Wednesday, December 22, 2010

December 12, 2010: Panama

On Sunday night we met with Mike and Jo, took and lost a chance at Huxtable's non-reserved tables, and continued on to Panama. Three floors above Smith St, it's a surprisingly large venue with bars, pool tables, high tables and couches as well as a more conventional dining section. Glorious arched wall-to-ceiling windows funnel light to almost every corner, though when the light goes down I've heard the music go up and felt the vibe get clubby.

The menu offers a decent suite of vegetarian options - three out of eight starters, two out of eight mains and seemingly all six sides - though a vegan might have to negotiate with staff (the chickpea chip starter and lentil salad main might fit the bill). With starters at least $10 each and mains exceeding $20, we were hoping for something good.

And our starter was good! Michael and I shared one of their specials - zucchini flowers stuffed with gorgonzola and served on a bed of greens and grapes (~$12). The textures were fresh and varied and the sweet/bitter/creamy/pungent flavours were lovely, though a bit unbalanced. Too much gorgonzola, Jo commented, and we agreed.

For his main, Michael ordered the warm salad of lentils, freekeh and crunchy sprouts with sauteed spring vegetables ($22.50). With the exception of the orange pumpkin smear beneath the veges it was bland, dry and disappointing.

I fared better with the ravioli of artichoke, potato and two cheeses with creamed watercress ($24). This was definitely not dry - the sauce was almost a thick soup! There was plenty of springtime flavour and a pleasing balance of rich cheese and filling potato against the lighter watercress and hints of lemon.

It seems that I was lucky more than Michael was unlucky - Mike and Jo were distinctly unimpressed by their more meaty meals. It's a lovely setting that offers a few lovely dishes, but we'll be reluctant to fork out for such inconsistency again.
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Panama
Level 3, 231 Smith St, Fitzroy
9417 7663
fully licensed
veg entrees $10-14, veg main $22.50
http://thepanama.com.au/

5 comments:

  1. Is that balsamic on your stuffed zucchini flowers?

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  2. what a shame the food is so hit and miss (micheal's main sounds v disappointing for the price) given how gorgeous those arched windows look (they remind me of playschool windows)

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  3. Hmm, as someone who regularly eats an entire wedge of blue cheese in one sitting, I probably would've gone crazy for the zucchini flowers! :P

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  4. I wholeheartedly agree with you Cindy - it is very hit and miss there.

    I have eaten there three times since it opened. When I first went it was incredible. Then the last two times have been very inconsistent. The food is too expensive to be so 'meh' at times. I have stopped eating there.. there are lots of other places nearby where the food will always be good.

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  5. Hookturns - I can't remember for sure, but I think so! Probably a reduction, it was quite viscous.

    Johanna, the windows are lovely - I'd willingly go back for afternoon drinks to enjoy them!

    Hannah - you might indeed! I don't mind a bit of blue but it almost negated the 'salad' title of this dish. :-P

    Emily, I noticed a hit and miss pattern to others' blog posts too. And yes, there's a lot of great (often cheaper!) options in the neighbourhood.

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