Wynne Ma

My Auntie and her family were coming to visit Australia to celebrate her birthday. My uncle specifically requested Donovans for her birthday dinner, as he wanted to revisit the restaurant he remembered so fondly from long ago. 

Address: 40 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda, VIC 3182
Website: http://www.donovanshouse.com.au/

Opening Hours

Monday - Sunday: Lunch & Dinner.

What we ordered

• Young fresh squid with parsley stuffing.
• Four tastes.
• Port Arlington black mussels with white wine, fennel, shallot and tomato broth with fresh herbs,  golden chips and aioli.
• Queensland leader prawns grilled with chilli and oregano. Served with tossed cos leaves and oven roasted potatoes.
• Linguine with seafood. 
• Homemade ravioli filled with porcini, mushrooms and ricotta with a light mascarpone sauce and Tasmanian black truffles.
• Old-fashioned chicken pie with mushrooms and a pastry lid  
• Grain fed roasted eye fillet, medium rare with glazed shallots, house made smokey bacon, shoestring chips and béarnaise sauce
• Peanut butter and espresso parfait with salted caramel and candied popcorn crumble
• Modern day gateau of all things apple; toffee apple cake, mousse, jelly, meringue, nougatine and elderflower sorbet. 
• Dark chocolate fondant with a liquid caramel centre, milk chocolate mousse, Italian hazelnut praline and chocolate sorbet

The Experience

Donovans is beautifully decorated. If you’re not looking at cute little trinkets or beautifully framed photographs on shelves, chances are you’re admiring an amazing view of St.Kilda beach. Or perhaps in the toilet, taking photos.

I was wary about over ordering, so JT and I shared a starter; the Young fresh squid with parsley stuffing. It was surprisingly soft, tender and tasty. Possibly the best squid I’ve had all year.

For mains, I was curious about the  Old-fashioned chicken pie with mushrooms and a pastry lid. I was fascinated by the price. What constitutes a fourty-seven dollar pie? That said, I really enjoyed the pie. The pie was really flavoursome and hearty. The pastry lid was crispy and light. There was a lot of sauce, which became overly rich after a few bites and I found it difficult to finish by myself. My mum, was really disappointed with the size of her ravioli dish. She ended up helping me mop up the remains of my pie with the complimentary bread.

Desserts at Donovans seemed to be break away from simple and honest cooking. Having ordered the Modern day gateau of all things apple, and I couldn’t imagine the processes involved in it’s creation. Each layer was deliciously filled with different textures and notes of apple. The sorbet was also light and refreshing.

Honest and simple cooking with a beautiful surrounds and excellent service. Whether or not you can justify paying premium prices (or in my case, $47 for a chicken pie), is up to you (and your wallet). I’d say Donovans is best saved for a very special occasion.