Brae

Brae in a word? Underwhelming. It didn't help that it had just been awarded Regional Restaurant of the Year by The Good Food Guide - I was obviously going in with too high of expectations.  It's not that the dishes weren't technically perfect - because they were - some of them just didn't have much of a wow factor (the hapuku and roasted beetroot dishes were borderline bland) and I was hoping that I wouldn't leave the venue feeling like I could go order myself a pizza.

Situated in the quaint but very charming town of Birregurra,  from the man who once bought you The Royal Mail in Dunkeld, Dan Hunter's venue is modern but homely - you definitely feel like you're miles away from the city as soon as you step through their doors. Priding itself on using fresh and local produce - the menu changes to suit what's in the garden (and indeed, it's quite the vegie patch they have!) The menu on this occasion consisted of:

Brook trout and nut butter crisp

Crimson pearl potato and smoked eel sandwhich

Prawn, nasturtium, finger lime

Iced Oyster with beef tendon and mountain pepper

Beetroot with bone marrow and juniper

Calamari and black lip abalone, broccoli and blue mackerel

Eggplant and salt grass lamb washed with sweet onion juice, fragrant and acidic plants

Hapuku, turnip and mustard greens, fish roe whipped with onion

Crayfish and shitake with Brae farm egg yolk, meat broth and seaweed

Aged pekin duck wood roasted on the bone, pumpkin cream and walnut

Quince simmered with vanilla, sheep's milk and Brae farm honey

Parsnip and apple

The dishes of the day for me were actually the starters.  The brook trout and nut butter crisp, the crimson pearl potato and smoked eel sandwich and the prawn, nasturtium (there was a lot of nasturtium going on) and finger lime parcel were all bursting with flavour. The iced oyster was also a highlight - pushing the boundaries Heston style, the texture was akin to "oyster ice-cream", but it surprisingly actually worked.  

Brook Trout and Nut Butter Crisp, Prawn, Nasturtium and Finger Lime

Crimson pearl potato and smoked eel sandwich

Iced Oyster, Beef Tendon and Mountain Pepper

The Crayfish and shitake with Brae farm egg yolk was my fellow diners' favourite dish, where as I quite liked the calamari and black lip abalone - with the calamari sliced as thinly as rice noodles (and deliciously just as soft and tender).

Crayfish and Shitake with Brae Farm Egg Yolk, Meat Broth and Seaweed

Calamari and Black Lip Abalone, Broccoli and Blue Mackerel

The duck was cooked perfectly - but in terms of flavours and texutres, it wasn't quite in the same league as the duck dish I had recently at Montalto.

Aged Pekin Duck Wood Roasted on the Bone, Pumpkin, Walnut

Unfortunately, the fish and mustard greens were indeed just that - fish and mustard greens which could have done with a touch more seasoning.  The roasted beetroot with marrow, and the quince simmered with vanilla were nice, but were borderline bland and were along the lines of "take it or leave it".

Hapuku, turnip, mustard greens, fish roe whipped with onion 

Beetroot with bone marrow and juniper

Quince simmered with vanilla, sheep's milk and Braw farm honey

The parsnip and apple desert was the much more inspiring desert of the two.

Parsnip and Apple

Unfortunately, $190 later, I was still hungry. On the table asking for another slice of bread each (to try and feel the empty holes in our bellies) you would have thought we asked for another slice of duck! And even after asking two different staff members whether we could some butter with our bread, the butter never arrived.

There were definitely some exceptional highlights to the menu - however it was by no means the new fave. 

Food: 4/5

Venue: 4.5/5

Service: 3/5

Total: 11.5/15

Verdict: like - get around to trying it at some point

4285 Cape Otway Road, Birregurra, VIC