Donovans: colossal bombe alaska!
This will be a short and sweet post on this bay-side institute – pun intended. Please refrain from the urge to scroll all the way down.
Whilst there was a part of me that regret not having the luxury of unchecked views of St Kilda bay had it been daytime, it probably left my attention to drift around the space inside Donovans. At night it exudes a lovely warm ambience carefully adorned with odd trinkets, frames of memories, flickering candlelight, chinaware in glass cabinets… If not for the casual homely-lounge feel, I may well have felt cluttered by all the little charms.
Roasted butternut pumpkin soup, seared Hervey Bay scallops, Italian hazelnuts, candied bacon, crème fraiche & pepita crisps.
It is smooth, velvety, earthy sweet with bites of plump scallops and acidic wafts of crème fraiche. I can still remember it gliding down the gullet and warming the stomach – absolutely perfect on an icy evening.
Linguine with seafood & Western Australian scampi.
Linguine just right. Beautifully light but punchy sauce. Scampi unfortunately a little dry.
I believe this was a Penne of some sort. Forgotten to write down what it was. Blogger fail.
***
Now moving onto the sweet star of the night. You might notice I didn’t really order all that much food, as heed warning that this dessert is rightfully classified as “dishes for two”.
The Bombe Alaska is a gigantic melon of a dessert, encased in a lightly flamed soft meringue, filled with a rich hazelnut and chocolate ice cream, atop a chocolate biscuit base, which is finished off with a generous pour of melted chocolate. Warning: not for the faint hearted; proceed at your own risk; sugar overload expected!
Rating: Yummy+1. Donovans is one of Melbourne’s institutes (est. 1996), providing a largely orthodox expression of Italian cuisine with a somewhat hip-pocket-anxiety-provoking price tag. It is most certainly a place for special occasions. Their Bombe Alaska is arguably one of the better renditions around.
[Donovans]
Where: 40 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda.
Contact: 03 9534 8221
Open daily lunch & dinner.
P.S. if you want to take full advantage of its beachfront views, I’d recommend coming at lunch or an early dinner to fully soak in the prime location.
Almost Always Ravenous 