We are delighted to share food critic, Besha Rodell’s Good Food review of Laura featured in The Age this weekend.
We are delighted to share food critic, Besha Rodell’s Good Food review of Laura featured in The Age over the weekend. A wonderful testimony to the hard work of our talented and passionate team, Rodell speaks to the unique combination of characteristics that define Laura as a fine dining destination like no other and reconfirms Laura’s two-Chef Hat status.
In the challenge faced by many to find a restaurant that can rise to the occasion of a milestone event, Rodell begins,
“Allow me to recommend Laura at Pt Leo Estate on the Mornington Peninsula. The restaurant, which closed last May after a fire and reopened late last year, has all the trappings of fine dining, caviar and truffles, (a) wine list full of occasion-worthy bottles, (and) table-side theatrics, amid a truly stunning setting.”
Impressed by our Culinary Director, Josep Espuga’s ability to oversee all the food on the property, Rodell makes special mention of the way in which Espuga draws inspiration from his Spanish background, “To create Laura’s menu in ways that are occasionally subtle and often direct homages. That plus a dedication to the bounty of the peninsula makes for a beguiling few hours.”
Highlights for Rodell included a starter dish, “A bowl of contrasting textures, a gazpacho with avocado, matcha and fresh wasabi – some of it almost frozen, some of it creamy, some of it crumbly, all of it refreshing and delicious.” Another standout dish, the “stalks of white asparagus, topped with oscietra caviar, swathed in cream made from Sydney rock oysters and a whiff of Laphroaig, which lends itself to peaty smoke,” she declares a “gorgeous dish in every way.”
Evocation of memory is integral to the distinctive Laura experience according to Rodell. Crediting Espuga’s cooking traditions of the Basque regions of Spain, Rodell explained the Culinary Director’s rendition of Murray cod is “cooked with such delicacy it’s soft flesh reminded me of the turbot I’d eaten in Spain many years ago.”
Recognising the risks Espuga and his team are taking in crafting the menu Rodell notes “For the most part, those risks pay off. The lovely mole sauce under the Blackmore wagyu, complex but not too rich and a perfect complement to the meatiness of the steak.” Or the dessert “mochi comes in the form of delicate thin sheets, like flower petals, served with fig leaf ice cream that tastes like floral coconut. Draped over fresh and liquid cherries it sings of summer.”
Acknowledging the warm and professional service of our team from the moment you enter, Rodell concludes “The main draw is the beautifully considered and plated food in a truly stunning setting. For those seeking occasion-worthy dining, be sure to add Laura to the top of your list.”
Reserve your seasonal Laura dining experience today.
