Elements Bar & Dining — Restaurant in Victoria

When we walked in and mentioned we didn’t have a booking, the staff simply told us we could be seated if we found a table ourselves. No menu was provided after we sat down. The risotto is definitely undercooked not even close to al dente. The texture wasn’t quite right. The flavour was decent at first but became overly salty after a few bites. The duck breast was presented nicely and tasted okay, though not particularly memorable. The lamb shank was tender and paired well with both the sauce and the sweet potato mash, definitely the highlight of the meal. We tried a few of their desserts during our visit. The mixed berries panna cotta was exactly as expected, smooth and pleasant, though nothing particularly memorable. The strawberry tart, on the other hand, was beautifully presented, visually stunning. Unfortunately, the custard filling was so off in taste that the restaurant acknowledged the issue and issued us a refund. As for the chocolate lava cake, it was a letdown. It tasted more like a regular cake. It was dry, with no molten center. It felt like something pre-made and reheated, lacking the richness and gooey texture you'd expect from a proper lava cake. Overall, while the presentation had its highs, the flavors and freshness didn’t meet...

These guys are great! We were bike packing through on Xmas day and weren’t expecting anything to be open. However we did go to one place we found to be open (hooray) hoping to grab a soft drink or something given the rather hot ride over Mt Hotham (with Dinner Plain still to go) and were abruptly told no they couldn’t serve us as they had a private function - despite the welcome we’re open sign out front!! By chance we happened to find Elements open and even though they were obviously busy with Xmas lunch rush they couldn’t have been nicer. They didn’t blink an eye that we wandered in and just said there would be a short wait as they were busy. Hardly any wait and soon we were happily seated outside with coffee (surprisingly good) and soft drink - and the staff, despite being busy, took the time to smile and chat. All the customers seemed very happy and we were grateful to be so easily accommodated...

The chef here is absolutely amazing. The quality of food is outstanding. We ordered 4 smaller dishes to share; the ribs were so tender, falls off the bone and packed full of flavour, the Mexican corn had just the right spice, char and cheese, the tacos has all the right ingredients with soft and flavourful beef, and the chorizo and jalepeno croquettes were also quite nice. The portions were larger than expected so we asked for take away boxes and they brought out environmentally friendly boxes without hesitation. It looked like they were also quite happy to cater to people's dietary needs and customise dishes, per the family sitting next to us. It takes someone who has pride in their work to produce such amazing dishes from various cuisines, so compliments to the chef and the rest of the team there indeed. We would certainly drop in even if we weren't staying at the attached...