TS and i had a weekend away and went to Bowral, for those who are not aware it has more to offer than the Bradman museum - food. We went here once last year and ate well but missed trying out Eschalot (SMH Chef Hat)so we decided to go back once we had a reservation - hence the trip.
We set off on Saturday morning after gym and after a very easy 70 minutes we were in Bowral. As luck would have it we were too early for check in to our accom so we decided to hit the Bong Bong St (main st of Bowral) to see what Bowral had to offer. Thanks to a tip from Delicious magazine we headed to the farmers market, second Saturday of the month, in the public school and was not dissapointed. Whilst not being a big fruit lover it looked and smelt awesome. TS picked up some Raspberry jam, bloody good stuff, which won some award at the Easter Show. Spent the rest of the day walking around and checking out the shops with the highlight being the burger i had for lunch at Gastronome - good place with supposedly good coffee but didnt try.
Dinner was excellent and can honestly say better than other Chef Hat places or Sydney's established top eateries. Service was very friendly and other than waiting awhile for the bill had no complaints.
The menu was good and the wine list strong but for my tastes the entree section was limited - however the pork belly was very popular for those who dig on swine. Thanks to the Masterchef series i embarked on my first Terrine experience with a veal version served with homegrown/made beetroot and sour dough, whilst TS sat it out in favour of dessert. The Terrine was very good and whilst it probably does not do it justice, it tasted like a quality suasage with a bonus of Pistachio flavour hit every mouthful or so - would not shy away from the Terrine again.
Mains is where its at for me and this place did not let me down, duck for myself and lamb for TS. The lamb was perfectly cooked and very tasty with the serve size being solid, however TS represented leaving nothing. My main was SUPERB with probably the best duck i have eaten - this animal must have had a great life because his meat was so tasty. I think he had never known pain or hardship up until the point he was fated to give his breast and leg for my cause and my stomach would like to thank him for his positive attitude. The only negative was that i am trying to get healthy and a large chunk of the tasty and fatty skin had to be left for the plate washing gods - I am sure the Chef was insulted when some idiot left the best part on the plate, if you are reading this know that i did it for the greater good. Both mains were top notch and a glass of the local Rose were the icing on the cake that was main course.
Coffee and Dessert rounded out the meal with TS ordering the chocolate fondant that was tasty but too goey for either of our likings, probably could have done with another minute or 2 in the oven. This place is a must try for anyone who enjoys food and the price is also pretty good considering the quality on offer, and being just over an hour out of Sydney its very easy for an overnighter.
We set off on Saturday morning after gym and after a very easy 70 minutes we were in Bowral. As luck would have it we were too early for check in to our accom so we decided to hit the Bong Bong St (main st of Bowral) to see what Bowral had to offer. Thanks to a tip from Delicious magazine we headed to the farmers market, second Saturday of the month, in the public school and was not dissapointed. Whilst not being a big fruit lover it looked and smelt awesome. TS picked up some Raspberry jam, bloody good stuff, which won some award at the Easter Show. Spent the rest of the day walking around and checking out the shops with the highlight being the burger i had for lunch at Gastronome - good place with supposedly good coffee but didnt try.
Dinner was excellent and can honestly say better than other Chef Hat places or Sydney's established top eateries. Service was very friendly and other than waiting awhile for the bill had no complaints.
The menu was good and the wine list strong but for my tastes the entree section was limited - however the pork belly was very popular for those who dig on swine. Thanks to the Masterchef series i embarked on my first Terrine experience with a veal version served with homegrown/made beetroot and sour dough, whilst TS sat it out in favour of dessert. The Terrine was very good and whilst it probably does not do it justice, it tasted like a quality suasage with a bonus of Pistachio flavour hit every mouthful or so - would not shy away from the Terrine again.
Mains is where its at for me and this place did not let me down, duck for myself and lamb for TS. The lamb was perfectly cooked and very tasty with the serve size being solid, however TS represented leaving nothing. My main was SUPERB with probably the best duck i have eaten - this animal must have had a great life because his meat was so tasty. I think he had never known pain or hardship up until the point he was fated to give his breast and leg for my cause and my stomach would like to thank him for his positive attitude. The only negative was that i am trying to get healthy and a large chunk of the tasty and fatty skin had to be left for the plate washing gods - I am sure the Chef was insulted when some idiot left the best part on the plate, if you are reading this know that i did it for the greater good. Both mains were top notch and a glass of the local Rose were the icing on the cake that was main course.
Coffee and Dessert rounded out the meal with TS ordering the chocolate fondant that was tasty but too goey for either of our likings, probably could have done with another minute or 2 in the oven. This place is a must try for anyone who enjoys food and the price is also pretty good considering the quality on offer, and being just over an hour out of Sydney its very easy for an overnighter.
