Laurus Melbourne review: Fried chicken rules roost at new Carlton modern Chinese restaurant
Not everything on the menu at this modern Chinese restaurant will win you over — but fried chicken is something most will agree on.
Food
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Bay leaf is used in cooking to ever so softly add herbaceousness, pepper and depth.
It also has magical multiplying powers in the pot, surprisingly appearing in every mouthful of your stew, curry or soup when you thought you’d removed every last bit.
Well, at least that’s what happens to me.
Carlton’s Laurus is a bit like that, a little lost leaf in cuisine and location.
In a postcode long known for dough and red sauce, the modern Chinese-meets-Australian fine diner seems out of place whacked on zippy Victoria St opposite a luxury car dealership.
Laurus actually means bay leaf in Latin, and riffs on its versatility in both European and Chinese cooking. The name also plays on head chef Roger Lu’s love of Cantonese and Australian food and his desire to blend the two.
But that’s not where our story starts. Here we add another item to the pot.
Businessman Boyang Fang spearheaded Laurus, bringing Lu (former The Atlantic, Sezar) on to lead the kitchen and develop the concept, and Quentin Ferguson (Levantine Hill, Ezard, Vue de Monde) to run the operation.
Fang’s family in China has been in hospitality for yonks. They also own a stackload of restaurants, luxury hotels and tea estates, with Laurus Fang’s first Melbourne restaurant. Without getting bogged down in the detail, it’ helps to put things in context.
Things look prim and proper, with the 90-seater dining room having a fresh outta the box feel. Laurus takes a leaf (pardon the pun) from the hotel restaurant playbook with lofty ceilings, shiny marble tabletops, slick emerald banquettes and tidy, leather-bound menus – it oozes expensive vibes that are not immediately warm and welcoming as perhaps intended.
You’ll see a lot fewer family recipes and a lot more complex, perhaps even overthought, tweezer-worked meals.
Lu’s cooking, however, is executed to a high standard, even if some dishes appear jumbled and confusing at times.
Airy chicken liver parfait is piped on a chewy soybean cake, crowned in refreshing daikon and chive to create three fine but forgettable Lou Mei bites ($18).
But then Lu hits us with some fried chicken swiped in sriracha mayo ($16) and we’re back. Juicy thigh fillet is marinated for 24 hours, dunked in the fryer and seasoned with five secret salts and spices – including our mate bay leaf – delivering impact with every crunch.
Crispy fried eggplant soldiers ($17) drenched in a sticky red vinegar caramel and chilli hits it out of the park with textures and balance. Incredibly moreish.
The Insta-famous octopus chow mein fails to thrill, ($34) fails to thrill, without any real char or smokiness in the seafood.
What’s left is egg noodles jostling in a housemade XO which would have benefited from more spice and a thicker, richer sauce.
Larger plates include a soy-glazed beef rib ($44) that’s fall-off-the-bone tender, surrounded by a pool of oregano, basil and coriander dressing, with ultra fine chilli strands on top.
The meat is textbook sous vide, and tasty enough, but falls a little flat on flavour.
As do the desserts, with a red bean ice cream leaving an unpleasant floury mouthfeel, and the intriguing Sichuan ice cream addition to the sticky rice pudding dish more green pepper than punch.
The drinks do impress, with all-Aussie wines (as French and Italian drops don’t pair with the food) zero booze options and a selection of tea to be matched with either of Laurus’ regular and vegan set menus.
There’s also a suite of signature cocktails including one that uses a gin made especially for the venue by Geelong’s Logan’s Micro Distillery.
Much like the bay leaf, Laurus is polarising in that it may not resonate with some and hit home with others. It’s all personal taste.
LAURUS MELBOURNE
160 Victoria St, Carlton
OPEN: Tue-Sat, 4pm-9pm.
GO-TO DISH: Crispy eggplant
TRY THIS IF YOU LIKE: Albert Park Hotel upstairs.
COST: Entree:($14-$22) Noodles, rice: ($21-$34) Mains: ($30-$46)
RATING: 6/10
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