Mezzalira re-run

It is too hard to choose just one thing from Mezzalira‘s menu, so we all chose the 5 course tasting degustation to get a selection of the best of what the chef had to offer. On a cold Winter’s night, the warmth of the restaurant is very inviting with their extensive menu and delicious tiramisu.

Lake Pambula rock oyster with salmon roe, fennel and pear salad ($4.00 each). A fresh delicious oyster with amazingly delicious plump salmon roe.

5 Course tasting menu ($85.00pp)

Seared sea scallops and smoked eel salad, pine nuts, currants and Chardonnay vinegar. I was worried about the smoked eel but it was perfectly paired with the salad. There were a lot of different elements to the plate but it all came together very well.

Rosemary and sea salt bread (not included in the degustation). We were worried that we would still be hungry at the end of the degustation so we panicked and ordered extra bread. This was served really hot and promptly but this was ridiculously salty.

Buffalo milk ricotta, pumpkin and leek tortellini with burnt sage butter. I don’t know what happened, maybe I was over excited or I accidentally deleted it but I can’t find a picture of this but it doesn’t matter what it looked like, this is the best dish of the night hands down. I would almost turn vegetarian for this dish and that is saying a lot!

Blue Mountain pine mushroom and porcini risotto and bagoss. A range of different textures between the risotto and mixture of mushrooms. It was a little on the salty side but I didn’t mind.

Salt crusted rangers valley beef ‘tagliata’ and wood roast ‘peperonata’ with tarragon ‘gratinata’ and horseradish. I took one bite and it was fine, but my following mouthfuls were bordering on completely intolerable. I told the waiter that the meat was incredibly salty and crazily peppercorn-y but he explained that it was salt crusted. I have had salt and peppered encrusted meat before but this was something else. The meat was also served very rare. Not great, not great at all.

Ricotta, rum and chocolate cannoli with pistachio and cantiano amarena cherries. After all the harsh salt, this subtly sweet cannoli was a refreshing treat on the palette.

Tiramisu (not included in the degustation $15.00). Yes, we ate secondsies dessert but I cannot come here without ordering one of these, it is truly the one of the best tiramisus in Canberra.

They had the cutest little cow paper-clip attached to the bill.

Despite having been disappointed with several courses, there were some stand out dishes and an incredible ending to the night with the desserts so overall I still had a very good dinner. It was a shame that there were some disappointments throughout the night.