Basement @ The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000
I visited The Moat with the Dinner Club, just a small restaurant/cafe/bar below The Wheeler Centre (State Library). I featured this place in my recent coffee list, but had never visited for dinner. The dark ambience along with the red carpet and shelves full of books make you want to find a couch in a corner and read books, drinking coffee all day.
The menu is mainly based around share plates, so we picked a few to go around.
Canadian scallops wrapped in pancetta on apple purée, black fermented garlic, apple and hazelnut salad
Mojito cured ocean trout with a red egg, finger lime caviar and Valencia orange jelly
Farmer's Plate – Mount Keira cured lamb, chickpea purée, cheese, cucumber and apple relish, olive bread
Ben wasn't being adventurous so he picked the Moat-made meatballs in a rich napoli sauce, with grana padano and crusty bread. Plus a beaker of beer!
All in all, a tasty meal but not entirely filling - especially for the price, however, it would be a nice place to meet up with friends for pre/post show drinks and tapas.
