25 Nov Noir, Richmond

Noir serves French cuisine in a modern and neat setting and was recently awarded one chef’s hat by the Good Food Guide. For midday dining there are lunch specials for $18, as well as the four course tasting menu, with a glass of wine for $35. Today I decided to go for the tasting menu.

The chilled pea and asparagus soup was thick and smooth, with a good balance of flavours. It went very nicely with the parmesan biscuit (which was more like a parmesan crisp).

Smoked Chicken Salad, Hazelnut Dressing

Salty, smoked chicken isn’t something I’ve tried before and was surprisingly similar to smoked ham. It was a moist salad full of flavour and different textures.

Torn Skate ‘Meuniere’ With Chat Potato Salad

The next dish was presented differently to what I’d pictured, but it was a good thing because I’m not normally a fan of creamy potato salad. Lined up on the plate was the tender, lemony and buttery skate and the potato. The parsley component of the meuniere was sprinkled on the crisped slices of potato together with capers.

As the confit duck ragout linguini arrived at the table I was greeted by the rich fragrance of cheese and butter. The linguine was cooked perfectly and there was quite a lot of duck hidden underneath, with the wonderful sauce tied everything together. This was my favourite dish of the four.

Noir offers affordable options for lunch, especially for a one-hat restaurant, and the seasonal tasting menu made for a very filling and interesting meal.

Noir
175 Swan St
Richmond, VIC, 3121
(03) 9428 3585
http://www.noirrestaurant.com.au/