Port Macquarie Getaway: Zebu

When the months were warmer – and I mean properly warm, not this half-arsed attempt at summer for a few days every few weeks – Monsieur Poisson and I ventured northwards to the seaside area of Port Macquarie for some sun and relaxation.

Dinner on the first evening was at the newly-opened Zebu, situated along the waterfront of Rydges Hotel. Far from your snooty or daggy hotel restaurant, Zebu’s trendy bar area is heaving with young crowds enjoying $10 pizzas and ‘Hump Day’ discounted drinks when we arrive. Actually, Zebu appears to have some sort of special promotion running almost every day of the week.

Hunter Escape: Restaurant Cuvée at Peterson House

The Hunter Valley has a particular charm in winter. Or perhaps it’s just me being sentimental as it was during winter a good few years ago that Monsieur Poisson and I took our first ever trip away together, and it was a trip to the Hunter. I remember it was a particularly busy and stressful period at work and I was most grateful to be removing myself to somewhere still and quiet – literally, as we stayed at a resort in Wollombi which has almost no mobile phone reception bar one carrier and then only in a small spot at the end of the bed. The days were gloriously sunny and our little cabin had a real, wood log fireplace to provide crackly warmth during the evenings and nights. It also provided many hours of entertainment for the somewhat pyromaniacal Monsieur Poisson.

The trip was so relaxing that, fast forward a few years, we find ourselves visiting the region again and staying at the same resort at roughly the same time of year. Of course for the non-wine drinker that is Monsieur Poisson, there is still plenty of fun to be had indulging in the food of the region.

The last time we visited the Hunter Valley we only had time to stop in at Petersons House for scones at afternoon tea. And, as with a lot of places in the Hunter Valley, Petersons House is not open for dinner so we make a point of trying them out for lunch this time around. We are seated at one of tables on the covered deck overlooking the winter-bare grapevines – check out that blue, cloudless sky! Partnered with the country-quiet and only the occasional chirp of a bird, we felt so far removed from our usual daily city life.

We start the lunch with half a dozen ‘Sydney rock oysters with nuoc cham’. The oysters are small but plump, and their briny juices add some needed saltiness to the pulpy nuoc cham. Monsieur Poisson follows this with ‘Grilled kangaroo loin with steamed asparagus, parmesan polenta and baby spinach with Peterson's wine jus’. The kangaroo is tender and juicy but, surprisingly, it’s the smooth and creamy polenta (I’m so used to grilled polenta being too compressed and dry) which has my heart captured.

A side of potato chips with Maldon sea salt has a distinct aroma of chips bought from fish and chip shops as a child, and has me waxing lyrical about chips from days of yore. And in light of the amount of food we’ve ordered, I decide on an entrée dish to have as a main to achieve some semblance of “balance”. The ‘Deboned spatchcock stuffed with sourdough and pistachios on matchstick potatoes’ fits the bill nicely, arriving with the bird reclining seductively on vermicelli-thin potato threads and surrounded by a syrupy glaze.

We give dessert a miss as we’re happily full and have plans to stop for gelato later. We do, however, pop into the Petersons House cellar door afterwards to sample some sparkling wines and come away with cute piccolo bottles of their Pink Blush Rosé.

Restaurant Cuvée, Petersons House

Corner of Broke Rd & Wine Country Drive, Pokolbin NSW

Tel: (02) 4998 7881

Opening Hours:  7 days  8:30am-11am (breakfast)

            12pm-3pm (lunch)

happy eating!

Kingsleys, 2 July 2009

Kingsleys at King Street is the original of this group of steakhouses and is located in a heritage-listed former soap and candle factory. It is now the only steakhouse left bearing its name – the other two being rebranded Steersons in recent years. They all roughly have the same menu however prices can differ slightly on various items. It sits somewhat hidden up a laneway/driveway coming off King Street between Kent and Sussex Streets, but there are signs visible from the footpath indicating its existence.

We have made a reservation for nine to eleven people for which we had to provide credit card details to secure it as a group booking. Many places have this sort of policy in place where there is a penalty fee should you cancel at the last minute or if the numbers reduce dramatically. I just wish restaurants would get into the habit to creating an email form through which to submit the required details as it is much easier than having to locate a fax machine.

I had read the food was quite nice but was a little dubious about their table service as many reports had said it was either rude or forgetful, and that diners had felt ‘discriminated against’ for not ordering wine. We do not experience any of this on the evening even with being a larger group, waiting for people to find parking and arrive, and for taking a while to decide what to order.

The inside of Kingsleys is a bit on the dark side with the look of an old homestead. It is quiet when we first arrive but the diners soon come flowing in through the doors and with them their conversation. It is quite cosy and our table is just next to the open kitchen, offering a great view of their activity as well as a display of meats.

We start off with a dozen oysters Kilpatrick to share. They are served on a deep bed of rock salt crystals and are topped with plenty of finely chopped bacon. The sauce is sweet with a bit of bite and doesn’t have that sometimes horrible tart taste from too much Worcestershire. The oysters are plump, fresh and slippery and are given a miss by those at our table who have an aversion to this sort of sensation in their mouths – more for the rest of us!

Down our long table we have too many steaks for me to photograph, but they consist mainly of either the Angus top sirloin with potato mash and red wine jus which I have or the Angus rib-eye with chips that Monsieur Poisson has ordered.

The steaks are smokily charred with fairly deep marks and are juicy within. Ms Change finds her sirloin has a chewy bit running through the centre but I don’t have the same problem with mine. The potato mash comes in a smoothly quenelled shape but is unfortunately only lukewarm. Monsieur Poisson has chosen to have chips with his steak and a side of Béarnaise sauce which attracts an added cost of $3.50.

We sit and chat for an extended period of time – expected when with a larger group – drinking only water. We do not find we are hassled in any way to leave or order any more food and, being quite full, we all decide to give dessert a miss as well.

Kingsleys

29a King St, Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9295 5080

Opening Hours:  Please note that the following times quoted from Kingsleys’ website differ from that on their sign depicted above. I would advise calling them to check.

Mon-Fri  12pm-3pm (lunch)

                                     6pm-10:30pm (dinner)

                        Sat  6pm-10:30pm (dinner only)

                        Sun  CLOSED

happy eating!