MoMo
9650 0660, Lower Plaza Level, 123 Collins St, Melbourne. VIC 3000 www.momorestaurant.com.auOpen Dinner Tue-Sat 6pm-10.30pm, Closed Between Xmas & new year, Sundays; Licensed; AE DC MC V, Seats inside 90, Private room 14, Kids welcomed
Chef: Greg Malouf (21-9-11) Owner: Geremy & Dean Lucas, Robert & Victor Zagame (11-10-10)
Mietta's Review
Timber, warm reds and faux Moroccan decor set the mood for Greg Malouf's Middle Eastern flavours. What is impressive about the food is how these flavours are balanced, particularly as many of them fall outside the 'modern Australian' palate of tastes. The char grill ties many of these combinations together and, this most abused of cooking methods is handled with considerable sensitivity. As well as excellent food and warm atmosphere one is presented with a good wine list, efficient service and fair but not insubstantial prices.
Other Published Opinions
Gourmet Traveller 2012 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: One Star "With its crystal-studded ceiling and teeming references to Middle East-themed glamour. MoMo is all about the Big Night Out. It starts with a drum-rolling elevator ride to the basement dining room and extends to well-groomed, well-drilled waiters, a benchmark-packed wine list and, the main draw, chef Greg Malouf's often brilliant modern Middle Eastern cooking"
Age Good Food Guide 2012 Score: 16/20, 2 Hats
Age Good Food Guide 2011 Score: 16.5/20, Two Hats
Gourmet Traveller 2011 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: ** "MoMo's metamorphosis into one of Melbourne's most opulent restaurants, replete with a ceiling softly lit by twinkling crystals, is by no means a case of style over substance"
Age Good Food Guide 2010 Score: 16.5/20, Two Hats "16.5/20Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2010
Gourmet Traveller 2010 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: ** "MoMo's new digs in the overhauled former food court of the Grand Hyatt firmly place Greg Malouf's modern Middle Eastern food in a fine-dining context. The basement space is all Swarovski crystals, upholstered white lacquered chairs and double-draped spacious tables, with serious prices to match"
Gourmet Traveller Michael Harden, "The last time the basement at Melbourne's Grand Hyatt turned any heads was in the 1990s. The Hyatt's cavernous food court was once the venue for some of the city's wildest, most fashionable parties before the show ponies left for hipper pastures and the increasingly deserted and forlorn space finally closed. But with the reincarnation of Greg Malouf's much-missed MoMo restaurant stepping in to fill the void, the Grand Hyatt is back on the radar. People with memories of those heady days would be hard-pressed to recognise the space now. Executive chef Greg Malouf's employers at the original MoMo. Geremy and Dean Lucas, have joined forces with Robert and Victor Zagame, and this band of brothers seems to have spared no expense. The largest proportion of space has been given over to the dimly lit and completely over-the-top lounge and cocktail bar"
The Australian John Lethlean, 08-06-2009 "Eating at MoMo mark II, Melbourne's reincarnated home of aspirational Middle Eastern cooking in the bowels of the glitzy Grand Hyatt, is a commitment. It takes time, stamina and money, and it helps to have plenty of all three ... the essence of plush, international glam. Deep custom carpets, rich fabrics, sparkling lighting, serious linen and silly table illumination levels all add to that indulgent feel. Informality? Broad table spacing, muted tones, high staff levels and deferential service contribute to a certain mood ... The big banquet is called The Moorish: having the appetite and frame of a small dromedary ... helps pull it off ... But it's a pleasure to be reminded how refined thinking and an excellent palate have allowed Malouf to keep reinventing this genre"
Age, Melbourne Magazine, Hot Larissa Dubecki, September 09
Herald Sun Stephen Downes, 11-08-09 Score: 36/50 "PLATES made to share? When weren't they? A lot of spin has gone into MoMo's food list, which is shaped by executive chef Greg Malout There's a 10-line prologue encouraging you to buy "sharing" menus at $100 or $140 a head and an even more expensive one requiring three days' notice. Then there are four entrees and the same number of mains and side dishes. Our starters cost $28 each, mains $54 and $48"
Herald Sun "At MoMo, the stakes are high. We've been waiting almost three years for Melbourne's maestro of mod Mid-East cuisine, Greg Malouf, to open his new fine diner ... we're primed for something special. Happily, that's just what we get. "
The Australian "It's how all the fine hotels of the Old World get themselves a great restaurant - by outsourcing to noted operators - and it's what Hyatt has done with the MoMo boys and their frontman, the sheikh of Modern Middle Eastern cuisine in Australia, Greg Malouf."
Herald Sun Glutton, 31-05-09 "At MoMo, the stakes are high. We've been waiting almost three years for Melbourne's maestro of mod Mid-East cuisine, Greg Malouf, to open his new fine diner and, with main courses tipping $54 (and mandatory $100 or $140 banquet menus on Friday and Saturday nights), we're primed for something special. Happily, that's just what we get."
Age Larissa Dubecki, 12-5
Age Liz Cincotta November 25, 2005
Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 15/20
Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide * "Step from a Melbourne laneway into this basement restaurant and be transported to an exotic Levantine den, replete with mosaic floors and bar, carved timber panels and fez-shaped lights. It's an appropriate and lively stage for Greg Maloufs cooking, which is structured by his Middle Eastern heritage, his classical French training and a dollop of inspiration."
Age Good Food Guide 2006
Age Good Food Guide 2005 score 15/20
Gourmet Traveller 2005 Restaurant Guide * "Mo Mo is the city cellar setting of restrained Levantine opulence for the culinary wizardry of Greg Malouf. ... Not cheap, but fine wines and smooth service round off a memorable meal."
Age, Agenda, 30/5/04,Dani Valent
The Foodies' Guide 2004, Allan Campion & Michele Curtis,'Enter off George Parade,down the stairs into this roomy restaurant whose kitchen is home to Greg Malouf,the sultan of Middle Eastern cooking.Malouf's talent is legendary,his combinations and use of exotic ingrediants such as sumac,pomegranate syrup and orange blossom water lead the way in showcasing modern Middle Eastern food.'
AGFG 2004, score 15/20, winner of 1 hat for best middle eastern
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, 2 Black Stars,'blend of Middle Eastern flavours and European finesse...tucked in an evocative basement down an uber-Melbourne laneway.It's a terrific place for celebrations, business dinners and romanitc assignations...food is fabulous'
Age, Sunday Life, 19/10/03, Roslyn Grundy
Age, A2, 4/10/03, Jane Faulkner
Vogue Entertaining & Traveller, March April 2003
Sunday Age, Sunday Life, Eat Streets, 27/4/03, Dani Valent
The Herald Sun, food&drink, Dining out, Stephen Downes, July 2002, Score 14/20
The Sunday Herald Sun, Eat, Bob Hart, 20/4/02
Age, Epicure, John Lethlean 4/9/01