HER — Restaurant in Melbourne

HER has been all over my socials since they opened and seemed like the place to be! The building is five stories high and starts with Her Bar on the ground floor - a French-inspired eatery and cocktail bar. Then, through the restaurant, a long flight of stairs wraps around a glass escalator leading to a "Music Room", a Thai Eatery (BKK) and finally, the rooftop bar. Each venue was buzzing and people were hopping from floor to floor - felt like a frat party lol

Her Bar gives off a very moody and sexy vibe with its honey-toned walls, rattan ceiling and lavish leather banquettes. We came on a Saturday night for a girl's night, and as expected, it was a full house!

When we booked, the set menu was the only option available and required a full pre-payment. However, we saw other tables with options to order off the menu - so maybe it's better to try walking in?

The set menu was $80pp (or $130 with drink pairings). See my reel for the full menu.

Of the starters, the stand-out was the wagyu gougère - a light, airy pastry holding a tender piece of wagyu with creamy caramelised onion sauce. The creme fraiche overpowered the oyster, and the vol-au-vent lacked flavour.

The sourdough and butter were okay. However, the kingfish and escargot were wins! The verjus dressing had the perfect balance of tart/sourness with a hint sweetness, making the kingfish very refreshing. The escargot was served in a tasty warm buttery and garlic sauce 🤤

For the mains, the slow-cooked beef Bourguignon was flavourful and tender. It came with a mash and brussel sprouts to share. The brussel sprouts weren't seasoned enough and were more bitter than I would've liked. The shoestring fries were a great addition.

The creme caramel was nice simple dessert to end the meal.

Overall, we had an enjoyable time. However, it would've been better if it was a la carte. I liked that there were a variety of snacks and starters, but four servings of slow-cooked beef for mains was a bit of a waste 🥲

Last thing to note - the seating time is 90 mins and they’ll rush you out for the next booking! But you can bring your drinks to the other venues.

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HER is a 5-storey, heritage-listed site with strong ties to Melbourne’s art scene. It is a drinking, dining and music venue from the HQ group. You can find the rooftop on Level 5 which serves up Thai dishes from the restaurant below. On Level 3 is the Music Room - a soundproof bar fitted with velvet booths stocked with good drinks and vinyls. HER Bar is the ground floor where you can dine from their all day menu. I appreciate a nice space when I see one but unfortunately the food didn’t live up to it.

Nothing particularly stood out but if I had to choose a favourite, it would be the Duck. Although it was only lukewarm on arrival, the meat itself was very tender to the point the knife needed very little pressure, the skin was thin and crispy and it was cooked medium rare to a T. The jus was also nicely balanced, and the duck soaked it up nicely. Is it good enough to make me want to return for it? No. But it was good for a bar.

The gnocchi was over cooked, way too soft and mushy, and the flavours weren’t prominent. I tasted mostly the potato and cheese. The kingfish was okay, again no real standout flavours and I feel the sour cream should’ve been swapped out for something that would elevate the whole dish tenfold. The portion and amount of fish was good though.

The tartare wasn’t my favourite. Again no standout flavours. I was expecting a side of crisps to scoop the tartare with as I’ve had at other venues. The fries were a strange choice and made for an awkward meal. The side of anchovy mayo was good but not much of an anchovy taste to it. It just tasted like regular aioli to me.

Overall I can’t say I recommend this venue for a good feed. Maybe stick to the other levels where it might have more of a vibe to it during the night and you’re only there for drinks. Or perhaps Level 4 with the Thai...

Honestly this place is probably a good 3.5 to 4 stars due to the look of it, but I'm leaving one star since when my partner and I were getting our ID's checked the security guard made a point to triple check my ID back to front and ask to check my bag which btw can't even fit my phone so I chuckled a bit to before happily letting him (for context the vintage coat I was wearing had pockets deep enough to fit a dictionary)

What put us off was how he asked me "how many drinks I've had tonight love?", and with the way he was looking/speaking to me, you'd think I was so drunk that I was refusing to admit it. I was shocked/literally speechless (is this seriously happening right now) at how he spoke to me because my partner and I had one drink each for my birthday dinner and you know what it is funny when someone asks to check a bag that's a glorified lipstick holder.

It dampened the mood and left a sour taste when even after my partner answered for my saying I only had one drink he went out of his way to tell me to drink lots of water.

We didn't make a fuss or anything, and he did let us in. I felt self-conscious after that and I just wanted to leave. I mean I spent hours doing myself up and we had just finished a 3-course meal at a fine dining restaurant, but even after my partner speaks for me this guy still didn't believe I was clear-headed. It doesn't matter that it was my birthday and it's not like he would know, but I think anyone would have been put off by feeling like they're being treated like someone suspicious from the moment I...