The simple but complete
menu with lots of great choices:
The Beef Caesar salad –
chalmar beef tartare, pancetta, white anchovy, cos lettuce and lightly boiled
egg.
Fresh and simple, the
asparagus starter topped with tender chicken, and a truffled vinaigrette foam
Lynne’s starter of sashimi
of game fish – it was yellowtail, tuna and salmon. With nashi pieces (its a
Japanese pear), a spicy cucumber and seaweed salad, yuzu mayonnaise and a soy
dressing. No, she didn't eat the cucumber
but it was a fantastic dish
John started with the
smoked duck breast and confit duck leg set in a terrine with blueberries and
grilled sourdough bread. The smoked duck
breast was rather like bacon and the blueberries were the perfect accompaniment
to this rich paté
Slightly disconcerting
presentation of a great dish: Richard, our host, had the tender Mushroom stuffed
quail with pancetta, pearl onions, on crushed potatoes and a grape and
Chardonnay sauce.
Another guest had the
crispy pork belly with spicy Asian greens, mirin poached nashi (pears) and
crispy rice balls.
Three of us could not
resist the Venison loin with ox tongue, cauliflower puree, red onion and a
Marsala jus. Lynne would have liked Ox Tongue with a topping of venison loin!
A toast to life with their
extremely good Sauvignon blanc - one guest called it "sunshine in a glass". Light and refreshing, it was the best choice of
the day for those drinking white wine.
Our red wine choice was Simonsig SMV (Shiraz, Mourvedre, Viognier) 2010, which had delicious fruit and was light enough to go with lunch on a hot day. It was slightly chilled.
Only John could manage a
dessert and it was his normal passion for Chocolate that made him succumb to
the Valrhona chocolate terrine with cherries and a raspberry sherbet.
Two chose the cheese plate
with fresh figs and local preserves. The rest of us settled for coffee.
The view from the terrace
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013
