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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Palate Pleasure Cafe

After a wonderful day of over indulging yesterday, I didn’t have a breakfast location scouted out but my friends had heard good things about the Palate Pleasure Cafe, just off the main street.

There was six of us without a booking but they were very accommodating and we were seated after a bit of a wait and a table shuffle.

Palate Pleasure chai tea our blend of organic leaf tea, exotic spices, brown sugar and honey. Regular or soy milk ($4.95). This had such a great description, I imagined a well steeped tea that was creamy and sweet. This was really watery and not sweet at all, very disappointing. I did enjoy the chocolate bullet though.Flat white coffee (regular $3.85).Eggs Benedict two poached eggs, bacon and wilted spinach topped with house made zesty hollandaise ($18.50). My friend’s poached eggs were completely overdone and the hollandaise tasted a bit funny. She didn’t eat much of her breakfast. B&E bacon and eggs, with buttered toast and roast tomato ($16.50) with a side of mushrooms ($4.40). The poached eggs were also over done but it didn’t ruin the dish because the bacon was nice.Palate speciality pancakes soft buttermilk pancakes with mascarpone cream, and a poached strawberry compote ($16.50). Even though we explicitly asked for the compote to be served on the side, it still came drizzled all over the first time and we had to send it back to the kitchen. Luckily my friend is a fast eater so he still finished his breakfast at the same time as everyone else.The Big Breaky with all the trimmings, bacon, two eggs, roast tomato, mushrooms, sausages, hashbrown and buttered toasted ($20.35). No complaints here, everything was done well and the buttered toast was a welcome treat.Banana bread with honey and ricotta ($7.70) and a side of bacon ($4.40). When a mini loaf of banana bread with placed in front of me, I thought it was adorable. I have eaten a lot of banana bread which usually come out as a slice but I’ve never seen a mini loaf. Unfortunately, that is where my good impression ended. The banana bread was dry, not sweet at all and didn’t taste like banana. Thank goodness I had a side of bacon to drown my disappointment.We had mixed reactions over brunch but no one was overly impressed. They were really busy which might have been a contributing factor, but there are many other places to eat in Bowral so we will not be back.

Venue: Palate Pleasure Cafe

Address: Shop 1-3, 350 Bong Bong Street, Bowral NSW 2576

Phone: (02) 4861 7411

 

Katers restaurant

We had just booked our accommodation in Bowral when I saw the Groupon voucher that was an absolute steal for Katers restaurant at Peppers Manor House. The deal included three courses and a bottle of wine for $85.00 for two people.

We were slightly amused with our waitress. She was an older woman who didn’t seem too fussed that the restaurant was really busy and had a very blasé attitude about everything as she casually pottered about.

Groupon voucher: three courses and a bottle of wine for $85.00 for two people, but I’ve written the prices from the menu.

The white and red wine options that are included in the Groupon voucher.Complimentary bread and butter~

The bread was served warm and there was plenty of butter, the perfect combination!Amuse bouche~

Rockmelon with goats cheese, ash and prosciutto. When I asked our blasé waitress about where the prosciutto was, she simply shrugged and said she would ask the kitchen but she never came back with an answer.Entrees~

Seared scallops and Rodriquez spiced chorizo, roasted cauliflower puree, squid ink meringue, coriander oil ($24.00). These scallops were much plumper than the ones we had at lunch and it has been a while since I’ve had such delicious scallops. The chorizo was also very nice, while the puree really help meld all the strong flavours together. We were very happy with our entree and were quite excited for what was to come.Confit quail terrine, toffee parsnip, spear, watercress, cumin ($23.00).Mains~

Pan seared duck breast, kumara, hazelnut crumble, cherry glaze, whiskey coffee gel ($40.00). My friend joked and asked where the rest of his carrots were as they mostly appeared to be the tops. I jokingly replied that they were on the lamb dishes.Maugers lamb back strap, braised baby leek, roasted garlic crushed, roasted Kipfler potato, eggplant caviar, chilli fig, rosemary jus ($39.00). I was really disappointed with the portion sizes; there was just two tiny pieces of lamb for almost 40 bucks, I’m glad we came in with a voucher. Marseille bouillabaisse, today’s market fish, cold water langoustine, scallop, saffron rouille ($40.00). I loved the intense prawn head flavour throughout the soup base and it had nice meaty seafood textures to compliment but it is these same aspects that made my friend not like her main. It goes to show each to their own.Desserts~

Chestnut bitter chocolate torte, raspberry egg, espresso and hazelnut ice cream ($21.00).Lemon panna cotta, rhubarb foam, coconut parfait, lime cannoli ($18.00). This had way too much gelatin in it, we could tell from the moment it was placed down in front of us with its stiff movement.Blood orange and almond pudding, lychee sorbet, pomegranate ($21.00). We had to remind the waitress that this dessert came with lychee sorbet and she rushed back into the kitchen to have it added.Toffee apple tea cake, camomile  ice cream ($18.00). I liked how the cake looked like a cross between a toffee apple and a real apple but made the cake very messy and difficult to eat. The cake’s sweetness comes from its sticky toffee coating which was balanced by the ice cream.House cheese: aerated Manuka honey blue, lavender Bergamot, rosemary and thyme labna, local Camembert, local goat’s cheese, selection of breads and crackers ($26.00). The last cheese platter I ate/stole from was amazing (see my post here) but I left most of this on the platter. I found some of the cheese bland while some of the other cheeses were pungent, especially the goats cheese.We definitely got our money’s worth considering my three courses was more expensive than the voucher for two people. The food quality was okay, but definitely nowhere near the calibre of which they had advertised to be (it is supposed to be a hatted restaurant by the Australian Good Food and Travel Guide). It was a shame because they started the night off so strong with our entrees.

I think everything sounded really fancy on paper but the execution missed the mark and therefore the prices are too high for the actual food quality. I wouldn’t come here again considering there is so much good food around the Bowral area.

Venue: Katers restaurant

Address: Kater Rd, Sutton Forest, NSW

Phone: (02) 4860 3102

 

Gumnut patisserie is a must!

I will stop and talk to anyone who will listen to rave about Gumnut Patisserie. The last three things I’ve eaten from there was phenomenal. Sorry about the price uncertainty, I was too excited about my baked goods to notice.

The award winning vanilla slice ($6.00?) was fabulous, ticking all the boxes by having great pastry, a rich custard topped with a sweet marbled icing.Caramel and macadamia tart ($30.00?). My great friends took a stab in the dark when choosing my birthday cake but little did they realise that this is my favourite tart from the patisserie. The whole tart is generously studded with macadamias, embedded in a not too sweet caramel which leaves you wanting more.Sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce ($32.00?). I asked how to serve it and they said to microwave each individual slice and just to spoon on a helping of sauce and it just melted perfectly. The pudding wasn’t dense and overly sweet like you would  get in a Sara Lee version, it was more of a tall fluffy cake studded with dates.Catch them at their various locations in Bowral, Berrima and Mittagong.

Centennial Vineyards re-run

It had been years since my last visit to Centennial Vineyards and yet I vividly remember the beautiful surrounds, the amazing food presentation and the lovely company I was with. I wanted to share this experience with TimmyC and some very close friends, so when we found ourselves booking a weekend away in Bowral, it was definitely one of the first places that I booked.

The menu had many crowd pleasers and that made it difficult to decide what to order, but TimmyC chose all three of his courses within two minutes of looking at the menu. I adjusted my order knowing that TimmyC was a light weight and I would get to try his meals as well.

Amuse Bouche~

Curried parsnip soup. A nice way to start the meal. It reminded me of the curry pasta from Continental range, but it was very smooth and silky.Grazing~

Pulled lamb shoulder, flat bread, yoghurt and mint jelly (2 pieces $15.00).Entree~

The Centennial tasting slate salmon, pork terrine, goats cheese tart, cauliflower soup, rockmelon wrapped with proscuitto, chicken pate with a crouton ($24.00). An option for the indecisive, so I obviously chose it as my entree as it had a nice range of things to taste. I can sense that my taste buds are changing and now I’m more open to pate and the like but still my favourite was the tart or the terrine, while my friend really enjoyed the rockmelon wrapped with proscuitto.

Seared scallops, bacon relish, apple and radish salad ($24.00). A perfect combination of juicy scallops and bacon with a little bit of sweetness from the apple. Definitely my pick of entrees if I didn’t want to try a bit of everything.Pasta~

Rotolo pasta of braised lamb, feta, olives and eggplant, romesco sauce ($29.00). I have never seen a pasta served like this and from afar it almost looked like lamb served with a big bone in. My friend enjoyed his pasta but the serve was on the smaller side.Main~

Cider braised pork belly, caramelised applies, sage and onion puree, smoked ham hock crouqette, crispy crackling ($38.00). The crackling was super crispy as promised and it provided a good contrasting texture to the ridiculously tender fall apart pork. This was definitely a winter warmer dish with all the rich components and very filling portion.Butchers weekly choice cut (Sirloin) cooked to your liking served with watercress, cafe de Paris butter and onion rings ($40.00). I would have much rather a lightly dressed salad if they insisted on greenery but instead they chose watercress and a lot of it. I really enjoyed the onion rings, they were well crumbed and crunchy without being overly oily. The steak was okay, I didn’t think it was well seasoned but that’s where handfuls of chips between each bite came in handy. I think I had food envy from the people who ordered the pork belly.Slow cooked duck leg, Centennial Pinot Noir sauce, crumbed beetroot gnocchi, Tuscan cabbage and bacon ($37.00). Sides~

Cauliflower and cheese gratin ($9.00). A nice cheesy cauliflower gratin, what’s there not to like?

Fries with Dijon mustard mayonnaise ($9.00). Came out hot and fresh from the kitchen and definitely went well with my steak.Desserts~

Banoffee ice cream sundae ($16.00). This was a delicious dessert with generous portions but I would not have called it a banoffee anything. With all the different ice creams and caramel sauce, it really just reminded us of a sundae.Trio of chocolate mousse ($16.00). I felt that the milk chocolate mousse was so light and silky, it quickly became my favourite amongst the trio, although the dessert as a whole was visually stunning. It isn’t a large dessert for the price but my friend and I still had to share since the entree and main sizes were ample.Everyone really enjoyed all of their courses but for me it didn’t live up to what I remembered it a few years ago. I don’t know if they have changed chefs, but the food wasn’t as good even though it still stands for a stunning backdrop for a wedding (the main dining area is always set up for a wedding as it is a popular choice for a venue). The service was very attentive and friendly. Though they made several mistakes on the bill, they were more than happy to adjust it.

Booking ahead

I’m more of a spontaneous diner but in one week TimmyC has booked several restaurants in anticipation for my birthday month. The list of restaurants includes:

1. Biota
   
2. Tetsuya’s
   
3. Centennial Vineyards
   
4. Katers restaurant at Peppers Manor House
   
5. Dinner by Heston
   

and I also booked a Food Safari that my friends were nice enough to get for me for Christmas. It is going to be a delicious and busy month!

Bowral get away- Biota

——-25/11/2012——-

I have been to Biota a few times, creating special memories every time I go and this was no exception. I’ve never had their market Sunday meals and it turns out it is unlike anything I’ve had before. 

Celebration Sunday 25th November ($55.00 pp)

Bellini with quince juice.

to start~ Such simple ingredients but an effective use of flavour. They had such big portions, it took a long time to finish it all between the two of us.

Citrus cured trout and orange. 

Vine tomato with percora curd and basil.

Biota croquettes, serrano and rye plate. Such fabulous croquettes!

Vegan options: spring salad with asparagus and vine tomato with basil and balsamic vinegar.

the mains~

Vegan option: I’m not quite sure what was on the plate but my friend enjoyed her meal.

Potato gratin with garden herb and onion. The potato gratin was so amazing, crunchy and cheesy.

Heirloom carrot salad with yoghurt, cumin and olive oil. 

Roast redleaf farm suckling pig with apple sauce. The skin was very crispy but I found parts of the thick cut of pork were a little dry. Nothing a little potato didn’t fix though.

to finish~

Stonefruit trifle with quince gelee, vanilla creme and passion fruit meringue. A refreshing, not too sweet way to finish the meal.

Vegan option–

Definitely a different experience to the norm at Biota. A much more casual atmosphere leaning towards share plates and breaking bread with friends.

Bowral get away- Onesta Cucina

——-24/11/2012——-

I have been wanting to try Onesta Cucina every time I come to Bowral but this time we finally got it (and it was open!). We were having a little celebration so I was hoping that the food was delicious and memorable.

Complimentary bread- very delicious olive oil.

Vegan pasta – with garlic, chilli and olive oil. Not overly oily and my friend enjoyed her meal.

House made potato gnocchi with braised duck ragu ($29.00). Such wonderful light parcels of gnocchi (oh what a difference a good gnocchi makes!). The meat was really tender but I couldn’t tell straight away that it was duck.

Crumbed pork loin with proscuitto, asiago and peperonata ($33.00). We had forgotten that the pork was stuffed so it was a pleasant surprise. Thick pork usually dry but this was really moist and flavoursome.

Sides~

Rosemary and garlic potatoes with sea salt ($9.50). Delicious potato morsels, it seems like an easy concept but they were so addictive.

We were so impressed with our meals we thought that their desserts would just be a good.

Dessert~

Selection of ice-creams blood orange and raspberry sorbet ($13.50). I found a bit of plastic from a container in my sorbet, but even if I didn’t I wasn’t overly impressed by the flavours.

Individual Banoffee pie with salted caramel, banana and vanilla bean cream ($13.50). After this afternoon’s dessert at Centennial Vineyards this was definitely average by comparison. I found it too overwhelmingly sweet and I couldn’t finish it.

I really loved their pasta and mains and wished that I had tried their entrees, next time if I do get a dessert it won’t be a repeat of the ones above. The staff were attentive and meals came out promptly, it was a lovely place for dinner.

Venue: Onesta Cucina

Address: 5 Boolwey St, Bowral, NSW

Phone: (02) 4861 6620

Bowral get away- Centennial Vineyards

——-24/11/2012——-

Since I ate so slowly, (although I don’t think I was the slowest Lissy!) we only had less than an hour to browse the cellar door. They had wine tasting available, a variety of jams, chutneys and oils as well as 3 ranges of wine- Bong Bong, Woodside and the Reserve collection. Were they any good? I have no idea, I don’t drink wine, but no group left empty handed. The people behind the counter are friendly and definitely know their product so I’m sure they’ll find you something you would like. Definitely worth a look anyway.

Bowral get away- Centennial Vineyards Restaurant

——-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!

Bowral get away- Elephant boy cafe

——-24/11/2012——-

Elephant boy is a gorgeous little cafe along the main street with cozy decor. We stopped by for a coffee before heading off to lunch.

It is almost like being in a well read explorer’s living room having a sip of tea.

Green tea ($4.00)

French bowl skinny cappucinio ($4.00)

French bowl soy latte ($4.00)

My friends said that they had amazing coffee and I do like their fancy French bowl option.

Venue: Elephant boy cafe

Address: 329 Bong Bong St, Bowral 

Phone: (02) 4861 1393

Amuse bouche. #bowral #food #foodblog #pretty #colours

The Gumnut Patisserie re-run

——-11/07/2012——-

I found myself yet again staring into the glass cabinet filled with delicious baked goods at the Gumnut Patisserie but this time I ready to eat.

Pretty, oh so pretty!

This time I was ready to eat a pie or two!

Potato pie, lamb and rosemary, chicken and leek– delicious pies and the lamb was really tender but I don’t think the beef pies were as good as Gum Tree Pies from Wodonga. The chicken pie was so yummy.

Chocolate eclair– nice choux pastry and the chocolate cream wasn’t overly sweet.

Vanilla slice– not very memorable.

Biota dining re-run

——-10/06/2012——-

Timmy and I were celebrating a special occasion and where better to go then Biota dining (again) and although I might have been slightly distracted, that didn’t stop me from taking photos of all the gorgeous plated food that was placed before us.

Complimentary bread~

House baked sour dough rye with smoked butter 

Complimentary starter~

White anchovy with brick bread. I love the presentation of this, it was slightly salty with a crispy texture.

Hendricks Gin and Tonic served with cucumbers ($10.00)

Reisling from the local Centennial Vineyards ($8.00) A beautiful wine, I really wanted to go to the vineyard but I didn’t get time.

Entrees~ ($23.00)

Duck egg, puffed grains, duck ham, celeriac and brassicas. Almost like a fancy take on bacon and eggs.I couldn’t tell it was a duck egg and I thought the puffed grains were the most interesting flavour and texture on the plate.

Cured mackerel, lettuce hearts, nashi, grape juices and lime.  A nice salty fish complimented by the sweetness of the fruits on the plate.

Mains~ ($39.00)

Spatchcock with pears, speck, hazelnuts and chestnut porridge. I thought the texture of the porridge was weird but I really enjoyed the pear and the twisted sweet pear skin twigs.

Glazed pork cheek, turnips, cauliflower, fig and mushrooms. Pork cheek wasn’t available so they substituted it with pork neck. The meat had a very sticky coating but everything was very good on the plate.

Desserts~ ($18.00)

Chocolate, salted caramel, popcorn, ginger juice sorbet and aero. Everything was really delicious although they went waaay overboard with the overwhelming coffee crumb.

Sweetened grass milk, peanuts, coffee crumb and hops ice-cream. The sweetened grassmilk covered in poppyseeds was one of the oddest things I have ever eaten. My favourite element on the plate was the peanuts surprisingly. 

I don’t know if the previous dining experience set the bar too high or I just didn’t particularly like Biota’s Winter menu but I didn’t enjoy my meal as much as the first time that I went despite a pleasant meal.

Venue: Biota Dining

Address: Southern Highlands, Kangaloon Rd, Bowral, NSW 2576

Phone: (02) 4862 2005 bookings recommended

Website: http://www.biotadining.com/

Caffe Rosso

——-13/06/2012——-

I was a bit disappointed that Biota was fully booked out for Mother’s Day but that didn’t stop me from googling the next place to eat in Bowral. It didn’t take me long to find wonderful things being said about Caffe Rosso.

Mothers Day 2012~ Lunch $60 Dinner $75

Despite the limited menu choice because of the set menu, everything sounded delicious!

Primi~

Gnocchi ai Quattro Formaggi– home made gnocchi served with a 4 Italian cheese sauce. Ok I tried to selfishly get Tim to order ‘Sea Scallops’ so I could eat his entree and have mine too. I was surprised to hear that he wanted to try the gnocchi considering he isn’t the biggest fan of cheese and I’m really not the biggest fan of gnocchi. Boy am I glad that he chose this though, I think I enjoyed it more than my entree! This has to be THE BEST GNOCCHI I have EVER eaten! They were parcels of light heaven and the sauce?! Well I close to licking the plate with no shame 

Parppardelle tossed with slow braised beef cheek and rosemary ragu. You could tell that the pasta was fresh, it had a nice chewy texture and the sauce was subtle with nice tender beef through it.

Secondi~

Filletto Rossini– eye fillet wrapped with prosciutto on potato gallet and baby spinach, red wine mushroom jus. A delicious piece of steak cooked perfectly at medium rare. The spinach was a little salty but it gave more flavour to the potato.

Split King Tiger Prawns with a lemon chilli and parsley marinade. Fresh tasting prawns with a sweet yet grilled taste. Lucky we ordered pasta for entree, otherwise eating 6 prawns wouldn’t fill me.

Even without a booking the staff at Caffe Rosso were more than happy to cater for us. Food arrived promptly and the staff were very friendly. I was more than pleased with their food and would definitely come again to see what is on their menu.

Venue: Caffe Rosso

Address: Cnr Station & Bowral St (next to Harris Farms), Bowral, NSW 2576

Phone: (02) 4861 6538

Website: http://www.cafferosso.com.au/