Greenhouse Restaurant

Greenhouse restaurant, a restaurant that is eco-friendly and built completely on recycled and recyclable materials is located on St. Georges Tce entrance of the Enex 100 building.  The rooftop even contains a kitchen garden, supplying the ingredients for the restaurant, as well a venue for private functions. I was surprised by the interior of the restaurant, for some reason it reminded me of a shipping container bar that was in Melbourne (maybe its by the same designer?).

I went there with JJ for lunch on a Monday, just after the lunch crowd, so we got a table fairly quickly and were placed on the quieter side of the restaurant, facing a giant mural, generally though it's recommended that you book ahead of time.

The service was quick and prompt, the waiter telling us the the pasta and pizza of the day. It was a bit of a hard choice, as nothing on the menu really jumped out at me, and I did find the prices to be a little steep for lunch, although I suppose for what you are having (such a trout, marron, steak etc. it wasn't too badly priced..).

OJ on the left and Lemonade on the right

After much deliberation, JJ and I ordered, freshly squeezed orange juice for JJ and homemade lemonade for myself. Both were fresh, delicious and truly homemade. You can actually taste the orange in the OJ and the lemon in the lemonade (it wasn't sour, nor did it taste as though they loaded it with sugar). Both drinks were refreshing and I felt oh-so-healthy, the lemonade seemed the perfect detoxifier.

Ocean Trout, papaya and peanut salad with tamarind dressing

As for the food, I eventually opted for the Ocean Trout on top of papaya and peanut salad (which contained cherry tomatoes, green beans, shredded red capsicum) with tamarind dressing. The salad was tangy and reminded me of the light asian tangy salads that my mum and grandma makes minus the chilli sauce, although a bit of chilli would have balanced out the tangy-ness very nicely. The trout was cooked superbly, the skin was crispy and the trout wasn't overcooked.

Pasta of the day

JJ on the other hand wanted the slow cooked goat, silverbeet, white polenta, however they were sold out, so his second choice was the pasta - which happened to be spaghetti lightly drizzled with olive oil and vinegar with cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced squash and mushrooms. The spaghetti was homemade spaghetti, not too thick in size, it was nice and light, perfect lunch pasta.

All in all, it was a great lunch catch-up. Loved the atmosphere and the food wasn't badly done, we left the restaurant happy, our stomachs full and our wallets lighter. It’s a place you have to visit at least once, just to at least admire the innovative design.