Good Wine

Etta – Brunswick East – Dinner
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Etta – Brunswick East – Dinner

There’s a reason there are countless lists and guides all over the internet and traditional media. Over time my infatuation has subsided to a degree, but I still find a strong desire to venture to list toppers.

As an example of this, while I didn’t book the minute it won best restaurant in Victoria for Gourmet Traveller, I still put Etta on my list of “places to try” in my phone’s notes. It’s a little awkward getting to Brunswick, and often groups or work circles won’t do the distance. This time we had circumstance go in our favour.

For one, we were going to be nearby anyway, and Catherine was driving. As I told a few people either we were going (in the lead up), or had been, I realised we are not alone in our thoughts about Brunswick. However, I’m an advocate for the area, and every time we are in this part of the north I would like to be back sooner.

That goes for Etta too. It was stunning. On the way home Catherine asked me to stop going on about how much I enjoyed it! Some of the dishes were outstanding. For the majority of the evening, service was great, and throughout the atmosphere was energetic and vibrant.

One of the early dishes had me spellbound with incredibly prepared abalone that is like no abalone I’ve ever tried. This Greenlip abalone and lardo skewer must give the chefs the same feeling as when a robber cracks a safe.

Next is the tried and tested entrée favourite of anything raw and fishy with acid. Don’t get me wrong, there is a reason why most groups I dine with have these types of dishes in their requests. It delivers on freshness, has a healthiness aura, and awakens the palate. Here, the tuna crudo is spectacular – it is packed with serious depth of flavour. It’s like your favourite gelato in Italy. Even when you are surrounded by excellent gelato everywhere you can still find that one that stands out for you.

The excellence kept coming from the kitchen. Red curry rice salad was a nice crisp addition to our mains, and worthy of inclusion in isolation too. Tempura enoki with charred wombok and shiitake mushrooms is a different and delicious shared main. Rainbow trout comes out as a nicely cooked fillet of fish that can be shared in a group, but is equally as nice as a sole main. Finally, the grilled half chicken was perfectly cooked and added a meat element to a largely seafood focussed meal. I even rated the Ramarro farm leaves to break it up.

The list of wines by the glass keep your interest, and meet the versatility of flavours on the menu. Favourite varietals like Vermentino feature, along with more obscure Sagrantino, and a Savagnin, all better known in Italy and France, but with a growing following in Australia. All three I tried were well found by the curator of the list, and by Australian producers.

To finish, dessert was a pandan and amaretto frangipane tart with palm sugar ice cream. With Tarts Anon down the road it is hard to say it is a standout tart for me, but it was a nice way to end a beautiful meal.

There’s no guarantee that you’ll have an outstanding experience just because one of the many best restaurant lists has awarded your chosen venue, but I do find it to be a worthy gauge. In this case, Gourmet Traveller was spot on because Etta is clearly a restaurant that has it sorted, and I hope to be back very soon.

Etta
https://ettadining.com.au
60 Lygon Street, Brunswick East
+61 (3) 9448 8233
hello@ettadining.com.au

du Fermier – Trentham, Victoria – Friday 1 September 2023 – Lunch
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du Fermier – Trentham, Victoria – Friday 1 September 2023 – Lunch

Comfort is an expectation of many diners. At du Fermier, comfort is taken to a different level. From the entry into instant fiery warmth, into every other element, and the eventual goodbye.

There are some restaurants that purposely have an edge, extending the diner to experience new ingredients, new combinations, new technology, or new means. Some of these restaurants can be so expensive that people feel like they do not fit in. If you want to be taken care of, by people who really love what they are doing, who only want you to have the nicest time, then you might find what you are looking for at Annie Smithers’ long time Trentham restaurant.

When Annie brings out the first course, exhibiting three kinds of heirloom beetroot, with feta, rocket, and balsamic, it is like you are dining at her home. It’s a moment. We haven’t been to an Annie Smithers’ restaurant since Kyneton back in 2010 (unless we count NGV, which she has a venue), and there is no reason other than circumstance, as it was a great meal 13 years ago. We naturally tell her how glad we are to be back.

The floorstaff are outstanding. Not in a showy way. In a way that often great service reveals itself. One indication of great service is not noticing it, or rather not noticing any shortcomings. Great service is often looking forward to the next interaction with the staff, as we did on this occasion, and knowing that while they are enormously hospitable and friendly, they do take their roles seriously.

Our next course arrives and it is exciting because we are viewing the combination of duck eggs, pecorino, and black truffle done immaculately in two different ways. Catherine’s gluten-free option is a duck egg omelette that I am lucky enough to try a couple of times, generously topped with shaved local black truffle. Only a couple of times in my life have I tasted such simple omelette perfection. My dish is fresh duck egg pasta, topped with the same pecorino, and black truffle. It is equally demonstrating how delicious food can be. It is a course that we may request in the future it is so memorable.

The wines by the glass are restrained, but of high quality. We have started earlier with Champagne by A.Margaine, which is from Villers-Margery equidistant between Reims and Epernay, heading east. We’re finding a lot of restaurants want to have a Champagne by the glass, but not from one of the well known Houses, and each time we find something we would be happy to have more available to us in our own homes. The Maison Lapelus 2020 Roussanne, funnily enough from the region we are in (Macedon Ranges), is by an originally French winemaker. It is sensational, with all the texture and mouthfeel you expect from this variety, some aging complexity with French oak, and plenty of soft stone fruit.

Now I’m choosing between the Pinot Noir and the Syrah, and when it accidentally slipped that duck was the next course, I couldn’t help but honour the cliche with the Domaine des Vercheres Bourgogne 2021. This Pinot has some depth and earthiness which I like, and pairs nicely with the very generously proportioned main dish for us to share. Roasted duck breast, and confit duck leg, are served with duck fat potatoes, and roasted carrots, with a light jus, in what is a beautifully prepared dish of pure comfort. This is Annie’s cooking on a share plate, and it is delightful.

As is often the case with tasting menus, it is hard for Catherine and I to not notice the desserts going out earlier as we head toward our final, and one of our favourite courses. My dessert is the Paris Brest, which is always a hit when the pastry is properly executed. Judging by the empty plates going back to the kitchen, it was never any doubt that this was a very good quality Paris Brest. Catherine gets to try the hazelnut creme, and some chocolate mousse, with the hazelnut praline, as her dessert course, and it is still good, but the pastry is the winner for the texture (and the fat content!)

From the warmth of the greeting, to the prized corner bench seat, to the comfort of Annie’s farm to table dishes, du Fermier (“of the farmer”) is everything you could want from a dining experience. The drive to Trentham is not excessive for a day trip like we did, and the town is charming, with plenty of accommodation options, in a great part of Victoria. Annie Smithers and her team have delivered a destination restaurant that exudes care in every facet of the dining experience.

du Fermier
https://anniesmithers.com.au/du-fermier
Lunch – Friday to Monday
42 High Street Trentham Victoria
Phone 03 5424 1634
Bookings – https://anniesmithers.com.au/du-fermier

Note – since our experience and after I finished writing, I’ve realised that one of our waitstaff was restaurant manager, Bronwyn Kabboord, who won a service excellence award from the Good Food Guide and was mentioned as the “dining equivalent of a big hug”. Based on our experience this is well deserved!