Last night I had my third visit to Igni. Each time I have dined with different sets of people, and each time everyone has had an amazing experience. The food is elegant in its simplicity, but each dish reveals deep complexities of flavour. The focus is on sourcing the best produce and executing it with a deft touch to honour the ingredient. The kitchen is really maximising the use of the wood fired grill, with aspects of smoke, char and cooking in embers being real highlights. On the floor, Jo, Drew and crew create a fabulously welcoming atmosphere that is extremely friendly and comfortable, but also extremely polished and professional. Wines and drinks are always interesting with a focus on small and left field producers. What an absolute treat to have a restaurant of world class level in my town.
What an amazing place to eat...Couldn't think of a nicer place to spend our 15 year anniversary. Food was absolutely to die for and the atmosphere fabulous. Service first class and my only comment...we went with some wonderful friends and that made the night for us...but if we go on our own I would just love to watch the chef. It was well worth the night..you definitely didn't disappoint! Thank you.
Melbourne Lifestyle Blog
+5
I’m totally loving that Geelong and Bellarine are now food and wine destinations.
Welcome to IGNI. The small, sleek restaurant in the backstreets of central Geelong is not what you would have expected for the city ten years ago. It is
Came here a few years ago so this is a very belated review, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere of Igni and the intimate but casual space. The food was very good, with an emphasis on local produce cooked with smoke/fire. The portions are on the smaller side, but there was a good amount of food and I left neither hungry or too full. My favourite plates were probably the entrees, but the asparagus was cooked perfectly and very tasty. Other dishes were nice, though not quite as memorable. Innovative and fun concept. Recommend.
What a stunning and friendly restaurant - sit at the bench and watch the cooking and assembly if you can
Great selection - multiple courses of very interesting tastes and textures - very few you will have had before
Loved the simplistic interior of Igni, where you can see and smell the wood burning grill.
The appetizers were amazing and very different to most places I have been.
The food is extremely interesting with unique tastes and textures. I would suggest that if you don't like eating things that are a little out of the norm, this might not be the place for you.
It was approx $660 for 4 with a bottle of wine.
Is this one of the best restaurants in Australia? Click here to see the 8 course menu where almost all dishes are treated to a lick of flame from the massive centrepiece kitchen fire. The menu extends only to the physical quantity of ingredients available at the time – so you will most likely be eating a different dish to your neighbour… uh-oh, FOMO….
Linnie Eats All The Food
+4
I’m a big fan of Regional Victoria’s dining scene with their fresh local produce and great community vibe. When I heard about Restaurant Igni, I knew I had to make a booking a check them out. For an 8 course degustation for $150 per head, it’s still quite affordable compared to those in Melbourne with a price tag of +$200 per head. There’s plenty of parking on the main street so that’s not a problem at all. Moving along, it’s a very discrete restaurant and when you get inside there are only 10 or so tables thats spaced very far apart so you’re not bumping elbows with the next table. The atmosphere is very casual and friendly yet the staff are very professional. They’ll ask for your dietary requirements including what your likes and dislikes are so they can be sure to cater for you. It was already a good start to our lunch!
As good as we expected. Service was impeccable and every dish was colourful, tasty and interesting. Good value for what you get and an endless supply of delicious warm bread and foam butter - my weakness. I found the ceiling a bit of a put off and table and chairs were basic but there was a nice relaxed and warm ambience and not at all pretentious.
Igni is a nice little surprise hidden in Geelong. We had the eight course plus matching and opted for an extra course, which was nice but not as fullfilling as the other dishes. The snacks were the highlight and were small packets of flavour prepared with such care. Each and every dish was a piece of art. Compared to other matchings we felt as though the wine was poured a little on the light side though. Staff were very knowledgeable, we did have one instance though where our waitress simply put down our plate without an explanation, this was quickly remedied by one of the older staff members.
We came here on a Saturday evening for dinner. The restaurant was cosy and warm. The wait staff did an excellent job by making us feel welcome. We informed our wait staff that we couldn't take the cheese course and opted for a 6 savoury courses and 2 dessert courses. We started off with the snacks and they were delicious. My favourite was the chicken skin snack which was absolutely more-ish. The common undertone of each course was a hint of citrus which I enjoyed. My favourite course was the cuttlefish with red bull peppers. I also enjoyed the quail which cooked to perfection. My least favourite dishes were the potatoes cooked in whey and the eggplant. The potato dish was cloying after two spoonfuls and the eggplant dish was not very inspiring. The desserts, on the other hand, were well balanced and not too sweet. We had an enjoyable night at Igni and would recommend it to anyone.
DO: Everything that they serve you. Since it's a set menu. Also, do provide them with feedback as they're very accommodating.
DON'T: Be afraid to sit at the counter. It's awesome to see Aaron and his team work wonders.
TIP: Stay overnight instead of trekking back to Melb
Fabulous restaurant tucked away in the alleyways of Geelong. The food, staff and experience was wonderful- one of the best meals we have ever had and the paired wines were all local and fabulous. The staff are a talented team of professionals.
Fine dining can be a hit and miss. Thankfully our experience at Restaurant Igni today far exceeded my expectations from the moment we walked in to the moment we left. The warmth and professionalism of the entire team made the four hour lunch just fly by. As for the food, I really love that they source sustainably and use leftovers/discards to make rich stocks for the savoury dishes, in their plethora of fermentations to make non-alcoholic beverages, and in desserts eg today's tart shell. I enjoyed every single one of the 17 different things served to us matched with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. However, dining experiences are not just about the food. It is the entire package of service, food, ambience, price and most importantly how one feels walking away. And for me, I walked away wanting to go back again. Thanks to the best crew ever.
Actual tears were shed yesterday, over the multitude of tastebud explosions experienced at Igni. Shaved tete de Moine with apricot and honey (pictured) possibly the most delicious thing I've had the pleasure of tasting. Impeccable staff and an exquisite dining experience.
Amazing experience, non-alcoholic matching is recommended that everyone should try .
Excellent food, wine and service. I can’t fault anything. We were so impressed from the moment we sat down to the time we walked out the door. It was extremely good value too. A gem of Geelong. Thank you for having us.
Edited Our IGNI date night was back in 2019 now we had it booked for ages but is still vivid in my mind and I just added some photos I found on my phone.
From the moment we entered the restaurant it felt comfortable. It was a friendly and cool vibe, we sat at the bar and it was comfy. The staff made us feel so special. Every course came with a story, where it was sourced and how it was cooked.
We only went the 5 course but even John who is a big eater was satisfied. We experienced some new tastes and love every minute. I liked it that much took My daughter who is a chef for lunch the next day we sat at the kitchen which was a whole new experience. All the staff made sure it was a new menu for us so I didn’t have any of the same foods again. The night and lunch were incredible a fabulous experience I still tell people about
Loved it
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