REVIEW
The dining room at Manzé is as breezy and charming as the service and drinks list – a short, sharp collection with a penchant for vin naturel and Mauritian rum. It’s all so relaxed, with its backdrop of reggae, flourishing plants and rattan furniture. So, when Mauritian chef Nagesh Seethiah’s food starts landing, it may take a beat before it dawns how beautifully balanced and finessed his cooking is. Maybe the deep-fried taro fritter served with a thrillingly spiced rhubarb hot sauce will alert you, or the purple daikon and feijoa chutney snack. Perhaps it’ll be the deep green and potent pepper and coriander-seed sauce accompanying dreamy, perfectly tender pork neck. The combination of East African spices and the flavours of Seethiah’s South Asian ancestry is so well executed, you may well break into applause by the time you reach dessert – knee-weakeningly good besan greo, a halwa-like chickpea dessert with salted coconut sorbet and blood orange.
ABOUT
Manzé
Mauritian
Shop 2, 1-5 Errol St, North Melbourne
Chef Nagesh Seethiah
Price guide $
Bookings Recommended
Wheelchair access No
Open Lunch Fri-Sat; Dinner Tue-Sat
This review was written independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way. To learn more about the process, head over here.
Gourmet Traveller Annual Restaurant Guide
Our guide gives a yearly snapshot of the best restaurants to eat at right now. The best-rated restaurants, as judged by the reviewers’ first-hand experience, form our national guide.
