Go To Malin For The Oyster, Stay For The Mashed Potato & Impeccable Hospitality

Malin, Carlton North’s new mini fine diner is serving up eye-popping deliciousness and a decor that would be at home in an expat French chef’s petit resto in a souk in Marrakech.

Late lunch diners amble in on a wet Saturday afternoon, keen for a snack and to sate their curiosity about what’s happened to the former La Tonada space (a major refresh, that’s what). At its core owner Tash Sorensen said she’s tried to make a restaurant that’s simply good, battling with curious friends and family about the point of difference in her offering.

“The question was structured like people were asking ‘how are you better, or what are you doing better’ than other restaurants,” Sorensen says.

“Melbourne as a city, we’ve got hospitality down, it’s not like we’re offering anything that’s really different—we’re not trying to reinvent any wheels or anything like that, we’re just trying to put our mark on it, just join the club with everyone,” she says modestly.

Kind and attentive waitstaff, an obvious influence of Sorensen’s extensive background in hospitality, a good chunk of which was spent front of house, easily answer queries about a menu that at first seems complicated. And in terms of technique and execution, the menu is complex, but at its core it achieves what Sorensen has set out to do: be simply good.

The flow is what you expect, a fairly short list of snacks, mid-sized plates, mains and desserts. To start there’s the texturally insanely silky beef and oyster tartare topped with sabayon; a white wine custard and caviar (their rockstar, and most popular dish FYI) and sweet little palette cleansers like cauliflower tartlets.

Getting larger we work our way through octopus, kissed by the hibachi and deftly served atop smoked potato and sauce vierge. Then there’s the ballotine chicken, burnt eggplant and ras el hanout, a North African spice melange. 

We need to talk about this dish. Specifically about you ordering it. 

The chicken is supposed to be the boring, unadventurous choice right? In this case, you couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s impossibly tender, stuffed with vegetables and perched atop the black, burnt eggplant, which if you don’t scrape off the plate you have done yourself a disservice.

We elect for the lamb, asparagus and coconut vanilla mashed potato for the mains, it’s spring after all. The Western Plains lamb rump, praline and delicate little piped speckles of green pea puree hits the spot, likewise the crunchy spring asparagus with verjus gel, but it’s the mashed potato that’s the real jawdropper here.

Curiosity got the better of us when we ordered, but without giving away too much, it tasted like a mouthful of tropical holiday flavoured clouds, perfect for soaking up that lamb sauce.

To finish there’s a clever strawberry and almond cake topped with herb sorbet, riffing on sweet and savoury notes and balancing out the meal perfectly.

The drinks list is tight, there’s plenty of French and local gear on there which will keep both big spending oenophiles and casual tipplers happy. Cocktail-wise, Sorensen has leaned on some short and sweet stints behind the stick for a classic offering.

“If we’re going to serve a martini, it should be to the standard that you would expect from any of the best cocktail bars in the city–it’s the attention to detail,” she says.

Still to come is streetside dining, a private dining room and a courtyard, as well as some bar-seating to indulge in those fabulous cocktails.

After the meal, it’s easy to say Sorensen has set out what she sought to do: leave her mark on the Melbourne dining scene. If you’re keen to see what that tastes like, book now before word gets out and you’re waiting weeks for a rezzie.

Malin is now open at 687 Rathdowne St, Carlton North, taking bookings from Wednesday through Saturday here.

Images: Malin | Tash Sorensen

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