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Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

~ culinaldi ~ 1 Comment

Instead of my usual Saturday breakfast adventure, my fabulous foodie friends Adrian and Mez, kindly invited me along to special long lunch at the Plough Hotel in Footscray, showcasing the new release wines produced by Bress Wine, Cider and Produce. It’s been a few years since I have visited the cellar door at Bress in Harcourt so I leapt at the opportunity to enjoy their stunning wines, and the afternoon certainly didn’t disappoint.

I’ve never been to the Plough Hotel before, so the first thing that caught my attention was the beautifully designed and newly renovated interior. Right on trend with an industrial decor complete with a series of exposed filament hanging light bulbs, clean lines, and neutral colour palette. Upon arrival, I helped myself to a glass of NV Pinot Noir Chardonnay Sparkling (Macedon) and a canapé of white anchovy fillet which created a heavenly explosion of flavours that kicked started the lunch off with a little bit of zing and pizazz.

Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

Making our way into the main dining room, we were lucky to be seated near the open kitchen area and I had fabulous views looking towards the bustling streetscape outside. Almost immediately our first glass of wine, 2014 Vermentino (Heathcote) was poured. The bouquet on this wine is simply stunning and smelt like bananas with a hint of musk lollies. An unctuous mouth feel, with an apple crisp freshness and acidity on the finish. The only word that we could say was “Amazing!”. It would be fair to say that the food served during the lunch was a mere accompaniment to the wine on display. The velouté was served in a small shot glass, with the salt cod croquette balanced above on a toothpick. Delicious but it disappeared all too quickly.

2014 Vermentino and Celeriac velouté, salt cod croquette; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
2014 Vermentino and Celeriac velouté, salt cod croquette; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

The next wines to be served were the 2014 Cabernets Rose (Harcourt Valley) and the 2013 Pinot Noir (Yarra Valley & Macedon). Both of these wines had beautiful pink and ruby hues of colour. The Rose was a dry style of wine, which I prefer, and had the delicious aroma of candied strawberries and cherries which morphed into candied toffee apple on the palate. I don’t think the Rose lasted long enough to be enjoyed with the terrine of guinea fowl and foie gras. The Pinot Noir had classic characteristics of forest floor aromas, savoury notes of white pepper, together with red cherries and strawberries and a beautiful mouth feel.

The Pinot brought out the gamey meat flavours within the terrine, which was delicious and beautifully presented and an elegant accompaniment to the savoury characters within the wine. I love brioche at all hours of the day so I was happy to see a small portion on my plate to balance out the rich and bold flavours of the meat.

2014 Cabernets Rose and 2013 Pinot Noir; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
2013 Pinot Noir; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
Terrine of guinea fowl and foie gras with quince chutney; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

Next on the tasting menu was the bold and beautiful: the 2014 Cabernet Franc (Harcourt) and the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon (Yarra Valley) wines. The Cabernet Franc had a beautiful violet colour and perfume of violets. A light sweetness on the finish, this wine was fruit driven had a silky smooth mouth feel. Not to be outdone, the Cabernet Sauvignon displayed its own intense black fruit aromas and hints of spice. The perfume was divine  and all I could think of to describe the wine was “You had me at hello”! The steak was served medium-to-well and was a good match with the luscious and complex full-bodied flavours of the wine.

Full blood Wagyu porterhouse, pomme fondant, parsley and horseradish butter and oxtail jus; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
2014 Cabernet Franc and 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

For something a little different, the next course was cheese with cider. The NV Bon Bon cider was sweet and creamy with a draught flavour. Although cider is likely to be next revolution, it’s something that I rarely drink and I found the sample of the Bon Bon to be very enjoyable.  The white mould cheese was really stunning and Adrian and I were wielding duelling knives to get to the soft outer rind and creamy texture. Something I hadn’t seen before on our cheese board were thinly dehydrated slices of fennel, which were crispy and had sweet flavour that matched the sweetness of the cider.

NV Bon Bon cider; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
Le Conquerant cow’s milk white mould cheese (Normandy, France) lavosh, pear and mache salad; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

No meal is complete without a sweet wine to finish with and true to form, the grand finale The Kindest Cut Late Harvest Riesling Viognier was served as the last wine of the day in a signature Bress wine glass. With aromas of honeysuckle or baked honey and nectarine, this wine had a slight spritz on the finish. The panna cotta was creamy yet light and the rhubarb was beautifully poached and decorated with wafers of biscuit. The lemon balm leaves that adorned the dessert were small explosions of flavour, like little shots of lemonade icy poles bursting in your mouth.

The Kindest Cut Late Harvest Riesling Viognier; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray
Buttermilk panna cotta, poached rhubarb salad; Bress Wine, Cider and Produce New Release Wine Lunch 2014 – Plough Hotel, Footscray

This was the first “new release” wine lunch and it was a fabulous display of stunning and elegantly crafted wines. Throughout the day, I was thinking that each wine would be perfect for Christmas Day and that I needed to get my hands on some of those bottles as soon as I could. I missed out on getting an order form but I think can foresee a road trip to Harcourt in the not-too-distant future.

http://www.bress.com.au

Plough Hotel on Urbanspoon

Chez Dré, South Melbourne

~ culinaldi ~ 2 Comments

This past Saturday morning I woke up with a plan and purpose. During the week, I had spied in The Age newspaper that there were a number of cafés who were participating in a promotion by giving away free copies of The Age 2014 Good Café Guide when customers paid with EFTPOS on Saturday. Looking through the advertisement, I spied Chez Dré in the listing of cafes and devised a strategy for Saturday morning breakfast. I admit that Chez Dré has been on my “must do” list for the longest time and I love freebies, especially one which I can use to find good food and great coffee.

Walking towards South Melbourne was a surreal experience as the heavy rain from the night before had made the wet roads and paths take on a bright new sheen, and everything seemed to sparkle and glisten in the morning sunshine. It was so beautiful to see but at the same time, I was also wishing that I had brought my sunglasses with me.

Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne

Turning down a small alley off Coventry Street, I was surprised to see that there wasn’t a long queue of people waiting outside trying to get a table. It wasn’t until I stepped inside the cavernous warehouse building did I realise where everyone was hiding. Making my way through the noisy hum to the courtyard to wait for a table, there was a bit of a jostle trying to get noticed and register my name with maître d’ for a seat. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait too long and was escorted to a seat outside.

The French inspired breakfast menu includes the traditional Croque Monsieur, a White Bean Cassoulet and the pastries and baguettes you would expect to find in a pâtisserie or boulangerie. My heart was set on the Brioche French Toast as soon as I found it on the menu.

Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne

Seated outside in the courtyard area, I was engulfed in a sea of black puffer jackets and sportswear, with everyone looking très chic (fashionably glamorous) in trademark Melbourne black attire. I usually live and breathe black clothing, but I felt a little conspicuous in my long camel coloured coat and red hair glowing beneath the outdoor heaters. Even my super-sized latte looked stylish when it arrived sporting its own matte black mug.

Chez Dré, South Melbourne
The Age Good Cafe Guide 2014 – Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Chez Dré, South Melbourne

I had a quick look around the tables around me and dish du jour seemed to be eggs and toast yet all eyes were on me when my breakfast arrived. The girls sitting near me stopped chatting to each other almost instantly and then one of them said to me “That looks amazing! Good choice!” Naturellement.

Brioche French Toast, seasonal poached fruit, vanilla mascarpone and caramelised pecans - Chez Dré, South Melbourne
Brioche French Toast, seasonal poached fruit, vanilla mascarpone and caramelised pecans – Chez Dré, South Melbourne

My breakfast indeed looked spectacular. The brioche French toast had a thick, hard outer crust which was a little difficult to cut through at first so I started with the delicious cardamom-infused blood plum compote. The vanilla mascarpone was divine, generous in size but not too sweet. The poached pears, spears of rhubarb, together with the crunchy pecans and sweet brioche provided a myriad of textures and flavours that were so enjoyable, but extremely filling.

After five or minutes, my waitress sidles over and asks “How’s that French Toast treating you?” It was such a novel and friendly way of asking if you are enjoying your meal. I said it was fantastic and she promptly followed up with whether a wanted another cup of coffee. It’s hard to believe but over the last couple of weeks, when I really wanted another coffee, nobody bothered asking or came near my table. Unfortunately this time when I get the opportunity to order another coffee, my super-sized latte and the substantial French Toast put paid that idea. I didn’t eat another morsel for the rest of the day but I did get my free book to take home to enjoy and plan for my next breakfast adventure.

Chez Dré on Urbanspoon

Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra

~ culinaldi ~ Leave a comment

The first breakfast I had when I moved into the South Yarra area was in a café located in the Yarra Lane precinct, adjacent to the train station called Outpost Café. Let’s just say that after that dining experience, I avoided the place altogether and didn’t look in that general direction when I walked to the train station every morning.

Recently, I noticed that there had been a lot of activity in that area during the morning and weekend periods, with people dining inside the café, and spilling over onto the chairs and tables set up in the laneway. Curiosity got the better of me and I thought that I should go and see for myself what all the fuss was about.

The majority of the space is occupied with the open kitchen, with bench space for dining along the perimeter of the café. The exterior walls are made from floor-to-ceiling glass which makes the relatively small space feel open and filled with natural light. Interspersed throughout the café along the benchtops are a series of recent bestselling cookbooks. I devoured the mouth-watering dishes in Ottolenghi’s “Plenty” whilst simultaneously enjoying my breakfast. Small, glass beakers filled with God-knows-what on the tables, together with colourful caricatures of Albert Einstein and friends displayed along the front counter, pay homage to the great scientist and café’s namesake.

Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra
Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra
Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra
Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra
Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra

The coffee has a sharp, distinctive flavour that is a little too bitter for my palate but nonetheless beautifully presented in one of the café’s trademark stylish emerald-green coffee cups.

The menu is not extensive but has a combination of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean influences, in conjunction with exotic sounding offerings incorporating organic superfoods such as the Acai Wake Up Bowl and Quinoa Porridge. I have a deep love of haloumi so I was instantly drawn to the Haloumi Bruschetta with seeded sourdough toast, diced haloumi, avocado, radish, tomato medley and a tangy yoghurt dressing.

Haloumi Bruschetta: Seeded sourdough toast with diced haloumi, avocado, radish, tomato medley and a tangy yoghurt dressing - Einstein's Relative, South Yarra
Haloumi Bruschetta: Seeded sourdough toast with diced haloumi, avocado, radish, tomato medley and a tangy yoghurt dressing – Einstein’s Relative, South Yarra

The first thing that struck me about my breakfast was the amazing array of colours. From the vibrant red and yellow displayed in the cherry tomatoes, to the golden brown grilled haloumi, complete with touches of green in the mashed avocado and hints of purple from the micro herb garnish. It was a feast for the eyes as well as for the stomach.

The haloumi cheese, with a crispy outer layer and soft centre was delicious, even more so when covered with the silky smooth yet spicy yoghurt sauce. The medley of thinly sliced radish, tomatoes and herbs were fresh and tasty and a perfect foil for the spice in the dish. With a little more added spice thrown in for good measure, the mashed avocado was also plentiful and helped to ensure that all the combined textures and flavours worked in harmony with each other. The sourdough bread was also great but with all the moisture from the avocado and dressing, it didn’t resemble toast for too long.

It seems a little strange but poignant that my last breakfast as a resident of South Yarra should be in the exact same location as the first one, but at least I can say with absolute certainty that this breakfast experience was thoroughly enjoyable!

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