10 Feb 2023
You don't have to get out of Melbourne this long weekend to have a great Easter...
Whether it’s fabulous French, a classy high tea or a bountiful buffet, book a table at one of these marvellous Melbourne restaurants and celebrate Easter in mouth-watering style.
Treat your family to a taste of France in the heart of Melbourne this Easter. While away a leisurely afternoon in the fancy-yet-inviting ambience of Crown Melbourne with French-inspired white timber panels, a zinc-topped bar, and spacious indoor and al fresco dining spaces. Bistro Guillaume offers traditional French fare at its best, the menu is perfect for a sumptuous Easter celebration and the locale is primed for a little bit of dressing up.
Every Sunday acclaimed chef Guillaume Brahimi offers a three-course dining experience including an entree, main, unlimited sides (which is a big win), dessert, and a complimentary glass of red or white wine. The entrees include a selection of charcuterie: in-house smoked salmon with horseradish and brioche, and chicken liver parfait with chutney. Mains include whole roast chicken with tarragon juice and ratatouille. Dessert is a choice of souffle du jour and a selection of cheese for a truly French finish.
Dish Cult’s top pick: In-House smoked salmon, horseradish and brioche (part of the Sunday set menu, $90 pp)
Renowned for its award-winning buffet, Collins Kitchen’s Easter lunch is not for those with little appetite as it includes a Japanese bar, salad bar, delicatessen, carvery, grill, stove and wood oven stations. Immerse yourself in the lavish setting with delightfully open kitchens before settling into an ultra-satisfying food coma because hey, it’s Easter.
Start your Easter feast with blue swimmer crabs, Queensland prawns and Pacific oysters with mignonette dressing. Savour fresh nigiri and sashimi of yellowfin tuna, New Zealand king salmon, and kingfish for a palate cleanser.
For mains, enjoy the slow-cooked salmon with tahini, yoghurt, and walnut tabbouleh, as well as black angus beef with charred cipollini onions and green romesco. For more seafood goodness, get the fire-roasted Moreton bay bugs with XO butter and pizza bianco with prosciutto, parmesan, mozzarella and rocket. Never one to miss out on some added fun, Easter-themed desserts are part of a special rotation and feature mini Easter egg nests, baby chick cupcakes, hot cross bun donuts and orange blossom pavlova.
Dish Cult’s top pick: Easter lunch buffet ($129)
Experience Easter high tea in polished style complete with comfy club chairs, an open fireplace and a showpiece spiral staircase. The Westin Hotel’s Lobby Lounge is a modern-chic, light-filled space which also boasts a gallery-esque art collection.
High tea lovers can indulge in exquisite sweet and savoury treats, paired with a free flow of Vittoria coffee blends, Jing tea herbal infusions and hot chocolate.
Savoury delights include Champagne cured salmon with cream cheese and dill fingers, smoked chicken with cranberry and mayo, pumpkin and spinach calzone, and macaroni with truffle and cheese croquette. Sweet treats on offer span the range of spiced fruit scones, hot cross buns, a chocolate fountain, mini churros, salted caramel pots, Easter eggs and bunnies, bubble gum panna cotta, macarons, matcha chiffon cake, and goat cheese creme brulee.
Dish Cult’s top pick: Easter high tea buffet ($91 per adult)
This Melbourne institution has lined up a lavish Easter Sunday buffet which celebrates premium local produce and wines. Melba offers floor-to-ceiling views over the Yarra River and Melbourne city skyline as respite from stuffing yourself full.
Start with a selection of prawns, Tasmanian oysters, smoked salmon and blue swimmer crab. Then savour the sushi and sashimi with yellowfin tuna, sake-infused abalone, unagi, kingfish, and hotate scallops.
Chargrilled favourites include citrus marinated garlic prawn cutlets, lamb noisette marinated with garlic and rosemary and BBQ beef ribs with seeded mustard. Switch up the flavours with a little Indian cuisine of tandoori chicken masala, tandoori swordfish, lamb rogan josh, spicy lamb and cheese naan bread. Desserts include chocolate truffle, cherry and pistachio mousse, Earl Grey panna cotta, autumn shiraz pear pavlova, and hot cross bun and butter pudding with rhubarb and maple sugar.
Dish Cult’s top pick: Easter Sunday lunch ($169 pp)
Find the perfect Easter high tea for the young and the young-at-heart at this art deco-inspired restaurant. Set over five cascading levels with handcrafted furniture and sculptured artworks, Radii’s ambience inspires relaxation this Easter. High tea comes with unlimited Victorian sparkling wine and an Easter egg hunt in the private Trilogy garden.
With a menu crafted in partnership with French pâtissier Pierrick Boyer, finger sandwiches include roast chicken with avocado, tarragon, and mayo, smoked salmon with horseradish, caper and dill cream, and free-range ham with Dijon mustard. Homemade scones (both plain and raisin), as well as pistachio madeleines, are served with jam and double cream. Easter-inspired pastries include raspberry and dark chocolate brownie, praline crunch, salted caramel cremeux, passionfruit curd, meringue tartlet, and mini Easter eggs.
Dish Cult’s top pick: Easter high tea ($98 pp)