Nomad

Newly opened restaurant in the old classic restaurant Ragu.
Get for a couple of drinks by the gas fire, a traditional wood fired pizza or shared plates of very tasty food.
We started with some scallops & pork belly that shouldn’t of gone so well together but did followed by beef Wellington and a side order of pickled veg. All washed down with a couple of glasses from the well thought out wine list.
I was happy with the serving size but the plus one thought it was a bit light and two of the large serving plates and the sides. The desert was interesting with yummy salted caramel ice cream (chocolate fondant)
Service was outstanding, attentive without being overbearing and even offered to ask the chef for the recipe for the pickled veg.
Will be back to try the cocktails

I’m only reviewing the bar at this stage. It was initially hard to find, there’s no actual sign outside. Lively place and a good choice for after work drinks. They’ve got a new barman who knows his cocktails and can whip up my favourite even though it’s not on the menu (always a good sign). Live music is a bonus too along with a fire and small seating area, just the thing on a cold, rainy night.

Nomad has been open since December in the site occupied by Ragu. The refit has included opening a mezzanine which looks quite cool.
We had about 3 people serve our table and 2 of the girls didn’t know things about the menu. A «share-​concept menu» is the idea of this restaurant. The waitress that took our orders said the large share plates were plenty enough for two people. I think shared plates are an excuse to send meals out willy nilly at no set time to make it easier for the kitchen.
I beg to differ as we ordered the Beef Wellington and expecting to get a log length piece of meat were dismayed to receive a small round ball enough for ONE person. It didn’t come with anything so then we had to add a $ 9 side of vegetables to the $ 32 main. An expensive entrée size portion for two.
The Pork belly and Scallops was nice in flavour, but Pork Belly, pffffft; more like bacon. It’s a real shame it came out cold too.
For dessert I had a hankering for Lemon Meringue Pie. Going by the other items we had I wouldn’t believe it would have come out deconstructed. I didn’t favour the freeze dried fruit piece that were added for the supposed crunch factor instead of meringue which I missed and the very tart lemon. I wish the whole deconstructed thing would go out of fashion. Give me a slab of pie any day.
All in all I prefer the previous place ‘Ragu’. Your better off going a little bit down the road to Twisted Tomato where I know I would get a great meal.

Like its namesake, the menu of this hip looking new joint in suburban point chevalier roams from place to place in a somewhat adventurous and sometimes lost manner. There’s nothing conventional on offer. Instead, a plethora of cultural and culinary fusion is presented on attractive pottery and occasionally the random glass jar. Small plates include slightly overdone octopus and goats cheese with peppers. Larger dishes include (bashed) confit duck with fruit and scallops with macadamia crumb. Standouts include the ceviche and beef tartare (raw and only for those with a genuine penchant for french fare). The orange parfait was a tad disappointing and the carrot cake seemed too scary to try. The wine list could use a bit of expansion and the service was lovely but confused (4 waiters for a table of 2 asking the same questions politely but repeatedly). Overall, I could wander away from this place, but equally, given its potential to amuse and surprise, I could easily wander back for another try. However, I’d give it a bit of time to settle down first.