Marmont is a place for sun baking and spritzing.
In the era of productivity maxing and working from home, the long lunch is a romanticised relic of the business past. With its copious bottles of wine, multiple courses and charming wheeling and dealing, it’s something we corporate types of today could only dream about, stuck with boxed salads at our desks.
If you, like myself, have a nostalgia-driven hunger for a long lunch, I can promise you will be well and truly satiated by a visit to Marmont. Crown’s newest jewel, headed by Melbourne-via-LA DJ and restauranteur Grant Smillie (of Ponyfish fame), borrows all of the glamour of the City of Angels without any of the pretentiousness.
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With waitstaff dressed in classy whites, a wrap-around bar and even a listening lounge equipped with a vinyl record player, it’s the kind of place that makes you want to have one too many Old Fashioneds and take the rest of the afternoon off. It’s primed for shmoozing, boozing and leisure hours.
Floor-to-ceiling windows allow sunlight to touch every surface in the space. The decor, a hodge-podge of colour and texture, is pulled together by the fabulous mural on the back wall – a piece, the waitress tells us, painted on Oscar night in 1987, the year Wall Street won best picture.
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And to eat – we had a very tough time narrowing down our selections, but luckily the venue’s friendly frog mascot was stamped beside its signature recommended dishes.
Light and zingy, the scallop tostada broke apart with a satisfying crack, the creamy raw shellfish complemented by strips of green mango. The snapper, swordfish and tuna crudo would be an equally good place to start, with bites of subtly cured fish in a bright caper dressing.
The mud crab pretzel is a must. Petite but unbelievably decadent, it blends the childhood nostalgia of a fresh-grilled seafood bun with the elevated bite of the gruyere and shredded cornichons. You could share but probably won’t want to.
Next, try the Skull Island Prawns, which come butterflied, doused in lemon juice and Calabrian chilli butter with crispy leaves of chard. A simple concept, sure, but why would you want to distract from the sweet meat of a perfectly cooked mega-prawn?
While seafood shines at Marmont, a true highlight was the pork pluma, a delight of a dish that’s worth the trip on its own. For the uninitiated, pork pluma is a coveted cut of meat from the Spanish Ibérico pig. Nutty in flavour and rich with silky fats, it was a true pleasure to try, accompanied by a citrusy shallot and fennel slaw.
In my eyes, it’s not a long lunch without sweets and coffee, so we opted for the chocolate chip cookie, and boy were we happy we did. Just two elements, but both divine: a glob of ultra-smooth vanilla ice cream and a moon-sized cookie, fresh out of the oven, just like mama would make. Chef’s kiss!
What’s so brilliant about Marmont’s menu is its ability to make comfort food so effortlessly elegant, like designer pyjamas. It’s a place that caters to our humble desires – good food, music and ambience – with just the right amount of razzle-dazzle to make it feel truly luxurious.
To book a table at Marmont, head here.
