Birthday Trip to Hunter Valley

This is what I did on the 26th May 2009: Drive down to Hunter Valley in BMW z4 for lunch!

Yeah~ no picture of the car ~ but I can safely tell you it was SO awesome I couldnt even think about my camera! So there we were driving down to Hunter Valley with the top down and the wind in my hair (more like slapping the shits out of my face)

*On the way ...we had to stop to look for directions lol*

So my friend found this awesome restaurant called The Cellar, located right in the Hunter Valley Gardens Village, best known for "contemporary Australian fine dining"

The Chapel located in Hunter Valley Gardens Village...so picturesque...

Entrance to the restaurant

and inside.....

Quaint and darling interior!

So on to the food...

We chose the Degustation Menu, which is a set menu of 5 courses for two. AUD$85 pp without wine and AUD$130 pp with wine. We chose one with and one without wine, which was great because the staff actually 'split' the wine of one person into two glassses so we both got to drink, just...less! Awesome because #1 Although I can appreciate wine, I'm not the biggest wine drinker, #2 because obviously one of us had to drive the awesome z4!

Course 1
Seared Scallops with Pork Hock Terrine, Crackling and Sticky Mustard Dressing
Wine - Pannier Brut Champagne

The pork was a-m-a-z-i-n-g!! no...seriously! or maybe I was just hungry XD but the scallops were just a tad overdone. The champagne was good...nice and light for a starter

Course 2
Crystal Bay Prawns with Crab Zucchini & Pinenut Tortelinis, Safron Butter and Tomato Broth
Wine - Scarborough Chardonnay

This was OK. While the prawns were nice, the tortellinis were a bit bland. The broth was really intense with flavour (though you really couldnt tell by looking at it). This course had my favourite white: Scarborough Chardonnay! Good flavour, not too strong which is why I like it.

Course 3

Confit Duck & Fois Gras Terrine with Crispy Soft Poached Egg and Toasted Brioche

Wine - Allandale Pinot Noir

This was my favourite dish by far! The duck confit was so flavoursome and the fois gras was just intense! LOVE! and the egg was awesome!! The external and internal were completely different textures, but it worked really well together. And take a look at that yolk! ...so orgasmic!

Course 4
Wagyu Rump with Porcini Polenta, Creamed Spinach, Speck and King Mushrooms

Wine - Tullochs Pokolbin Dry Red Shiraz

This course only gets a small picture...because it was...crap! hmmm that may be abit harsh, and maybe its because I was really full by the time this dish came out...but to be honest, it really wasnt great at all! The wagyu was abit tough (I got tired just from cutting and chewing), and the serving of the polenta/spinach/murshroom was abit much.


Course 5

Desert Tasting Plate of: Chocolate Creme Brulee with a Little Strawberry Tart & Hazelnut cream AND French Crepes with Rhubarb, Orange and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Wine - Scarborough Late Harvest Semillon

Desert was OK. I wouldnt say it was bad, but not mouth watering either. And because I'm not a big fan of super sweet desert wines, I didnt enjoy the accompanying wine either.

To finish off, we adjourned outside to enjoy coffee and tea and complimentary brownies!

*outside*

*very rich brownies!*

Unfortunately, the timing was so bad, we didnt have enough time to stick around to buy wine and smelly cheeses...which is what everyone does at Hunter Valley. Such a shame to make the 3hr trip only to have lunch, but having said that, lunch at The Cellar is superb! Service was great, but that might be due to the fact that there was no one else in the restaurant. I wish I could say that my boyfriend was so romantic and thoughtful, he hired out the whole restaurant so we could have an intimate lunch for two, but unfortunately..I dont have a boyfriend, and if I did I doubt he would be so romantic (or rich) to do that!

The drive on the way home was much much shorter (about 1.5 hrs) ...and 5pm is such a great time to be heading home because the weather is just right