Chef Adrianne Davos is making her mark at the new Luna Bar in Civic, says dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON.
ADI Davos’ food is exciting and – to use her own words – she creates elevated street food with complex umami flavours, drawing inspiration from her south-east Asian roots.
It’s a perfect package and be prepared for ethical and sustainable cooking that bursts with colour and flavour.
Luna Bar is a newbie in Civic and sharply focused on customer service and delighting the palette with share dishes.
We don’t usually drink cocktails at lunch, but Luna’s mixologist Charli Stephenson shakes things up so much we couldn’t resist.
The One Night in Paris, gin with a house-made lavender and Davidson plum syrup, was herbaceous and punchy ($23). The Citrus Valentina, with vodka, lime, house-made lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf syrup, and coconut cream ($19) was exotic.
Both were served in delightful cocktail glasses, reminiscent of modern Manhattan. If you like a fiery cocktail, road test the Green Rocket ($21).
Everything from the raw bar was excellent – salmon sashimi ($22), scallop ceviche ($23), steak tartare ($28) – and the presentation was sophisticated. These dishes illustrate Adi’s respect for produce and seasoning.
Tacos seem to be all the rage these days. What we loved about Luna’s was the elegance. Faves were duck, cherry and goat’s cheese ($21 for two pieces) and a fun take on fish and chips – pescado, tartar sauce and a spunky salsa verde ($16 for two pieces).
For a bit of kick, head straight to the cauliflower tacos with sambal, aioli, and yuzu soy caramel ($13 for two pieces).
The miso eggplant with puffed grains was mighty fine and a perfect texture, given this veggie can be tricky to cook at times ($16). The satay roasted cauliflower commanded our attention and the nut praline was crazy fun ($15).
Major flavour presented with the fried king brown mushrooms, with yuzu soy caramel ($17). Luna comes to the party when it promises umami lunacy.
Our least favourite share plate was the prawn and crab roll ($23 for two pieces). It’s a cheeky take on a lobster roll and, while one of our party felt the prawn-head sauce was too strong, that wasn’t my issue with the dish. It was the proportion of bread in the roll versus other ingredients. It was simply a little too bready for my liking.
Did we have room for dessert? No, we didn’t. Did we want dessert? Yes, we did. Will we be back for dessert? You bet.
Our Georg Jensen sparkling rose (Tasmania, $65) was glorious and the Dance with the Devil celebrated Margaret River’s skill with chardonnay ($51).
Luna is stylish, spacious and offers multiple seating zones – bench seating (we can vouch for the comfort), tall tables, a lounge area and outdoor benches.
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