Quirky Cookie can cook

Self-described as a Disco, an Eating House and a Beer Hall, Cookie claims to be many things. Showing off what would surely be the longest bar in Melbourne, plus a drinks menu of equally impressive length, Cookie has established itself as one of Melbourne CBD's premier social hang-outs. Whether it be for after-work drinks, a dinner date or a dance, Cookie has it covered. Located one level up on Swanston Street, you can expect to find a classy, yet down-to-earth spot with a pleasantly mixed crowd and an absolutely buzzing atmosphere. 

Image courtesy of melbournepubs.com

One of my favourite features of Cookie is its charming Juliet balconies which overlook Swanston Street and are the ideal position to take in the Melbourne air and watch the world go by. In stark contrast to its exterior is the spacious, noisy indoor area where it's always a challenge to find a seat. Another favourite feature, the quirky wallpaper featuring a crowd of black and white photographed faces, adds a certain kitsch element to the mish-mash of decor. Somehow though, it works. 

Having been to Cookie on a few occasions to drink and dance, I had been dying to come back to sample their much-talked-about dinner menu. So Wednesday night, I caught up with my French friend M for some Thai-inspired food done Cookie-style. Having moved to Australia from France almost one year ago, M gushed about how lucky we Aussies are to have such a diverse choice of food from such a mixture of cultures. Here I was, thinking the French must boast the be-all and end-all of culinary experiences! It just goes to show how much we take for granted this wonderful melting pot of culture that we are blessed with.

Being such a massive venue with such a massive bar, would of course call for a dinner menu just as massive. It was near impossible to make a decision because each item truly sounded as exquisite as the next! The menu was divided into Small Dishes, Medium Dishes and Large Dishes and the prices seemed very reasonable for what was on offer. The decider would be whether the meals tasted as good as they were described. Wanting to sample as much as we could, we decided to share two items from the Small Dishes section and go from there. I chose the Baked scallops with chilli oil and pomelo salad ($26.5), while M chose the Grilled banana chilli with minced chicken and kaffir lime ($14.5). Both were beautifully presented and the serves were more than sufficient. The scallops were baked in their shell and adorned with an elegant-looking fusion of Thai flavours. Thai food is traditionally characterised by the delicate balance of sweet, sour, salty and spicy  flavours each contained in most Thai dishes. We definitely tasted a lovely kick of chilli, which was then balanced with after-flavours of coriander, lime, coconut and a hint of pomelo (a relative of the grapefruit). 

The banana chilli was an interesting concept, with what appeared to be most of the insides of the banana replaced with the kaffir lime and chicken combination and then grilled until it was slightly sweet, a little spicy and very succulent, virtually melting in the mouth. Both meals definitely exceeded expectations. 

Not quite finished sampling the exotic menu, we selected a dessert to share: Banana fritters with honey and coconut ice cream ($12.5) The fritters were deep fried, so there was a balance of savoury and sweet from both the hot, gooey banana and the honey, and they were nicely complimented by the big dollop of coconut ice cream with a touch of mint to cleanse the palate.

Cookie had already established its cool, 'disco' reputation in my books and proven itself to be the stylish, so-called 'beer hall' it proclaims to be, however it is the 'eating house' aspect that it so proudly promotes but is often forgotten. Incredibly, Cookie succeeds at all three levels with sophistication, cleverness and originality.

Cookie

252 Swanston Street

Melbourne

Ph: 9663 7660