Underbar

Communal fine dining that subverts expectations.

November 18, 2024

1 / 8A dish from the chef’s tasting menu.Supplied

2 / 8Inside Underbar in Ballarat.Leon Schoots

3 / 8Ama ebi, prawn bisque.Simon Schluter

4 / 8Pork belly with hoshigaki persimmon.Simon Schluter

5 / 8Beef with beetroot,blackberry and horseradish.Simon Schluter

7 / 8Lamb, cavolo nero, black and white garlic.Leon Schoots

8 / 8Assorted duck snacks including duck parfait pani puri.Simon Schluter

15/20

Contemporary$$$

The first challenge is finding it, hidden behind filmy curtains on an unexciting strip. This is a fine diner with an edginess that’s felt beyond the punk-rock soundtrack.

Derek Boath is on tweezer duty. His precise cherry tomato, avocado and chevre tart – close to a Caravaggio still-life – belies bold flavours. Ditto the cornbread madeleines with crab-infused sweetcorn custard.

Sommelier Tony Schuurs drives the drinks: a broad sweep of the region’s top producers and global gems. Sparkling mead from Byron Bay is pitch-perfect with butter-poached scallops and salty guanciale in a frou-frou almond sauce. Lamb rump hums with smoked yoghurt, charry onion and the glossiest, curry-inflected jus.

Warm cinnamon doughnuts with a trio of molten hazelnut, salted caramel and peanut butter are spot-on in their simplicity. Making it from the opening snacks to the four-dessert encore is a commitment of three hours or more, but fortune flavours the brave.