Grampians - Halls Gap and Dunkeld

8 years had surpassed since I last stepped foot upon Grampians soil. From vague memory, our photography club had aimed to reach The Pinnacle but didn't reach there in the end due to the hot weather and the fact that everyone was carrying heavy camera gear. Not a great combo! The day before we left Mr. T and I were hoping for decent weather after seeing predictions of thunderstorms and rain during the afternoon. Thankfully, it only applied to metropolitan Melbourne and the weather Gods were nice enough to wait until after we descended from the lookouts. 

The short 4.2km hike to The Pinnacle lookout was worth all the sweat. Some climbing and hopping across rock platforms are involved. Do wear sturdy shoes with decent grip and don't forget the sunscreen. Some people we passed were wearing thongs and jeans - curious to know whether they made it to the top or not! We found that The Pinnacle was the only spot in the Grampians which had cellular reception. If you think you're off track, keep a lookout for any yellow or pink arrow markings on the rocks.

Due to a heavy flood back in January 2011, some roads and paths were damaged. The information centre said they have spent at least $31 million dollars trying to fix it up. Do check the information bulletin on the Grampians National Park website for any updates on road and track closures.

Mackenzie Falls was a somewhat short 1.9km descent. However the elevation was quite high therefore we had to take several breaks going back up. 

That evening we rewarded ourselves with an ala carte dinner at The Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld which was about an hours drive away from Halls Gap. The restaurant was fully booked out since October 2012 but we were happy to sample the bistro menu they had on offer and to choose our own dishes.

The only differences between the restaurant and bistro side were: (a) restaurant side is carpeted while the bistro has floorboards (b) restaurant side uses white tablecloths while the bistro end used the bare table surface (c) degustation options only offered in the restaurant (d) ratio of waitressing staff was considerably higher on the restaurant side (that was a given).

Compared to other 3 chef hat restaurants such as Vue De Monde, Jacques Reymond and Attica, I found the atmosphere at Royal Mail Hotel a bit lacklustre. I was expecting some 'wow' factor since the first thing you notice walking into the dining area was the minimalistic decor. Although we had good views of the open kitchen, glancing over to the restaurant area made me wonder it had to be the service of the staff to bump up the score as I felt something was missing. It didn't entice me to want to experience the degustation menu at all.

The bistro side had two waitresses in charge of about 9 tables. We were unattended to for longer periods of time when it came to giving us our menus and taking the orders. Understandably they were busy and left to deal with the bistro side. But the restaurant side had extra wait staff standing around and not doing anything. Hmmm...

At least the food sort of redeemed itself. For starters, Mr. T ordered the Smoked trout rillettes and whole wheat toast ($18). The texture of rillettes is similar to pate, think of mashed up cooked salmon with herbs. The seasoning was perfect and I could eat it for brekky too.

My entree was the Slow cooked egg, salt fish and mussels, potato and fish crackling ($24). Interesting and delicious combination. I didn't know where to start eating! The fish crackling was amazing in flavour, made the humble prawn cracker seem inferior by comparison.

Main: Flinders Island salt grass lamb, charred onions, broad bean, mint and lemon balm ($38). I've seen previous photos were the broad beans were made into a puree. There was too many broad beans on the plate to polish off. The lamb had a distinct flavour and was cooked well.

Side dish: Brand new potatoes (from their garden), butter, herbs. I thought the edible microherb flowers didn't go well with the potatoes and could be omitted.

Main: Milawa organic chicken, cauliflower and jerusalem artichoke, wild rice and bread pudding ($36). Their "wild rice" was puffed rice immersed with cauliflower bits. The chicken was juicy and not dry at all, the accompanying jus was perfect. This was my first bread pudding but thought it had no flavour? Are they meant to be like that?

We shared the dessert as we were too bloated by the time our mains were cleared. Hazelnut mousse, chocolate and honeycomb ($16). The consistency was more of a cream than a mousse but that satisfied our sweet tooth. The bitter dark chocolate was subtle and combined well with the flecks of honeycomb pieces and the not-too-sweet hazelnut cream.

The following morning we had complimentary cooked breakfast at the Bistro. My order of soft boiled eggs with bacon bits and walnut bread soldiers was a light way to start the morning ($12). Mr T ordered the RMH's "big breakfast" option. A single piece of toast was mounted with all the toppings (tomato, pork sausage, scrambled eggs). After experiencing various brunch sessions, I've definitely seen more bigger and interesting options especially when the normal price tag was $24! The grilled tomato tasted strange, like it was doused in butane gas?? Thank goodness it was included as part of the hotel accommodation stay. The continental breakfast offerings were decent and paid homage to the local produce in the area. 

Although we stayed in the mountain view room, it wasn't much of a view unless your cabin was located towards the back of the property. I was expecting more for that price ($280 per night) and was disappointed. The rooms felt ordinary and not luxurious at all. The only good thing was that they stocked Peter Morrissey toiletries. We found ants in our first room along the skirting board, bathroom and desk which they promptly arranged for another transfer. If you're going to stay here, opt for the cheaper Garden view room instead.

Grampians makes for a lovely weekend trip away if you don't want to rush getting back to Melbourne on the same day.

Old saw mill near the hotel

Taxi Dining Room

As part of early Xmas festivities, a work colleague chose Taxi Dining Room for our dinner function after recently having a positive dining experience there.

Despite being awarded Two Chefs Hat back in 2010, Taxi's fusion menu never quite appeal to me. I hesitate when I see cuisines dubbed as Japanese fusion with Modern Australian after having a so-so experiences at Jacques Reymond and Verge. There were some French influences on the menu as well.  Personally I think when you have more than two types of cuisines, the identity of the restaurant begins to become confusing and somewhat disconnected. 

At first glance, the prices of their sushi and sashimi items seem grossly inflated compared to other authentic Japanese restaurants. Sushi and sashimi platter for $62? We did not ask how many pieces there were and stuck to the mains which were averaging at least $42. We were warned in advance to bring a fatter wallet. Once a restaurant appears in The Age Good Food Guide, I guess the higher prices come with increased levels of expectations. Diners are also paying for the premium piece of real estate on Federation Square and a possible view overlooking Swanston Street. The 2013 guide shows that Taxi is 0.5 point short of gaining that one chef hat but it does not list the reasons why.

Anyway, you can tell I had initial reservations about the place and walked in with low expectations. The dining area was bright due to the high ceilings and design of the building. Large windows allowed lots of natural light. They had automatic blinds which would come down when the sun rays became extreme. Décor was simple yet elegant. The only possible thing to note is the noise levels when the restaurant is at full capacity. Tables were too close together and the sounds would bounce off the walls quite easily. 

The butter quenelle came out looking so much like ice-cream that I almost ate it on its own. It was topped with an orange-y coloured salt (smoked).

For starters, we shared 3 entrées. 1. Specials - salmon with mango pieces and mango reduced sauce (didn't see the bill) 2. Tempura seasonal vegetables ($19.50). 3. Crystal Bay prawn sashimi, frozen coconut and plum wine ($24)

I am a huge fan of both salmon and mango so thought this dish should pass. Due to their unique flavours, once it entered the mouth I thought they didn't complement, rather they were competing to dominate one another. The salmon was fresh though. I think better mango is better paired with prawns or something other than salmon. 

That's all the tempura we got. Let's just say there wasn't much to share around...

I've never had prawn sashimi before so it was a weird texture to get used to at first. It was somewhat chewy like a bubble tea jelly, so the coconut worked in this instance. I couldn't taste the plum wine.

For mains, I ordered the pork: Greenvale pork loin, milk braised belly, caramelized apple & ramen. I couldn't find anything special about the pork loin. It had no flavour but was supported by the carmelized apple jus. The crackling was difficult to cut for some reason. I only ate half of the pork belly as it was too gelatinous in nature. The fat wasn't set like the Chinese roast pork variety. I felt like I was eating lard and lost my appetite.

I sampled a friend's rabbit dish which was a special of the day. It was delicious and had different textures, similar to another restaurant which used pig's head as the crispy component. The rabbit wasn't gamey at all which a few people avoided the dish because of that reason. I could happily devour the entire rabbit than the pork dish.

Other dishes were (a) roasted atlantic salmon, otway shitake, asparagus and smoked miso ($38) (b) pan fried John dory with spanner crab dumplings, peas, cos and lardons (a chunk or cube of bacon used to smear or cover meat)($45). Friends commented that they were cooked well and the flavours were light, perfect for a summer evening.

Our waitress handled our large group well and was friendly. Service was attentive when it was needed. Overall you can't really fault the atmosphere of the place or the presentation of the food. Some thought had gone into the plating up to highlight the gourmet ingredients they used. Other places do it just as well without the hefty price tag. The portion sizes were a bit disappointing.

So this dining experience has not changed my view on fusion modern Australian and Japanese cuisine. Maybe another day?