small restaurant in armadele, said to be one of the best fine dining in melbourne. got the chance to sit at the chef’s table, which i honestly expected to be seated in front of the chef. nevertheless, got the sensory menu of 8 courses for the night. started with lavender infused water, which was sweet and fresh. then the snacks came, they were all delicious and unique, really enjoyed it. the first course was mussels with cream sauce, the mussels were not fishy at all, really liked the cream as well, not too overwhelming. then, it was a new dish, mud crab with cannabis. the cannabis seeds were like congee, and it was also one of the highlights. the sourdough was served with buttermilk and sourdough oil with honey. the quail was treated like ham, it tasted like ham indeed. it was a bit too salty, but the meat was very tender. would recommend eating them with hands, made it more flavourful! next was the lamb sweetbread and eel. the lamb didn’t have an overpowering smell, which was good, even my friend who was sensitive to lamb smell could eat it. the eel was a nice addition too. the kangaroo was probably my favourite meat of all. it was very tender, and it had a strong hazelnut taste which i liked. i didn’t find the liquorice to be a suitable addition for the dish, but the onion was really tasty as well. for the desserts, the first one was shiitake ice cream, which was good, but couldn’t taste any shiitake at all, also, the truffle shavings didn’t really add anything. the second one was coconut ice cream with lychee meringue, kiwi ice cream, and fingerlime jelly. it was my favourite dessert of all. even though the kiwi was really strong, but the coconut ice cream balanced it all. the meringue wasn’t too sweet as well. the coconut ice cream was really refreshing. last was the goat’s curd with lemon myrtle and honeycomb. probably my least favourite of all. the goat’s curd had an unpleasant aftertaste. i personally could tolerate it when mixed with the lemon myrtle or honeycomb. however, my friends couldn’t finish the dessert, as the aftertaste was too strong. it was unfortunate to end the meal with an unenjoyable dish. we got another little treats at the end. olive oil pastille, which was sugar coated jelly. the jelly didn’t really taste like anything, but it was light and refreshing. really liked the pumpkin caramel, it wasn’t too sweet, and it was coated with pistachio, which added a nutty flavour. overall, it was a pleasant experience, however, it wasn’t so special and i would think twice to splurge on this meal.

excellent restaurant. lovely food. beautiful restaurant. lovely staff. love how the restaurant isn’t over loaded with table- allows the restaurant to feel intimate & not loud. food served & present beautifully. a very enjoyable dining experience which i would recommend.

had a great dining experience here. the food was delicious. i’ve found that fine dining places are very often overrated but this place is well worth the visit.

this place takes fine dining to another level. you are greeted with a stark, clean and modern interior and very pleasant, informative and tentative waiters.

but the real focus here is on the food. you follow an 8 or so course set menu of well-portioned dishes that leave you satisfied but not stuffed. each dish is a unique, new flavourful discovery. my personal favourites were the desserts (pictured), especially the mushroom and black truffle soft serve!

i highly recommend to anyone looking for a dinner to remember!

our second time here on the chef’s table with the sensory menu.

both times we had lunch with the non-alcoholic pairing. one after another beautiful and delicious creations, it is a wonderful intimate experience recommended for special occasions.

most drinks and the main dishes had changed slightly from the first time we tried, which was good. the experience was just as good as the first. we were lucky that both times there were not too many people so we got the restaurant almost ton ourselves.

what i enjoyed most were the pride belief the chef and staff serving the dishes have as they explained their creations. the effort and thinking that goes into the food and drink, the aged meat, the infused tea, were such a treat.

amaru deserves every star available, as the posse both, front of house and in the kitchen, are absolute rockstars 🌟 what a night indeed! every dish on the sensory menu was impressively, thoughtfully and beautifully pieced and plated together from mind to matter. it’s not often that i feel like i can taste the spirit and emotion that went into a dish but this experience certainly delivered on that level. it was lovely to have met and chatted with the whole “behind the dish” crew from the kitchen to the table as the service was very warm, friendly and left a familiar feeling on my departure. it wasn’t just a sensory experience in the dishes but also inclusive of the attentive service and the decor in choice of lighting, colours, furnishings and placements.

you won’t understand what my review means until you’ve come to check it out for yourself. be prepared to have your senses delightfully stirred and awakened! thank you amaru squad for a memorable and altogether lovely night out. much love and appreciation to you and the food babies you created and delivered.

excellent sensory menu beautifully crafted by amaru chefs. thanks you for such wonderful evening with delicious dishes made with love. absolutely enjoyed their ambience and impeccable service. amaru dishes is flavoursome and i love their house bread and butter too!

ok, i don’t know whether this is an unpopular opinion or one of those unspoken ones. probably it’s just our luck but let just say we were disappointed with our experience at amaru. i’ve always wanted to come here after hearing so many ‘food critics’ rave about it, so we were so excited to come here to celebrate a special occasion. we got the sensory menu which includes all of their signature dishes.
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let’s start on a positive note, staff were presentable and deserve applause for friendly and efficient service. we received our starter not long after ordering, it was actually served very quickly, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in fine dining as you don’t have to wait half an hour for a single dish. my favourite starter was the smoked duck ham, love that subtle smokey flavour. smoked eel was slightly crisp and creamy with the eel’s seafoodness. i found the dim sim quite ordinary, and the garfish a bit salty. they didn't get off to a strong start for us.
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here comes the disaster, the mussels with charred broccoli & grilled lettuce was extremely salty 🤢, even my partner with savoury tongue could not handle it, turns out they did over-season the soup. we get it, chefs make mistakes too. but it really left a persistent salty taste for us. mud crab 🦀 with iced apple did help wash out that salty taste on our tongue, it was refreshing and had a decent amount of crab meats. right after that, their sourdough with tasmanian goat butter if i recall correctly and balsamic honey. the crust of my sourdough was a bit too hard and thick for my liking, the butter was nice but not the best one i’ve had. the pastrami brined quail with dried peach, again a bit salty. maybe that’s what it supposed to taste like 🤷🏻‍♂️!? no real wow factor. lamb sweetbreads & sweetcorn with freshly shaved italian truffle ($45 extra over two dishes) the broth was clean and tasty, generously covered with truffle, makes it extra fragrance. the stand out savoury dish has to be the red kangaroo, cooked perfectly between rare to medium rare.
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their desserts are winners to me, start with strawberry sorbet 🍓was delightful, you can taste there were real strawberries in it. mixed it with citrus curd and frozen pistachio marshmallow, mmmmm it was so good! the otway shiitake ice cream 🍄 with shiso and cacao, topped with fresh truffle was absolutely to die for. that’s the wow factor i was looking for, one of the best ice cream i’ve ever had 😋. last but not least, the exquisite salted woodside goat curd🐐🧀 was actually a golden goat’s cheese cheesecake. the presentation was stylish and instagramable. flavors were distinct and creamy, with a soft, almost spreadable texture. my absolute favourite of the night.
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we ended our meal with olive oil pastille & pumpkin caramel which were quite a unique treat. overall i would give this place 3.5 ratings, it just didn’t meet my sky-high expectations (rated 4.9/5 on zomato). you would expect an incredibly innovative meal from an ex vue de monde sous chef but it was just satisfactory. if i am paying $195 for a meal, i expect the food to be perfect and unforgettable. such a shame as i really wanted to love this place, lovely staff but unfortunately we’re very unlikely to come back.

woke up on the afl grand final saturday and felt we haven’t tried a new place for ages. started flicking through zomato and amaru popped up in the fine dining category. i was able to book on line for lunch. so by noon ish, we ended up at amaru.

when we got there, there was only one other guest seated on a stool in the bar seating area.

half way through our degustation course, i figured, there was prob no other guests turning up. it was just me, hubby and the guy at the bar. everyone was prob at the games.

i say to hubby “this is prob what the rich and famous do. reserve a whole restaurant and have a body guard ”.. 😂 this certainly wasn’t any experience i’ve had before. rather unique.
now that i’ve tried it, its enough. definitely would prefer to have other people at the restaurant. gives it a buzz.

food and service was nice. i’m not a cheese person, so couldn’t really taste/enjoy the signature dessert which was cream/cheese base. they offered another dish to replace, but i was already so full. the degustation course will definitely fill the tummy.

my only regret is the fact that i decided to go fine dining on the day. i missed out on the element of waiting and looking forward to the event.

intimate and sophisticated venue. excellent service from staff whilst still maintaining a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. food was delicious and well presented with interesting combinations. portion was just right - we left very impressed and satisfied. cutlery was beautiful too!

easily one of melbourne's top restaurants. staff was attentive without being overbearing and they made us feel comfortable just being there. food wise, super inspired with a playful take on textures bordering on the unfamiliar but just right. well done team! it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

the is a classy restaurant with professional service and very good food that is creative and innovative.it is small and you are offered two fixed priced menu options. overall a very good for a fine ding experience.

loved it. would definitely go again without any hesitation. value for the price considering fine dining and the entire experience. very intimate setting but it felt very relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
we celebrated my partner’s birthday and the chefs and team were very accomodating. we both really enjoyed it! thank you!

go, just go. it was above and beyond expectations. intimate setting, amazing service, excellent food and presentation. love how both waitstaff and kitchen staff would come to the table to walk you through each dish. it was perfect on all fronts, especially for a special occasion.

staff were extraordinary and were very polite. with each course came an introduction of the adventurous dish being served. it was a great way to learn of the dish itself and also to get to know each staff member. no menu was provided at the beginning so each course was a surprised. a very delicious surprise! the atmosphere of the restaurant was quite, elegant and modern. it was an open plan with an exposed kitchen with mirrors which showcased the inner workings of the amazing menu. thank you to the amaru team for making our six year anniversary one to always remember! we will definitely be back!