Centennial Vineyard, Southern Highlands // Review

On the way home from our mini holiday we stopped in Bowral for lunch...except we didn't because there was a market on and no car spaces. S had the idea that we stop at Centennial Vineyard for lunch and I agreed thinking he was talking of Briars in Mossvale. As I was driving and got closer, I suddenly remembered the place we were going....and then I remembered I was wearing a t-shirt, shorts, salty beach hair and a hat. Not an outfit fit for Centennial Vineyards. We also had Teddy in the car and there is no outdoor seating. S assured me it would be fine and rang ahead to ask if they could seat us outside as we had the dog. So they did. 

They set our table which was under the beautiful trees (conveniently away from the well dressed diners inside). The weather was so perfect, so sitting out under the trees was no problem at all. The grass is lovely and Ted had no problems lazing around while we ate lunch.

I ordered the Twice Baked Soufflé (Parmesan & gruyere soufflé, sweet potato fondant, caramelised garlic, onion rings & sauce soubise) and S ordered the Eye Fillet Steak. I had never had souffle before and seriously, where has it been all my life. Why hasn't anyone made me souffle before? The food was fantastic. Every component of the dish worked well together. I also ordered a glass of pinot noir (my favourite type of wine) which was great. I forgot to look and see if it was from the actual winery though..oops.

I would recommend Centennial Vineyards as a nice place to go for a special occasion. It's not really somewhere you go if you've been swimming in the morning and your hair is a little matted, but lucky for me they let me eat there anyway. I was really impressed that they accommodated us having the dog there too and they really took a leap of faith by doing this as we could have brought in a feral dog that ripped up the gardens. Lucky Ted was a good patron and just slept the whole time.

Review - Assiette Restaurant, Surry Hills

For my Birthday this year, I asked S to pick a beautiful restaurant for my Birthday. He kept it a secret until the night and I was honestly so pleased at his choice.

Assiette in Surry Hills offers dishes with a modern French twist and there is an option of either the Degustation menu or the A La Carte menu.

We chose the Degustation menu for something special and we were so so happy with our choice.

There were 8 courses and each course out did the previous. For a sample menu, click here. Ours differed a little, but you get the gist. 

After the first course came out, we thought me may walk out hungry. By the fourth course, we thought we may not be able to finish our meal. Degustations offer small servings, but the way they are spaced out ensures that each meal has settled by the time the next is served. We were well and truly full by the end and I had to turn down S's offer of taking me for cocktails because I was just too full!

The service was fantastic. The first course was brought to us within 15 minutes of arriving and the waiters and waitresses were knowledgable and friendly. Rather than choosing matched wines, we opted to get a bottle of wine we knew we would love. 

I forgot to take the camera with us, so I only had my iPhone. It was a little dark so the pictures aren't the best quality. Despite my poor pictures, I can assure that the dishes and presentation were amazing.