This is how to do an elegant lunch! You walk off busy Commercial Street into Redfins - the posh eating area of the Gambier Hotel - a quiet large room with tables set well apart and a scattering of ladies-who-lunch chatting: a waiter approaches immediately and offers you a nicely set table - yes, it's a paper tablecloth but for lunch that's OK: I'm going to get baguette crumbs all over it anyway.
The carafe of water and glasses appear without me asking and menus are left for a quick perusal. The risottos look interesting, but it's a hot day so a roast chicken baguette appeals and a nice glass of Di Giorgio chardonnay, not too wooded. There's barely time for a sip and the baguette arrives along with partner's leg ham focaccia, both accompanied by shoe-string chips. I can take or leave the chips - actually I took them - but both sandwiches are terrific: crunchy baguette crust and soft inside with plenty of proper roast chicken (not that pressed stuff) moistened with mayo and lettuce. The focaccia has been grilled which flattens it nicely to something you can fit in your mouth - not like the fat stodge that passes for focaccia across the road.
Two lattes later and we're out of there in 40 minutes, much refreshed by a delicious quick lunch with fast friendly service. Only one minor quibble about the blackboard specials: crayfish thermidor is not spelled "thermador".
10/10 for Redfins lunch!
Thursday, December 7, 2006
Dinner at The Vanilla Bean Café Mount Gambier South Australia
Dining out in Mount Gambier can be a chancy affair but this week we had a pleasant experience at the Vanilla Bean Café in Commercial Street West. Formerly Café Luna, it's now under new and enthusiastic ownership with Nick presiding over the kitchen and Kylie in charge of front-of-house and new decor featuring a huge mural of a funky vanilla bean vine.
We were rather disconcerted to find the café buzzing with 30-odd members of the Coonawarra Black Swans Beefsteak & Burgundy Club, all quaffing mint juleps and talking at the tops of their voices but we were greeted by a pleasant waiter and led to a table in a (relatively) quiet spot which gave us a good view of the proceedings when Elvis Presley dropped in to serenade the club members with Devil in Disguise, in keeping with their theme of A Southern Feast Fit For a King.
Their entrée was looking good so we ordered a similar dish, the beef salad, which was a generous serving of very fresh salad greens topped with tender beef strips and served with the house-made dressing, sweetened only by roast garlic. For anyone who loves garlic, this is the dish. The waiter wields a pepper-grinder nearly as tall as she is - but hey, it's Christmas! On such a hot night sparkling wine felt like the way to go so we ordered a bottle of Di Giorgio even though piccolos are available for those not wanting more. There's a good array of wines on display which Kylie is constantly adding to.
For main course we couldn't go past the prawns - crunchy and fresh and complementing the sparkling wine beautifully. Black Swans had Southern-Fried Chicken of course! with little cornbreads that looked very good.
10/10 to Nick, Kylie and their staff. Keep up the good work guys and let me know when Elvis is due again, because I'll be there.
We were rather disconcerted to find the café buzzing with 30-odd members of the Coonawarra Black Swans Beefsteak & Burgundy Club, all quaffing mint juleps and talking at the tops of their voices but we were greeted by a pleasant waiter and led to a table in a (relatively) quiet spot which gave us a good view of the proceedings when Elvis Presley dropped in to serenade the club members with Devil in Disguise, in keeping with their theme of A Southern Feast Fit For a King.
Their entrée was looking good so we ordered a similar dish, the beef salad, which was a generous serving of very fresh salad greens topped with tender beef strips and served with the house-made dressing, sweetened only by roast garlic. For anyone who loves garlic, this is the dish. The waiter wields a pepper-grinder nearly as tall as she is - but hey, it's Christmas! On such a hot night sparkling wine felt like the way to go so we ordered a bottle of Di Giorgio even though piccolos are available for those not wanting more. There's a good array of wines on display which Kylie is constantly adding to.
For main course we couldn't go past the prawns - crunchy and fresh and complementing the sparkling wine beautifully. Black Swans had Southern-Fried Chicken of course! with little cornbreads that looked very good.
10/10 to Nick, Kylie and their staff. Keep up the good work guys and let me know when Elvis is due again, because I'll be there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)