So, I got an e-mail notice of the offer of:
Porkstar 6 dish degustation menu with matching wines from Yarraloch wines at Assiette restaurant.
Well, that’s a no-brainer.
1. I love pork
2. Assiette restaurant is wonderful and only a few blocks away
3. The Entertainment deal said that it would be $110 instead of $160, which for a tasting menu with wine, I think, is a mighty fine price. I love a bargain.
So, come dine with me!
We headed down on 6 July 2011, a Monday night, and sat down to this menu…
Yum, what fun! Here’s a little tour.
I missed taking a photo of the cabbage soup… but the next course was the salad of boudin noir, guanciale, crispy quail egg and peas. How pretty is that.
And then we have the Indian Spiced Pork Belly with seared scallop, onion bhaji and mango chutney puree.
I liked how the Indian flavours were married to something so upscale – I think of onion bhaji as a cheap, greasy snack.
Love the “leaves” of… I think it was cauliflower.
The next course, the crispy skin mulloway and szechuan pork cheek… well, I think it must have looked so delicious that I lost my concentration and didn’t take a photo. The pork cheek was so tender and melt-in-your-mouth. The mulloway was a nice match for it.
And next, is the roasted pork fillet with Jerusalem artichoke, croustillant and dates and fennel salt. And again a leaf of cauliflower, or was it fennel. Hmm, can’t remember. It was different than the first leaf, so I’d say fennel. Tasty.
And finally, a citrus terrine with passionfruit ice cream and poached rhubard. No pork. But still beautiful.
All in all, a wonderful meal. Great textures, flavours, matching wines and… pork. I was surprised that there was a table or two empty but the waitress said that the next night was fully booked (it ran over two nights).
As my friend Davy said this week: Pork Belly is a Human Right.
Thanks for dining with me!