Navi — Restaurant in Melbourne

Earlier this month, we went to Navi to celebrate my birthday, and what a treat it was. We were warmly welcomed with a few words from the head chef Julian himself. We went for the Navi Experience Set Menu ($185) and the bday girl (me) enjoyed the matched alcoholic beverage option ($110). Our snacks were dainty but packed a punch. The black garlic, roe macaron, rice paper cracker with brussels sprouts & anchovy and mud crab on damper were memorable bites. For the entrees, we loved the delicate bonito with a luscious buttermilk dressing and fresh wasabi granita, I had the most delish honeydew Aus made sake paired with it. The asparagus dish was great but overshadowed by the bread and butter (arguably the best course and true indication of a good fine dining restaurant). The bread and butter were exquisite, and we regrettably said no with most of the meal still to come. The murray cod dish was perfectly cooked and suckling pig was really such a perfect and gorgeous taco sized bite. The duck with all its fun elements was a great way to end of the mains. I did opt for an extra course, which was a play on cheese and quince. It was cheesy but still sweet with a great textural crunch, the warm mulled wine that accompanied it was divine. The Mandarin and black sesame dessert was light and refreshing. We did end on a very interesting dessert of blackened jerusalem artichoke, apple balsamic, and toasted koji chocolate. It was a bit more savoury than expected. Overall, I had such a fabulous time. The service was warm and personable. The food was just exceptional, and the accompanying beverages really showcased the food even better. The pours were very generous FYI. The non-alcoholic pairing had some winners too. They had such complementary and well thought out flavour combinations, which was refreshing to eat but elicited a lot of 'oohhh yummm'. I’m so glad I can tick Navi off my list and know I will be back. It's such a great spot to celebrate any occasion and extra points being local as well.

menu below:

black garlic, salmon roe carrot, yeast, kombucha, sunflower glazed lamb tongue, geraldton wax, bower anchovy, brussel sprout, tendon mud crab, damper, macadamia uni, abrolhos scallop, magnolia

bonito buttermilk, rhubarb, sorrel kooweerup asparagus lions mane, lardo, toast murray cod braised barley, nettle, pepita, mussel golden plains suckling pig nasturtium, black curry, watermelon elements of aylesbury duck

lemon eucalyptus mandarin, black sesame toast white asparagus, caramelised chocolate lemon, toasted fennel toasted koji chocolate mountain marigold passionfruit

we spent $650 for 2 people. Bookings open 2 months prior so set...

Dining at Navi was a bit like running a marathon. Point of view: we are the tortoise in this race. For four hours we crawl our way though eight courses. At 11pm, with droopy eyelids I nibble on petit fours, my stomach in protest.

Navi, I apologise for my ungrateful belly because the meal was actually enjoyable. When the night was still young my senses and my imagination were tickled by the unusual combination of ingredients in several dishes. Like the savoury macaron of fermented garlic and roe, cuttlefish finely cut to be slurped like noodles, unripe strawberries used for its refreshing bite, spicy leaves dancing on the tastebuds in wild boar soup, a whole tomato gently smoked all day, peeled so as to deceive my brain into thinking it was a ball of watermelon. All this served on bowls and plates that were handmade by Chef Julian Hills himself.

But there were also things I could have done without. Like the very vegetal ice-cream made from peas. Desserts so tiny that my sweet tooth felt deprived, even if my stomach had hit bottleneck at that point. Several dishes like the lobster toast and zero-waste duck not quite achieving their fullest potential in flavour or texture. Service staff ranging from warm and welcoming to lukewarm and green. No forewarning at the time of booking of how long the meal would take at a minimum. The long wait at the end for our tea and petit fours to arrive, by which point I was eager to be gone. And so while Navi was worth exploring, at this price point it will take more to convince Easties like myself to make a second trek to the West again and sit through another degustation marathon.

If you want a blow-by-blow account of each dish, head to our “Story Highlights” on Instagram (IG handle: chufoodieadventures).

📍Yarraville, VIC 😋 May return but probably not for a...

Amazing food. Incredible team in the kitchen. Very disappointed with recent interaction with the restaurant manager. Was on waiting list of quite some time for Saturday surprise bday dinner. Received email on Thursday after 10pm (already sleeping) that the booking for the Saturday is confirmed. At the same time I received a text message which said "your booking for 2 has been confirmed for 8:00pm on Sat 18/11 (Chefs Bar). Regards, Navi". On Friday at 3pm had a missed phone call from unknown number but was in a meeting so couldn't answer it. At around 4pm I listened to the voice mail left and called straight back to confirm even though the email or text message does not show any requirements to confirm this booking to be told the booking has been passed onto someone else because I didn't confirmed timely manner! The person who the surprise booking was for sent an email to the restaurant manager expressing their disappointment (mind you I cancelled another booking somewhere else) just to be told that it was our fault and that the reservation was "tentative". In no way either the email or the text massage shows it was such reservation. Last we went it was great experience. The food was exceptional, the chef(s) and their presentation was superb. That time we initially got a bit of an attitude from the manager but then we got quite along. Our food and drinks bill was around $700 but because we were so impressed we topped it to $1000 as a thank you for all their efforts. Well obviously no such gesture will guarantee you fair treatment in the future. So goodbye Navi, It was nice...