Pendolino

On arriving back in Sydney, we quickly unpacked and made our way in to the city. We were on our way to pick up a new piece for the collection and our friend Mr. Time Dealer was taking us out for dinner. After a good inspection of the new watch, we made our way upstairs to Pendolino in the Strand Arcade. 

We were a little early for dinner so we sat in the outside area of the restaurant and enjoyed a glass of prosecco. At 6 we were taken in to our table. 

This was Vikki's first visit to Pendolino and she was quite surprised at the size of the restaurant. The restaurant stretches along the George Street side of the building. The lighting was dimmed, exposed brick walls were on 3 sides of the room, the fourth lined with shelves of  Italian and local wines; cast iron scroll work, dark woods, Bentwood chairs all gave a relaxed and casual feel. Surprsingly, for a Monday night the restaurant was very busy.

First job was choosing some wine. Vikki was given the task, but being unsure she consulted the sommelier on her two choices and we went with her number two choice of Tenuta Gorghi Tondi, Coste A Preola, Nerro d'Avola from Sicily. Wow, not too heavy, very easy to drink and with lots of character and flavour. Nice to try something new and different that really excites you. The sad part is we haven't found a bottle shop in Sydney that sells it.

For entree Mr. Time Dealer and I both had the Alba style free-range raw beef carpaccio with truffled white walnut puree, Testun di Barolo cheese, rocket cress, wild baby olives and handmade rosemary grissini. Testun Di Barolo cheese is cheese that has had the grapes that have been pressed to make Barolo wine, pressed onto the cheese surface during maturation.

Vikki went a bit vegetarian and had Beetroot salad with burrata, fresh mint, beetroot jelly, crisp breadcrumbs, Pendolino Aceto Secco Vinegar and King Island Ligurian honey dressing. Burrata is one of Vikki's favourite Italian cheeses and is similar to a mozzarella but with a lovely, soft, almost liquid centre. 

For mains Mr. Time Dealer and I both chose the same dish again, Ten hour slow cooked British breed beef, parsnip puree, grilled green shallots, pearl garlic, amarena sour cherry sauce. We really enjoyed it very much, after ten hours cooking the beef was very tender and moist.

I knew what Vikki was going to have before she finished choosing the wine. I know she loves a slow cooked pork belly and there it was on the menu, Milk braised pork belly with house made pork belly, sage & pistachio sausage,  warm fava and controne bean salad. 

As we were having a great time we decided to have some dessert. Mr. Time Dealer and I again followed each other and ordered Black chocolate millefeuille with blackcurrant and blackberry sorbet, blackberry sauce. When it came out I was amazed to see that the pastry layers had been made with chocolate.

Vikki ordered the  Blood orange olive oil ricotta fritters with “Fior di Latte” vanilla sorbet. The aroma as this was bought to the table was absolutely amazing.  The orange and orange blossom scent was very pleasant.

After a fantastic meal it was time to say goodnight to Mr. Time Dealer and stretch our legs a little before heading our seperate ways. 

Cassegrain Winery and Ca Marche Restaurant

A regular stop when Vikki and I travel to Coffs Harbour for a holiday, is Cassegrain Winery at Port Macquarie. We usually have a quick taste and as our timing usually gets us there at lunch time, we take advantage of the opportunity to break our journey with a leisurely lunch.

The entry to the tasting room is through the barrel hall, rich with the smells of wine maturing.

After a quick tasting session it was time to have some lunch. Ca Marche overlooks the vines with ample indoor and al fresco dining areas. The menu features produce predominantly from local producers. 

We decided to start our lunch with some warm damper served with relish, extra virgin olive oil and artichoke dip. We also decided to share the charcuterie plate. Terrine, pate, smoked salmon, prosciutto, with artichokes, confit garlic, cornichons, sundried tomatoes and crusty bread. Very filling and we still had mains to go.

For mains Vikki chose a chicken breast stuffed and then wrapped in prosciutto, roesti, asparagus and confit cherry tomatoes.

Nothing beats fresh seafood especially when it is local, so I chose the seafood plate with Balmain bugs, local calamari and scallops.

After all that we decided to have dessert before hitting the road again. We thought we were getting the lightest item on the dessert menu by choosing the chef’s specialty French cinnamon doughnuts served with a warm amaretto chocolate Grenache and orange scented mascarpone. We were slightly mistaken but enjoyed them very much. Gave us a good sugar hit for the next leg of our trip.