Time Out Melbourne never writes starred reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills for reviews so that readers can trust our critique.
Perched on the 80th floor of Ritz-Carlton on the decidedly non-Paris end of the city, fine dining establishment Atria has managed to fly under the radar of most Melburnian diners. With wraparound views of Melbourne’s cityscape from Port Phillip Bay to Mount Macedon – all the better in summer when sunset coincides with dinnertime – Atria follows in the footsteps of fine diners like Vue de Monde (incidentally where its executive chef Michael Greenlaw has spent time), where the picturesque views match the sophisticated fare on offer.
That’s about where the similarities end, however. Where Vue de Monde takes many of its cues from France, Atria is best described under the catch-all ‘modern Australian’. The seasonally changing menu – according to the seven seasons of the Kulin Nations’ calendar, not the standard four of the western one – has a hyper local focus, heavily leaning on fresh produce from myriad Victorian suppliers. Here, produce is preserved when it’s at its peak and utilised at a later date. Unlike many fine diners, you can opt for a five-course tasting menu or order ala carte.
Atria’s version of sitting by the bar is parking yourself along a 19-metre-long Victorian ash counter that overlooks floor-to-ceiling windows of the city’s skyline as chefs assemble your dishes in front of you. Is it one of the most stunning views from a Melbourne restaurant? We think so.
But once the initial sense of wonder has subsided, there's plenty more to feast your eyes on. Smoky, mineral tones and dried native plants peppered around the room conjure an upscale ode to Australiana. Lenticular light fittings suspended in a uniform line over the dining area and columns inlaid with mother of pearl lend the space a modern glam opulence – it’s a bit Gatsby, a bit disco.
Sommelier Sean Lam’s curated drinks menu is extensive – 70 single-sided pages with a local wine focus as well as a spotlight on saké. The cocktail list has a pronounced local focus as well with the inclusion of native ingredients. The pisco-forward ooray – also known as Queensland Davidson plum – with apricot brandy is a velvety highlight as it coats your lips with a lingering sweetness.
Service is meticulous; Atria is the type of place where waitstaff wear white cotton gloves while transporting cutlery so as to not leave fingerprints, where piping hot hand towels are dispensed between bread and the remaining courses. I appreciated this level of decorum that's increasingly rare these days, but it wasn't perfect (at least for fine dining standards.) A few things did get muddled amid the medley of waitstaff that attended to our table, but nothing more serious than a delayed drink here, a small mischarge there. In any case, the service was always convivial and knowledgeable.
Bread isn’t complimentary at Atria, but you’d do well to kickstart your meal with the Baker Bleu country sourdough, served alongside a generous orb of miso and truffle butter. The sourdough simultaneously has heft and bounce, while the truffle butter has an intense umami quality that nonetheless doesn’t overwhelm the tastebuds.
The yuba tart is encased by thin tofu-like pastry brushed in maple syrup and the most unusual, earthy combination of roasted kombu cream and mushroom black pearls.
Dipped in a squid ink sauce and preserved romesco before being grilled over charcoal, the octopus is tender yet springy – a treat alongside the smoky sauce.
The Stone Axe Wagyu bresaola 9+ atop a fried crumpet is almost dessert-like in its rich indulgence and in the same league as Gimlet’s bresaola gnoccho fritto.
Topped with thin slivers of black Spanish radish, the delicate Victorian crudo with a seasonally changing selection of local fish has light citrus undertones.
The venison tartare arrives to much fanfare on an ensconced demi-circle of native plants and ingredients. The ground raw meat with dollops of smoked bone marrow is fresh and creamy, but the accompanying fennel crackers threaten to derail the dish with their overwhelming smokiness. We much prefer the venison tartare by itself.
The roasted pork jowl, on the other hand, is a revelation – sticky, sweet and rich with a lingering richness, and candied pork floss on top.
It’s not an uncommon experience to thoroughly enjoy inventive takes on entrees, only for a restaurant to thoroughly flounder when it comes to their mains. This was not the case at Atria.
Every main truly hits it out of the park. The dry-aged Macedon Ranges duck is incredibly tender and moist, sitting in a luxuriant reduction that's almost sweet from Wandin Valley cherries with a thin, glistening layer of skin. The striploin, 220g Vintage Gippsland Mb3+, no less but one of the cheaper steaks on the menu at $64, has an impressive char while retaining its impeccable medium rareness. Filled with an aged, semi-hard local cheese, the corn tortellini and its surprising combination of baby corn and pine nuts is the perfect counterpoint to the richness of the meat – light and radiant.
Our waitstaff is truly excited by our order of the potato boulangère and for good reason. Typically prepared in a baking dish, Atria’s version arrives as compressed cubes with meticulously demarcated layers and a lightness that belies their density. The lightly charred purple sprouting broccolini, crisp from their heat treatment, arrives in a buttery, briny sauce of olives, capers and cabbage cream.
Desserts are some of the most pleasingly unexpected ones we’ve had in a while. Toasted rice cream with a thin crisp layer of barley caramel and crisp rice grains – typically found in savoury dishes – has strong undertones of coffee and banana, accentuated by the icy freshness of plum sorbet.
Jerusalem artichoke appears in three guises in our second dessert – as the basis of the Japanese fermented rice drink amazake, the scoop of ice-cream and the shards of meringue, all of which top a roasted chestnut cake. The combination is even more glorious than anticipated.
At every turn, Atria’s dishes are strikingly unique and, most of all, delicious spotlights on local Victorian produce. Step into the black orchid-scented lobby of Ritz-Carlton and ascend into the clouds for one of the most exciting dining experiences going around.