NewsBite

Advertisement

Lene

Easy-going eatery dialling it up on the flavour front.

Lene’s light-filled dining room.
Lene’s light-filled dining room.Eddie Jim

Contemporary$$

A touch of shellfish theatre is the first clue to what you’re in for at Lene. A plate of scallops is rushed from grill to table, still audibly sizzling under umami-rich roast tomato butter, the shells too hot to touch. You’ll be thinking about ordering another before the plate has cooled. .

More intense yet refined flavours follow. A rarely seen whole flathead is grilled then amped up with garlicky butter, parsley and a generous grating of house-cured bottarga.

Wagyu flank shows up in a golden mushroom jus, stacked with blackened cremini mushroom clusters on a glossy sunflower cream. Offset it with a fresh and bitter tumble of properly dressed radicchio.

Advertisement

There’s a freewheeling independent charm that dominates not just the menu, but the space, with post-punk classics on the stereo and big, loud artworks dominating the room. In an era of polished corporate restaurants, it’s delightfully individual.

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Sign up

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/lene-20240318-p5fdd8.html