Tai Hang’s new Australian eatery excels in presenting fresh plates inspired by Down Under
Having quietly opened its doors early February, Elementary has escaped widespread attention until recently. The restaurant itself, however, is hard to miss if you’re a regular in the Tai Hang neighbourhood, thanks to its handsome corner shop space featuring large signage stretching along the length of the building. Opened and operated by Alex and Danielle Malouf, the husband and wife team behind such concepts as Mama Malouf and The Catch in Kennedy Town, this is the couple’s first concept in Tai Hang—an Australian eatery that is as casual and fun as its sister restaurants.
The façade is rendered in dual tones of cream and blue, while the interior is simple, but stylishly so with pale teal and grey tiling matched with contemporary wooden furniture. In the day, the restaurant enjoys an abundance of natural light from the open windows, while in the evening the lighting is dim and the ambiance turns more intimate.
Elementary offers a fresh approach to Australian cuisine. The menu is divided into three sections: light, medium, and heavy, all meant to be dishes for sharing. We began our meal with tomatoes with lemon yoghurt, balsamic caviar, Thai basil and confit leeks. Colorful heirloom tomatoes are sliced thin and laid on a plate with dollops of yoghurt and balsamic caviar. The citrusy Thai basil lends a fresher take on the Italian Caprese salad.