The Point

Aquatic Drive
Albert Park VIC 3206

The Point in Albert Park has become one of my favorite restaurants over the past few years. The combination of location, service and above all else the cooking of Scott Pickett has made it a place I've enjoyed going to again and again.

So when I heard that Scott had left The Point to go to The Estelle two questions stood out. Who would take over? and what impact would it have?

The answer to the first question is Justin Wise who has a detailed bio on The Point web site. Head chef at Press Club and Sous Chef at Maze amongst other positions are impressive credentials to bring to the role.

Roasted quail, braised leek, black garlic and truffle dressing

As for the food? The overall menu feels the same with some tweaks. The entree of roasted quail & braised leek had lots of things going on and most importantly the star of the dish, the quail, was perfect. Crispy skin, tender meat and perfectly presented quail paired with the braised leeks showed plenty of finesse and clever combination of flavours.





Things were off to a good start, but there was a major delay between entree and main. I am generally patient preferring a longer rather than shorter gap, but getting close to an hour it left the table wondering if our order went missing. Just as we had asked main course arrived, funny how it always seems to end up that way......

Individual portions of Sher F1 Wagyu,  
Hopkins River grain and Cape Grim pasture fed beef

The Point has built a healthy reputation as a leader in steak and I am yet to be disappointed in my dining there, however, there was a small disconnect between what we had thought we ordered and what was presented. The table had all ordered the beef tasting plate expecting five different portions steaks. Under Justin Wise this has now become three larger portions of steak.

Once we got over the disconnect it was business as usual, the perfectly cooked steak was presented nicely on one of those new "trendy" stone style plates. Whilst they look nice, I still feel the knife passing over the surface akin to fingernails down a blackboard. After the initial surprise of the change, I think the new three steak format works better, the winner hands down was the Hopkins river grain fed.

Banana souffle, caramel fudge 
and condensed milk ice cream

Desert's which have always been good at The Point again were not a let down. The banana souffle was a surprise in that the dense, heavy texture of a banana translated well in to a souffle.

Overall I think The Point is in safe hands, the front of house was as solid as always and assuming that the lag between entree and main was an off moment should continue it's two hat reign.



The Point - 15/20