Lunch @ Fenix Restaurant

If you've followed this site you'll know that we had a soft spot for Fenix and were quite sad to see it close back in 2009. It reopened this year, remodelled and renewed and pitched firmly at the Ma$terchef crowd.


Tables and chairs are new, walls have been removed but there is a familiar face on the floor, with Paul Romanella returning.

If you're on a window table, the view hasn't changed.



For starters:



We ordered a Charcuterie platter for two and were surprised to find two identical platters emerge - all looking like someone with OCD had plated them. Was this to ensure we got identical amounts of food? I suppose they are pitched at the ma$terchef crowd, can't have someone eating one piece of salami more than the other.
The rabbit terrine was very nice, the quince puree was not. Duck proscuitto was chewy and the salami and jamon a little pedestrian. Piccalilli was nice but way too much on the plate.

This was the bread served with the charcuterie platter - sliced way too thick.

For mains:

We selected a few dishes from the tapas menu (even though it wasn't really available until later in the day)

The piperade served in the bowl, topped with jamon was delicious - in fact it was the best dish of the day.



First problem, it wasn't hot - it had an illusion of heat, faint traces of warmth on the outside, cold inside the coiled squid. The aioli was overpowering and there was enough on the plate to last a week. It was also overdressed with olive oil.


This had a similiar problem - overdosed on olive oil, you can see the puddle of oil almost floating over the edge of the plate.



We understand that it hasn't been re-opened that long and there are things that will be sorted out but for us, this is not the Fenix we knew and loved. If a clean sweep was required then the name really should have been changed because if we compare, this is just a faint shadow of what it used to be.

The details:

Fenix
680 Victoria Street
Richmond

Phone: 9427 8500

Open:
Coffee/Breakfast - Daily from 8.30am
Lunch - Monday to Saturday - 12 to 3pm
Lunch - Sunday - 12 to 5pm
Dinner - Monday to Saturday - from 6pm
Happy Hour - Friday - 5pm to 7pm
Scones & Cream and Tapas from 3pm daily

web
fenix.com.au