I loved the two course options. Personable staff who never intruded, gave great suggestions and were always available when needed. The food was outstanding, different and utterly delicious.
Amazing food and wine here! Had the $88 four course menu. But of course before all that jazz we HAD to have the potato 🥔 bread to start. It is a MUST GET at Lesa.
First course we got the sweet morsels of spammer crab 🦀 with sweet peas.
Second was this amazing cold smoked snapper 🐠 with pistachios.
The “main” was semolina pasta for me and roasted lamb for her. The semolina pasta was slightly salty for my liking but the crunchy asparagus and turnip greens made up for it. The lamb was beautifully seasoned and cooked and it had an amazing Smokey flavour.
We also had different dessert: I had the kombu chocolate ball thing which was sweet and savory at the same time, a very unique dessert. She had the salted brown sugar custard w berries, which was super delish.
Love how the menu sounded deceivingly simple but everything was innovative at the same time. The service was friendly and laidback, and the wine selection is very very good.
Had the tasting menu with wine pairing. The food was all beautifully presented and wonderful to eat. I also found the service to be very charming and attentive. Highly recommend for a lovely evening 😊
So what’s my verdict on Lesa, and how does it compare to Embla? This is actually a surprisingly difficult question to answer. Whereas Embla specialises in a menu that is rustic yet refined, the menu at Lesa is significantly more experimental. What impressed me the most about Lesa wasn’t so much the flavour of the food (though it was all good!), but the way that every dish had something unique about it that I’ve never experienced anywhere else. It was a joy to see the way the disparate, even obscure ingredient lists on the menu come together as cohesive and innovative dishes. Lesa may not be as much of a crowd-pleaser as Embla, and it certainly won’t be for everyone, but it’s an experience that is entirely unique, and well worth the visit.
What a delightful dining experience. We had the $55 two-course lunch, plus extras, and everything we ate was yum, yum, yum. The standout was the fermented potato flatbread with shiitake and macadamia - a serving of that with a glass of wine is my idea of heaven. Taking nothing away from our other courses, it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten.
Unique fine dining experience on Russel Street. Offering a refined 4 course dinner, Lesa appeals to the Melbourne foodie scene. The menu is relatively small and the dishes are all on the more unusual side. We started with the potato bread with macadamia cream. This was exceptional, a must order! Following this we launched into the 4 course meal. I started with the veal tartare, followed by the squid then the hapuka and finally the roast potato parfait with chocolate sauce. Everything was fresh and light but I particularly enjoyed the hapuka and the intriguing dessert. Would definitely recommend Lesa for a special night out.
Went there for lunch and had the $55 two-course menu. We had previously been to Embla downstairs and enjoyed the food. Full four-course lunch is $85. I had the raw flounder in a mussel broth, and aged pork loin for the main course. The other order was heirloom beetroot followed by hapuka. We had potatoes as a side. The food was inventive and quite tasty, but don't expect a hearty meal, as the portions are very modest. We shared a cheese platter with our coffee. The wine list was excellent, as expected from our experience of Embla. Service started well, but at the end, we had trouble getting our waiter's attention to order our coffees.
So glad that it’s finally open!! I would come into Embla and always wondered “how’s upstairs going?”. Booked a table for 2 on Saturday night at 7pm and the place was buzzing. Christian brought me to my table and I waited for my mate. Then Justin came over to help with the menu. The food menu was carefully curated, 4 courses; I had the veal tartare, chicken porridge, hapuka and meringue for dessert. Ordered the potato flatbread with macadamia and shiitake to share which was a good start to the meal. Before dessert we had a sneaky cheese which Justin recommended, Beaufort alpage with olive tapenade and rosemary crackers. Best part was bumping into my good friend at the next table to us. Overall, I had a great experience and I’ll definitely be back. This is the place to be in Melbourne right now.
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