Kin

Posted by: PolarEyes | 26 October 2008, 10.15am

A group of us went to Kin at the recommendation of a friend. We had an 8pm booking on a Saturday night.

The place was reasonably full yet we did not place our orders until just before 9pm. An hour later we received our meals. While waiting we were offered little explanation of the pending delays to the delivery of our mains. Though we did become aware that a group of 30 had slipped in after yet ordered before us.

On order were:

- aged rib eye beef with asparagus and kumara mash
- caserecci with eggplant, basil and ricotta
- kingfish and potatoes [tail]
- spaghettini with sea urchins
- moreton bag bugs
- scallops

When the mains did arrive there was widespread disappointment - the serving sizes inversely proportional to the cost of the dish. The scallops were rubbery and the kingfish was the tail section [even though no representation of the cut is described in the menu].

The moreton bay bugs were well received and so too the caserecci even though the latter's portion was poor value for $29.

The table service was ok without being outstanding; our glasses were rarely allowed to hit empty.

We found the restaurant a little too bright and noisy for our liking. We were seated at the back in a section next to the kitchen away from the main eating area. The noise carried across the hard floors.

While our experience was fairly average I did notice numerous customers enjoying themselves and their meals.

Food:			Visit: Sat 25 October 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: paulwillfixit | 26 October 2008, 12.45am

My wife and I joined five friends for dinner at Kin this evening. We got there a little early and thought we'd sneak in a quick entree before the others got there. We ordered the trout with wasabe mousse (spelled "mouse" on the menu). A very friendly and witty waiter sorted us out, the trout came out very quickly and was excellent. Sadly, this was the last we saw of this guy, the rest of the waiting staff were not nearly as nice - nothing overt, just a little cold.

Then our friends showed up and we ordered our meals.

About an hour and a half later (yes, 90 minutes) the food finally came out. I had the $39 steak. It was lovely but it was the smallest bit of steak I've had in a long time. It was like they had run out of steak and chopped their last one in half. I think it was about 150-200g.

My wife had the scallops which were ok but a little tough.

Our friend had some fish which was tough and not a very good cut (they did knock $10 off the price of this when my friend complained).

Two of us had pastas and, again, they were very small serves with about 80% pasta and just 20% sauce - maybe a couple of dessert spoons of sauce.

I understand the Morton Bay bugs were excellent.

So 15 minutes after being served, we had inhaled our meals and were asking for the bill because we all wanted to head down Lygon St for something a bit more substantial to eat.

I am not a big eater. I am usually quite full after a restaurant meal, especially after sharing an entree. Some bread or nibbles of some sort would have been nice but there was nothing.

I can understand if they had a bad night in the kitchen so a long wait can happen from time to time. But the scummy serving sizes were unforgivable. For the price of the food, we were disappointed. Melbourne has plenty of great restaurants in this price range. I will never go back to Kin.

Food:			Visit: Sat 25 October 2008 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: linda82 | 3 October 2007, 11.12am

A friend invited me to this stylish yet warm new establishment in North Carlton - I'd read a very complimentary review in the Herald Sun recently, and had in fact been meaning to go.

All I can say is, thank goodness my friend finally hurried me along into visiting this place, as I think it's love.

Yes, I haven't been this excited by my dinner in a long time! One rather big reason - I don't usually eat seafood. It's never been my thing. When given a choice, I m usually the steak girl. But on this night, my friend insisted on sharing a couple of seafood entrees.

I ate oysters. Yes - oysters, those little slimy sea-things that even some seafood-lovers balk at! ...But I LOVED them! I don't know what they did to them, but they were amazing. Now this is not a light thing here - I have stayed away from oysters for as long as I can remember - but after Kin's offering, I doubt they'll be able to keep me away from them in the future!

Not only oysters; I also timidly approached the mussels. But after one taste, my timid behaviour soon turned slightly aggressive as I fought off my friend for the last mussel on the plate! They were so spicy and garlic-y and just plain yummy, that I just couldn t help myself.

And I didn't stop there. For my main, I was convinced by the very friendly and attentive proprietor to give the agnolotti a go - I was not disappointed. In fact, I was actually pleasantly shocked that I could so enjoy a pasta filled with a mince of crab, scallop and prawns. (Maybe it was the creamy, buttery, herb-infused sauce it was covered in?)

My dessert did not disappoint either, but this time I went with an old favourite of mine - the cannoli. And yes - Kin's cannoli reaffirmed my love of the Sicilian delight. And unlike some places I ve been to, Kin obviously takes pride in their coffee, as it was done just right.

I went to Kin with no expectations, and was very happily surprised with the quality of my dining experience. I recommend it wholeheartedly, because even with the high expectations I ve probably set for you now, if their whole menu is as good as the few dishes I personally tried, then your expectations are likely to not only be met, but completely surpassed.

Food:			Visit: Wed 3 October 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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