From my Instagram feed it would seem I spend more time eating out than cooking, but what the feed reflects is a regularity and sameness to what we eat. I work 2-3 nights a week so we fall back on quick and easy meals like noodles, tacos or Turkish pide, dips and tabouli; do takeaway or dine at a local restaurant a couple of nights, which basically leaves the weekend for trying anything new that I might photograph.
So, when Hubby and I manage to get away, we relish a chance to try different dishes and I end up posting about a couple of weeks worth of photos in a couple of days.
A couple of weekends ago we stayed in the Hunter Valley, one of Australia's most well-known wine regions. Our room was like a room at a motel or hotel. It included a toaster, tea-making facilities and utensils to allow us to enjoy the light breakfast provided (cereal and toast), and complimentary cheeses, crackers and Hunter Valley wine.
If we wanted to prepare our own meals there was a common room with a fully-equipped kitchen and a courtyard with a barbecue.
Given we were only there for the weekend, we didn't cook at all, breakfasting once in the room and spending one evening out the back of our room enjoying our wine and cheese (and the cool night after a hot day).
Places we visited
Although renowned for its wines, the Hunter Valley also boasts many restaurants, cafés, and gourmet produce. The weekend was particularly hot with top temperatures of around 40°C (104°F) so wine tasting was low on our things to do. Following are places we visited:
- Australian Regional Food Store and Café at Small Winemakers Centre, McDonalds Rd, Pokolbin
We were looking a lunch spot, nothing fancy, just something light. We tried two places prior to this café: one was filled with coach-loads of tourists, the other was a restaurant that seemed a little too formal with a fine-dining menu that didn't suit our mood or the temperature. Perusing the map I spotted the Small Winemakers Centre and confirmed with Hubby that this is where we had enjoyed a a Winemaker's Platter of sliced meats, cheeses, dips and salads about eight years ago.
away from all the hustle and bustle of the bigger wineries and tourist spots. As we waited for our lunch we were entertained by the antics of a magpie and a trio of fairy wrens.After eight years I guess you have to expect that the menu would change. The Winemaker's Platter was no longer available but the baguettes with smoked salmon, cream cheese, red onions and cherry tomatoes were just what we were looking for—something light to tide us over to dinner. A wedge of lemon and extra capers were provided and they added that little additional oomph of flavour to the meal.
- Kevin Sobels Wine, Halls Rd, Pokolbin
While living in Melbourne, we fell in love with gerwürztraminer but the number of vineyards producing it and then selling it in the liquor stores could be counted on one hand. Even then, the gerwürztraminer could vary greatly between vineyards and so, we quickly found our preferred vineyards (or should I say 'vineyard'), namely Huia from New Zealand.
Gerwürz is still hard to find in stores but we discovered a couple of wineries are producing gerwürz in the Hunter Valley, Kevin Sobels Wine being one.
We visited Kevin Sobel Wines on the Saturday to see the Hand Made in the Hunter Markets but returned the following day (when it was quieter) to taste their gerwürz. We ended up also tasting their verdehlo and viognier and walking out with a mixed case of all three varietals.
- Leaves and Fishes, Lovedale Rd, Lovedale
Leaves and Fishes was a wonderful experience—beautiful setting, delicious food, relaxed and intimate—but expensive. However, having not frequented many seafood restaurants for a while, the price might be on par with good seafood restaurants.
There are some restaurants in the Hunter Valley where diners must order a minimum of two courses, which come at a set price. At Leaves and Fishes, these two courses had to be entree and main. ‘Starters’, desserts and sides weren't included, and came with an extra cost.
The tables are positioned on an open deck that looks over a dam. Droplets of water fall from the edge of the roof into the dam, creating a cooling curtain as the breeze blows across the deck. We watched the bird life around the dam as the sun slowly set and as the sky darkened, candles were placed on the tables and incense burners kept the mozzies away.
We started with a couple of ‘nude’ oysters and seared scallops, coconut and salmon ‘pearls’ wrapped in betel leaves. The oysters were perfect for such a hot day and the scallops were a more-ish, light mix of flavours.
For entree we shared soft-shelled crab with Singapore chilli sauce and popcorn calamari. The standout dish was the popcorn calarmari: lightly battered calamari served with a squeeze of lime then dipped in sweet chilli sauce and szechuan pepper. Yum!
Hubby selected the ‘Fish of the Day’ for his main—swordfish with a tomato-based salsa. I enjoyed the crispy-skin duck with orange soy sauce and bok choy, although I found it a little dry. Our mains were accompanied with a pineapple salad—pineapple, bean sprouts, mint and cashews with a sweet chilli dressing—light, crisp and so welcome on this balmy night.
Unfortunately, we had no room for dessert but this is definitely a restaurant I'd love to revisit.
- Lovedale Smokehouse Café, Majors Lane, Lovedale
For us Sundays mean sleep-ins and big breakfasts or brunches. And, as I have mentioned in previous "Away from home" posts, I particularly like it when someone else is cooking the big breakfast instead of me!
The Lovedale Smokehouse produce a range of smoked meats and fish, and these can be purchased in their gourmet pantry store along with other delicatessen items.
The café is only open for breakfast on Sundays and we were the only patrons that morning. Unlike many of the other places we had eaten, the café had views of the vineyard instead of the dam. For breakfast we both selected the smoked Tasmanian salmon (smoked on the premises), poached eggs, and baby spinach on toasted Turkish bread topped with hollandaise sauce. Perfect Sunday morning breakfast.
Afterwards we checked out the produce in the store and purchased some smoked ham for my parents (who were dog-sitting that weekend) and the smoked salmon. The smoked salmon didn't last long; I used it in a pasta dish later that week.
- Oishii, corner of Broke Rd and McDonalds Rd, Pokolbin
Oishii is part of the Tempus Two Cellar Door complex. Other than wine tasting, the complex includes a function room, cheese shop, cocktail lounge and Oishii, a Japanese and Thai restaurant.
Oishii offer takeaway and dine-in services. We thought going for an early dinner around 6:30pm would mean we wouldn't need a booking. However, when we arrived, the only tables available were outside along the pedestrian thoroughfare leading into the restaurant and to the cocktail lounge. Not that that was a huge problem. The evening was humid but no uncomfortably so. It was not so cramped that it felt like people would be knocking into us, and we had a great view of the lush lawn, the vineyards and (another) dam. What we did not expect, but understood the reasoning of, was that we were asked to pay for our meal after the waiter took our orders.
We started with a Chef's Special, the name of which I can't recall - something about "mermaids". It comprised of scallops, chilli, shallots and coriander in a deep-fried gyoza wrapper bowl. A squeeze of lemon and we ended up with another mouthwatering mix of flavours.
We selected Thai mains - massaman beef curry and stir-fried mixed seafood with onion and chilli jam - both flavoursome but not seeming that different from similar dishes we have had before. However, we selected a seafood salad to accompany our mains - salad greens, sashimi, seaweed with a Japanese dressing. It was light and delicious. Maybe with such hot weather we were craving these types of dishes over the curries and stir-fries.
Our whole weekend seemed to centre around food and the Hunter Valley is perfect place for that.
The Hand Made in the Hunter Markets include stalls that sell edible treats.
We stopped at Polkolbin Village and came away with teas and chocolates. I was unusually strong and only bought six chilli chocolates but they were as I remembered from our previous trip: rich, dark chocolate with a smooth, creamy centre that delivers a sharp bite of lingering chilli heat. They only just managed to survive the hot temperatures in the car and being crushed.
On Saturday afternoon we visited the Ogishi Craft Centre to visit the gallery and for coffee and chocolate. The chocolate was almost too pretty to eat!
We're heading back to the Hunter for a concert next year so looking forward to seeking out some new places and re-visiting some favourites.
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