Last night we went to Cracked Pepper for dinner. I had the duck confit and whilst it was nice I thought it was missing a wow factor. Jane had the beef and it looked like they had cut it through the middle to see if it was cooked since each fillet was presented separately and only one side of each had been on the grill.
Jane had a blackberry soufflé for dessert that was partially (although not fully) cooked, but she still enjoyed it.
The service was pleasant but not fast.
We started the day with a coffee and loaf at the Bliss Coffee Roasters in the Hunter Valley Gardens. One thing I continually forget is that skinny lattes (as they’re known here as opposed to trim lattes in NZ) are usually a single shot of coffee and not the double shot I have been accustomed to in Auckland.
The Hunter Olive Centre was packed with people when we arrived, and for good reason, since they have an excellent range of oils, tapenades, vinegars and jams to taste.
Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese (yes, that’s its official name) was our next stop. This is located in a magnificent complex with Tempus Two and another winery or two. Here, we enjoyed some more excellent cheeses.
Tempus Two has a very upmarket cellar door presence and some lovely wines to taste. I particularly enjoyed the Pinot Gris which had a nice passionfruit flavour. The Chardonnay (50% Hunter Valley Grapes) is big and oaky and whilst it is quite drinkable now I fear it will become too oaky over time for my palate. Their Shiraz is a very light style that I can imagine being a nice and easy drink on a hot summers day.
We popped into Adina Olives and tasted their small selection on offer. The Green Olive tapenade was my pick before I was also tempted to taste some of their wines. Of Adina Vineyard’s wines, I particularly liked their light and crisp Semillon, and found the Verdelho to be nice and dry with lots of flavour. Jane’s pick was the Dessert Semillon (an ice wine) that she found was more viscous than a table wine but not as sticky as many dessert wines.
Leaves & Fishes is a beautiful restaurant located nestled back into the trees on Lovedale Road overlooking their pond. It is a lovely setting, has nice ambience and great service. I had a beautiful sesame-crusted fish fillet that was done in a Thai style with coriander, fish sauce and a very light chilli, and micro-greens. Jane had crispy pork belly with a magnificent side salad comprising caper-berries, gherkins, olives, sweet garlic, feta, fennel, pea sprouts, coriander and various lettuces. We would happily return although the prices are certainly premium.
The Hunter Valley Chocolate Factory was our next stop, and we tasted a number of lovely chocolates and fudges. Great friendly service.
After a detour via a geocache we had a cheese tasting at Benorrie Dairy. The Herb & Garlic Fromage Frais is lovely. I enjoyed the Valencay (white mould goat cheese), although this was too strong for Jane. The Marinated Fetta Gold Medal was exquisite and very smooth. The Labna had a nice garlic/rosemary flavour and lots of exciting complexity. The Brie was a bit mild for me, but the Washed Rind was more to my liking. The Duetto is a dessert style cheese that they do and I quite enjoyed the sweeter flavour however Jane was not keen on this one (which is not surprising given that it contained gorgonzola). The Apple & Rosemary paste was also really good. We were also appreciative of the friendly service of the woman in the store.
In the same complex as the Benorrie Dairy is Arrowfield Estate. Once I finally got some service I decided to try their Riesling. This is a citrus-dominated Riesling that is enjoyable. I also enjoyed their Cabernet Merlot.
We had a nice meal on Friday night at San Martino Restaurant at the Hunter Resort on Hermitage Road in Pokolbin. I had a lovely fillet of beef that was very tender and cooked rare (as requested). Jane had a spatchcock of chicken that was supposedly marinated, however I suspect it only got its marinade seconds before hitting the pan and it could have been a little more moist. The amount of vegetables with the spatchcock was very stingy, and no vegetables or salads were available to be ordered as sides.
The main meal took approximately 45mins to arrive after ordering, but other than that the service was friendly and good. The ambience in the restaurant was also good, although we did notice that the cd was obviously on repeat.
We finished with a Chocolate Torte and Macadamia Tart, both of which were good although the Macadamia Tart was easily my pick of the two of them.
We would return, but would make sure we had plenty of time.
After a great night out at the Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Market with friends (and a zillion other people, with huge lines to boot, but an excellent experience none-the-less) on Thursday night, we headed up to Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley wine region on Friday (via one cache on the way). Approximately two hours drive from Sydney, the Hunter Valley comprises myriad vineyards and surprisingly (to me at least) lots of cheese dairies.
The Hunter Valley Cheese Factory was the first dairy we visited and we found a very high calibre of cheese. I particularly liked their washed rind cheese (which had a nice bite to it) and their blue cheese (that was very light in blue flavour but lovely and creamy).
After checking in at our accommodation on Hermitage Road we headed along the road to Emerson’s at Pokolbin for lunch. They have only been open for 3 weeks (according to the chef/owner) and are doing tapas style meals. The duck liver pate was divine and one of the best we have had. We also had garlic prawns and calamari, both of which were okay although lacked a wow factor. We were impressed however that the chef/owner came out and asked us what we thought of the meals and took a genuine interest in our feedback.
We then ventured on to Piggs Peake for our first wine tasting and they were okay but nothing noteworthy. They were very friendly and gave generous tastings. I do wonder though whether since they were the first vineyard for the day and our first for this region whether I was being overly critical.
DenMar was our second vineyard and there was yet again nothing jumping out at me. I also found that their Pinot Noirs weren’t to my palate, but I think that may be more so due to me being more in-tune with NZ Pinot Noirs.
Tintilla Estate was my pick of the vineyards on Friday, also helped by the exuberance of the wine salesman. He was a member of the family and consequently knew lots about their huge selection of wines and was very open to all feedback. I particularly enjoyed their Semillon 2010 and their Sangiovese 2009. I also really enjoyed tasting their selection of fortified wines.
We then quickly grabbed a lovely cheddar cheese from Binnorie Dairy before they closed and had a taste of their washed rind cheese (which I enjoyed). We will return tomorrow for a proper tasting.
