Finally we get to experience Leonards Mill! And an experience it is. Saturday night at sleepy Second Valley and this place has a wedding for forty people booked in and the restaurant itself is almost booked out, not bad at this time of year.
Leonards has a two part menu, the first is Taste of Fleurieu which is a fixed price of $60 for two courses, $80 for three and the a la carte menu which is simpler food. We opted for the ToF but all the other dishes which passed our table looked very good.
You know how you go to a restaurant and everything sounds really fancy and you order it only to be disappointed? That doesn't happen here, the food does sound great but then it comes out, looks sensational and tastes wonderful.
I had "smoked kingfish sashimi, dashi pearls, daikon, yuzu". This came out with a glass cloche over it and when the cloche was removed the smoke was unleashed. It looked so beautiful and delicate, a work of art, but not only that it was an orgy of taste and texture, so good.
The Doc had "Boer goat in brik pastry, date, smoked yoghurt, bulgar wheat salad", very middle eastern, not unlike something you would find at Maha in Melbourne.
Main courses were "Kangaroo island lamb, white onion purée, charred shallots, beach succulents". Very yummy indeed and I regretted eating all of the complimentary bread earlier as I could have used it to mop us the plate!
Doc had "braised beef brisket, horseradish buttermilk, winter tarragon, pumpernickel, salted herring roe". It had been cooked for many hours and just fell apart, the herring roe adding a slightly salty accompaniment - sounded strange but it really worked.
We shared a dessert of "Buttermilk cream, Ligurian honey, apple, oats. Sounds really simple right? What came out was a large wide pottery bowl and nestled in it was what I would call a deconstructed pannacotta, I can't even begin to describe the phenomenal mix of tastes and textures, sweet/not so sweet/ crunchy/smooth etc. this was a fitting end to a wonderful meal.
The Taste of Fleurieu is not something you would indulge in every week, it's a special occasion menu and isn't cheap. Is it value for money? Yes, it is and it's accompanied by attentive wait staff led by the very knowledgable and urbane part owner Jane. We will go back for lunch or try the simpler fare next time to get an overall picture.
Impressed. read more