Maven by Morgan - Food (VIC)

1 /5 Harry West: Visited for Valentines Day (early 5pm sitting) and unfortunately it wasnt the romantic evening wed hoped for. On the positives — the croquette starters were genuinely delicious, and the strawberry tiramisu was lovely (even if we ended up eating it at home in a takeaway container, which says a lot). The manager checking in and offering complimentary cocktails was a nice gesture too. The issues were mostly around organisation and pacing. Food was slow throughout the night, and with a hard 7pm turnover, this created real problems — we, along with many other tables, were asked to leave before finishing dessert. Not ideal for a Valentines sitting. The main course was a low point — my chicken was quite red inside and I didnt feel comfortable eating it. The waitress was a little defensive when I raised it (citing sous vide cooking), though she did replace it. The delay this added made the timing issues even worse. To top it off, the complimentary cocktails that had been offered by the manager appeared on our final bill and had to be awkwardly removed. The food quality has real promise, but the service and operational execution on a busy night like Valentines needs significant work. Hopefully just an off night.

1 /5 Mrunali Deshpande: We visited Maven for Valentine’s Day and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience. We experienced a delay in being seated as the previous sitting was still being cleared when we arrived. This resulted in 30–40 people lining outside a small door, the place seemed understaffed, and we were rushed into our seats. Once we were seated, the first snack arrived almost immediately without any rundown of the menu, a drinks menu, or water being served. When we asked for the drinks menu and decided to order cocktails, we were made to wait 20 minutes and then told that most of them were already sold out. The two we managed to order were quite underwhelming. We had clearly mentioned during booking that one of us is vegetarian and this was reconfirmed over the phone. Although set menus are often shared, most venues make appropriate adjustments when dietary preferences differ. In our case, we were forced to order a vegetarian main while only one of us had a dietary requirement. After paying $85 per person and receiving a call to specifically ask for our dietary preference, you would expect a few options. This was not addressed, and we were left without a suitable solution on the night. The food itself was below average. The Spaghettoni, in particular, was disappointing. We dine out often and have experienced many wonderful restaurants, but this was genuinely one of the most underwhelming meals we’ve had compared to what they charge. To end the night on a better note, we ordered the much-hyped strawberries & cream tiramisu for Valentine’s Day, but it tasted nothing like a tiramisu. It felt more like a sugary strawberry cream cake, and the quality did not match the marketing or the price. Overall, the service felt chaotic and rushed, and the entire evening lacked the attention to detail you would expect on Valentine’s Day. It was a special occasion for us, and sadly, it turned out to be a very disappointing dining experience.

5 /5 Dee TK: We always love coming back to Maven. Staff are friendly, food is fresh and full of flavour, and its always nice to see Morgan walking around his restaurant greeting the customers. We did the date night menu this time, and it did not disappoint. Excellent value and the drinks are always on point. The only improvement would be a warmer steak. It was a bit cold, but still equally delicious! Thanks guys!