Welcome to Pearl Restaurant + Bar on Church Street, Richmond. Located in the funky designer precinct (the Yarra end of Church), Pearl opened for business in 2000.

Situated on the ground floor of a modern apartment building, the atmosphere is cool and bright but with a welcoming, relaxed attitude. Architect Rick Bzowy has created a stunning space with an open bar area featuring a most beautiful pearl backdrop which reflects and shimmers during the day and softly glows by night. The more formal dining room seats 70 in comfort, padded walls and Pirelli flooring soften the acoustics providing a tranquil ambience to savour and enjoy the exquisite food offered by award winning Chef Geoff Lindsay (The Age Good Food Guide Chef of the Year 2005) and his team in the Pearl kitchen.

If you prefer an outdoor setting, the courtyard is the place to be for cool drinks and stunning light dishes.

Pearl has been created to provide a special place for people to meet, eat, drink, entertain, flirt, woo, chat, muse, plan, relax and celebrate. It is the perfect venue for drinks after work with the gang, quick or lingering lunches and the full on, no holds barred special occasion dinner.

We are so glad you are visiting our website, have a look around and don’t leave it too long to visit us at Pearl.

Pearl could only be an Australian restaurant, and we’re proud of that.

Our cuisine sits plumb in the middle of a sea of traditions and influences, from the technique and finesse of the old world to the vitality of the new - fine attention to detail blended with bold flavours, and an attitude to match.

Fastidious yet relaxed. The perfect balance.

The quality of our ingredients shouts “Australian” for all the world to hear, and considered, elegant executions present those ingredients in all their glory.

If the mood takes you, this is a place for contemplating just how good food, and a dining experience, can be.

Something smaller …

Freshly shucked kumamoto oysters with green chilli nam jim, lime and mint 4ea

Chickpea soup with honey and za’atar 16

My tartare of hopkins river beef, beetroot shoots and quail egg yolk, soldiers 22.5

Buffalo milk mozzarella with stewed red and gold peppers, torn basil and grilled olive bread 17.5

Broad bean and roasted beet salad, pecorino peparto and an ortiz anchovy grissini 16.5/24.5

White cooked chicken salad with cucumber and rose petal ajar, coriander & peanuts 22.5/31.5

Stir fried calamari, king brown mushroom and green mango salad 22.5/30.5

Green papaya and smoked ocean trout with longans, kaffir lime, thai basil and torn chilli 24.5/33.5

Wok fried blue mussels from spring bay with sour orange curry, snake beans, mint, chilli and kaffir lime 18.5/27

Lemon scented risotto with roast yabbies and silver leaf 17.5

Something more substantial …

Boned and rolled suzuki jewfish, soy marinated and crispy fried with stir fried lettuce, lup cheong and shiitake in oyster sauce 36.5

Quail stuffed with red grapes and flowering thyme on white polenta and taleggio, a hot salad of sunflower shoots and rocket, pinot noir verjuice and watermelon rind pickle 31.5

Boned whole garfish wrapped in rice paper and hot mint, stuffed with spicy pork and sticky rice sausage with sweet and sour sauce 33.5

Roasted red duck curry, crisped fried egg, shallots, mint, sweet fish sauce and coconut rice 38.5

Wagyu minute steak, buttered spinach and portabello mushrooms, spicy tomato jam and onion rings 32.5

Something on the side 9.5

Roasted beetroot and blood orange salad

Hand cut chips with saffron and garlic salt

Brussels sprout with prosciutto, pine nuts and fetta

Cauliflower cheese

Steamed broccolini with oyster sauce

Mixed leaf salad with shaved fennel and radish, sherry vinegar & cobram estate extra virgin olive oil

Something to finish…

Sweet tomato confit with vanilla ice cream 16

Steamed rhubarb and gingerbread pudding with rhubarb syrup, glace ginger
and baked apple ice cream 17

Pearl’s banana split with banana ice cream and chocolate sorbet, hazelnut praline 16

Turkish delight and rose petal ice cream, glace ginger and persian fairy floss 14

House made ice cream selection - ask for our daily selection 6/scoop

Persian fairy floss - chocolate by the glass and pistachio nougat 10

Sweet treat selection

A selection of classic australian sweets including hedgehog, coconut ice, valhrona lamingtons and chocolate crackles 5ea

Cheese

Onetik Ossau-Iraty: An artesian sheep’s milk cheese from France’s Basque region 22

Traditionally made by shepherd’s in the mountain huts of the Pyrenees, this cheese has its origins dating back over 3,500 years

Ossau-Iraty is a raw milk cheese with a smooth texture and mild, nutty flavour. Served with a Moroccan carrot and apple salad
and toasted buttery brioche

Note: Menu correct as of 15 July 2010 - subject to seasonal adjustments

Pearl restaurant + bar can accommodate special events in the restaurant for 10 to 80 guests

Individual menus are created by our brilliant kitchen team with our sommelier able to suggest or tailor wine selections to suit the menu, budget and the event.

For more a casual affair, the bar or terrace can accommodate a cocktail party of up to 30 guests with selected dishes from the bar menu or canape list.

For enquiries, telephone 03 9421 4599.
Email: eat@pearlrestaurant.com.au

The Café can now be booked for functions in the evening

Yes, you and your clients or friends, enjoying the Pearl touch for a launch, a birthday or a Christmas get together.  Ideal for a cocktail party for up to 80 or sit down dinner for 40 or so, the cafe offers you a relaxed party or dining atmosphere in your own private space…  and the place does look pretty good at night!

All you favourite Pearl treats including the Restaurant and Café selection of dishes, canapés, cheese, sweet treats, Champagne or Cocktails, your call, give us a call.

Contact  Kate @ the Restaurant on 9421 4599.

Frequently asked questions and general information about the Restaurant

Executive Chef – David Ricardo
Head Chef - Lisa Oxenbould
General Manager - John Kanis

Cuisine – Modern Australian - refer to Menu

Capacity – 70 in the dining room, 24 in the bar, and 24 in courtyard (weather permitting)

Credit Cards – American Express, Diners Club, Visa, MasterCard

The Reservations Manager is able to assist with special requests to make your dining experience at Pearl memorable. Please consult the Reservations Manager at time of booking.

Telephone: 03 9421 4599

Wine List

Pearl is a fully licensed restaurant with an eclectic and ever changing wine list.

Special Requests

We have a number of vegetarian and gluten free options available as part of our a la carte menu.

If you would like to send a bottle of champagne to a guest celebrating a birthday or anniversary, buy dinner for a client or friends, we can assist with these requests.

Special Occasions

If you would like to arrange a birthday or celebratory cake, we have 2 special cakes on offer (by prior arrangment only) :

Flourless chocolate cake with gold leaf decoration

Meringue kisses with rose ice cream and rose petals

Gift Vouchers

Gift vouchers are available starting from $100. Simply request a Gift Voucher Form from our Reservation Manager.

Next Mud Crab Event -  Sunday 25 & Monday 26 July 2010

With Monday 26 July now fully booked, our Shellfish Indulgence is now also up for grabs this
Sunday 25 July as either a 3-Course Lunch or 4-Course Dinner!

Come and join us to celebrate the legend of the full moon mud crab harvest at Pearl restaurant!

Legend has it that crab harvesting in the north of Australia and South East Asia was done according
to the phases of the moon.

So canny crab gatherers know that the best time to harvest the crabs, when they are full of meat and
clean tasting, is on the waxing gibbous (two to three days before the full moon).

Which means the perfect time to indulge in mud crab is on the full moon…

Sample 4-Course Set Menu

Crab and dashi custard egg

A shared tasting plate of crab treats including:
A spicy blue swimmer crab spring roll with sweet and sour pineapple sauce
A spanner crab betel leaf with coconut, chilli lime and pomegranate seeds
A blue swimmer crab omelette with thai basil and oyster sauce
A salad of pork and mud crab , bean sprouts, mint and crisped wai wai noodle

Pearl Mud Crab Special - wok fried chilli mud crab and its broth, with crispy fried eggplant with black vinegar and garlic chips, wok fried broccolini with oyster sauce, coconut rice

Tropical fruit salad with custard apple ice cream

Hot towels, bibs, the lot! A real aficionado experience – and a little known regular feature at Pearl.

2010 Mud Crab Dates:

Monday 26 July > Tuesday 24 August > Tuesday 21 September > Sunday 24 October > Sunday 21 November

Bookings essential - $30 per person deposit required to secure a table.

Entrees

Chickpea soup with honey and za’atar, smoked eel fritters with preserved lemon, shaved radish and parsley salad 22

‘Burrata’, a soft in the centre mozzarella knot from milla milla in far north queensland with smoked ham hock and creamed wild mushrooms 27

My tartare of hopkins river beef, beetroot shoots and quail egg yolk, soldiers 26

Boned whole garfish, wrapped in rice paper and hot mint, stuffed with spicy pork and sticky rice sausage, mrs t’s magical sauce of crushed pineapple, chilli and mam men 31

Quail stuffed with red grapes and flowering thyme, a hot salad of rocket, pinot noir verjuice and watermelon rind pickle 26

Tropical fresh water cray fish custard with caramelised apple, asparagus puree, kellybrook cider butter sauce and crab roe salt 28

Baby blue mussels from spring bay with saffron and walnut butter, winter vegetables and a sumak spiced bread stick 24

Wok-fried pearl meat from broome with shitake, chive buds, ginger and soy 38

Main courses

Green peppercorn rubbed harpuka with jerusalem articoke puree, celery, bacon and mushrooms braised in red wine 39

Slow braised beef cheek with hot and sour salad, hand rolled rice noodles 38

Boned and rolled jewfish, soy marinated and crispy fried with stirfried lettuce, lup cheong and shiitake in oyster sauce 37

Lavender roast lamb with lentils and gingery spinach, black cabbage and rainbow chard, roasted garlic yoghurt 42

Tiger prawn dumplings with dashi warmed kumomoto oysters, enoki and shimeji mushrooms, soybean and dancing bonito 36

Grilled corn fed chicken with stewed red and golden peppers, roasted onion mash and basil butter 37

Roast red duck curry, a crispy fried egg, shallots, mint, sweet fish sauce and coconut rice 44

Gippsland black angus rib-eye steak, jerusalem artichoke remoulade 49

Side orders 11

Hand cut chips with saffron and garlic salt

Roasted beetroot and blood orange salad

Brussels sprout with prosciutto, pine nuts and fetta

Cauliflower cheese

Steamed broccolini with oyster sauce

Mixed leaf salad with shaved fennel and radish, sherry vinegar
and cobram estate extra virgin olive oil

Desserts

Steamed rhubarb and gingerbread pudding with rhubarb syrup, glace ginger and baked apple ice cream 18

Baked leaves of spiced filo pastry with confit date, lemon zest, pomegranate and pine nut, cinnamon ice cream and sweet za’atar 20

Nougat and orange blossom ice cream with almond milk jelly and leatherwood honey labna 19

Bittersweet chocolate and turkish delight souffle, lemon syrup soaked doughnuts with clotted cream 23

Crispy fried taro dumplings with dark, milk and white selvatica chocolate, vanilla custard and gold leaf 19

Pearl’s banana split with banana ice cream and chocolate sorbet, hazelnut praline 18

Passionfruit delicious pudding with roasted banana ice cream and fresh custard apple 17

Cheese

Brie de Nangis from Ile de France, black pepper crackers, glaze, balsamic salad of organic shoots and sprouts 22

Sweet treat selection

Chocolate meringue kisses, espresso profiterole, violet marshmallow, pandan jube, pistachio nougat, persian fairy floss 14

Menu correct as of 15 July 2010 - subject to seasonal adjustments

Reservations are advisable and a deposit is required for large groups or for special events. A reservations manager is available to assist with your enquiries Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

E-mail reservations

Please note that this is a request for a reservation only. We will email you back either confirmation or alternative availability for your reservation. A local phone number in Melbourne, or a mobile number is required, as we will call to confirm your reservation the day before.

Events & Functions

Pearl restaurant + bar can accommodate special events in the restaurant from 10 up to 80 guests with individual menu and beverage packages designed to suit.

For more a casual affair, the bar or terrace can accommodate a cocktail party of up to 30 guests with selected dishes from the bar menu or canape list.

For further enquiries, telephone 03 9421 4599.
Email: eat@pearlrestaurant.com.au