Supernormal

April 24, 2015

Supernormal

Supernormal is Andrew McConnell’s latest offering which is based on his time working in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Korean and Japanese cuisines also influence the menu. Some old favourites from his previous eatery in St Kilda, Golden Fields, make a return at Supernormal as well. The menu is designed to share and sampling dishes from each category is recommended to gain the full Supernormal experience. If you struggle to decide, a banquet ($65.00) option is also available. The most ideal place to dine is seated somewhere on the long bar which gives you a fantastic view of the chefs hard at work. Regrettably, we were seated on the other side of the restaurant this time...

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

· John Dory, mussels, wakame, celery, ponzu ($36.00)

· Spiced ginger beer pudding, vanilla cream ($15.00)

· Ox tongue, pickled chilli and pig’s ear ($14.00)

· School prawns, Korean chilli, celery and chrysanthemum salad ($16.00)

WHAT WE ATE...

Some complementary soy roasted pepitas were offered which we snacked on whilst conversing and sipping our drinks.

Soy roasted pepitas

We started with a couple of ‘New England Lobster Roll ($16.00 each)’. Perhaps you may have tried one of these legendary lobster rolls before at Golden Fields when it was operating... They were a little on the small side with only two disks of lobster on each roll but they were definitely moreish.

New England Lobster Rolls

We ordered some ‘Vegetable dumplings x 6 ($14.00)’ too. I found these dumplings to be ‘super-below-normal’. Melbourne is spoilt for choice when it comes to great dumplings which are indeed much cheaper! These dumplings were both bland in flavour and texture.

Vegetable Dumplings

WHAT WE DRANK...

The drinks list contains pages and pages of potions and brews for you to pick from. I find it improbable that you would have difficulty finding something that entices you... I tried a glass of ‘Umberto Luigi Domenico Cosmo Prosecco from Veneto Italy ($9.00)’ which was delightful.

Prosecco

My dining companion chose something from the Non-alcoholic list. The amusingly named ‘#Sorrynotsorry ($8.00)’ is a combination of elderflower, English breakfast tea and cucumber. I had a taste of this and it was fabulous!

#sorrynotsorry

SERVICE...

We were aiming to beat the queues by arriving at 12.00 but became preoccupied in a music shop thus didn’t arrive until 12.30. Fortunately, we were seated straight away. We found our waitress to be very efficient and knowledgeable of the menu. It is probably not a restaurant that you feel you could linger for a chat. Their quick service and prompt food delivery made the lunch feel a little rushed...