The Olive Tree

The birthday festivities continued this weekend with a big family-oriented feasting session. With 14 other people's cravings to consider, I had to base my choice on something that would be an old favourite - so a European Steakhouse in the city seemed like the idea alternative.

Unfortunately, the night did not run without its hiccups - after initial confusion about the total number of people in attendance the tables had to be rearranged. Once that was sorted, we had a wait a little while longer before having our orders taken.

In traditional family style, the garlic bread came out first by the bowlfuls. A little too toasted in my opinion, but they were a favourite amongst the youngins and the three bowls our table received were polished quite nicely.

For too long I have played the role of the designated driver on night outs, so tonight I thought I'd treat myself by ordering myself something special from the drinks menu.
There were to many choices - but I felt like a chocolate hit. It combined all my favourite flavours - Bailey's Irish Creme liqueur, vanilla vodka, creme de cacao, chocolate syrup, and topped off with chocolate power. I loved the neat presentation, and it wasn't too strong either - an indulgent cocktail of perfectly balanced liqueurs and any chocoholics dream.

For our entree, my sister and I decided to share the vol au vent from the specials menu - french pastry filled with sauteed mushroom and chicken in mornay sauce, and topped with fresh avocado. I loved all the elements, the cheesy chicken and mushroom filling was oozing out of its pastry mould, and the flaky crust gave it a nice texture. And avocado is always a welcome addition to a chicken dish.
But something didn't taste exactly right, and it wasn't until I checked the bottom that I realised what it was. The bottom of my pastry was black; burnt enough that it tainted my dish with hints of charcoal.

As everyone else was served sizzling steaks on hotplates, I had hopes for our main - the Chicken, Avocado, and Prawn dish (note, when we ordered this we were really just craving prawns, and only realised after that we had practically double ordered on the chicken & avo! Oh well, who's complaining?). Presentation wise, the overserving of lobster bisque did little to whet my appetite - it completely overpowered the taste of the avocado and the prawns, and I would have enjoyed it more if it had some spice to it as it was a little bland. Also, while we had mentioned that we'd be sharing the dish, we were served three prawns which obviously made sharing them difficult.
I liked the crunch the roasted pesto gave to the tomato though.

I would have liked a little more variety and innovation in the mains menu - there was only one vegetarian option, and very generic salad and side options. But despite the hiccups in our orders, everyone else seemed to enjoy their meals very much, especially dad who was the honourary guest, so overall it seemed to be a success.


The Olive Tree
19 Park Street
South Melbourne VIC