A Night Out at Mr Lawrence in Port Melbourne

"Merry Christmas" I said when I walked into a restaurant called Mr Lawrence  on Beach Road at Port Melbourne.

"Huh" said the moppet on the front desk. "Our special Christmas menu starts soon".

Oh well. Icebreakers can go astray.

Mr Lawrence, the view from the stairs

But, having been lead upstairs we were presented with menus and a discussion with the maitre d' suggested yes we should share our dishes and yes the falafel "are the best in the world and I've lived in Tel Aviv and know about these things".

He was right to the extent that they were indeed scrumptious as were the Persian meat balls with cream in a bed of tomato sauce. They  served these dishes as our two entrees  and we were already accompanying them with a bottle of Mr Foxey's Mornington Peninsula 2016 Pinot Noir.

Three courses followed. A Kisir salad of walnuts, al dente cauliflower and pomegranate seeds, a grilled chicken dish on a bed of spiced rice and a crispy fried squid.

My god. I had just had the best Middle Eastern meal I've ever eaten.

Three coffees followed. Price with tip for three of us, $167.50.

Unbelievable.

Nagisa Oshima shooting Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (Japan, 1983)