MiLady loves seafood – so when it came time to choose a dinner spot, she instructed the concierge appropriately. He recommended Rubira’s and booked a table for dinner. A short cab ride Murghk Dragoon, doesn’t the TARDES work yet for even short hops?) brought us to an unprepossessing corner pub in Port Melbourne. Upon entering MiLady expressed her concern that it did not look like the sort of place where one could request the hostess call a cab at the end of the meal, but I assured her that because Australia has a very low blood alcohol limit (0.05) AND pub owners are liable if their customers run afoul of the law, I was quite certain they had a list of taxi company phone numbers tucked under the bar, and she should adopt the local attitude of “No worries mate.”
We were promptly seated and, after noting our respective appearances of age, asked whether we could pass the constructive eye test posed by the chalkboard at the far end of the room, or would prefer printed menus. We chose the latter. The waitress then inquired whether we had dined at Rubira’s before and we allowed as how we had not. She explained the custom was one or two appetizers, perhaps one or two entrees (in the US those are called “starters” or “small plates”) and then a “main” for each dinner- which could be shared. In fact, she noted, if we’d just like a tasting menu to share, all we needed to do was pick out the dishes and she’d instruct the kitchen to prepare the correct size portions. While we were thinking about what we wanted, a wonderful, carefully curated wine list appeared.
The menu contained six (6!) different preparations of oysters – one natural (cold) and another five cooked in various ways: Mornay, Kilpatrick, steamed, beer-battered, poached in Champagne. Now, as MiLady doesn’t eat her mollusks au naturel, we opted for 4 each of the Kilpatrick, Mornay and beer-battered preps. We also indulged in grilled scampi with garlic butter, Moreton Bay Bug tails fried in a cornmeal batter, a Moreton Bay bug grilled then sauced with ginger and scallions and split, King Prawn spring rolls with scallions, a side of chips, and a bottle of 2012 Barossa Valley shiraz.
Our waitress returned with the wine, looked at us, and announced that the vintage of the bottle was not as proffered on the carte du vin, was too chilled having just been brought from the wine room, and “didn’t feel right.” So, she asked if she could bring us a 2013 Maclaren Vale shiraz instead. We agreed, and were delighted with the replacement. Inky purple, fruited with dark berries and powerful (14.5% ABV), it was delicious – standing up to the “garlic and ginger”, “bacon and worcestershire” and Mornay sauces during the course of the meal.
Moreton Bay bugs are like giant lobster tails with almost imperceptible heads, swimmers but no claws. They are sweet and delicious and when properly prepared, can be removed from their shells with a single strong pull from the top towards the tail. Like lobster, they can be sauced in a variety of ways – and we gorged on two of the best – cornmeal battered then deep fried, and in a sauce reminiscent of a Chinese ginger and scallion approach. Heavenly.
The grilled scampi were excellent – but after one has said they were perfect, why gild the lily? The King prawns were expertly grilled, split, lightly brushed with garlic butter and finished with a momentary exposure to the charcoal. Perfection cannot be improved upon.
Sadly, we cannot report on the chips – they never arrived. By the time we and our waitress noticed the kitchen’s omission, it was too late. We were sated.
Fortunately there was just enough room for the homemade chocolate tarte. Moist, creamy, decadently luscious and served with a dollop of rich, vanilla bean ice cream. (And I’ve been doing so well, until now, at maintaining a balanced flying weight.)
A superb meal to top off a wonderful day.
(And yes, Rubira’s called a cab for us and we were safely whisked back to The Langham.)