We can’t believe we are already three weeks deep into May. This week we were treated to two authentic pastas by Trecento & Fenway Public House. We had a traditional family recipe at Turkish Pide House Woden. Teddy Pickers delighted us with a GourMay dessert. Bentspoke’s Macadamia crumbed pan salmon proved pub food can be gourmet. Boffins created a paddock to plate experience with their Iron steak & pine mushrooms. And Chifley’s Bar & Grill served up a lamb shank which fell off the bone. All in all, local experiences OutInCanberra will never forget.
Here is a snap shot of the week that has just been.
Catch up on the entire month on our GourMay platform.
Trecento
Linguine Zucca
What is more gourmet than simple Italian cooking. At Trecento we polished off a plate of pasta which was creamy and rich, without being too heavy and released smoky notes from the speck. The Linguine Zucca tames the La Crema Monterey 2017 Chardonnay which can be described as a little wild. The buttery oak flavours pair well with the creaminess of the pumpkin puree, and its acidity cuts through the oils and fat from the speck.
Turkish Pide House Woden
Antep Lavash
At Turkish Pide House we took time to celebrate local families and purveyors who keep the old traditions alive. The Antep Lavash uses traditional Turkish bread. Two meats are used to bring this dish to life. Harissa spiced kofta for a kick of heat and slow cooked lamb shoulder which breaks apart and is incredibly juicy. Served with grilled tomato, fresh tomatoes and topped with a family secret recipe of garlic yogurt sauce. Strawberry, watermelon juice with mint designed to perfectly cut through the spice of the kofta.
Fenway Public House
Seafood Linguini
From the carefully selected South Coast seafood to the hand rolled pasta and the traditional red sauce this a dish you’ll never tire of. Packed with sautéed king prawns, fresh squid, and black muscles, all the flavours are brought together with the help of chilli, basil and garlic. Paired with the Ricca Terra, Bullets Before Cannonballs, a South Australian blend of Nero d’Avola, Lagrein, Negroamaro, and Tempranillo. This wine is light on the pallet and full bodied in flavour.
Teddy Pickers
Teddy’s French Toast
Pressed French toast, poached apple, jelly, vanilla bean ice cream, custard, milk crumb. If you tried this dish blind folded, you could be forgiven for passing it as pudding, French toast or even apple crumble because of the many sweet flavours it encapsulates. We washed the sweet away with a bit of spice. The Vermont Chai by local supplier Tea Garden Co is spicy and warming, based on a bold Indian Assam which is known to be bursting with sweetness of maple.
Bentspoke Brewing Co
Macadamia Crumb Salmon
Who said a pub can’t be fancy? At Bentspoke Brewing Co they know good beer needs be consumed with good people and great food. Pan roasted barramundi with toasted macadamias, homemade potato scallops, green beans and Bent salad. To wash our barramundi down, we went with one of the lighter, award-winning Barley Griffin. Creating craft beer locals love is no easy feat, Bentspoke’s popularity and passion for what they do deserves a place on the GourMay calendar.
Boffins
Iron Steak
We were in awe of the Boxgum Grazing steak with pine mushrooms, charred onion and horseradish. The most impressive thing about this dish was the provenance of the pine mushrooms. Foraged by the Boffins chef himself and delivered straight to our plate for an amazing paddock to plate GourMay experience. The intensity and richness of the The Dark Horse vineyard ‘Exaltation’ is a perfect match for the earthy flavours of the iron-steak, and French oak influence will enhance the complexity and density of the palate.
Chifley’s Bar & Grill
Red wine and rosemary braised lamb shank
In the warm and nostalgic interior of Chifley’s overlooking the hotel gardens, a dish was served that payed homage to their classic theme. The lamb shank is locally sourced from Cowra and made with a home-style technique, braised in local red wine and fragrant rosemary for at least two hours until the meat is ready to fall off the bone. The Nick O’Leary Shiraz is carried through the whole experience as it is the same wine in which the lamb was cooked to flawlessly complement the dish.
