Henry and the Fox
Set in what I like to call “the lawyer end of town”, Henry and the Fox is a classy establishment, serving food that is described as modern Australian with a European influence. Filling in the $25 a meal gap in the area it surrounds. You can get plenty of cheap sushi, focaccias, etc around the area, or high end food that can hurt your wallet. Henry and the Fox aims to meet that middle ground, in a nice, bright and open space.
Head chef is Michael Fox (Age Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year 2011) and serves bistro-style dishes with a contemporary approached. The name of the restaurant, Henry and the Fox was come about by restaurateur Paul Mathis looking at Michael, and his P.A. (Claire Henry) and putting two and two together. It is also the name of a children’s book.
I was invited along with quite a few other food bloggers, freelance writers, and publications to see what the restaurant was all about. I have decided to blog it as I think it’s worth a visit, even if it’s just for dessert! Their breakfast menu also sounds great, but since they aren’t open on the weekends, it might be a while before such items as corn fritters, since I work in the burbs.
We started with a selection of entrees to share. The highlight for me was definitely the scallops, they were sweet, and cooked perfectly.
Jamon & Manchego Croquettes $4 each
Fried Zucchini Flowers $4 each
Cured Kingfish, Coriander & Fennel Seeds, Mandarin, Coriander Shoots $23.50
Seared Scallops, Apple & Celeriac Remoulade, Caper & Raisin Puree, Toasted Pumpernickel $24.50
Roasted Moreton Bay Bug Tails, Cauliflower Puree, Spiced Cauliflower $24.50
Confit Ocean Trout, Salted Cucumber, Radish, Horseradish Cream $23.00
Rabbit Terrine, Rhubarb Compote and Salad, with Toasted Brioche $23.50
Goats Cheese, Roasted Baby Beets, Pickled Shallots, Shiso, Raspberry Vinegar $18.50
Mains were alternating between the pork, chicken and fish. Thanh managed the pork belly lottery and was very pleased with this win! I got the poached chicken which I was pleased about, truth be known, I had pork belly for 3 days in a row leading up to this dinner. Libby had the fish, and once all photos were taken, we divided our dishes up and shared away!
Crisp Pork Belly, Fennel, Dill and Orange $30.50
Mulloway, Avocado, Chickpeas, Chorizo, and Red Pepper $29.50
Poached Chicken Breast, Quinoa, Pistachio, Fig and Sorrel $29
To be honest, I found my chicken on the salty side. It was cooked well, and loved the fluffy light quinoa it was served with, but I ended up plucking pear from a side salad we were given to help get through the saltiness. I hope this dish isn’t usually so salty.
I would have liked to have sampled the pasta with blue swimmer crab, or perhaps one of the pizzas, but that can always happen when I revisit. Angie told me the pasta she had their was fantastic.
Sides: spiced carrots, brussel sprouts with bacon
Just as we were all falling asleep from:
a) Too much food
b) It was a school night 😛
The dessert came in full swing! And they were all amazing… I’m not even kidding. They were all good, I can’t even pick a favourite.
Passionfruit Cheesecake, Passionfruit Mousse, Jelly, Granita, Yoghurt Sorbet $14
Chocolate Panna cotta, Strawberry Cream, Strawberry Sorbet and Popping Candy $16
Quince, Pear, Custard, Coconut Crumble, Coconut Ice-Cream $14
Doughnuts with Chocolate Sauce $14
The full lunch and dinner menu can be found here: www.henryandthefox.com.au/MENUS/HATF_Menu_210512.pdf
Bar Apertivo – Daily 4pm – 6pm
Delicious complimentary canapés and hors d’oeuvres provided with any alcoholic beverage purchased.
Henry and the Fox
525 Little Collins Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000
Phone: (03) 9614 3277
info@henryandthefox.com.au
reservations@henryandthefox.com.au
www.henryandthefox.com.au
Iron Chef Shellie dined with compliments of Henry and the Fox, and Gun Communications. This review was an honest opinion on the food served on the night.
Daisy@Nevertoosweet
Ohhh now i’m so tempted to go once again just for the desserts I mean you weren’t even able to choose your favourite one WOW 😀
Winston
Hey… You know you guys had me salivating from your live tweets/instagrams from this meal the other days?! HAHA! But good… Because I never heard of this place until that day and now it definitely looks like a place I’ll bring my parents or (save up to) come for a special occasion. Want… ALL
Esz
This looks really promising! Might be a good place to take the work buddies….we have called ourselves the FAATies (Food Appreciation At Tag) hehe – and like to try out different places. This will go on the list!
Michelle
I would like to have the passionfruit cheesecake thank you very much.
For a second, I read Michael Fox as Michael J fox 0_0
Hannah
Brussels sprouts! And beetroot with goat’s curd! Oh yes, I want those two dishes muchly.
Sara (Belly Rumbles)
Everything looks so fantastic, but loving the presentation of the passionfruit cheesecake.
Kelly
Saw the instagram photos and were very impressed with all these dishes. Especially the ocean trout and the zucchini flowers… And those Brioche!!! Added to the list of restaurants to visit when next in Melbourne.
Nic@diningwithastud
Those scallops look perfect!
MoMo & Coco Dessert Correspondents
LOL – as two belonging to that profession, we think that we could dispute your comment as to H&F’s location as being at the “lawyer end of town.” Entirely depends on what type of law/tier of firm you are referring to. 😉
Turning to H&F, we love it, it’s vibrant and fresh. We were one of the first to review it. It was a hidden secret for quite a while in fact! Sad though we think that it has resorted to invites to food bloggers to garner attention. It could have slowly build its audience through word of mouth, though this is admittedly old-fashioned thinking, yes?. It’s one thing to review anonymously and another to be invited to review. Of course, that’s our opinion as to food bloggers being used as PR puppets. This is not meant as any disrespect to you yourself regardless so please don’t read it as that. Good that you made it though. Looks like we shall have to return again soon, as the desserts have changed. 🙂
Iron Chef Shellie
My lawyer BFF just moved offices and said she can see it out the window!
The owner confessed to us that business was not booming as they had hoped it would, hence why they got us all in. I believed it was good enough to blog about and help spread the word. But I did mention some flaws I found with some food to give my full honest opinion.
Desserts must be seasonal, so I’d be interested to see what else they come up with when the seasons change 🙂