LuMi Bar & Dining



You are confined only by the walls you create 



LuMi is Italian for 'a mass of small lights'. The small restaurant enclosed in glass and bathed in natural light is a little pocket of surprises. Setting the tone for a unique dining experience, a simple quote runs across the glass; You are confined only by the walls you create. 
We were seated at one of the most intimate spots of the restaurant, on the corner facing out onto the water. The restaurant has an interesting knack for making you feel like you're in an open space whilst feeling exclusive and intimate. 






We began our eight courses with a couple of cocktails. It's refreshing to see a cocktail list that's both bursting with creativity but with distinct flavour profiles as well. Rather than overcomplicating the drink itself, LuMi's cocktails reflect the strengths of the existing flavours. 

Coco Rosie
The Coco Rosie was a combination of rose and coconut sour. The soft blush pink colour was beautifully contrasted by the foam topping. The coconut aroma was certainly present as soon as the drink arrived at the table. Flavour-wise, the cocktail isn't overpoweringly sweet, although the coconut adds a slight sour profile to the drink, it's not overwhelming.

The Coco Rosie is smooth and refreshing, and just as pretty too. It's a nice light drink which is perfect to open the meal with.

Oysters (Optional, note we did order 6 however the other two had come separately)
Of course you must always start with oysters. 
LuMi serves their oysters with an apple and eschallot vinaigrette - tangy and punchy to go along with the smooth and soft briny oysters. As expected, the oysters were fresh and delicate; an awesome start to the meals to come. 

Snacks
Are snacks a new thing at restaurants? Is it in place of the amuse bouche?
Or is it just a LuMi thing?

Nevertheless, I'm happy. Bring it on.


Brick Pastry, Chicken Liver Pate, Raspberry Dust 
The brick pastry doesn't look disimilar to a parmesan crisp and was as light and as delicate as one as well. I likened it to the candy dots that the kids ate in the very first Willy Wonka movie.
As we crunched down on the dish there was a fear that the shards were likely to destroy the inside of my mouth, but it broke down very softly and delicately like the fanciest potato chip of your life.

The chicken liver pate was creamy and unctuous with every bite whilst the raspberry dust gave an oddly sweet and sour coating breaking the richness of the dish.


Baby Cos Lettuce Hearts, Pistachio, Parmesan
Of all the snacks this was the one I was looking the least forward to eating as they all arrived. My dates with salads don't always go too well and our relationship has just never been that great.
This particular dish just looked like a glittered up salad at first. Putting cheese on it isn't going to make it better.

However on the first bite, my mouth was enriched with flavours! Who knew that pistachio puree could draw such a rich flavour?!. The cos was sweet and refreshing amongst the strong pistachio and parmesan paste. The snack was incredibly delicious and a complete surprise.

Wild Mushroom Tartlet
The mushroom tartlet was rich and earthy.  

Although this small snack was nice, it was the least impressive of the three. The simplicity of the bitesize dish didn't quite have the complexity in flavour that was present in the other snacks.

Brioche
I'm not a huge brioche fan. Personally I think it's a result of the brioche phase that has hit the food scene recently where every cafe, restaurant and burger place thought that brioche was the best and no other bread will do.
So I was a looked at this pillow shaped bread a little distastefully to be quite honest. 
However, it was warm and smelt buttery and amazing so I couldn't say no. 
Served with a side of a burnt butter and marscapone combination, the spread brought out the buttery goodness and natural flavour of the smokey bun. Surprisingly, not overly sweet or rich in flavour, it was a fairly pleasant brioche

Crab 
Sitting in a bowl of its own speckled fluid was one of the most delicate and gorgeous serving of crab I have ever seen. Seeing the huge chunks of crab beautifully flaked and piled so nicely in this little bowl bathed in broth was amazing

Chawamushi - Parmesan custard with tomato water

I've had chawamushi in the past but mostly as a part of a Japanese breakfast. The thought of having a savoury custard may make others reel but I particularly am quite fond of it. There's something comforting about having a slightly savoury smooth and textural dish. This particular custard tasted a lot like a cheese and tomato toastie with far more finesse of course but it was smooth, light and delicate overall.


LuMi Bellini

For a quick cocktail break, I couldn't resist trying the LuMi Bellini. The drink itself was rich and bubbly. It was certainly an easy drink, dangerously enough. The Bellini didn't hold that intense 'alcohol-y' flavour throughout and felt like a funner mocktail - one of those drinks you could probably have three or four of without realizing it was alcoholic.



Beetroot, Black Sesame, Goats Cheese
This dish came so bright and vibrant, it almost looked like an artwork. The intense colours of red, white and black amongst the cool grey of the plate just lifted the beauty of this dish. To be honest, this was the dish I was looking forward to the least on the menu.
I was taken by surprise when I realized how intense the flavours were in this particular dish. From such a simplistic name came a powerful plate of food. The black sesame brought a very nutty savoury, almost umami, taste to a the bright zesty beetroot. The goats cheese was the fragrant factor that rounded it all off to a beautifully fragrant T.

It's interesting how three simple ingredients can create so much dimension in flavour and LuMi certainly celebrates good produce with this dish alone.

Agnalotti. Mushroom with Dashi
So petite, so delicate and so beautiful. As if LuMi wasn't already impressing us with the beautiful food and crockery, the plating is just second to none.
The simplistic, minimalist approach lets you observe the minor details and delicate craftsmanship in the plating.
These little pockets of agnolotti, cooked to perfection, were filled with bursts of intense mushroom flavour, made richer with the light dashi stock that accompanied the dish. I would liken these little parcels to that of mini xiao long baos. Each bite was a tiny explosion of flavour in your mouth.

An interesting combination with dashi stock and pasta but it definitely works.


Tagiatelle. Duck, Konbu, Enoki 
The following pasta dish appears small, but had more volume than you think. The pasta was the perfect thickness and cooked to a wonderful al dente level.
The konbu shone through the sauce and brought out a lot more fragrance from the tender pulled duck.
The crispy enoki added another element to the dish with a crunchy light texture that brought relief from the richness of the sauce and the duck.

Overall a beautiful dish but one of the weakest on the menu. It didn't have the wow factor as the others had but still was a delicious dish in its own right.


Wagyu, Radiccio, Comte 
Taking inspiration from a simple involtini came the birth of this dish; a simple raddicio package that enclosed the wagyu oozing with comte cheese.
The bold and bitter flavour of the radiccio cuts through the rich tender wagyu and comte. The comte was satisfyingly gooey and the richness moulded well with the tender wagyu.
A nice meaty dish without becoming too heavy or overwhelming..

Sorrel Parfait 
Sorrel I've heard added to dishes as an additional layer of flavour, however as the star of the dish? Unheard of!. Until now.
The sorrel parfait acted as a palate cleanser to clear the richness from the savoury dishes and prepare for the upcoming sweet dishes.
The freshness of the sorrel within the form of a cooling parfait did exactly as it needed to and cleansed the palate whilst not holding an overly sweet flavour. The sorrel was earthy and fragrant throughout the dish and was the perfectly balanced flavour that your palate needed

Douglas Fir, Blood Orange, Olive Oil
The waiter delivered this dish, announcing the names and describing it as the dish tasting like Christmas. Lachlan and I looked at each other puzzlingly and shrugged off the statement as we pondered how olive oil would go a sweet dessert.
On the first bite we knew exactly what 'tastes like Christmas' really meant... 
The parfait/ice cream/sweet white element tasted somewhat like pine leaves, which after a little Google search was exactly what Douglas Fir is; a species of pine tree. 
The fragrance was nostalgic and the zesty blood orange brought a reminder of a summer Australian Christmas with a huge range of fresh fruits. 
The olive oil played as a base flavour that drew both the Douglas Fir and blood orange away from completely over powering each other. 

Overall, a pleasant and beautiful dish. And as the waiter described it; tastes exactly like Christmas. 


Yuzu Tart
To finish was a comforting yuzu tart. For those who don't know a lot about Yuzu, I would describe it most similar to a lemon. It's a Japanese citrus fruit that is both sweet and sour with a very distinct yet subtle taste. 
Of course, that being said this tart tastes most closely to a lemon tart. The crust was beautifully crumbly and light without being overly dense or crunchy. The creamy filling had a great balance between citrus-y yuzu and slight sweetness that's enhanced by the light sear on the top of the tart. A perfect combination with a cup of coffee or tea to close your dining experience.

Sitting proudly on the pier looking straight at the Star, LuMi certainly holds its own. With a choice of three, five and eight course menus at very reasonable prices, it's hard to say no to the curiosity. 
Both the atmosphere and the staff are just without a word exceptional. The restaurant works like a well-oiled machine and while you’re in awe of the dishes that arrived, you also feel exclusive looking out onto the water from this gorgeous restaurant. 
I'm looking forward to visiting more in the future, the intricacy, detail and creativity coming out of this kitchen is mindblowing. LuMi has certainly proven their own motto, that they are only confined by the walls they create. 

//
Written by Jay Santiago (@the.eatventures) 

@mister_eats 
www.facebook.com/eatventures
www.twitter.com/the_eatventures
LuMi Bar & Dining Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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