Noir Restaurant

A strange location for this restaurant that sells steak for $ 40+ perhaps more suited to Toorak Rd than Swan St which would explain how quiet it was — ok it was also Sunday lunch.
The steak tartare entrée was truly exceptional — small but exceptional and uniquely presented with apple and gaufrettes — a spectacular combination of crispy, fresh and spicy. Would certainly return for this dish.
The wine list was also interesting, plenty of good selections across grape varieties.
However the $ 42 steak was disappointingly thin, fatty and underwhelming — plenty of better options in the vicinity if steak is your preference… So a mixed review from us and 3.5 stars would have been more representative of the overall experience given the price point — location — comparable French restaurants. If you love steak tartare give it a whirl — interested to hear what others try.

This place is quality. I had chilled oysters with a frozen champagne sauce to die for. Service sizes are very small, but its to be expected from sophisticated French food. Great modern décor, suitable for a special date for a significant other. A great alcoholic beverage range that also might hit the pocket but if moneys not an object for an occasion, its well recommended

Why does Noir have to make life so difficult? They offer a four course lunch special for $ 35 (which included a glass of wine), a full degustation for $ 80 (add $ 55 for matched wines) or you can just go your own way and order a la carte. And as all these options look great, how the hell are you supposed to choose?
Coming of the back of the tasting menu at Acland Street Cantina last night, I thought half the degustation would end up in the kitchen bin, no matter how good it was, so opted for the lunch special with a glass of McLaren Vale Shiraz.
First cab off the rank was a Meredith goat cheese croquette nestled on a pool of red pepper coulis. The potato was crunchy on the outside and fluffy and light in the middle with just a hint of the cheese flavour coming through. The coulis was slightly spicy but not enough to overpower the main ingredient. Simple and lovely.
Next was a generous filet of cumin spiced skate served with sliced and julienned carrots, garnished with flat parsley. The fish was quite firm and layered but very tasty — similar to swordfish I thought. I love cumin and often have a shaker of it on the table along with pepper and salt when
I cook at home. I particularly like it with fish, so not surprisingly this dish really worked for me.
To break up the fish and meat course I was served a little plate of sliced zucchini topped with sultanas, walnuts, brandy and some gorgeous Roquefort cheese. Nice combination of flavours, and very refreshing on the palate.
The final course was Rangers Valley beef rump with roast beetroot purée and sprinkled with «grains of paradise» (cracked premium pepper). Beautiful piece of meat, cooked somewhere between blue and rare, which is the only proper way to cook steak in my humble opinion. The purée was nice, but personally I would have served it with whole roasted baby beets as the steak was so tender it would have benefited from something on the plate with a bit more crunch to add some contrast to the textures of the dish. Still, that’s just me quibbling, and to be fair, there were in fact a couple of pieces of golden beetroot on the side which were very nice. The meat was delicious; tender and flavoursome with a slightly smoky taste.
When I arrived for lunch a little before 1pm Noir was empty, and when I left an hour later it still was, which is quite astounding for a restaurant of this quality. Honestly, people should be lining up on the footpath to get in here. The food is very good, the décor understated and subtle (and as the name suggests, predominantly in shades of black), and the service friendly but unobtrusive. If you haven’t been, you gotta go.

I can’t understand why it has taken me so long to write a review about this amazing Restaurant, maybe because I wanted to keep it to myself.
The food alway surprises me at how well it is done can never fault it at all. The service matches the food fantastic. Food is well priced for what you get. Great location walking distance to train line and easy to find. The food is alway evolving yet they also keep some special items that you must try like Beef tartare which I never thought I’d ever eat raw beef but I can’t get enough of this dish. They have a casual bar up stairs call Swan Street Social which also has a great menu for casual dining.
Beautiful elegant restaurant without the celebrity price tag. I will be going back time after time as long as I still can get a table

Seriously great food, service, atmosphere. Been here once with work colleagues from out of town and was quite impressed. Delicious menu. Second time with different friends suggested Noir, and equally impressed again. They do food and service well, and its no fluke.

Just opposite Noir, the façade of Dimmeys is being used in the construction of a new swathe of fancy apartments.
For better or worse — and opinions vary wildly on the topic — Swan Street is slowly gentrifying, and Noir is at the very front of this.
That said, Noir doesn’t garishly stand-​out in the otherwise grungy Swan Street setting. That’s central to Noir’s charm. Noir manages to be quite classy, but still casual. The staff are instrumental in this. They are friendly, efficient and charming. Makes all the difference.
The décor isn’t outstanding. In fact it’s quite subdued. You could almost walk past Noir with it’s all-​black interior. Very Melbourne. That said, as basic as it is, it has a class about it.
The menu follows a similar line. It’s well constructed and interesting, but certainly not over the top. You can get the fish-​of-​the-​day, or a steak, but they’ll always be an interesting de-​constructed pie or multi-​layered duck dish if you want to get (a little) off the beaten track.
Very worthy addition in the Swan Street revival.
Pro-​tip: If you can’t get a table at short notice, or if you want something a little more casual — you can always pop up to their «sister bar» upstairs, Swan Street social. Similar menu and vibe.

Noir — Take 2
We were in Melbourne for 5 days and were so impressed by our Sunday lunch, we went back for dinner last night. Well, all I can say is, it was even better.
The entrée was heaven, Caramelised Atlantic scallops with with oxtail tortellinni and cauliflower purée. Everything was perfect. My wife had the pork belly. Crisp skin, succulent meat, and sticky apricot sauce.
Mains 1 — Blue eye cod with macadamia nut crust. The cod was firm juicy and with a sweet flavour, and melted in your mouth. I am not a big lover of fish, but would gladly have it every time.
Mains 2 — Roast rack and braised shoulder of lamb with fondant potatoes, and a silky jus. Just delicious.
The meal was that good, I would gladly fly from Brisbane for a weekend to taste the remaing menu items. Do your self a favour, and just go, you will not be dissapointed.

After walking past Noir many times I finally decided to book a table for dinner here. Everything about Noir is flawless from the attentive service to the décor. I ordered Pork Belly as an entrée which was delicious and cooked ever so perfectly as was the main being the Rump of Lamb.
Highly recommend a visit to Noir and can’t wait to come back again to try more from the menu.

Richmond is the traditional home of the cheap and cheerful — little sardine-​tins of Vietnamese spots for phở slurping and little concealed warehouses converted into vibrant brunch spots. In the first half of 2011, it would seem that Richmond’s dining landscape has undergone a revitalisation. With an unassuming entrance along bustling Swan Street, new-​comer Noir is graced with floor-​to-​ceiling windows, lined with lead light panels. Sitting less than 30, sultry black furnishings and dimly-​lit basket ceiling pendants confer a quintessentially Melbourne flair, simultaneously contemporary and reserved, and just-​so-​sexy in noir.
…Well-​suited for any number of ocassions, Noir brings a distinctively sexy classy culinary appeal to its inner-​city suburban surroundings. With its well-​crafted a la carte and degustation menus of unmatched generosity and affordability (brunch under $ 15, $ 70pp degustation, $ 17.50 entrees, $ 35 mains, and $ 15 always exquisite desserts), it presents an appealing proposition for a refined, almost all-​day dining experience. Overall, Noir surpasses many of its CBD counterparts by reference to that trifecta of great food, great service, and great ambience. Moreover, it also possesses those even more elusive X-​factors of value and timelessness. It’s for all these reasons that MoMo & Coco have returned at all times around the clock the sample the different menus.