ferment Asian restaurant review

A delightful lunch today to celebrate Grace’s godmother’s graduation from university.  A large group of family and friends went to ferment Asian in the pretty town of Tanunda.  Ferment Asian is located in a lovely old stone building that has been thoughtfully restored and you dine in one of the three front rooms.  Our group was large enough to warrant our own room, with two tables and two highchairs (good old Ikea again!).

To keep the Hungry Twins satisfied until the real food came out, they snacked on homemade bread sandwiches – peanut butter and vegemite (not in the same sandwich of course!).

Bring on the real food….

Where’s the wagyu?

Those were gone in a trice, so it was onto a few sheets of plastic cheese, which is always a winner.  That gone, we turned to grapes but were saved by the arrival of some delicious entrees.   The Hungry Twins decided that the grilled wagyu beef in betel leeves was pretty special (more please!) and the sticky caramelised pork was a pretty close second.   This was followed by the Hanoi spring rolls, a particular favourite of mine (one of our friends professes them to be the “BEST” spring rolls he has even eaten – and he has eaten a few!).

Onto a super-fresh beef salad (made from local beef) that didn’t last long.  The Hungry Twins were lucky to get any…..  This was followed by the best calamari I’ve ever eaten, stir fried and served with chilli jam, although it was not appreciated by the Hungry Twins.  No problem – all the more for me!  The Berkshire pork belly (again, locally produced by some fabulous farmers that we know) cooked with ginger and orange sauce resurrected the Hungry Twins’ interest (they had eaten a lot by this time).

After a bit of a rest, dessert was required.  I ordered the lime brûlée (probably the best brûlée I’ve had, and I’ve had a few) and my husband had the chocolate mousse with lemongrass.  We were lucky to get any as the Hungry Twins decided they still had some room and proceeded to devour the desserts and then lick the bowls!

Any more mousse?

Can I have some more brûlée?

The Hungry Twins are still getting over their colds and had a few “moments”, but these were saved by a quick visit out the front to the fountain – can’t beat water!

All in all, it was a delicious meal – fresh and super tasty.  The chef owner, Tuoi Do and her partner sommelier, Grant, put on a wonderful spread.  They (and their staff) were very accommodating with the Hungry Twins – and they were very polite about the mess the girls left on the floor (plus they have a parent’s change room)!  The wine list at ferment Asian is extensive, but you can also bring your own ($15 corkage per bottle, which is pretty reasonable).  Although all of us had brought a bottle, we did have to break into the wine menu….  The food is great and while spicy (but not “hot”), it is definitely something the Hungry Twins found fabulous.  We will be back…..

http://www.fermentasian.com.au

PS: the Hungry Twins felt right at home at ferment Asian – it’s very much a family affair there.  Tuoi Do and Grant’s two daughters (one only 14 weeks old) were there to say hello and I spotted Tuoi Do’s parents in the kitchen….  And they grow a lot of their own fresh herbs and veg (yum).

Cafe Y Restaurant Review

Instead of going to the beach (too hot) we decided to have wood-fired pizzas for Sunday lunch.  And instead of making them ourselves i(t was Sunday after all), we went to Cafe Y at Chateau Yaldara, near Lyndoch.  Pleased we did!  We have been to Cafe Y many times and have enjoyed the delicious pizzas that come out of the giant wood-fired oven.  The Hungry Twins had been before, but at the time they were still only on milk, so no pizza for them!

This time, it was pizza all round.  Skye thought the Margarita was best and Grace like the Marrakesh chicken.  Both delicious and covered in garlic (yum – all small children seem to love garlic).  The olives from the greek salad were enjoyed by the Hungry Twins as well and we even managed to eat a few ourselves.

Cafe Y is a lovely place for a lazy Sunday pizza.  Situated next to a small creek, Godfrey the resident goose (and his friend) will come and eat bread tossed from the window.  There is wine by the glass (always useful if you have to drive home) and the pizzas are very tasty (they also have an a la carte menu ).  The place is nice and loud, so any noise from children just disappears into the general din.  No high chairs, so we brought our booster seats.  If you can book the gazebo, do – it has a couple of couches and plenty of space for small children to rummage around.  The team at Cafe Y are always friendly and accommodating and the coffee is pretty good too! Afterwards, you can always stroll over to the Chateau Yaldara winery for some tasting……

http://www.cafey.com.au

Hentley Farm Restaurant Review

Enjoyed lunch at the fabulous Hentley Farm Restaurant in the Barossa Valley on Saturday with our good friend, Dr D.  We have been a number of times since the restaurant opened last year and each time we have taken the girls.  Not only is the food always brilliant (and the wine perfectly matched as well), we have found the team at Hentley Farm to be extremely accommodating with the twins.  This last visit we arranged to bring our portable high chairs for the girls.  We also brought food from home for the girls to eat until the delicious fare arrived and then the twins shared from our plates.

Grace and Skye lived up to their reputation as Hungry Twins!!  Who knew that one-year olds love Kingfish carpaccio?  I might have to learn how to prepare it myself, they enjoyed it so much.  The girls devoured the duck dish and were each presented with the wicked dessert popsicle by executive chef, Lachlan, himself.  Next time we go (and there will be a next time!), I think they will have to have their own plates.

On our each of our visits to this wonderful restaurant, I can’t recall seeing any other children.  I’m not sure why that is, as we have always felt welcome and the girls have enjoyed themselves.  Perhaps people don’t want to drag their children around to a winery and then a restaurant? Give it a go, it is well worth the trip!  It is a great opportunity to get your kids to try new flavours and textures as well….

Hentley Farm have a set menu (I guess you would call it a “degustation”), either four or eight dishes, with or without matched wines.  I recommend go with the matched wines – it is excellent value.  The menu changes all the time and has seasonal and local produce.  We have always chosen the shorter four course “Menu de Jour” as the girls probably wouldn’t cope with being stuck in a restaurant for the longer menu, but one day we will try it.  The winery is well worth a visit too!!

http://www.hentleyfarm.com.au/home/the-restaurant.html

My husband and one of the twins on our first visit to Hentley Farm Restaurant on Mothers’ Day