Ela Carte reviews West of Kin in Braybrook

West of Kin ? 17 Lacy Street, Braybrook ? www.westofkin.com.au  

Last week’s brewery was happily housed in an industrial estate, and this week’s venue has that factory feel too.

Apparently there’s a restaurant in Prahran called Kin, this is their sister establishment, and being in Braybrook it’s aptly called ‘West of Kin’. Housed in a former factory, it’s a stone’s throw from busy Ballarat Rd, but feels a world away. It’s a great set up really. Terrific courtyard out the front (with heaters for winter al fresco dining), then an L-shaped dining room and bar.

It’s a super funky fitout, you really could be anywhere in Melbourne. Concrete and timber, high ceilings, exposed brick, and a quasi-booth area.

Service is super friendly, and ultra-efficient.

It’s a compact menu, and for the ‘taste’ menu it’s worth knowing they really are single serves (but the prices do match the size). As is so often the case at restaurants these days, we definitely found we were more excited about those entrees than the mains.

Prawn toasts were fun. Split into three they’re a bit easier to share, there are subtle flavours ? coriander root, sesame seeds, yuzu mayo and fresh herbs.

Obviously not your typical French beef tartare, at West of Kin they use Wagyu tri tip and fix it with a Chinese chili oil, garlic and shallots, and serve it on a Komodo Indonesian prawn cracker with quail yolk on top. I actually miss the traditional capers, mustard, etc ? but you can’t say this one isn’t tasty. Probably best ordered for one, it’s served on a single cracker ? can be a messy split!

The Son in Law egg was great. It’s crumbed, topped with kim chi mayo and served on steamed rice. But entr?e of the night went to the Yunan style lamb ribs. Flinders Island lamb, braised for four hours in a master stock, fried, topped with sesame seeds and a sweet and sour soy lacquer. Gloriously tender and sticky.

From the mains, we went for the WOK (West of Kin) lamb leg taco ? to be fair, mainly because I had no idea how its seriously diverse ingredients would work together. Korean kim chi, Mexican tortillas, Chinese XO, goats cheese ? it’s quite a multicultural affair.

The meat was stunning, lamb leg roasted in masterstock and shredded, it was great on its own. Altogether ? well, it was interesting, possibly a few too many flavours for my liking ? but then, the other half loved it.

Your other options on the main include dishes like a whole baby barramundi grilled in banana leaf & Masterstock shredded duck with egg noodle; with a couple of salads of offer for sides.

With a fun menu, if a little limited, West of Kin offers a great alternative for people in the outer west.