Despatch #10 Friday for Lunch with Bev and Craig

Bev is my cousin and Craig is her husband. They took me to lunch on Friday out in the country down past Geelong on the Belarine Peninsula amongst the olive trees. The restaurant was called "Loam" and the menu was one I had never before seen. March was the title and it listed the foods that were in season and local. Below the list of food we read 2 courses, 4 courses and 7 and the prices; wine pairings optional. That's all, what an adventure, what anticipation. Of course we didn't know what was to come so how could we chose a wine? "We'll take the wine pairings too."

"Please look at the menu and let me know if there is anything you don't like or are allergic to" said our server. We looked and decided on the four courses.

And so we began:

AMUSE BOUCHE

Three perfectly steamed Blue Mussels served in a tin, with a pull tag!


FIRST COURSE

Inisfail Prawns served raw with rhubarb granita,a light cream sauce, grass oil and lemon verbena.

Served with a Pinot Gris from Lethbridge near Geelong


SECOND COURSE

Blue-eye Cod served with its fish-bone powder on a fish-bone mayonnaise, with wakame, celery leaves, roasted garlic puree, seaweed and a little circle-hat of white turnip.

Served with a Macon Villages (OK, this Chardonnay was from France and therefore a lean, mineral wine - but it was just the way I like it!)


MAIN COURSE

Now this was created by a visiting chef from Vue de Mont, a chi-chi restaurant in Melbourne.

Mandagery Creek Venison shank slow-braised overnight and therefore ever so slowly in an immersion cooker served with a malt vinaigrette, Bull's Blood Beetroot puree and thin discs of the same beetroot, toasted buckwheat scattered over it and garnished with, get this, watercress sprigs with the leaves snipped off!

Served with a Tempranilla (my earth) Pandalowie wine


SWEETS

Mmmmmm Wild Fennel pollen ice-cream on clove and ginger bread with crumbled Bellarine wild flower honeycomb on crushed pineapple. Hey, now that's what we're having for dessert next Christmas.

Served with St Germain Elderflower liqueur over ice.

Notice the plates. They are Japanese - very elegant.

All this with such delightful company. What a special lunch, perfect.
Thank you so much Bev and Craig.

Here is the center table spread with seasonal produce and little squares of slate holding salt from Pink Lake - a salt lake over near the South Australian border and twice-whipped butter. The second whipping includes beurre noisette. (The taste didn't work for me because it took away from the taste of the food but it was pretty.) The breads were sourdoughs from a local bakery.

For art, here is a single rusty bread spring hanging on the wall above the wine rack. I think it worked.

It was a very windy day and here is a photo with some diners in the foreground and gum leaves being blown sideways outside the window. Well, I liked it.

And the little gift shop underneath the restaurant too.