The Tai Pan, the free-style bistro at The Murray always had a relaxed yet refined feel about it, thanks to its spacious sunny interiors overlooking the gardens and the iconic Murray bridge. Now Chef Terrence Crandall, who hails from Chicago and has honed his skills in the US, looks to take an artisanal approach with a new menu concept.

Drawing inspiration from his travels, and putting the focus solely on the freshest ingredients, The Tai Pan’s selection of appetisers and mains would make any globetrotter right at home, be it through the lobster Caesar salad that boasts European flavours or the seasonal hairy crab risotto that blends Western technique with Chinese produce in perfect harmony.

Eager to taste-test the new concept for ourselves, we dove into the first dish, the Smoked Prime Beef Carpaccio – a sumptuous mix of beef tenderloin, fried oysters, pickled okra, borage leaves and oyster mayonnaise, where the decadent meat was ably counterpointed by the acidity of the okra and the freshness of the greens.

The Hairy Crab Risotto, that was served next, was a seasonal speciality and is bound to be crowd-pleaser. Unlike traditional risotto, the addition of orange, coriander froth and pepper made the risotto quite light and refreshing on the palate, with the sweetness of the crab elevating the dish further. 

While the risotto is inspired by Italian cuisine, the next dish, the White Miso Glazed Patagonian Toothfish, drew its influence squarely from Japan. The slightly charred fish served with leafy veggies, braised radish and shimeji mushrooms created a perfect balance of flavours on the palate, heightened by the miso glaze that introduced a signature umaminess to the plate.

The true highlight of the tasting, however, was the Mayura Wagyu Beef Ribeye M6. Sourced from the award-winning Mayura Station in Australia which breeds full-blooded wagyu cattle that are fed chocolates and sweets along with grain for the last six months of their life cycle to yield meat that is exceptionally decadent and marbled. True to promise, the beef that was plated up in front of was juicy and tender with concentrated flavours, so delicious in its own right that it almost didn’t need the peppercorn sauce served on the side to enhance it in any way.

Indeed, it is the fresh ingredients sourced from all corners of the world that win the day at The Tai Pan, helping Chef Crandall to create an eclectic menu that pleases the palates of visitors from near and far.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay