Chae restaurant review

How often do you leave a fine diner feeling calmer, healthier – better – than when you arrived? Those who land one of Australia’s most coveted reservations in the monthly ballot often report an experience like no other.

Out the front, earthenware crafted by seventh-generation artisans age jangs, the fermented bedrocks of Korean cuisine. Inside, six charmed diners witness a master building quietly serious flavour.

Fried shiitake mushroom cosies up with pork inside a crisp-skinned meatball. Pearlescent Murray cod is wrapped around scotch fillet and lowered into beef and radish broth. The palate cleanser – persimmon-vinegar granita with jubey cherry tomatoes – isn’t just genius, it’s restorative.

You’ve only got two-ish hours here: purchase some nectarine vinegar or walnut doenjang and relive the fantasy at home year-round. Once-in-a-lifetime magic.

Good to know: There is no wine list; not a bad thing considering the 75-minute drive back to Melbourne.

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