Lynch's

Ph: (03) 9866 5627; 133 Domain Rd, SOUTH YARRA 3141 www.lynchs.com.au

International, Modern Australian, French, $$ +, ** for Ambience
Open Noon-3pm Mon-Fri 6.30-10.30pm Mon-Sat Closed Lunch public holidays; Licensed, BYO bottled wine only, Corkage $30 bottle; AE DC MC V
Chef Matthew Sinclair Owner: Pausewang Family Score: 14/20 (24-06-08) Owner Paul Lynch (7-11-07)

Mietta's Review
The 'dear old dowager' of may have gone to a retirement home but she's been replaced by a marginally younger sister. The service is still safe and conservative. With many of the old favourites, like the excellent corned beef, elevated to the status of 'signature dishes' but still available at prices that push the $30 envelope.

Other published opinions

Herald Sun Stephen Downes, 24-06-08 Score: 14/20 "DESPITE his dislike of bawling babies, Paul Lynch was a great restaurateur. At his eponymous restaurant he blended a kind of luxurious bohemian style, his own watchful charm, correctly done traditional French-leaning dishes and fine service. New owners have nurtured, even enhanced, this highly successful recipe"

Herald Sun Glutton, 1-06-08 "the grand old dame may have new owners, a fresh lick of paint and a new chef, but it's eerily familiar. Those portraits are still here, the prawns with curry sauce are still on the menu and - would you believe -John Elliott is outside having a smoke. Even that controversial baby ban is still in force."

The Age John Lethlean, 6-5-2008 Score: 13/20 "But Lynch's, as you possibly know, is not the restaurant it used to be. Its namesake has sold the business, which more or less went with the freehold when the Pausewang family bought the property last year. Their intention was, and ultimately probably still is, to make the place a family home. In the interim, they're in the restaurant business, which is quite different to the retail business they know fairly well. They have done some redecorating; they've done some much-needed maintenance and modernisation, apparently. But to the casual observer, not a lot has changed. Which is not a bad thing."

The Age Dani Valent, 4-9-2007 "Melbourne doesn't get many earthquakes but when the auction board was hoisted up at Lynch's three weeks ago you could feel a shudder that began in South Yarra and rumbled all the way east along Toorak Road. For 30 years, the moneyed have come to be mornayed here. They've wrangled high-stakes marriages while sawing into top-class steaks"

Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 14/20 "Paul Lynch's South Yarra clubhouse is overflowing with old-school character. The cosy collection of antique-strewn rooms all have a comfortable feel, with little wall space left for further Lynch-related photographic images or memorabilia"

The Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 14/20 "Sinking into ruby red velvet banquettes while perusing a Hefneresque photo homage to owner Paul Lynch and his scantily clad maidens, one can't help but admire the sheer audacity of the place. Lynch's is indeed an old-school temple of decadence, where fires crackle and cocktails are sugar-rimmed. But the times are changing, even at a place as resolutely tradition-bound as Lynch's."

The Age Good Food Guide 2005 "DESPITE valiant efforts to update the menu in line with contemporary tastes, time seems to have stood still at Lynch's. Not that it's a bad thing. Lynch's may once have been unbearably Establishment, but this makes it appealingly anachronistic today, a time trip to the days when velvet banquettes and a loaded bar were it." /p>

AGFG 2004, score 14/20, excellent wine list

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004,'is more a clubhouse for South Yarra's old-money set than a cutting edge restaurant.Antiques and objets d'art contribute to the sybaritic, Parisan brasserie feel of the place.The linen is stiff, glassware and cutlery shine.Regulars are feted;strangers may find service less attentive...Wine prices are up there'

Age, Sunday Life, Eat Streets, Dani Valent, 6/7/03

The Saturday Age, A2, Food & Wine, John Weldon, 21/6/03

The Age, Epicure, Restaurants, 11/3/03, John Lethlean. Score 12.5/20

Herarld Sun food&drink, Bob Hart 9/3/02

The Age Epicure 7/8/01

The Age Epicure 12/12/2000

The Age SundayLife 16/7/2000 eatstreets Carolyn Holbrook