Dressed up to the nines and ready to splurge on that one special occasion? Be it an anniversary dinner or a birthday lunch, there are 5 fine dining restaurants in Melbourne – located in the CBD, Docklands, Southbank and Eastside of the city – for you to visit, namely Atlantic, Bistro Guillaume, No 35, Zio’s and New Quay. Atlantic has been host to Lady Gaga, Bistro Guillaume has won several chef hat awards over the past few years, No 35 overlooks the skyscrapers of Melbourne CBD, Zio’s chocolate soufflé has been coined as “to die for” and last but not least, New Quay does it buffet style.
Atlantic
Located in Crown Entertainment Complex along the riverside, the Atlantic fine dining restaurant is famous amongst both Melburnians and tourists. Featured on UK’s leading travel magazine Conde Nast Traveller, Singapore Epicure Magazine & over fifty other online and print media, it is no surprise that even Lady Gaga paid a visit to this prestigious restaurant.
The Atlantic has 3 different designated areas for you to patronize – the restaurant, the oyster bar and the private dining room. Their executive chef, Donovan Cooke, is a renowned culinary figure, having won awards and appeared in Master Chef: The Professionals.
Their slogan, Ocean to Plate, perfectly describes their working mechanism – seafood is carefully hand selected from both local and specialist sources, assuring you superbly fresh ingredients throughout the menu. They have several different types of oysters to choose from and each oyster is priced at AUD $4. Even the poultry is as good as the seafood! I managed to try the yummy slow roasted corn fed chicken (AUD $38), which was served with Portobello braised mushrooms and broad beans.
Crown Entertainment Complex
8 Whiteman Street
Southbank VIC 3006 Australia
Tel: +61 3 9698 8888
Daily: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 11pm
Bistro Guillaume
The Crown Entertainment Complex houses numerous award-winning restaurants. Bistro Guillaume is just a few restaurants away from The Atlantic (see above) and has been awarded One Chef Hat by The Age Good Food Guide for the past 2 consecutive years.
Guillaume is particular about their wines, with half its bottles imported from France and another half sourced from Victorian wineries.
I had a terrific time there even though the French Onion Soup (AUD $16) failed to impress. The Smoked Salmon with dill cream and toasted brioche (AUD $25) was fantastically fresh and tasty. The delicious Caesar Salad (AUD $22) is served main course size with generous portions of tender chicken and crunchy bacon. The other mains, Half Roasted Chicken with Paris Mash (AUD $38) and the Whole Baby Snapper (AUD $36) were such delicacies. They were delightfully flavourful but not over the top.
Crown Entertainment Complex
8 Whiteman St, Southbank VIC 3006
Tel: + 61 3 9292 4751
Daily: 12pm – 11pm
No 35
I was on cloud nine while dining at No 35, located at level 35 of Sofitel Hotel. Dining at No 35 allows one to simultaneously tuck into the scrumptious modern cuisine and watch the lovely sunset over the skyline of Melbourne City. The interiors of the restaurant are filled with shades of gold and red, accompanied by contemporary arts, and musicians playing tranquil classics in the background.
No 35’s philosophy is to focus on local organic produces and pure flavours. The waiters are very knowledgeable about their food menu and wine list. Upon explaining my fancy for fruity liqueur, I was recommended local Moscato Rouge East 2009 from Mornington Peninsula and it was indeed love at first taste. The food is however far from cheap as a meal on average costs about AUD $75. Nonetheless, it is definitely worth making a trip up to the restaurant at least once for the wonderful experience.
35/25 Collins Street
Melbourne, Victoria 3000
Tel: +61 3 9653 7744
Mon to Sat: 12pm – 2.30pm, 5.30pm – 10pm
Sun: 5.30pm to 10pm
New Quay
When the two words fine dining come into mind, people usually think of small portion gourmet food served over a few courses in a high-class restaurant setting by formally dressed waiters.
New Quay, however, has an entirely different concept. The fine dining restaurant establishes itself as an international buffet, serving almost everything from Chinese Peking Duck to French Crème Brulees. Most dishes are self-serve, hence leaving you to decide the variety and quantity on your plate. Dinner buffet costs AUD $58 per person on weekdays and AUD $63 per person on weekends. While the quality of the food may not be as excellent as the other highly acclaimed restaurants listed above, this restaurant still won me over with its huge selection of international cuisine.
Fine dining in buffet style? I love it.
4-6 New Quay Promenade
Docklands VIC 3008
+61 3 9670 3889
Closed on Tuesdays
Daily (except Tuesday): 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 10.30pm
Zio’s
Rumour has it that Zio’s restaurant has the best chocolate soufflé (AUD $16.90) in Melbourne. I visited the beautiful Victorian house in East of Melbourne to verify this claim, and. I will not deny that my partner and I actually devoured the sinful dessert within a minute.
Zio has been around for two decades and has won itself a long list of loyal customers with its mouthwatering food. The European dishes are influenced by Asia cooking, making the menu even more interesting. For entrees, I would highly recommend the amazingly fresh glazed Canadian scallops (AUD$23.90) and Australian King Prawns tossed in Lobster Butter ($24.90). The mains were even better. I absolutely love The Duck Plate (AUD $42.90), which consists of 4 differently prepared ducks, featuring a variation of flavours and textures.
14 Lansdowne Street
East Melbourne VIC 3002
+ 61 3 9419 0252
Mon to Fri: 12pm – 3pm, 6pm – 11.30pm
Sat: 6pm – 11.30pm
About the writer
Hui Jun Ng was previously a marketing executive and freelance photographer in the food industry. Her work has been published on Epicure, Lifestyle Asia and Meld Magazine etc. She is currently on a break and traveling around the world. Follow her travel adventures on Instagram or The Keepers Map where she shares useful curated travel itineraries.