NYE at The Stanley Pub

[blackcat20]

I posted the menu in the Nice Wines thread last night and got a request, so here it is.

For the third year in a row we've attended the NYE degustation at The Stanley Pub in Stanley, North-East Victoria. For a small country pub they are well known and respected. The menu is eight courses for $110 and $175 with the matched wines. They usually do a mix of local and French, but having just sold the pub they decided to do all local wines this year.

The menu:


We we started off with a glass of the sparkling before taking our seats, and welcomed the second glass with the first course. I'm not a huge fan of seafood and I was a little worried about the scallops, but they had a beautiful smokiness to them.

 

[blackcat20]

First entrée, the kingfish ceviche. Delicate and pleasant to eat, and matched well with the Riesling. I'm not usually a white drinker but it went down quite nicely.

Second entree, the calamari. Seared just right, with delicate pieces of orange. Not being a fan of Chardonnay at all I was very surprised to find myself enjoying it. I may have traded the tentacle for a less scary looking piece...




Third entree, seared venison. I think it had Parmesan rather than blue, but went nicely with the tang of the blueberries. The Gamay was a delight, a lighter red (like a Pinot) and very drinkable. I was almost tempted to ask for more. Anything heavier would have swamped the delicate flavour of the venison. The Pennyweight is in Beechworth and produces their wine organically. If you ever get the chance to try Pennyweight Gold I suggest you take up the offer.

 

[love_the_life]

Dribbling with desire, and that's not very couth I know, and waiting for the rest of the meal

 

[blackcat20]

With entrees done it was time for the first of two main courses. The first was a beautiful soft, plump gnocchi, smoked duck breast, and a buttery sauce with dollops of raspberry and pine nuts. It just melted in the mouth and I could easily have eaten a larger serve. Served with a pinot, a classic combination, and one of the nicest I've tasted. So much so that we ordered a full size glass each during the break between main and dessert.


The second main course was just as stunning. You could smell it enter the room, a rich beef bourguinon. Done with beef cheek, it just melted. Served with a deliciously soft mash potato and a little roasted onion. If you left the dining room the smell of it hit you in the face on the way back in. The Tempranillo serve with the beef was perfect, not too heavy but withstood the richness of the meal.



The wine was so good that I forgot to take photos of the glasses...

 

[love_the_life]

I can almost taste it! The dishes look divine. Hopefully the serves were small?

 

[TomVexille]

I can almost taste it! The dishes look divine. Hopefully the serves were small?

She's just drip feeding now...

And yes, the serves were small. I really wanted a second of everything.

 

[love_the_life]

But you know that you would regret it if you over-ate! Better to have small and exquisite rather than too much!

 

[TomVexille]

Over-eat? What's that?

 

[JohnM]

I'm drooling .

 

[blackcat20]

Small but amazing. It's nice not to go home uncomfortably stuffed.

 

[blackcat20]

After sitting on some Pinot for a while it was time for dessert. Two of them! Apologies for the photos; as it got darker it was harder to take a clear photo.

First a raspberry mille-feuille. Delicate pastry, a soft creamy filling and fresh raspberries picked by the kitchen staff. Just a very light dessert.



This was soon followed by the second dessert, an earl grey creme caramel, with a tangy passion fruit curd and almond brittle. So yummy I could have licked the plate clean.



With dessert we had a Rose Muscat. An interesting wine with a delightful colour, and not sickly sweet. Balanced nicely with the desserts as they were not ridiculously sweet either. We got a top up for the second dessert too.



For petit fours we had some yummy chocolate fudge, and while I didn't take a photo of thr plate, I did take one showing the consistency of the fudge (I'm sure there's something about not playing with your food...)

 

[zig]

A wonderful looking meal, I enjoyed (almost) dining with you.

Having been in the Falkland Islands last month, when I saw the title of the thread I thought it was about Port Stanley

 

[Rugby]

Now that's pub grub

 

[drron]

A wonderful looking meal, I enjoyed (almost) dining with you.

Having been in the Falkland Islands last month, when I saw the title of the thread I thought it was about Port Stanley

I was thinking Tasmania.
But it looked great anyway.