October 2020 Lunch – Wednesday, October 7, 2020

The members met up again for a lunch in October at a Moroccan & Spanish Tapas restaurant at the Spit Bridge area, Mosman.

The lunch was well attended and the restaurant was Covid compliant.

The menu was based on small bites to eat as entrees and then moved onto two tagines for the main course.

We started with Za’atar Pizza Crust and a Tuna Tartar.

These were served with a glass of Andre Chemin Blanc de Noirs.

This 100% pinot noir sparkling had a rich and intense flavour of green apple, a hint of fresh acidity and a slight savoury finish. This wine matched well with the above two starters as well as the following three dishes.

Za’atar Pizza Crust

Tuna Tartar

The three following dishes were Gambas Al Ajillo and Mushrooms which were more Spanish style food and the B’stilla Finger was a phillo pastry finger filled with chicken, rice, almonds and served with an orange sauce.

Gambas Al Ajillo

Mushrooms with garlic

B’Stilla Finger

This food was also paired with a Kirrihill & Co Riesling from the Watervale sub region of the Clare Valley, South Australia. This wine presented with lots of lime and florals on the nose, light palate of intense citrus and stonefruit. A good match for the food.

The bigger dishes arrived in steaming hot tagines on the tables and after a co-ordinated lifting of the lids revealed a Spatchcock Tagine and Lamb Tagine.

The spatchcock tagine had a tangy citrus sauce with with green olives.

The lamb was traditional with apricots and prunes, sultanas and pine nuts. Both were well flavoured and were served with a Will Taylor Cabernet from Coonawarra region, South Australia. This wine was reasonably full bodied, with plush fruits and suptle tannins.

This main course was accompanied with :

Deep fried cauliflower and cous cous

Deep fried cauliflower

Traditional cous cous

We finished the Moroccan experience with almond biscuits and a glass of mint tea. The hosts were attentive and the little touches of the menu rolled up with fresh rose petals inside were appreciated by the ladies.

Almond biscuits

September 2020 lunch Wednesday 2 September

A group of members were very happy to be able to visit a restaurant after being in semi lockdown for several months and not eating out at restaurants. The restaurant chosen was in an inner western suburb of Sydney and applied the compliance measures required to be able to accommodate our group in safety.

We started the lunch with a celebratory glass of Lillet Blanc served with ice.

This well known French aperitif was greeted with cheers from the ladies.

The menu consisted of three starters :

Daily Baked Foccacia and OPR Olive Oil with Split pea dip

Coral Trout Crudo, Oyster Cream, White Soy, Fingerlime

Salt Cod Fritters

These three starters were all tasty. The split pea dip was unusual and paired well with the focaccia. The coral trout crudo was a flavour bomb in the mouth and the salted cod fritters, whilst a delicate flavour, the chilli mayo gave them a taste lift.

The white wine served was a Domaine de la Belle Mare, Picpoul Languedoc, France 2019. This wine matched well with each of the three starters.

The next course was a Roasted Cauliflower, Almond Cream, Oregano & Pomegranate to share

A very tasty middle eastern style vegetable dish

Another white wine was served – Cantina di Dolianova, Vermentina 2018

A good wine pairing to balance the stronger flavours of the food.

The main course was a Sweet and Sticky Beef Shin roasted for several hours and pulled apart at the table to then serve on plates.

This meat was cooked for the required amount of time and melted in the mouth. The sweet and sticky sauce was a perfect accompaniment.

The beef was served with twice cooked crispy potatoes and broccolini, bagna cauda, chilli and egg.

The perfect red wine match was a a Prova Monaciello Aglianico Adelaide Hills 2014. This wine was another example of an Italian grape variety being grown in the Adelaide Hills and producing what the wine maker believes is a good version to wine made from the same grapes in Italy.

The dessert was a Baked Whey & Vanilla Bean Custard, with dried Davidson Plum

This light dessert was a fitting end to a flavoursome lunch.

The dessert was accompanied with a Glenguin ‘The Sticky Botrytis’ Semillon, Hunter Valley NSW 2017. A good match with the creamy flavour of the custard.

The consensus was that the food was cooked well and presented at the table perfectly. The variety of wines matched well with the food and a good time was had by all.