Tulum | A One-Hat Casual Fine Dining Turkish Restaurant in Balaclava, Melbourne

Last month, on my partner’s birthday, I was looking forward to treating him to a unique eating experience. We’ve never really taken advantage of eating at a high-end restaurant as much as we liked, so after looking at my options, I ultimately decided on Tulum, a one-hat Turkish restaurant in Balaclava.

TULUM

I picked Tulum since neither my partner nor I had ever eaten at a Turkish restaurant or a one-hat restaurant before. But what made this the best was through The Fork, I was able to find a discount that allowed me to get 50% off of their 7-course set menu! It was honestly one of the greatest deals that I’ve ever come across and I knew my partner would love the experience.

I admit that I was a little hesitant at first since I’m not as adventurous as my partner when it comes to food. I enjoy eating but I do have quite a selective palate. Turkish cuisine is new to me, yet I was determined to believe that nothing could possibly go wrong in a one-hat restaurant, right? So despite my doubts, I was really looking forward to this experience.

When I first arrived at Tulum, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. If you looked from the outside, it appeared rather dark, and slightly underwhelming. I almost thought that they were closed from afar, but they’re not, they’re just very low-key. The inside of the restaurant itself has a casual atmosphere, while still being quite intimate. There isn’t much space between each table, so you may hear what your neighbor’s conversation is about.

Upon reserving our table, I made a little request that I’d like to sit near the window, and to my delight, they granted my wish, which made me really happy. After seating us, the kind server asked if we have any dietary requirements to ensure weren’t allergic to anything. Not too long after, our meal began coming in one dish at a time

ANADOLU
TURKISH PIDE BREAD, SPICED OLIVE OIL LENTIL KOFTE, HARISSA OLIVES & SMOKED DATE BUTTER

IZMIR 
NEW SEASON GLOBE ARTICHOKES, CARROTS, HAZELNUT, POTATOES, CHAMOMILE LEMON TEA

TARAK
SCALLOPS, SAFERON YOGHURT BROTH, CHICKPEAS, SPINACH, PRESERVED LEMON, BURNT BUTTER.

KAYSERI
TURKISH BEEF DUMPLINGS, GARLIC YOGHURT, ALEPPO CHILLI, MINT, BURNT BUTTER

HATAY
SEMOLINA KIBBEH, SPICED LAMB, WALNUT, CURRANTS, CUMIN, BUTTERMILK SAUCE

MARDIN
KUZU LAMB SHOULDER, SOUR CHERRY, WALNUT & CHEESE KUNEFE, CUMIN EGGPLANT PURE, PISTACHIO

ISTANBUL
CHICKEN AND MILK PUDDING, LEMON THYME ICE CREAM, CINNAMON CARAMEL MOUSSE

COCKTAILS

The 7-course set menu was incredible! Every dish was cooked to perfection and was so mind-blowingly creative! I love everything about them, especially the smoked date butter at the start, the scallop dish & the chicken milk pudding at the end.

The portion of each dish was very small, but it was proper for a 7-course set menu, we were so full by the end of it. On another note, the service was excellent, I only saw three staff on the floor (including one bartender) nevertheless, they were still attentive and professional throughout. Oh, our cocktails were beautiful too!

I ended up only spending $150 for the both of us that night, which was a total win, thanks to The Fork. But most importantly, my partner seemed to be happy with his birthday dinner, and that’s all that matters to me. Overall, I would recommend Tulum to anyone looking for a casual but fine dining experience in Melbourne, it truly did not disappoint.

SUMMARY

• Tulum
• Operation Hours
  Dinner : Tue – Sat : 5PM – late
  Lunch : Sat : 12PM – 3PM
• Type : Casual Fine Dining Restaurant
• Price : $$$
• Coffee : No
• Food : Turkish
• Alcohol : Yes
• Dessert : Yes
• Indoor Capacity : +-35
• Outdoor Capacity : +-10
• RSVP : Advised
• Waiting Time : 5 minutes
• Toilet : Yes
• Wifi : Not sure
• Vegan / Vegetarian : Ask Staff
• GF Option : Ask Staff