——-24/11/2012——-
For a quaint area like Bowral, it’s surprising how many awesome places there are to eat. You can’t get through all the places in one go though otherwise you would never leave, so every time I come back I like to try some place new. Centennial Vineyards restaurant came highly recommended for fabulous food so I quickly put it on my ‘definitely must visit’ list.
My friends chose two courses each from the a la carte menu while I chose the Chef’s 3 course special for $80.00.
What a cute little welcome.
What a glorious day to be out and about in Bowral.
Complimentary bread served with stunning olive oil.
Amuse bouche~
Vegan option: root vegetables.
Duck with hoisin sauce.
Entree~
Vegan Spring salad with white and green asparagus, spring vegetables and petite leaves ($19.50). The fancy green ribbons turned out to be celery, as nice as this plate looked, I wouldn’t want this as my side let alone my entree.
Broad bean and sour cream pastry tart – Broad bean tart, red pepper coulis, petit spring vegetables and local zucchini flower. I surprised myself when I ordered a vegetarian entree but this intrigued me the most. The zucchini flower was perfectly fried coming out hot but not overly oily. It was a little hard trying to combine all the elements of the plate together in every bite but overall the flavours were lovely and the presentation was beautiful.
Mains~
Vegan Spring risotto. Wow, this was beautiful to look at. I almost didn’t want my friend to touch it and ruin the contrasting colours but after that salad that she was given, I’m sure she was hungry. The flowers added more for the colour rather than taste. My friend said she really enjoyed the flavours and said it was a really nice risotto.
Free Range Bannock burn chicken – pan seared chicken breast, sautéed red cabbage and pancetta, fondant potato and sauce veloute. When I tried this from my friend’s plate, the potato fondant was a bit soggy from the sauce and the chicken skin wasn’t really crispy but my friend assured me it’s because I took it from a bad side and that the dish was wonderful with crispy skin but succulent chicken meat.
“Tova Platinum” Beef Fillet – Southern Highlands grass fed beef fillet, gingerbread crust, braised Wagyu intercostals, shallots, garlic and smoked pork belly, celery puree and caper Bearnaise. One of the best pieces of beef I have had in a long time with little to no effort in cutting. The flavours of the crust were intense but not enough to over power the steak completely despite also having a puree and a Bearnaise sauce.
I had to zoom into this little gem, it was so tasty, it was like eating a well honey seasoned Christmas ham. Magic in my mouth.
Sides~
Fries with aioli ($7.50). We didn’t know how full we would be from the mains, especially after the initial skimpy vegan salad, so we ordered a side of fries. They came out hot and crispy and the aioli was really light and whipped.
Desserts~
Strawberry and lemon soufflé – strawberry free form souffle with lemon, mint and textures of strawberry ($17.00). A very lemon-y tasting souffle which overshadowed the strawberries a little. A very delicate dessert with light refreshing flavours.
Banana and butterscotch gateau – banana mousse layered with caramelised banana and cinnamon cake with butterscotch sauce ($17.00). I surprised myself again by ordering a banana dessert, I’m not the biggest fan usually. The bottom of the gateau was like a dense banana cake topped with chopped banana, banana cream and white chocolate, although I think the star of the dessert was the smooth rich butterscotch sauce.
Despite the crazily high prices, everything was splendid- the food, the staff, the presentation and the flavours all added to the wonderful dining experience. I’m surprised it has such a low Urbanspoon rating. During the lunch sitting that day, everyone was seated in the enclosed patio which allowed beautiful natural light to come through as they were setting up for a wedding reception inside.
Venue: Centennial Vineyards Restaurant
Address: 252 Centennial Road, Bowral, NSW
Phone: (02) 4861 8722
Website: http://www.centennial.net.au/
ACT Entertainment book: Yes! On the gold card and it definitely makes a difference!
TALES OF A CONFECTIONIST 