The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement

Palmer Wines Restaurant

Gail Williams

Appease your sweet tooth with mango misu, pavlova roulade and chocolate semifreddo.
Appease your sweet tooth with mango misu, pavlova roulade and chocolate semifreddo.Gail Williams

15/20

Contemporary$$$

As our show-pony friend's new Beemer convertible screeched to a halt outside Palmer Wines Kylie Minogue's I Should Be So Lucky was ringing in our ears.

How could you not feel lucky when you've started the day with a glorious dip in an azure blue ocean with Castle Rock looming in the distance? How could you not beam with pride when European tourists keep telling you're in a little corner of paradise?

And then, to score a table for five at one of the South West's most popular restaurants on one of the busiest days of the year, that's more than lucky. That's pure gold and the absolute best way to begin 2015.

Smug satisfaction was written all over us as we swanned into the vast restaurant overlooking a lake and verdant fields.

The family-friendly joint was heaving with long tables of thirsty blokes doing post-golf de-briefs while draining bottles of the Palmer wines, which you'll find rating 90 points or more in James Halliday's Wine Companion.

And then there was our group of wannabe comedians checking out the Asian-focused menu and toasting with Palmer's award-winning Cab Sauv and Reserve Chardonnay.

"It's only the ducks who aren't so lucky," said one wag on noticing the number of duck dishes sprinkled through starters, entrée and mains.

Advertisement
Palmer's plump scallops on a coconut salad.
Palmer's plump scallops on a coconut salad.Gail Williams

How far does chef Coby Cockburn go with his promise on Palmer's website to "select only the best, produce …  grown or caught in the South West"?

On a hunting expedition apparently. But rather than shooting them he sources pleasantly plump free-range birds from a Victorian supplier and then churns out duck and cognac parfait, sticky duck, Balinese duck. And I couldn't be sure but it was possibly a bed of shredded duck – curiously, not mentioned on the menu -- which hosted an entrée of four scallops.

Unfortunately we didn't get to try that one because the dish also hosted something else which made the diner down knife and fork and refuse to eat any more.

Enough said about that but it should be mentioned that the staff dealt with the incident, which can happen to anyone, in exemplary fashion. OK, it was a hair. I've said it.

And though the diner didn't want to make a fuss about it, when it was pointed out the waitress was very apologetic. As she was with a case of missing cutlery and a delivery of another diner's wrong entrée dish.

Surprisingly, none of it, though, dampened the spirits for what was, overall, a fine lunch with the hero being a Moreton Bay Bug. This shellfish is often called slipper lobster but, Cockburn being a Queensland boy goes for the Sunshine State name and knows how to quickly pan fry the succulent meat so it's just opaque.

The two tails were served resort style on a crisp-on-the-outside risotto cake. A fanfare of thickly-cut red cabbage salad on the side shouted "look at me" and just to make sure, there was more shredded red cabbage in the spring rolls. It was pulled into line with a redolent and nicely viscous bisque.

Also in the running was the crisp-skinned Balinese duck which had been marinated in shallots, ginger, lime leaves and turmeric and cooked slowly in a banana leaf. The leg and breast were then baked to fall-off-the-bone pungent perfection and served with stir fried broccolini, Asian greens and a duck stock sauce with coconut milk.

But, love-a-duck,  there was more to quack about. The potatoes which came with the fish of the day – a thick slice of panfried Hapuka  -- were cooked in duck fat from the slow cooked duck.

Dessert was a duck-free zone but all three of them were a sweet tooth's delight and as pretty as a spring day. The floral garlanded creations – mango misu, pavlova roulade and chocolate semi freddo – were dusted with icing sugar. Strawberries reigned supreme on a soft, marshmallowy roulade filled with the chocolate honeycomb.

And obviously where there is a beach within spitting distance you've got to have foam. Raspberry froth came with the Fererro Rocher choccy ice cream and semi freddo, enough sweetness to give a sugar high for weeks.

But then again, when you are feeling like a lucky duck, life does taste especially sweet. Ain't that the truth?

Scoring system:

0 - 10 Don't waste your money
10 - 15 Worth a look
15 - 20 Put it on your bucket list

Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox.

Sign up

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement