Asparagus, sea butter, olive plant
Raw pea & lemon aspen tart, Brook trout & nut butter crisp
Prawn, nasturtium, finger lime
Iced Oyster, Beef tendon & mountain pepper
Chilled broth of broad bean, green almond, strawberry, fig leaf & yoghurt whey
Sourdough (made from hand milled wheat and baked on site) & freshly churned butter (made from locally sourced jersey cows)
Calamari, black lip abalone, broccoli & blue mackerel
Artichokes & salt grass lamb washed with mussel juice & citrus
Potato & jerusalem artichoke crisps served with a single poached yolk
Bass groper, cured back fat, walnut & butter braised turnip
Aged Pekin duck wood roasted on the bone, quandong, dried liver
Milk, honey & mandarin
Parsnip & apple
Rhubarb, pistachio, blood & preserved blackberry
Overall:
I visited Brae late last year so this post is a bit overdue.
Impressively ranked at number 87 in the world’s 100 best restaurants list of 2015, Brae is undeniably a place where you will find quality food and innovation. Located 130km southwest of Melbourne in the small town of Birregurra, our visit to Brae was indeed a fun little road trip. As soon as we arrived we noticed some construction happening right next to the parking lot. We later found out that this was to become six on-site accommodation suites which will open from February 2016.
As we stepped into the simple weatherboard farmhouse, we were warmly greeted and guided to our seats. Service throughout our meal was exceptional (as to be expected), with the staff being friendly, courteous and efficient. The origins of each dish was diligently explained and all my random questions about the food and the restaurant were happily answered. The atmosphere in the dining area was bright and comfortable, and we were also able to get a glimpse into the kitchen from our table which was nice.
A great deal of care and attention to detail was seen with the presentation of each dish, and although I throughly enjoyed sampling everything on their degustation menu, I did have my favourites and my not-so-favourites. My not-so-favourite was easily the asparagus. Sure it was fresh and crisp, but a single stalk of asparagus does not get me salivating. Luckily the asparagus was served first because it all went uphill from there. The absolute stand out dishes for me were the prawns and the iced oyster. The prawn heads and the prawn parcels bursted with amazing flavours, while the iced oyster turned out to be sweet and creamy, similar to a deliciously smooth ice cream with a gentle hint of oyster.
Our visit to Brae was a lovely experience and it is a great place to head to for memorable world class food.
Brae
4285 Cape Otway Rd, Birregurra, VIC
(03) 5236 2226
DAMMIT JANET I LOVE FOOD 