Every so often an opportunity comes along where you just can’t pass it up and this week Canberra Food Bloggers presented me with one of those opportunities. Liz (of Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things) organised an amazing event in conjunction with Pialligo Estate Farmhouse where Canberra Food Bloggers were provided with a once-in-a-lifetime sensory experience.
Over the past couple of years one of the things that’s really gotten me down has been when we’ve gone out for a meal and it’s been an “ordinary” experience. Since our son arrived we’ve been a one income family so when we decide to spend money on a luxury like eating out you want to feel like it’s been a treat, that you’re precious dollars have been appreciated and that it’s been worth it. Hand-on-heart, in the last four years I can only think of one experience where I felt like the money we’d paid for a dining out experience was worth it and that was in January 2014 when we ate at a restaurant in Palm Cove.
It’s disappointing, frustrating and downright heartbreaking sometimes to pay for a meal where the food has been average and the service has been lack lustre. It’s now gotten to the point where we very rarely eat out any more and if we do we go to a handful of places where we know the food will be good and service staff polite. So when I was invited to dine at Pialligo Estate Farmhouse I didn’t even think to ask HUBBY if he wanted to find a babysitter and come with me because I figured I’d be in and out in a couple of hours and for me it would have been more about meeting the people and making some new friends, not so much about the restaurant.
Dude, I was so wrong! Wrong on an epic scale kind of wrong. Wrong like I’ll be apologising to HUBBY for months kind of wrong.
Image courtesy of Pialligo Estate.
I’ve been to the Pialligo area of Canberra a number of times; it’s where the nursery’s and Bison are. I was not aware of this amazing Estate being tucked away out there and so before the event I was googling like a crazy person trying to work out where I was heading. It’s winter in Canberra now and so it’s darker earlier and people are tending to stay in more and so the drive out there was a little dark and secluded. There’s no gaudy sign with big neon lights pointing out the entrance to Pialligo Estate Farmhouse (which is a good thing and in keeping with the stylish experience they’re providing) and so for a brief moment as I turned into their driveway I was a little worried I was about to rock up to someone’s private residence.
I parked the car and got out and was immediately thanking God that I didn’t go with my jeans and t-shirt dress code that I had originally planned on. This is no ordinary restaurant, it looks like a a Chalet with stone walls, timber accents and a big ole chimney. It’s perfection. It’s set on 86 acres with it’s own vineyard, market garden, olive grove and orchard. Pialligo Estate Farmhouse is all about showcasing the regional produce and using the amazing produce they create on the property.
Canberra Food Bloggers
When I entered the restaurant I was immediately greeted and shown to the area in which we’d be dining. A semi-private room off the main dining area that boast a lovely fire place and an old school leather couch. (You know the kind that has the tufted button details.) Every detail is perfect, from the pushed tin accented lighting to the wooden tables and chairs. It’s stunning and there were a number of times when I (or someone else) remarked on how amazing a venue it would be for a wedding or celebration.
We were introduced to the team of people working to make Pialligo Estate Farmhouse a magical experience and then the food came out… now I could rave about the food at this point (and trust me, it’s rave worthy!) but I feel like you could have the most amazing food on the planet but if the service is crap then it’s not worth it. So, here’s where I tell you why Pialligo Estate Farmhouse is going to be a huge success – the staff! The staff were amazing.
Don’t believe me… let me tell you why I think this.
Jerusalem Artichokes, Blak Figs, Hazelnut, Rosemary & Toma Della Rocca
I don’t drink alcohol. I haven’t had an alcoholic drink in coming up to 10 years and while I don’t miss it, it does tend to make dining out pretty boring when it comes to drink options. I find myself drinking either soda or water. It’s cool, I’m quite partial to soda but I’ve never had an experience like I did at Pialligo Estate Farmhouse when it came to the drinks service. I was kindly offered some champagne on arrival and I politely turned it down and didn’t think anything of it. One of the staff members (Tony) noticed that I turned it down and came over and asked me if I would like a mocktail (a non-alcoholic cocktail). Doing something completely out of character (I’m not very adventurous) I said yes.
Oh em gee! He returned with this sparkling citrus drink topped with fresh pear that was uh-maze-ing! Seriously, I’m not a huge fan of this type of thing, but it was just what I wanted without knowing that I wanted it. I got to try something new, and learn something more about my palette, all because this one staff member paid attention to what was happening with the customer. That’s practically unheard of in my dining experiences.
New-Season Cipollini Onions, Pialligo Farm Chorizo, Nashi Pear & Young Mustard.
That’s how it was all night! We sat down to an amazing tasting menu and each course was just beautifully presented and tasted amazing, but it was the attentiveness of the staff that made it perfection. They weren’t over-bearing, the were just there waiting to see how they could make it better for the person enjoying the meal. Now, I’m sure some of you would be thinking that it was just because we were there for an event, but I was lucky enough to be facing into the main dining room and I could see at least 3 other tables that were dining there. I watched all night as the staff made the other diners smile, laugh and suggest things that they thought they might like. You can’t fake that!
As I said before, I’m not very adventurous when it comes to food. I know what I like and I’m reluctant to try anything new, but I’d made a deal with myself when I accepted the invitation that I would try and learn from the amazingness that is the Canberra Food Bloggers and try something new. I was determined to at least try everything that was set down in front of me, and it was such a great decision. I had artichoke, black fig, Toma Della Rocca (to which I am now addicted), onion as the focal point of a dish and even some veal sweetbread (mmm… brains….) all for the first time and it was great.
Muscovy Duck, Musquee de Provence Pumpkin, Red Onion, Chestnut & Liquorice
I must confess that I didn’t eat everything (the onions and mushroom sauce proved to be a tad too much for me) but I tried and I learned something. My favourite dish had to be the roast duck which was served with pumpkin – now my Mother will tell you just how much I dislike pumpkin in anything other than scones but this pumpkin was amazing. It was sweet and caramelised and paired with the duck it was sublime – all a testament to the mad skills of the culinary team lead by Chef de Cuisine Brendan Walsh.
The dessert was amazing. I’m quite partial to dessert and this was just right for me. I don’t like banana, so I swapped my caramelised banana and banana ice-cream ball with Rose (of Travel and Beyond) for her homemade honeycomb. (Total steal on my part!)
Valrhona Jivara Chocolate, Buckwheat, Caramelised Banana & Malted Milk.
The whole experience was like something out of a movie. The food looked like the food that you see in the myriad of culinary shows and drool over while eating you dinner in front of the television. It was surreal. I’m so bummed that I didn’t get to experience with HUBBY but in the coming months Pialligo Estate Farmhouse is opening up their pavilions and I am determined that HUBBY and I will go out there for a meal with the Little Man and some of our friends. (The Pavilions are going to be a more laid back dining experience that will offer patrons the ability to enjoy a family style meal (sharing from communal plates) while looking out over the olive grove and vineyards. Apparently there’s also a deep fryer being installed in the Pavilions that will be part of making the best hand cut chips known to man, and we all know how much I love a good chip!)
It was such a fabulous experience and I’m so very thankful to all the staff at Pialligo Estate Farmhouse for making us feel welcome and spoiling us rotten. I’m also very thankful to Liz for organising it and including this crafty baker in the mix. I wish I could do the food justice when writing about it and taking photos but unfortunately my skill set fails me at this time. I can do this though, I can tell you that if you choose to go out to Pialligo Estate Farmhouse you won’t be disappointed. If you’re like me, you work hard for your money and when you choose to spend it you like to feel like the person you’re spending it with values your hard work and is thankful for you choosing to spend it with them, Pialligo Estate Farmhouse does this and there’s nothing better than that (except maybe that roast duck… it was pretty damn good!).
Now you might be wondering how someone who is known more for being a quilter gets to attend this kind of event as part of a Food Bloggers group, and I’ll explain it… I have no idea! Liz graciously invited me into the group about 6 months ago and I’ve never been game enough to point out that the ratio of recipes to craft projects on my blog tends to lean more towards the making then the baking. However, I do make no secret of the fact that I love to bake and I love (love!) living in Canberra and so I’m very humbled and grateful for being included in the amazingness that is Canberra Food Bloggers.
Disclosure: Pialligo Estate Farmhouse provided this dining experience at a discounted rate with no obligation to share the experience on our blogs or social media, I chose to do this because it was such an exceptional experience and it’s the very least I can do for a team who did so much to make us all feel so welcomed and spoiled. All opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced by the businesses involved. For further information about my disclosure policy please click here.
