SGC Lounge, Melbourne CBD

08 Oct SGC Lounge, Melbourne CBD

Posted at 18:45h in Bar/Pub, Food, Melbourne CBD, Modern Australian, Restaurants, SGC Lounge by 0 Comments

SGC (Seafood Grill & Cocktail) Lounge is located within the same building as The Nitrogen Lab, the new ice cream/gelato store on Bourke St, but on the upper floors. I bought a $19 Scoopon for this place a few months ago because there were some interesting fish I wanted to try like gunnard and coral perch (particularly the gunnard because I hadn’t had it before and apparently it’s a very sweet fish). I’d actually made a booking to come two months ago, but last-minute maintenance works meant they were unable to trade that day. Because of the nature of the items I wanted to order, I had to go for an early dinner and today was the next suitable time for me to go.

At first I opted to eat at the bar area, but the very cheery and affable waiter insisted I have a look at the rooftop. The weather was nice and sunny, and because daylight savings just started it wasn’t going to get dark anytime soon, so I ended up staying there.

Unfortunately the menu changed a few days after I bought the voucher so I was unable to have the fish I originally wanted. I was very tempted by the Atlantic Salmon with Mixed Vegetable Couscous ($30), but to make full use of the voucher, and also to have something other than salmon for a change, I with the Grilled Whole Snapper with Tomato Couscous ($35). I also ordered a Fall In Love cocktail (tequila + chambord shaken thoroughly with strawberry, lime & orange juice, $15). Most of the people there were having happy hour drinks, so it felt extra strange to be eating dinner at that time.

This was my first cocktail so I can’t really say how good it was compared to others, but it was quite nice; not too sweet and also not too strong alcoholically. The snapper was overcooked, even on the side that hadn’t been sitting on top of the risotto. In terms of freshness, the snapper wasn’t super fresh, but not ‘unfresh’ either. The risotto was tasty but mostly gloopy and clumpy and it also looked like it had been made with long grain rice.

Value-wise my meal wasn’t bad, particularly with the serving size of the risotto, but I wouldn’t pay full price for the food.