This is rather a long-pending review, yet a much deserving one.
The Great Planning:
It was my sister's birthday on Dec 9 last year. So my brother-in-law and I had to secretly plan things for her. Boy, it wasn't easy! The ladies are more adept at throwing surprises (the pleasant ones) I reckon, and here we were left on our own to plan something special for the only lady at our place.
We had no choice though. We started our pursuit with a Mediterranean dinner in mind. I spent one full day rummaging through various food portals over the Internet, but nothing worked out - an outlet was either totally booked, or it didn't match our needs. Since the booking was for a Friday evening, things got even tougher. Also we were looking for a reservation very close to the D-Day, which further made it difficult. Finally, after a lot of pain and disappointment, I bumped into Salona on Zomato. The rating, the menu, the pricing, the cuisine, everything looked perfect. Hence, I made an enquiry right away and was greeted very warmly on the call. Quite apprehensively, I checked whether a booking for 4 was available; to my greatest surprise, it was! We were finally making a reservation. Furthermore, the receptionist, after consultation with the chef, agreed to prepare a cake for the occasion - going out of their way - they normally would only offer ready-made muffins or cup cakes. Getting a booking for Friday evening, within 24 hours from the schedule, was absolute serendipity; the cake order, perhaps, was an icing on the cake.:-) At last, everything was all set. The men had accomplished the mission. Although it was only the reservation done, yet a lot of nerves were settled in the process.
On the D-Day:
We travelled from Craigieburn to Richmond and arrived at the venue around 7.30PM, as per our booking. The place was partially filled then. Suddenly, we had a fresh problem; I had forgotten to mention that we would have an 11-month-old baby (my nephew), giving us company. A baby-chair would have blocked the pathway. We even checked on the upper deck, which primarily housed the bar, but didn't find a solution. Sitting outside was not an option for us either. We were getting a bit restless by then, and I a bit embarrassed too.
Then came the first 'WOW' moment of the evening; within minutes, the cordial staff rearranged the furniture to make arrangements for all of us to be seated comfortably. My nephew was all smiles, so were we. I must add, not even once did any staff mention that had I mentioned about the baby during the booking, the matter could have been averted altogether. The amiable staff didn't let things linger for long and got us focused on the order immediately - the food!
Since I had already done a lot of research about the place - the ambience, the food and their specialties, we wanted to try everything that we had on our minds - it was my sister's birthday after all! Now I might not retain the order or the exact names of the items ordered after all these weeks, yet I am certain about one thing - almost everything was just awesome! Nevertheless, let me test my memory a bit.
Besides the special House Made Dips (for starters), Lamb Ribs, Salt Bush Lamb Riganato, Byzantine Calamiri, Prawn Saganaki, Zucchini Kefte were some of the dishes we had in mind, drawing from all the starred reviews we had read on Zomato and Salona's website. Nonetheless, we were advised to go for Degustation: Leave-it-to-the-Chef courses; assortments, we were told, which would cover everything that we had planned for and much more. There was no reason to say 'no'. For the next 2-2.5 hours, we just ate and regaled. On an average each dished took about 15-20 mins for preparation, but by the time it arrived on the table, one would know why. The aroma, the garnishing, the presentation, the colours, the freshness, almost everything was so very enticing. The wait never really hurt! One delicacy bettered the other. MELI-CIOUS, the vodka with Lemon Zest, Orange and Honey worked its magic even on a teetotaller like me.:-) The other folks liked their white wines too.
During the entire evening, the ultra-cordial staff kept on checking regularly with us - seeking our feedback and enquiring if we needed anything. It certainly was one of the best dining experiences I've had so far in Melbourne - absolutely top class service. The food wasn't falling behind either. The ambience was nice too; even after the place was almost full, it never really felt stuffy. It just underlines what people with a lot of passion, and with large hearts can do within a supposedly small space. Salona felt special!
Now after we were done with the expansive dinner and the drinks. It was time for the big moment - the specially ordered cake! One of the waitresses brought it, with sparklers adorning the splendid handmade cake. My sister was totally bowled over and was blushing by then. Her reaction was enough for us. We didn't have enough words to thank the amazing people serving us that evening. The cake was indeed special - a big soft one; not too creamy or 'flashy', a special pumpkin-orange cake. One had to taste it to know how yummilicious it was! It would melt in your mouth within seconds. I'm not much of a desserts-person, yet I couldn't resist the temptation. We had it till we all were satiated. We wanted the rest of the cake to be shared by the staff since it was quite a big one, but they cordially packed it for takeaway. I thanked the chef, Yanni, who had by then made a couple of trips to our table, squeezing few moments out of his pressing schedule to seek our feedback.
Salona literally owns you the moment you step inside. The only thing I could wish for, in hindsight, is the lighting. It was perfect for dining in, but it was a tad challenging - even with an iPhone - to get quality shots of the amazing food being served. But then, we always wanted it to be a dinner and not lunch, so the lighting was secondary. I'm glad we had made the right choice eventually. Hope some of the frames accompanying this writeup do justice to the unforgettable experience we had on the day. In fact, due to Zomato's restriction of 10 shots per review, I was forced to make a selection out of the entire bunch.
The Ratings:
I have nothing more to add, although I would cherish the experience forever, given the importance of occasion. I'm certainly gonna visit this place a few more times. It's time for the ratings, which is more of a formality now. Here we go:
AMBIENCE: 4
FOOD: 4.75
SERVICE: 5/5 (Exceeded our expectations by a mile)
OVERALL: 4.5+
Thank You Note:
Emma, Yanni, Stavros and others, you guys are rockstars - doing your best, so I hope you keep it up. See you again soon! It was a pleasure dining at Salona and meeting you all. Hearty thanks for a sumptuous dinner and the scrumptious cake, and for making it a memorable birthday for my sister. You all truly vindicated my decision. Sincere apologies for the delay in posting this review; hope I could make some amends with the narration.
Stay Awesome!
Cheers
Partha
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