We decided to skip entrees and start with mains. I had the slow cooked lamb loin, spiced roasted aubergine puree, yoghurt and lemon balm dressing, capsicum and quinoa ($33):
The lamb was absolutely delicious, it melted in my mouth... and the flavours and texture of the accompaniments complimented it beautifully. According to an ex-chef who works in my Division, his lamb was slightly overcooked but overall he thought the meal was good. The ex-chef / foodie / expert picked the wine, which was the Collector Reserve Shiraz 2008. I don't think I have developed much of a palette for reds yet, and I usually don't enjoy a red drop very much, but this one was the smoothest shiraz I have ever tasted. It was beautiful - no wonder upon googling it swept up a whole lot of awards at the Sydney Show.
The good thing about these modern cafes with teeny servings is that there is always room for dessert. I had the salted caramel butter pastry tartlet with pistachio ice cream and cumin crumbs ($13):
The salted caramel went very well with the pistachio ice cream. It was a fantastic balance of flavours.
Here are the other desserts that were had by the group:
After lunch, we walked through the nursery and delighted in flowers. My favourite were the fuschias:
More flowers and photos from the Pialligo Plant Farm art gallery to come in another post :-)
I should have come to your house for lunch my friend. So nice to catch up again. Sending you special wishes for a very Merry Christmas and look forward to keeping in touch in 2012.
ReplyDeleteAlways Wendy