Seabuzz, Caulfield

This restaurant is not close by the sea but there certainly is a buzz to it! Gaz and I visited this Caulfield restaurant with a 9 course dinner voucher. Parking on a shared car & tram road such as Glenhuntly Road is always a nightmare but luckily we got a spot right opposite the restaurant.

From the outside, you wouldn't give it a second look but once you entered the restaurant it felt like you're in a whimsical world of fantasy. The wall and ceiling of the first part of the restaurant is carpeted with artificial grass and vines. We were shown to the second part of the restaurant where a red glass chandelier hangs in a rustic looking brick room. There were many plaques on the brick walls with witty captions which entertained Gaz no end.

Our 9 course meal started with these prawn spring rolls and crumbed avocado with chilli jam. I liked the chilli jam, it was not spicy at all and I felt like eating mint jelly. It did not suit either the avocado or the spring rolls which were good on their own (probably needed some sauce to offset the dryness of the two course).

 The third and fourth dish were five spiced chicken wings and tandoori chicken (with a dollop of mayo). The chicken wings were ordinary... while the chicken patty was... At first I could not make out what it was and had to look at the menu. It reminded me of Thai fish cakes, but fish cakes would taste better. Not my favourite two dishes of the night.

The fifth dish was half a soft shell crab each, served with apple coleslaw underneath the crab. One plus is that the crab was meaty and did not have the frozen smell or taste like some does. The apple slaw was a little too acidic for my liking but some acid at that point was sorely needed to remove the oil of the five fried dishes we've had so far!

 Now comes my favourite 3 dishes of the night... a bowl of butter rice served with almond crisp (a few flakes of fried almonds), salad leaves with sesame dressing (both not pictured) and slow braised beef atop mash. The beef was tender, and nicely seasoned with salt, and the mash was creamy and heavenly. We hardly talked to each other while eating these three courses which came at the same time, it was so good.

 The last dish was dessert - a trio of panacotta. The first one is topped with sesame and salt, the second pistachio and the third berry compote. They all tasted equally good, with me biased towards the berry compote.

The voucher also entitled us to a glass of wine or soft drink. Sure, the first five dishes were a selection of fried foods (not complaining, hey it's fried food!) but we reasoned that for a restaurant to be participating in a daily deals scheme for a reasonable price ($59 for two) they must find a way to make some profit while offering reasonable, easy to cook/assemble food to patrons. The service was excellent, the waiter topped up our water glasses even without being asked. The beef really was the star of the night and if the rest of their menu are as good as that then there is a good chance we will be back.

Update: This restaurant is permanently closed.