The perfect steak is a rare and exceptional thing !
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by Julie Ryan
Last month I was lucky enough to be invited to lunch at The Meat & Wine Co located on the water at Bella Vista .
My husband and son came along with me to enjoy the experience - my son had been trying to get a booking for weeks , so he was very excited .
On arriving at the restaurant , I found the ambience warm and inviting with a touch of elegance , the décor is in keeping with their African heritage . The Meat & Wine Co blends unique Afro-centric design with contemporary interiors to create a space that ’ s modern and open while remaining personal and inviting .
We were shown to our table and our server explained the menu , offering
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us a few suggestions . We ordered the tasting plate for a shared entrée so we could sample three of their most popular dishes - the Boerewors , a South African beef sausage with coriander and cumin with a chakalaka sauce and fresh coriander served with maize pap and corn croquettes ; Szechuan calamari and a sticky chilli glazed pork belly served with cabbage slaw and Japanese sesame dressing .
The sausage was a little strong for me but my husband and son loved the Boerewors . The sticky chilli glazed pork belly was sensational and the calamari melted in your mouth .
But that wasn ’ t it , I couldn ’ t leave without trying the baked scallops in an anchovy caper butter , herb crumb , pea salsa and the crispy pancetta scallops are
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my absolute favourite and these were beautiful .
The mains that we decided on were the Harissa lamb skewer served with crunchy chips or a farm salad , we chose the crunchy fries .
A Shorthorn-grain fed rib eye - marble score 2 + 330gram with a creamy garlic sauce and mash , and a Shorthorn fillet with crunchy fries and a side of creamy mushroom sauce . We added broccolini with garlic butter and toasted almonds as a side .
The steaks were superb and cooked exactly how we asked for them and the meat melted in our mouths .
We teamed our meals with a bottle of 2019 Two Hands ‘ Sexy Beast ’ from McLaren Vale , SA .
If you are a wine connoisseur this
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restaurant is for you as the selection of wines is out of this world . They have an extensive cocktail menu too for those who like to indulge .
We now awaited the grand finale which was a dessert tasting plate . It included choc and hazelnut fondant , classic crème brulee , peppermint crisp tiramisu and sticky date pudding .
What can I say but ‘ WOW ’ ... it was so good and to be able to taste a little of everything was a delight .
The Meat & Wine Co Bella Vista is definitely a restaurant you have to put on your list to visit . The service , the food and the wine were exceptional and I can ’ t recommend the restaurant highly enough .
Visit : G04 / 11 Solent Cct , Baulkham Hills . Phone : ( 02 ) 8629 8868 .
ALL OF APRIL *
* T & Cs apply . Kids Go Free offer is redeemable at admissions 1st April 2022 up to and including 30th April 2022 during park opening hours 9am-4pm , by purchasing an adult full price entry ticket to Hunter Valley Wildlife Park . This offer allows up to 4 kids aged 3-15yrs to enter free with a purchase of the adult day entry ticket to Hunter Valley Wildlife Park . Kids under 3 are free of charge . Offer ends 30th April 2022 . Discover or Parent NSW vouchers can be used in conjunction with this offer on adult entry tickets to redeem discounts off the voucher value at admissions or pre-book on the phone using NSW Discover or Parent NSW vouchers to redeem . This Kids Go Free offer is also available with an adult entry ticket purchase at each individual wildlife park at Mogo Wildlife Park near Batemans Bay and Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park also .
Follow us on social media to keep up to date with all future offers and activities ! @ huntervalleyzoo
EGG-CELLENT FUN KIDS ACTIVITIES DURING THE EASTER HOLIDAYS
ONLY 1.5 HOURS FROM BEROWRA IN THE HEART OF THE HUNTER VALLEY
AMAZING PARENT & CHILD ( 10yrs +) ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS
WALK THROUGH ANIMAL FEEDING AREAS ($ 3pp ANIMAL FOOD )
8-11yrs ZOOKEEPER FOR A DAY
KIDS GO FREE OFFER IS AVAILABLE AT ALL 3 WILDLIFE PARKS !
& Parent NSW vouchers accepted on all tickets / Annual Passes
huntervalleywildlifepark . com . au | 02 9622 1644 | Lomas Lane NULKABA NSW 2325 | Open Daily 9am - 4pm
Roaring FREE adventures for kids
School holidays are being celebrated at the Hunter Valley Wildlife Park with free entry for kids for the month of April .
Hunter Valley ’ s best kept secret – an exotic and native animal park , is located in Lomas Lane , Nulkaba , near Lovedale .
Who knew the beautiful Hunter region was home to a large , diverse collection of animals ?
If you love being around nature and wildlife , this is certainly the place to visit , especially if you ’ d like to feed a kangaroo , a camel or even an ostrich ! It ’ s a tranquil piece of paradise where you can have breakfast or lunch in the Park Café next to the alligators , peacocks , camels , ostriches and squirrel monkeys .
You can hear the lions roaring as you eat your breaky in the outdoor in the café and there are also a number of
undercover seating areas for a birthday celebration or group tour lunch .
If you fancy getting a behind-theenclosures animal encounters tour you ’ ll see meerkats , binturong , maned wolf , emperor tamarins , white and black ruffed lemurs , squirrel monkeys , lions - giraffe feeding is coming soon .
Kids will love walking through the lorikeet aviary and spending time with the farmyard animals , feeding goats and sheep .
It ’ s an unforgettable experience at a unique wildlife park setting like no other !
This limited time school holidays offer must be booked now if you don ’ t want to miss out . Parent NSW and Discover vouchers accepted until 30 June .
Visit : huntervalleywildlifepark . com . au or call 02 9622 1644 to find out more .
38 ISSUE 143 // APRIL 2022 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT