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Penaeng 16 hour shin beef with snake bean, young bamboo, coriander, salted prawn, krachai, peanut

The renaissance of Swan Street continues in a strength not seen since Smith Street became an epicentre of Australian culinary greatness. Seven years ago when I first moved to Melbourne, Swan Street was an abyss only worthwhile of frequenting for a few specific bars and pubs.

One of the latest to grace the strip is Botherambo which brings modern Thai and Asian flavours to the array of options. It is housed in a good looking corner block that is a mix between alfresco spaces and a more intimate interior. The kind which you try your best to peek into as you go by, but really have to stop to properly take the space in.

Pork and prawn dumplings with lemongrass broth, dried scallop nam prik, coriander, garlic chips

Tonight Catherine and I have just seen the early evening session of “Mad Max” so we are rocking up at 9pm. The restaurant is in full swing, packed inside on this cold night, but luckily there are a couple of spaces for two available. One of the waitstaff who greets us continues to serve us through the night and she does a terrific job.

There are a few different types of betel leaves on offer on the menu so we decide to try one each. It was a mistake to try the crispy duck. While there are some nice flavour accents, the combination of the firm leaf which is difficult to bite through, with quite stringy duck that is more tough than crispy, doesn’t work well.

After a tough start, our food went from good to excellent. We shared the pork and prawn dumplings which were skillfully wrapped and packed full of flavour. It is a little awkward to share but the broth is delicious and really adds to the overall dish, the firm wrapper providing an excellent contrasting texture to the liquid.

Betel leaf of crsipy duck, young coconut, kaffir lime, coriander, chilli, crispy shallot

Betel leaf of crispy duck, young coconut, kaffir lime, coriander, chilli, crispy shallot

Next comes the best dish of the night. The Penaeng 16 hour shin beef is beautiful. Meat that falls apart in tenderness with deep flavour, along with accompaniments such as snake beans, young bamboo shoots, plenty of coriander, and several salted prawns. One ingredient used that I had not heard of was krachai which is a relative of ginger. There is some imagination and purposeful points of difference in this menu.

As we near the end of dinner, satisfied with the generous amount of food, we notice that the dining room is still quite full. This is a restaurant that has quickly found a following and looks to have the qualities that will see it prosper in a strip that has become incredibly competitive for reasonably priced options.

40oz ribeye with bone marrow béarnaise

Early reservations is something I do so regularly that there is a good proposition I’m going to have a smooth transition into my older years. Normally it is to secure a booking or have time to go out later. This time I’m second guessing myself as we walk through a pumping bar area and front dining room to an almost completely empty room at the back.

The four of us sit down and by the time we’ve ordered some drinks and are having a chat reading the menu, the back dining room at Saxon + Parole is pretty much full and the second guessing is gone. It seems the airconditioning is either on (freezing) or off (okay) rather than temperature controlled, but that will be my one and only criticism of the entire evening. Food, wine, service, and company, could not have been better for our catch up and celebration with friends.

Oysters

The menu is focussed on meat options for entrée and several modern starters that can be easily shared, including an impressive list of oysters. That is what takes my fancy and I try two sets of three from different places on the East Coast that produce smaller, more flavoursome, and less creamy varieties. They are so good I forget to even once try the vinegar, lemon or chilli accompaniments. The others try tuna tartare and grilled octopus which is definitely enjoyed.

Grilled octopus & calamari, potatoes, celery, lemon, chili spice, capers

There is an option for a 40 ounce rib eye that we all immediately want to try, so entrée is sorted. While the rib eye is $140, it comes with several sides of potatoes, salad, mushrooms and a rich bone marrow béarnaise. The rib eye, cooked medium rare, and chargrilled perfectly, just tasted incredible. Add some of the béarnaise and the flavour was turned up a further notch. It was serious steak heaven. Even greater a match was a ripper of a Chianti by Pacina, which had the earthy nose I love, leading to savoury, tobacco notes and a fine but rich berry, lingering on the palate.

Carrot cake

Carrot cake is something I’ve rarely had for dessert outside of family get togethers at relatives houses as a child. Just like me, the carrot cake at S+P is all grown up! Absolutely divine is the best way I can think to describe it. Even Alana who doesn’t really eat dessert, thought it was amazing. Georg ordered the deconstructed cheese cake, which was tasty, but we expected something completely different.

Eggnog cheesecake

It was one of those meals that had highlights that you do not forget quickly. When I hear ribeye and carrot cake I’m sure I’ll think of Saxon + Parole in years to come.

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