Hunter Valley part 1

13 January 2010, 11:41

HAI! So. Gonna be doing a bit of spring cleaning and posting some photos from trip to Hunter Valley which was sometime around September last year. Noods’ rellies from malaysia were in oz so we thought a trip to hunter would be fun. HI UNCLE KEN!


We had set off from Sydney nice and early. A little too early because wine at 10am didn’t feel quite right so first stop is the Smelly Cheese Shop (2188 Broke Rd, Pokolbin)


Cheeses! Love how wedges of cheese are individually sold so you can try more types without making your wallet cry


Jams, relishes, biscuits and lavosh breads to go with your cheese


Being in the cheese room makes me so happy


Our selection: Southern Blue, Smoked Applebox, Windsor Red (because it’s SUCH a pretty pink colour!), Netherby Blue, Triple Cream Brie, Haloumi


Lunch was at Esca Bimbadgen (790 McDonalds Rd, Pokolbin)


Mmm wine. Ok so obviously menu and prices may have changed since last sept. As has my failing memory.


White Entree Tasting Plate ($32)- Tomato tart tartin, seared scallops, prawn & coriander cakes and 3 matching whites


Red Entree Tasting Plate ($32)- Shiraz braised beef cheeks, wood char grilled lamb fillets, wood spit roasted duck with 3 matching reds


Crisp skinned barramundi with sauteed jerusalem artichokes and a basil and mussel nage ($36). I had to google ‘nage’ at the restaurant. Apparently “Cooking à la nage means poaching food, usually seafood, in a court bouillon and serving the court bouillon and the vegetables around the food as part the garniture.” Righteos. The barra skin was perfect and shattered with each stabbing of my knife.


Braised farmed rabbit with broad beans, rosemary, fazzoletti and a porcini cream ($35). The serving was huge check out that mountain of shredded rabbit! That sentence sounds wrong.


Prawn and coriander cakes with snake beans, peanut nahm jim and a pomelo cucumber and kaffir lime salad ($36). The salad was nice and refreshing but sadly the prawn cakes were a bit on the heavy stodgy side


Wood char grilled lamb fillets with baked fennel mediterranean tomato sauce and a parsley, olive and parmesan salad ($36). Dudes there was so much freaking lamb! It was like a magical dish where the lamb just did not end!


Ocean trout and soft leeks baked in creme fraiche pastry with a chive butter sauce and salmon roe ($36). Buttery flakey pastry holding soft ocean trout was so much win and the butter sauce and salmon roe just made the whole dish that much tastier


(It took me so much effort getting Noods to jump for this)

1. I have memories of that last pic!

   Love the Hunter :)

   — Fiona    Jan 13, 01:59 PM    #
   
   

2. I love this entry, everything looks so delicious. PS it’s never early for wine. hic

   — Rose    Jan 13, 02:03 PM    #
   
   

3. LOL you two are too cute :D

   — Karen    Jan 13, 02:10 PM    #
   
   

4. Lol. Awesome – I think your effort totally paid off! The food looks awesome there, I remember visiting this winery, but not eating there :( Will have to check it out next time :)

   — Betty @ The Hungry Girl    Jan 13, 02:35 PM    #
   
   

5. lol! Love the star jump :)

   — Ellie    Jan 13, 02:50 PM    #
   
   

6. lol at the jumping gif! And magical dish with endless lamb? I’m guessing that was your dish – you can make a canape outlast a main. lol!

   — Helen (Grab Your Fork)    Jan 13, 03:58 PM    #
   
   

7. last time i was in the hunter, i bought the windsor red cheese for exactly the same reason – cheese is so very pretty in pink!

   — panda    Jan 13, 09:55 PM    #
   
   

8. The jumping photo is hilarious. OMG look at all the cheese. I’m lactose intolerant but who cares give me some cheese. eheheh

   — Katherine    Jan 13, 10:53 PM    #
   
   

9. Stab that barramundi good. Go for the gills so that the blood flow will clog the – actually, never mind.

   And with a bit of effort you and noods might one day be able to jump buildings. Even more disturbing than Mount Lapin.

   — The Ninja    Jan 13, 11:11 PM    #
   
   

10. i love the jump shot! LOL… this rather has become the tradition of your blog, I think you both need to keep doing it! :) You look so different in the pic of u holding wine glass…. not sure why.. but is different! LOL

    — billy@ATFT    Jan 13, 11:13 PM    #
    
    

11. Just discovered your blog, and I’m loving it! It’s great to see people with such a passion for food, I think life would be so boring without it ;)

    — Stefanie    Jan 14, 12:19 AM    #
    
    

12. Cheeeeese glorious CHEEEESE!! I shall have to visit the Hunter Valley at some point when I get my ass up to NSW!

    — Iron Chef Shellie    Jan 14, 11:13 AM    #
    
    

13. You know, if you hadn’t said otherwise, I would have thought noods was really into that jump shot.

    mega lol at your smelly cheese shop pose! :) hehe

    — Simon    Jan 15, 12:12 AM    #
    
    

14. very nice!! thanks for posting these Hunter Valley stuff! I’ll be going there in 1.5 weeks time.. can use your posts as reference heehee.. :)

    — YW    Jan 15, 11:55 AM    #
    
    

15. “I had to google ‘nage’ at the restaurant” – I was just going to do that – but then you already had! Thanks Suze

    Liking the new layout :)

    — Tina    Jan 15, 04:27 PM    #
    
    

16. What a fun time you had; love the food pics and especially the GIF pic at the end! :)

    Love the new header too by the way; noice!

    — joey@FoodiePop    Jan 16, 09:25 PM    #
    
    

17. The effort was worth it- the jumping shot is cool!

    — Gastronomy Gal    Feb 1, 10:42 AM    #