On 15 September 2011, revolutionary dining specialist, Epicure, announced the appointment of award-winning 28-year-old Melbournian Chris Donnellan as the new Executive Chef for its group of F&B establishments, namely Graze at Rochester Park and the latest dining concepts Graze, Kha and Provisions at uber chic residential development Martin No. 38. The new Graze offers the best of Australian cuisine with a strong emphasis on fresh, quality produce enhanced with uniquely balanced flavors, served in sophistication.

Photo credit: Bridge Cavenagh & Co.

At the tender age of 26, the talented Chris Donnellan rose above more than fifty chefs to emerge winner of the coveted Young Chef of the Year 2009 award by The Age Good Food Guide. Listed as one of The Age Melbourne magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential People 2009, Chris is invited as a guest chef to share his skills at prestigious events and charity functions around Australia and New Zealand. Chris was also invited to head Gingerboy in Melbourne, an innovative dining concept centered on the modern adaptation of the Southeast Asian hawker style street market. It was a remarkable feat that Gingerboy received a Chef’s Hat in its first year of operation, which was sustained through the next five years.

Graze at Martin No. 38 is a casual but chic all-day restaurant designed by Melbourne-based award-winning Hecker Guthrie. A vibrant space with an informal and fresh approach, Graze creates a classic spot for dining and relaxation and also makes a great venue for more intimate dinners. Open all day, it is also an exemplary neighbourhood hang-out for afternoon tea, artisan Graffeo coffees from around the world, or chilling with a glass of wine and charcuterie.

Panoramic glass panels and timber finishes add to the light and airy ambience, and a glass fronted ‘Charcuterie’ room gives a theatrical view of the chefs in preparation. Yup, that’s Chef Chris!

Quirky elements add a sense of fun, don’t you think?

This is the Chair Room, one of the private dining areas at Graze.

And this is the Plate Room. Uh-uh, no prizes for guessing! It is also a private dining area for holding personal or business events.

Is this cool or what? If you need a quiet space to work on your laptop over lunch or a cup of coffee, you can sit by one of these individual stations!

Bread with white bean & carrot puree and olive oil

Fluffy homemade bread with creamy and aromatic white bean and carrot puree dip!

Sumac seared scallops, cauliflower cream, cumin oil, pomegranate ($19)

This starter looks simple, yet there is a risk of overcooking. The sumac seared scallops are plump and meaty, seared in manner that the outsides get a nice brown crisp and the insides remain tender and creamy! A simple starter turns elegant with cauliflower cream, cumin oil and pomegranate.

Upside down duck pie, dried black olives, mash, pickled vegetables ($22)

The upside down duck pie completely took me by surprise for being such a novel and brilliant starter! Apart from the unique presentation, I enjoyed the well-marinated shredded duck meat that somehow reminds me of teochew braised duck. I also like the interesting pairing of duck meat with dried black olives which are very slightly bitter in taste. The picked vegetables taste like achar (Indian pickle) and provides a sharp contrast to the duck pie.

Tomato, pomegranate, sumac, cumin salad ($8)

My eyes were dancing when this plate of red, green and yellow tomatoes was presented before us. Very colorful! Instead of plain tomato salad with vinaigrette or olive oil, the zest factor is upped with sumac and cumin dressing, resulting in a powerful, warm, tart taste. Minus the dressing, tomatoes were refreshing and full of flavor!

4 jumbo tiger prawns, skinny frites, house sea urchin batter, chopped parsley, ruby red grapefruit ($34)

The firm and juicy texture of the jumbo tiger prawn allows it to hold the creamy flavor of the house sea urchin batter. I relished in every bite of the fresh, succulent prawns topped with thin, crisp, skinny frites.

Pan-seared barramundi, chorizo broth, watercress, salad of ruby red grapefruit, avocado, mint ($34)

The pan-seared barramundi in chorizo broth is a very clean-tasting dish. If I’m not mistaken, chorizo refers to several types of pork sausages. The fish is tender and moist with large, thick flakes.

300g pork chop, Kurobuta pork, 100% Berkshire from Victoria, Australia with pear chutney. Served with roast vine-ripened cherry tomatoes and house butter ($36)

The Kurobuta pork chop is very well-executed and it is no doubt my favorite dish. Its texture is supple yet meaty and its flavor is rich and abundant. The marbling in kurobuta pork yields unparalleled juiciness for every cut. Smeared with house butter, this is one hell of a pork chop which I will definitely go back for!

Pina Colada – Coconut parfait, toasted coconut, spiced pineapple, crispy wafer ($14)

Pina Colada is known as the official beverage of Puerto Rico. It is cocktail made with light rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice, usually served either blended or shaken with ice. My first and only experience with Pina Colada at a club turned out all nasty because it had this medicinal taste which was quite revolting. Initially, I was very apprehensive about this dessert but upon taking my first bite, I found it to be alluringly sweet in all the right ways!

Black and White – Valrhona dark chocolate cream, vanilla bean ice cream, compote of mango, rambutan and mangosteen with a sesame snap ($15)

The Black and White is perfect if you want both chocolate and vanilla. The Valrhona dark chocolate cream is very smooth and luxuriously rich while the vanilla bean ice cream is a delicious dreamy treat! The compote of mango, rambutan and mangosteen gives a clean, refreshing finish to this dessert.

White sherry and strawberry trifle, chocolate coated pumpkin seeds ($14)

Layered in a glass, the white sherry and strawberry trifle looks too pretty to be eaten! The taste of alcohol in the sherry-soaked sponge cake is quite distinct. The cake mix is more than moist, yet it is not soaked, and has a fragrant, buttery taste!

Graffeo Coffee

I’m no expert but I found my cup of Graffeo coffee to be sweet, full-bodied and smooth. And I love how frothy it was. Perfect to end the meal!

Provisions has a wide range of items such as fresh produce and bottled homemade sauces that you can buy home and recreate some of the dishes that you have tried at Graze!

Selection of Gryphon tea and Graffeo coffee! Foie gras is also available!

Pamper yourself with a glass of wine or two after a long day at work!

Besides the lunch menu, the dinner and brunch menus are newly revamped too. If you are planning to have dinner at Graze, be sure to check out some of the signature dishes such as the Soy Cured Snapper, Crispy Smoked Eel and Wagyu Rump Steak. Thanks to Carol from Bridge Cavenagh & Co. for hosting the session!

Graze
38 Martin Road
Tel: 6509 1680

Opening Hours
Tue to Fri
12pm -3pm (Lunch)
Tue to Sun
6pm – 11pm (Dinner)
Sat & Sun
10am – 4pm (Brunch)
Tue to Sun
12pm – closing (Wine Bar)