Food & Plonk
366 Pacific Hwy
Lindfield, NSW 2070
$$$$$

According to their website, Food & Plonk “marry modern european cuisine with ideal accompanying wines for your enjoyment.”

Well said.

Chris delighted me with a reservation for their 7-course food & wine + coffee degustation. We arrived smack on 6:30pm and for the next 4 hours, ATE OURSELVES SILLY.

But first things first. Food & Plonk is a cosy little restaurant nestled in Lindfield, probably the first time we’d eaten in the area. It’s fairly posh and their ala carte menu is mind-bogglingly expensive. Then again, our Degustation menu was approx $110pp, which is even MORE mind bogglingly expensive. Or maybe I’m just cheap & stingy. Anyhow, service was really impressive – non obtrusive, quietly friendly and very very efficient. So efficient, in fact, that our 1st course and matching wine arrived at our table barely 1 min after we sat down!

I liked the fact that the courses were matched with the appropriate fancy wine. I’ve never really been a wine person, because I’m averse to the whole “Oooh. Look at me. I drink wine. I’m so damn posh.” vibe that certain people like to give when they’re drinking their (cheap) wine. But I have to say, I quite enjoyed it matched with the food. Unfortunately, me being me, I proceeded to empty Chris’ glass as well ‘cos he didn’t want to drink all of his wine and I hate leaving leftovers! :X

And so we ate. And ate. And ate. I was walking to the bathroom afterwards and saw myself side-ways in the mirror, and was horrified to see myself three-months pregnant, or at least that’s what my belly looked like. Desperately tried to suck it in quickly, but to no avail. Poked at it and realised why – it was really hard ‘cos it was stuffed so full, so there was no room to suck it all in! Eep. There goes the whole “eat less” campaign I was trying to be on (though never quite even got started on!)

Anyway. Onto the grub:

1. Poppyseed bread with Olive Oil and Hazenut Vinegar, Sundried Tomato & Olive bread (not shown)
   The Poppyseed bread tasted just like regular white bread, but the Sundried Tomato & Olive bread was fantastic!! All moist with a mild flavour. The dipping oil was awesome too.
   
   
   

2. Scallop & Leek Mousse, Smoked Duck with Shallot and Chestnut Jam (with champagne)
   The mousse was a little too firm for my liking at first bite, but the flavours were rich and I was won over. Smoked Duck was utterly divine – full of meaty flavour toned down with the topping.
   
   
   

3. Ceviche of Atlantic Salmon with Crab and Lime Creme Fraiche (with Palliser Estate Sauvignon Blanc)
   Salmon was very thin and nothing spectacular, but the Crab and Lime Creme Fraiche was light yet full of flavour, with a generous helping. Delish!
   
   
   

4. Slow Roasted Female Belly of Pork served with Aubergene Caviar and Sage Veloute (with Burnt Spear Pinot Noir)
   Chris’ favourite of the night. The pork was meltingly soft with a super crisp crackling. Very very very good.
   
   
   

5. Open Ravioli of Cod and Saffron served with Pan Fried Baby Artichokes and Reisling Sauce (with Pennan Unwooded Chardonnay)
   This was just gorgeous! The cod was soft and mild, accentuated by the artichoke’s slightly salty flavour. Like a really posh carbonara sauce, to put it simply. The Chardonnay was a total star – all crisp and slightly sweet, our favourite wine of the night
   
   
   

6. Loin of Venison with Anchovy and Parsnip Tart, Sauce Soubise and Pancetta Wrapped Sweetbread (with Whistler, the Black Pepper, GSM wine)
   My favourite dish of the night!!! The venison was insanely tender and had a beautiful rich taste. I normally don’t eat venison as I don’t quite like the taste, but when done well, it’s spectacular.
   
   
   

7. Aged English Stilton with Apple & Raisin Chutney and Dried Herb Bread (with Warre 10 yr Vintage Port)
   First time tasting this cheese, and I’m sold. It was beautifully matched with the mild sweetness of the chutney and was so tasty but not filling. Came with a scattering of fresh pistachios and grapes, yum! The Port was gorgeous – all warm and full flavoured. Mmmm…. ahhhhh….
   
   
   

8. Bitter Chocolate Tart with Orange Marmalade and Thyme Ice Cream (with Gancia Brachetto D’acqui sparkling red dessert wine)
   This tart was heavenly. The chocolate was dark, but surprisingly fairly mild and creamy but not ‘heavy’ on the palette. The tart was in all it’s buttery glory and the orange marmalade gave the slighest zing to it. And INCREDIBLE dessert!!! We were in 7th heaven, about to keel over in bliss from it all 😉 Sparkling dessert wine was also delicious.
   
   
   

9. Peppermint Tea with Honey
   Ended the night with just some plain peppermint tea with a smidgen of honey. Was originally planning for a lovely Vanilla Latte, but by the time we got to the end, I was stuffed to the eyeballs and feeling a bit ill, so settled for some ‘good for your digestion’ peppermint tea.
   
   
   

THANK YOU sweetheart for pandering to my gluttony needs
and taking me for the nice dinner, “just because”! 🙂

Plonk & Seafood