Biota re-run

I could not visit Bowral without going to Biota, the restaurant holds a special place in my heart because that is where TimmyC proposed to me. We have been there multiple times; the first visit was an eye widening, jaw dropping meal as we had never had that kind of dining experience before. The second time, I didn’t love it as much and I was starting to wonder if they were doing unusual things for the sake of being avant-garde and the third was a casual encounter on the bar side trying to eat as many croquettes as I could.Keen to add it to my birthday dining list, TimmyC booked weeks in advance so we didn’t miss out.Cooler months Five courses ($110.00 pp)

Snacks~Pear and cheese. This reminded me of a sheep milk cigar I had at MoVida, the outer layer is chewy and sweet which offset the tartness of the cheese.Kangaroo and Acacia jerky This was really tough jerky (but I guess most of them are), but the kangaroo flavours were subtle which is good because I don’t usually enjoy the strong aftertaste of kangaroo.Tasty Dory roe fish smoked roe with charcoal lavosh bread, garlic oil and salsa verde. I could not believe how much I enjoyed this. When I ran out of lavosh bread I started slathering it on the rye loaf.

Molasses and Rye loaf with cultured butter. I found the crust a little too tough and chewy but that is my personal preference.  The soft bready centre created a wonderful transportation system to get all the tasty dory roe into my mouth.

The bread is hiding in the fur pouch.Mains~

Creamed eggs, spanner crab and persimmon. This was perfection. The richness of this dish reminded me of the delicious crab dish from Noma but the flavours reminded me of a burnt butter sage pasta.Whipped potato, hen yolk and cabbage buds confit hens yolk, whipped potato, garden Brussels sprouts and egg white pearls. I was really surprised that the cabbage leaves were more sweet rather than bitter. The whipped potato was light in flavour and texture which went well with the rich yolk and refreshing cabbage leaves.Peek-a-boo, there is the egg yolk!Pastured fed beef cooked over coals beef cooked over coals with leeks and potato. My favourite things on a plate. The beef itself had lots of flavour but the leeks and potato it to another whole savoury level. I would have preferred a bigger portion but that’s just me being selfish.Dessert~

Sheep yoghurt and our honey. Tim was ready to hand over his plate when they said sheep yoghurt, but he was probably glad that I prompted him to try it first as he was scraping the last of his bowl while I was finishing up with my photos. There was no strong aftertaste that I usually find with most sheep dairy products. The tartness of the yoghurt was sweetened with the perfect amount of honey and I loved the abundance of the finger lime. It was so ridiculous how good this dessert was even though it was so simple, it was just a perfect balance of flavours.Mandarin and goats milk custard. The mandarin powder coating had a slight bitterness to it but it quickly dissipated as the delicate sweetness of the meringue and centre hits the palate. The softness texture of the ball with the icy sorbet reminded me of the snow egg from Quay.

It is so sweet that they put a candle in for my birthday.Beverages~ I ordered the non-alcoholic juice pairing which was really good and I loved how complex the flavours were ($50.00pp?).

Lemonade, smoke apple and pear juice, red grapes with cinnamon cloves and bitters and ending with caramelised pomegranate and grapefruit. 
I loved how the menu keeps evolving and changing almost every week to encompass local fresh produce. We really enjoyed our meal and the service was perfection. Ingredients are not puréed, chopped or foamed, they appear  whole and are paired perfectly with each other. It is almost like there was minimal cooking (but a lot of talent) and it was showcasing the best produce.

Venue: Biota

Address: 18 Kangaloon Rd, Bowral NSW 2576

Phone: (02) 4862 2005

Entertainment book: I’m so annoyed I forgot to use my Canberra 2016/17 book, I told TimmyC he will have to take me again.

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Biota bar – sneak peek

So we may have stopped by at Biota on the way home to #canberra. I have definitely indulged in good food this weekend! #birthdaymonth #bowral #biota #lunch #food #foodie #foodblog

Biota- dining

                            bio·ta noun: “Animals and plant life of a particular region.” 

Ta-da! Like I promised, my Biota-dining in Bowral post. This restaurant is spacious and lovely inside. We were warmly greeted and seated near the kitchen area where we had prime seats to see the chefs preparing our dishes. They have a private dining room at the other side of the restaurant where they have TVs set up so you can watch the kitchen preparing the plates and not miss out on the action.

It was inspiring to see so much care was taken on presentation. Each leaf/vegetable/ garnish was placed onto the plate deliberately in a particular way with large forceps.

Before I had even started looking at the menu (I was too busy taking photos and taking in the lovely setting) we were served with fresh warm bread

‘eggs on toast’- compliments from the kitchen. How lovely, while you’re browsing the menu you get to eat delicious fresh warm bread served with a quail egg dusted in garlic ash sitting in a creamy sauce. Not a bad way to start the dining experience.    p.s. love the bowl!

This was my entree– banana prawns, cured scallop broth, cucumber with green tea and dill seeds. Wow this was very delicious and everything from the prawn to the cucumber tasted so fresh!

My partner’s entree– barbecued calamari, tuna ham dressed with sugar snap peas, celery and kohlrabi. This looked beautiful like artwork! I didn’t mind his entree but much preferred my own.

Pinapple with snow- compliments from the kitchen. Lovely palate cleanser.

Crackling pork neck, broccolini, amaranth cooked with blackened onions and licorice- the pork meat is very caramalised and sticky which made the inside a little dry but it was still very nice.

Lamb rump in olive caramel, baked carrots, oat milk, hazelnut and garlic ash- The oat milk and hazelnut made this a very unsual dish but delicious none the less. It takes great skill to get me to eat brussels sprouts so hats off to the kitchen.

After our mains were taken away, a waiter came to ‘de-crumb’ out table with a folded napkin bound together with a sprig of rosemary and cute tray to capture the crumbs. It made me giggle because I’ve never seen that before in a restaurant.

Dessert time! Caramel pear, raw cacao ice cream, warm buckwheat and malt- The chocolate chunks were so light and airy- almost like homemade ‘aero bars’. The creamy ice-cream was a refreshing contrast to the sweet caramalised pear. The wafer log was unbelievably light and delicate.

Cold infusion of eucalyptus, blood plums, rhubarb and hibiscus preserve, native lime- A very unique dessert with all flavours being very floral and fresh. A dessert for the adventurous at heart.

Traditional italian thick hot milk chocolate (left)– when I saw the size of the hot chocolate, I knew it was going to be strong! Just imagine stirring cocoa into hot milk at a 4:1 ratio. I couldn’t finish it, it was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to sweet and it was also a little lumpy.

biota ‘fairtrade’ coffee (right)– my partner said that the coffee was a bit bitter and not the best he has had.

The warm atmosphere at ‘biota-dining’

The relaxed atmosphere of the ‘biota-lounge’ with a more ‘down to earth’ menu. I would love to come back and try the ‘biota-lounge’ menu, the croquettes and mini wagyu burgers sounds delicious!

The lovely tranquil surroundings makes it an ideal nice stop/overnight stay/day trip from Sydney/Wollongong/Canberra.

They even have their own vegetable garden at the side, no wonder everything tastes so fresh and delicious!

Their menu often changes so check out the website (which is very lovely btw) for the current menu. The photos on there are stunning.