Hotel Max

LOCATION
At the laid-back, residential end of Commercial Road.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Hotel Max’s eclectic assemblage of odd furniture, stuffed animals, period collectibles and posters comes together with ease to create a charming dining room. The menu, too, exudes a quaint French style, changing seasonally but always with a stable of favourites. A bar menu is available all day to accompany quiet wine grazing – oysters, gravlax, duck pie, cheese board – while the a la carte menu is a more involved affair, albeit still with a breezy bistro feel.

It’s full of comforting favourites such as steak tartare, duck fat potatoes, cassoulet and lamb navarin, but a lot of the heaviness of French cuisine is absent here. Kingfish ceviche with blood orange, coriander, cress, capers, and baby globe artichokes braised in rosemary and white wine make a lovely, light starter. Even the heaviness of the Pedro Ximenez braised pork belly is countered with a fresh broad bean salsa. The Chateaubriand (for two) complete with broccoli, duck fat potatoes and red wine veal jus may be an indulgence but certainly one worth sharing. Desserts are simple but with an interesting balance of flavours – coconut creme brulee with a mango and basil parcel and sesame tuille, or peanut butter parfait with macerated cherries – and there is also an interesting selection of cheeses. There is a wine-friendly menu, reflected in a thoughtful selection of Australian and European vintages.

Angela Costanzo