http://www.thedevonshire.com.au
Cloudy with a taste of duck
Thanks to Angela McCann from Red Urban for inviting me along to sample the Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir Duck Trail at The Devonshire with a few other food bloggers invited by Erica Valenti and Kate Talbot from This Is Mango. Taking the place of the much liked Smokehouse, which I never got to try, I’m very much liking the new décor and ambience with acoustic wall paneling for noise reduction and old-fashioned tea cups and antique-style mirrors adding warmth and character. And I must say, how nice is their toilet complete with Aesop hand wash, linen hand towels, Ecoya candle, vase of flowers and room to move — pity they could only fit a single unisex due to space limitations but it's done so well.
I’m no stranger to the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, or any Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for that matter, and soon learnt their Pinot Noir was also quite a nice drop on its own. The amuse-bouche of Salt fish brandade with parsley and preserved lemon was a nice start. A dozen of these would keep me happy with a beer. Nice touch of the preserved lemon in the mayo. The warm crusty bread with a side choice of honey butter and Lescure French butter was very good — I’ve never heard a table go so quiet with enjoyment. I chose the Scallops, squid, celeriac, pomegranate and golden raisins ($25) for entrée. Scallops were cooked nicely and topped with squid and had nicely balanced flavours although I’m not a visual fan of black squid ink on a plate and would probably have preferred a pea, pumpkin or cauliflower puree, or even a simple celeriac salad with the pomegranate and golden raisins with light dressing. The Macleay valley rabbit raviolo, king brown mushroom, tarragon and spinach ($22) was rather well sized with good flavours although the king brown mushroom was more subtle in taste than expected.
The main dish of Breast and sausage roll of duck, salsify, hazelnut and parsley ($46) went very nicely with the Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2009. The duck breast was tender and flavoursome and it’s the first time I’ve seen salsify on a menu which was well matched to the dish. I was in two minds about the sausage roll as I kept wanting to just pick it up and dip it into some tomato sauce — childhood habit I guess. I wondered if I would have preferred a bit more duck with some Asian style mushrooms and greens instead of the sausage roll so the duck could be the lone standout. The dessert of Devonshire tea crème brulee, scone ice-cream, cherry jam and whipped cream ($15) was a real treat with MasterChef invention moments somewhat playing around in my head. True to its name it reminded me of eating a scone with jam with a side taste of tea. Very clever and definitely worth trying for a devonshire tea twist.
Thanks to Angela McCann from Red Urban for inviting me along to sample the Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir Duck Trail at The Devonshire with a few other food bloggers invited by Erica Valenti and Kate Talbot from This Is Mango. Taking the place of the much liked Smokehouse, which I never got to try, I’m very much liking the new décor and ambience with acoustic wall paneling for noise reduction and old-fashioned tea cups and antique-style mirrors adding warmth and character. And I must say, how nice is their toilet complete with Aesop hand wash, linen hand towels, Ecoya candle, vase of flowers and room to move — pity they could only fit a single unisex due to space limitations but it's done so well.
I’m no stranger to the Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, or any Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for that matter, and soon learnt their Pinot Noir was also quite a nice drop on its own. The amuse-bouche of Salt fish brandade with parsley and preserved lemon was a nice start. A dozen of these would keep me happy with a beer. Nice touch of the preserved lemon in the mayo. The warm crusty bread with a side choice of honey butter and Lescure French butter was very good — I’ve never heard a table go so quiet with enjoyment. I chose the Scallops, squid, celeriac, pomegranate and golden raisins ($25) for entrée. Scallops were cooked nicely and topped with squid and had nicely balanced flavours although I’m not a visual fan of black squid ink on a plate and would probably have preferred a pea, pumpkin or cauliflower puree, or even a simple celeriac salad with the pomegranate and golden raisins with light dressing. The Macleay valley rabbit raviolo, king brown mushroom, tarragon and spinach ($22) was rather well sized with good flavours although the king brown mushroom was more subtle in taste than expected.
The main dish of Breast and sausage roll of duck, salsify, hazelnut and parsley ($46) went very nicely with the Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2009. The duck breast was tender and flavoursome and it’s the first time I’ve seen salsify on a menu which was well matched to the dish. I was in two minds about the sausage roll as I kept wanting to just pick it up and dip it into some tomato sauce — childhood habit I guess. I wondered if I would have preferred a bit more duck with some Asian style mushrooms and greens instead of the sausage roll so the duck could be the lone standout. The dessert of Devonshire tea crème brulee, scone ice-cream, cherry jam and whipped cream ($15) was a real treat with MasterChef invention moments somewhat playing around in my head. True to its name it reminded me of eating a scone with jam with a side taste of tea. Very clever and definitely worth trying for a devonshire tea twist.
SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Very nice décor and ambience, Quality ingredients, Professional service, Interesting menu and well-presented dishes, Very nice toilet albeit unisex
CONS: Space under table seemed quite narrow which felt tight when sitting (perhaps I’m just wide thighed), Single unisex toilet due to space limitations, Not the cheapest restaurant on the block and dishes can be quite rich
MUST TRY: Revisiting to try other dishes
WORTH TRYING: Devonshire tea crème brulee, scone ice-cream, cherry jam and whipped cream, Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir
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Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2009 Marlborough NZ
WORTH TRYING :-)
Amuse-bouche Salt fish brandade with parsley and preserved lemon
Fresh baked bread with honey butter and Lescure French Butter
Scallops, squid, celeriac, pomegranate and golden raisins ($25)
Macleay valley rabbit raviolo, king brown mushroom, tarragon and spinach ($22)
Mulloway dish for non-duck eater
Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir Duck Trail - Breast and sausage roll of duck, salsify, hazelnut and parsley with glass of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 2009 ($46)
Devonshire tea crème brulee, scone ice-cream, cherry jam and whipped cream ($15) — check out Chocolatesuze coloured finger nails
WORTH TRYING :-)
Chefs in the kitchen
Table setting and salt and pepper
Seating and decor
Cosy table for ten
Very nice toilet (Gold Star) although only one unisex available
Feedback/Bill cup and saucer, Leg room under table is a bit tight and narrow
Wine and flowers
Spirits on standby for your favourite drink
