Being inner city Sydneysiders, Mr FBC and I consider anything more than a 15 minute drive away to be far, far away (it's all relative!). So, considering our evening drive for dinner in the Hunter Valley this weekend will take 30-40 minutes sure makes our destination, Margan Restaurant in Broke, feel very distant.
Margan Restaurant is part of the Margan Winery in Broke Fordwich. I'm instantly attracted to the restaurant from the blurb I read on their website and how committed these guys are to using fresh produce and reducing their overall carbon footprint.
"Being farmers, we are committed to looking after the land so that it is able to look after us for generations to come. As such, we are determined to ensure our carbon footprint is as small as possible. Our one acre fruit and vegetable garden is a labour of love as well as a sustainable way we can reduce our food miles. We base our menus around the seasons and in particular, what we are harvesting from the garden right now. What is not used in the kitchen goes to the chickens who very kindly supply us with eggs for the menu and compost for the garden (the chicken or the egg?). The water falls from the sky, so we offer you fresh rainwater, filtered and free. The wine comes from the grapes grown on our vineyards right here in Broke Fordwich and made in the winery behind where you sit. We freshly prepare most menu items from scratch in our kitchen, including our signature gelati, pasta, smallgoods, pastries, etc"
Ahh...warm and fuzzies. I already feel like I'm being a good samaritan just by choosing to eat here.
After what seems like forever along dark country roads, we arrive at Margan and it's pitch black all around except for the glimmer of light (and hope) emanating from the restaurant.
Arriving inside the restaurant, we are warmly greeted by our waitress for the evening. I'm immediately wowed at the interior design of this place. There's a warm log fire burning, textured concrete walls and there's lots of dark moody lighting. Even though this is meant to be a nice romantic dinner for Mr FBC and I, being the nerdy foodbloggers, we are relieved when we are led to a table in a reasonably well lit corner. It's all for the sake of getting the good food porn shots!
Log Fire
Margan's menu offers quite an extensive list of tasting plates. You can get 3 tasting courses for $60, 4 tasting courses for $75 or 5 tasting courses for $90. We're told that the tasting plates are a tad smaller than an entree size so Mr FBC and I decide to get 4 courses each. And, since we have an unspoken rule about going half/half with all the dishes, we effectively get to try 8 dishes in total. It's a win-win. The next big decision is what to order....
It takes a while, but finally we decide.
Mr FBC chose these four dishes -
Broth of poached chicken, risoni and free range egg finished with shaved bottarga
Slow braised lamb shoulder, beluga lentils, pumpkin, smoked eggplant and goats curd
Twice cooked pork belly, red cabbage, cavolo nero and caramelised apple puree
Chocolate fondant with caramel ice cream and salted vanilla hazelnuts
And I chose the these four -
- Seared pepper crusted kingfish, crispy silverbeet and anchovy mayonnaise
- Saute of white beans with spanish morcilla, scallops and picada
- Confit duck parcel and seared breast on celeriac puree with leek, wild honey and verjuice.
- Cheese cigar with Tarago Shadows of Blue and quince
To start with, we're provided with these delicious canapes - cute little crumbed pork balls bursting with flavour.
Complimentary Canape - Crumbed Pork Balls
Our first tasting plates arrive. Mr FBC's broth of poached chicken and risoni is topped with a bright yellow yolk. Mixing the yolk in with the broth produces a beautifully creamy texture.
Broth of poached chicken, risoni and free range egg finished with shaved bottarga
My first course, seared pepper crusted kingfish, silverbeet and anchovy mayonnaise was delightful. The kingfish was light and fresh and I loved the crunch of the the fried silverbeet and the salty tang of the mayonnaise.
Seared pepper crusted kingfish, crispy silverbeet and anchovy mayonnaise
Slow braised lamb shoulder, beluga lentils, pumpkin, smoked eggplant and goats curd
Taste plate no. 2 arrives shorty. My FBC's lamb beautiful and just falls apart in the mouth. The goats curd adds a nice creamy saltiness and the sprinkling of pomegrantes adds a lovely sweetness to the dish.
Saute of white beans with spanish morcilla, scallops and picada
My scallops were very delicate and plump morsels. I wasn't sure what a 'spanish morcilla' was but it tasted like a very rich and dense sausage. (Note: I just 'googled' it and found out it's a spanish blood sausage - interesting. I'm glad I didn't know as I might not have picked it!).
Twice cooked pork belly, red cabbage, cavolo nero and caramelised apple puree
Mr FBC's pork belly was really delicious - the meat was tender and sweet with a lovely crunchy crackling. Neither Mr FBC and I knew what cavolo nero was but we figured it was the vegetable that looked a bit like spinach? That was a pretty good guess - another 'google' search reveals that cavolo nero is an Italian black cabbage or kale.
Confit duck parcel and seared breast on celeriac puree with leek, wild honey and verjuice
I chose the duck dish because it had verjuice which reminded me of Maggie Beer and a documentary I watched about her quest to introduce Australia to verjuice - the juice of unfermented grapes. Anyway, it was a good choice. The confit duck parcel was a bit like a duck meatball. The seared duck breasts were very succulent and the sweet sauce worked well with the duck.
We have a bit of a break to rest our stomachs before tasting plate 4 (aka dessert) arrives. We take this time to have a look at the interiors again. There's a beautiful cellar room that our table overlooks. I think they must have functions there - I could picture this restaurant being a wonderfully romantic place for a wedding. We also have time to do a bit of eavesdropping on what other tables are ordering. A group of 8 people near us decide to order 3 courses. I want to say - "go for at least 4 course people!"... but I only manage to say it loudly in my head.
Chocolate fondant with caramel ice cream and salted vanilla hazelnuts
Desserts arrive and we realise that our night is nearly coming to an end (sigh:( ). There's a bit of a drumroll before Mr FBC cracks open his chocolate fondant. Will it or won't it be gooey on the inside?? The suspense.... it's gooey, chocolately and very decadent.
Cheese cigar with Tarago Shadows of Blue and quince
I'm really impressed when my dessert arrives. I think I was just expecting a bit of cheese and crackers. The cheese cigar is filled with 'Tarago Shadows of Blue' which is a rich double cream blue vein cheese which has been rolled in pastry and deep fried. The sweetness of the quince sauce works really well with the cheese. Mr FBC finds it a bit too rich but I love it - being the 'cheese fiend' that I am.
It's been a wonderful night of decadent eating. Mr FBC and I were really impressed with Margan - it has both an original menu and the chefs also seem to use fresh and local produce. It was defintely worth the trek there (and back).
Margan Restaurant
1238 Milbrodale Road,Broke NSW 2330
ph: 6579 1317
Open for Lunch - Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Dinner - Friday and Saturday
Breakfast - Sunday
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One word: wow!
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous - it was definitely one of those 'wow' dining experiences... where you have no real expectations and you get blown away.
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