After winning fans at Canberra’s A Baker and cooking at Temporada, chef Adam Bantock has escaped to the country with some grand designs for regional cuisine. He’s taken to heart the concept of home-grown hospitality, transforming part of his family cottage into a 50-seat eatery. The cooking is fittingly accessible, eschewing culinary chicanery in favour of respect for produce, and classic French and Italian combinations. Local olives and pork rillettes with pickled plum make good snacks. Agnolotti of duck, orange and parmesan highlight a technical deftness, and fine seafood underpins a vibrant dish of prawns, clams and fregola dressed with lemon and chilli. The blue ribbon goes to his subtle nod to the Sunday roast in the form of lamb rump with the nuttiness of pumpkin, burnt butter and raisins. In an area home to plantings from Clonakilla and Ravensworth, a wine list dedicated to local drops is a no-brainer.
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide
Wine: ★
Gourmet Traveller’s star-ratings, which range from zero to three stars, reflect reviewers’ first-hand experiences. The best-rated restaurants form our national Top 100. Our wine ratings, from zero to three stars, are made by wine editor Max Allen on the strength of the quality of the restaurant’s wine list. View our rating key here.
