hazel

i had pretty high expectations for hazel- it got a good rep for its modern take on french classics, however the dishes were slightly underwhelming. the stand out was the asparagus with crab vinaigrette. flavours were bold and ingredients exceptional quality and fresh. the seafood stew was flavoursome but lacked presentation finesse and not worth the price. the seafood was fresh and complimented nicely by the broth/sauce. the steak was nothing special as the mushroom butter topping was a poor match. chunky mushrooms interrupted the tenderness of the steak and i found myself avoiding them in the dish. the chopped salad was bland due to under seasoning. probably wouldn’t return, but theservicewas lovely and the interiors are welcoming and impressive at the same time.

hazel has one of the best interiors i've ever seen in a restaurant. gorgeous creamy colour palette with lots of natural lighting. exposed brick, tastefully decorated - it's a beautiful place to catch up with friends.

ordered:
entree:
🦪 oysters + mirepoix mignonette ($5.00 each)
🧀 our halloumi + mustard figs ($16.00)
🥖 duck liver parfait, baguette + watermelon pickle ($19.00)

main:
🥩 scotch fillet (medium) + charred onion butter ($45.00)
🍄 john's mushrooms, celeriac + yolk ($25.00)
🥔 kipflers, whey + trout roe ($24.00)

dessert:
🍐 quince + buttermilk sorbet ($14.00)

review:
oysters were plump, but a little salty. can't say they've been my favourite (i prefer marameo) but it's always nice to kick start a meal with oysters.

duck liver parfait was decent, but still prefer the version from small french bar in footscray. it could definitely benefit from mayo to have a hit of creaminess but we're starting to land into banh mi territory. in the meantime, the watermelon pickle was a good way to add another flavour profile (tanginess) to the dish.

in terms of the main, scotch fillet was delicious especially with how salty some pieces were 🤩. fatty juicy hits of flavour accompanied by the surprisingly clean mushroom and egg yolk.
wish the kipflers were fried and crispy but the raw nature with the white creamy (buttermilk?) kept our palates fresh.

wasn't a fan of the dessert of the quince and buttermilk sorbet. cut up in layers, the quince was a bit too sour and the consistency was soft layered apples. what was really cute was the plates - apparently the owner goes to antique stores and picks up unique plates!

stunning interior and we took very nice photos here,servicewas very friendly but not a place i'd go back again.

these are only some of the dishes from the 95/head set menu! there was so much food! in the past we have been to restaurants like these where the set menus did not fill us up or were not ‘worth it’. every dish was high quality, full of flavour and delicious. there wasn’t one dish we didn’t like. usually am not a fan of watermelon and fetta.. but this place converted me. wine recommendations was perfect, andservicewas great too. would come here again!

absolutely loving this place! food was nice and fresh.servicewas 10/10.
will come back next time for different dishes:)

loved every single dish. there are very few places i can say that of, and hazel is one of those few. the portions are small, which means you can order more dishes to try. theservicewas good and the menu is reasonably priced. we loved that the kitchen cut everything into 4 portions for us, which made sharing so much easier! will definitely be coming back again.

really enjoyed eating at hazel - beautiful and bright interior, food is simply delicious - enjoyed the beef tartare and spent noodles the most.serviceis incredible - the staff are very attentive and helpful. will be back for more sure.

we recently celebrated our anniversary at hazel and were blown away by everything they had to offer. i had been wanting to go here since i had heard about it's opening, and i wasn't disappointed. this venue is in a beautiful part of town, in the most gorgeous old building, and the decor is just divine. so chic and elegant, with amazing lighting and furniture; hazel just oozes style and class. we were served by several different people, and each of them was extremely hospitable and friendly.

after toasting with fabulous wine, we began with the complementary french onion dip with hand made crackers. such a welcome touch, and extremely tasty. we wanted to start with their famous toasts, and i'm so glad that we did. one came with the richest pate imaginable, and was just sublime; and the other was a refreshing beef tartare which was seasoned perfectly. the toasts are fun to share, and an interesting menu concept that i think really works.

our mains were a divine duck breast, and the succulent lamb chop, with a side of broccolini. everything was just delicious and perfectly cooked. the proteins were still tender and full of flavour, and the broccoluni was dressed beautifully.

we were delighted when our dessert of apple crumble came out with an anniversary message. another lovely and personal touch which shows the level of care that this restaurant takes. the crumble itself was amazing, with it's tart apple, crunchy caramel crumble and divinely creamy ice cream. the perfect end to a fabulous dinner.

i'm so glad that we chose hazel for this special occasion and would absolutely return again in a heartbeat. the menu is extensive and interesting enough to tempt us back, as is the fabulousserviceand serene ambience. hazel is all class, and should do well in this part of town.

this new place should be checked out, they have amazing food with great customerservice😻😻😻

besides the noisy background,servicewas great same as the food. we had the fettuccine pasta, beets, flathead, broccoli with parmesan and roasted eggplant with pesto. nice cheeses for dessert and imported wine - good quality of food

came to this place for the first time for lunch on sunday. the place is very pretty. they were playing good tunes too. theserviceis really good and our food came pretty quick. all our meals were delicious. my favourite one was the noodle pork sausages! i will come back next time for a dinner.