Lagoon Dining

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Melbourne. The food is exceptional. The service is outstanding and warm. It's a pretty small restaurant with a menu of only hits. Their beef tartare is my favorite version I've had anywhere. The wine list is small, and changes regularly. They do a great job curating the list and I'm always pleased.

A really interesting mix of flavors—balanced, creative, and full of surprises without trying too hard. The food looks simple, but every bite packs a complex and satisfying punch. Service wasn’t the best, but the dessert totally stole the show! Also, we couldn’t help but notice the menu was loaded with tofu dishes—maybe it’s tofu season? Either way, it was a fun and tasty experience!

Did a mid week chef's menu here and it exceeded expectations! Food was delicious and inventive. I think it's easy to go overboard on a tasting menu but the amount was perfect and excellent value. Nice wine selection. Enjoyed the vibe of the place. Will be back.

Perhaps one of the top 10 meals ever. An incredibly well put together feed me set menu. Every dish a standout. Flavours exploding everywhere but pairings for each stage so well thought out. Seriously impressive. 500ml Riesling Chardonnay 50:50 blend also fascinating and the whole thing unbelievably good value.

I had a great experience at Lagoon Dining in Carlton. The staff were fantastic, attentive and knowledgeable, making the evening even more enjoyable. I opted for the $78 set menu, which was well worth it. The portions were generous and everything was served at a good pace. Standout dishes for me were the char siu and the steak tartare - both were exceptional in flavor and presentation. I also appreciated that each course was accompanied by a fresh greens dish, perfectly complementing the meats. The only downside was the outdoor seating. While comfortable, it doesn't have the same charm as the indoor space, which is more visually appealing. Overall, a great dining experience with a solid menu and excellent service. Would definitely recommend!

Great food, rude staff. This would have been the third time visiting this restaurant. Food had always been great. This is however the most memorable visit. We dined in as a group of 6. The service we received weren't great. The worst was when the man that served us responded unprofessionally back to us on how we haven't been waiting as long as we were for food. I'm definitely going to consider very carefully if I would want to come back again as I prefer to have a nice meal with nice staff. This incident has definitely dampen the night for the group.

This place is a must-visit in Melbourne. The design and architecture are clean and inviting, encouraging you to enjoy every moment. The food is incredibly fresh and expertly curated by the chef. We highly recommend trying the raw beef

ORDERED: 🥒 Salted cucumber, black fungus, toasted sesame, preserved olive vegetable ($11.00) 🥔 Hot & sour shredded potato, chinkiang vinegar, pickled enoki ($12.00) 🥓 Raw beef, sambal vinaigrette, laksa leaf, creme fraiche, tsubu arare ($27.00) 👅 Ox tongue crepe, jalapeno sambal, cream cheese ($21.00) 🍚 Salted fish fried rice, morning glory, scud chilli, fried anchovies ($30.00) 🥩 Charcoal roasted char siu, spring onion relish, tare ($44.00) 🍵 Jasmine pearls green tea ($5.00) It was $78.43pp here! REVIEW: Bless an establishment that doesn't charge card surcharges! 🙏 ❤ Our favourite dish at Lagoon Dining was their raw beef from the entrees. A perfect medley of textures (crunchiness from the tsubu arare, softness from the raw beef) and flavours (tanginess from the sambal vinaigrette, creaminess from the creme fraiche) that worked HARD to deliver a dish that was interesting, unique and light on the palate. We'd get two of these next time. 🤞 💛 We also appreciated how the Salted fish fried rice, a staple at Vietnamese restaurants, wasn't overly salty. It still imparted the necessary flavours, but also allowed us to enjoy the sweetness of the charcoal roasted char siu. 🧡 Service was outstanding. We happened to meet one of the owners, who passionately explained the menu and gave some context behind the dishes that couldn't leave the menu, as well as his favourites (all). 🤣 With dishes well timed one after the other, we were continuously being introduced to our next item but at a pace that didn't drop even as the restaurant was filled up. 💚 They were also lovely enough to keep re-filling the tea, so definitely got more than $5 worth. Lagoon Dining is a modern Asian establishment that's worth visiting to treat yourself right. Definitely recommended if you want to have a great night! ✨