True South — Restaurant in Melbourne

I've driven passed True South heaps and heaps of times, and always wanted to try it, yet never did ... until tonight. I am kicking myself that I never came sooner. It was really, really good.

The restaurant has a great vibe about it. For some people, they'd love to come in summer when out the front there are tables on the footpath and on the inner outside there are bar stools to sit and drink while watching the world go by. Inside, the restaurant has a clean, industrial feel to it. It was busy, but not overly loud. We were seated right away and your placemat is the menu, so you dive right into looking for things that grab your taste buds.

Many - if not all - dishes are great for sharing, so we started out with Chipas (mini cheese rolls, mandioca flour, cheddar and parmesan) and the Croquetas of the day, which were chicken and corn. Before those came, we were served up a mini bread roll each with an olive and ricotta dip. Very delicious. The entrees came out and they were heavenly. The Chipas were amazing and I could have just had several serves of those as my meal. The were like mini warm cheese scones. The croquetas were good; had a beautiful crumbing on the outside, but the inside was nice, though nothing to rave about.

For the main, I ordered my own Caviche de Salmon. It came with mango, cherry tomatoes, onion and plantain crisps. I didn't much care for the plantain crisps, and I hated the fact that there was coriander in the dish without it being listed on the menu. I would have asked for it without it, as I can't stand coriander. Yuck.

Of course, there was something that really stood out to me on the dessert menu, so I had to order it. It was a chocolate fondant, with banana and caramel ice cream. That sounded incredibly appealing and tasted really, really good. My only minor complaint about it, was that it was truly ICE cream. That almost ruined it, but the flavours were everything.

There was just a few things I didn't like about True South. One was the tables felt sticky. Two was that you could smell cigarette smoke from outside, even though it's illegal to smoke right outside an eatery. And three, because of the open shutters, it allowed for flies to fly in. Small things I guess in relation to how good the food and service was. Yes, the mains came out slowly, but they were really busy and food was continually leaving the kitchen.

Would I go back again?? YES, YES, YES. I really enjoyed the meal and it was something different to usual here in Melbourne. How authentic it is, I don't know. But if you want a great spot with good atmosphere, great food and reasonably priced meals, then this is the place for you. It's...

ORDERED: 🦪  Scallop Ceviche: raw scallops, palm heart, aji amarillo, sweet potato, corn, leche de tigre sauce ($25.00) 🥟  Empanada de Cordero: saltbush lamb, black garlic & tzatziki sauce ($13.00)

🥩 Bistec de Solomillo: 300g porterhouse, chimichurri, malbec jus ($44.00) 🥔  Papas Bravas: fried potatoes, giardiniera salsa, smoked paprika, aioli ($13.00) 🥦 Brocoli Crujient: crispy fried broccolini, preserved lemon, smoked ricotta ($14.00)

🥨 Churros: 6 cinnamon doughnuts, dulce de leche vanilla icecream ($15.00)

We spent $65.97pp here for dinner.

REVIEW: The food was fantastic. Scallop ceviche was fresh, with some really interesting ingredients and a refreshing tangy lime nature of leche de tigre. Highly recommend this - it's a delicious take on the typical european ceviche that I really enjoyed. Empanada de Cordero wasn't bad, but it was the most plain dish out of all. It's great for the hearty meaty lovers, but didn't blow us away like the other dishes. $13 for ONE empanada is also very steep!

The mains were my favourite. Delicious porterhouse with a column of melt-in-your-mouth savoury fat, and the herby chimichurri. The malbec made things too savoury, and I would've been happy with it served on the side as additional/optional jus. I usually like my potatoes tripled fried, but the Papas Bravas at True South were somethin' else. Soft and fluffy in the centre, with a thin layer of casing, it came out as a strong and delicious side dish. Along with one of the BEST broccolini sides dishes where the chef managed the perfect chargrill. It left a smoky residue, while maintaining a crispy, bright crunch. Smoked ricotta is a perfect compliment by adding a little bit of a creamy saltiness. These 3 dishes left me so happy.

Churros were a great way to finish. Fluffy outside and a crispy exterior. Dipping it into the Dulce De Leche was fun, and yummy. Superchido's churros only marginally beat the ones at True South. Vanilla icecream tasted like something standard out of the box.

Service left more to be desired. I did take a whole star off for the lack of attention (we tried so long, and so hard to catch their attention to order), but they were pretty efficient once we got going. Is it petty if I also include that they provided us with room-temperature water, while providing everyone else with ice-cold water on a humid day? 🤨  When those people were served before, and...

Had lunch here with the family on a Monday. Argentinian food with its own craft beers. Fairly quiet as expected on a Monday lunch, but guests were coming and going right through our relaxed lunch. Our waiter was freindly and welcoming, explaining the menu to us and how to eat some of the dishes we haven't had before. The main room has a lofty open ambiance with park like bench seating as well as normal chairs. A large wall length bar with a huge range of beverages dominates one wall & 3 copper vats hang from the ceiling along with a lot of exposed copper piping leading down to the beer taps at the bar where they have a great selection of cold brews. We decided to order Tapas as there were lots of interesting dishes on the lunch menu and we couldn't decide. Tiny complimentary little freshly baked bread rolls started followed by delicious little cheesy balls, the mussels with prawns, (families favourite dish! Really delicious!), Lamb ribs with Pomegranate, house made Chorizo, Jamon ham on ciabatta, (my favourite), Pulled Pork sliders. Everything was delicious and nicely plated and sized just right for sharing with 3 people. I tried two of True South's home brews, a Pilsner, and my favourite, a Pale Ale, a delicious aromatic brew that would be wonderful on a hot summer's day. We followed up with Churros and coffees, all of which were excellent. My son thought the Churros were the best he's ever had. There is an upstairs function room as well that looks out onto the Bay. Looks like they cater to children's parties in that space. We found plenty of parking behind the building. Great food, ambiance and...