Drysdale update 2009

Lunched yesterday at Drysdale Restaurant in the city, or to be a tad controversial and more specific, the Drysdale South campus of Tasmanian Polytechnic.

Even though it was more of a working lunch, I was still able to sample Kimbra’s serving of Twice baked soufflé of gruyere and gorgonzola with a salad of roasted hazelnuts and baby roquette entrée ($8.50), as well as eat my own Grilled market fish (blue eye) on warm peperonata with baby capers, salsa verde and potato galette ($15.50).

Kim’s soufflé (pictured above) was magnificent. My fish (pictured below) was slightly on the dry side with the balance of the meal being fine, but as it is a training restaurant, there is no way I should expect perfection. We are there to enable the students to practice their emerging skills on ‘live’ customers in a controlled environment – and that’s how it should be in the greater scheme of things.

The students working in the kitchen were students from Rosny College, and it was wonderful, on visiting the kitchen after lunch, to see their VET Hospitality teacher from Rosny, Roseanne Browning, beavering away in the kitchen along with the students.

Kathryn Wakefield was overseeing front of house staff in our vicinity, and keeping a keen eye on everything that was happening with the fledgling waitstaff.

At another table was a family group, celebrating the 10th birthday of one of their children. The most startling and interesting aspect of this child’s birthday celebration was the fact that this was the very first time this girl had been able to eat a meal at a restaurant – in her whole life. She has so many allergies that it has been way too risky to eat out, hence her food intake has been strictly supervised – at home.

The combination of Drysdale going to extreme lengths to accommodate her diet, and the family being willing to hand over the trust to Drysdale meant that this little girl enjoyed a lovely birthday celebration like many others who regularly celebrate in this way.

Katherine invited everyone present – diners, front of house and kitchen staff – to go over to the family’s table and sing Happy Birthday when the specially made permissible birthday cake (that's it pictured in the post below, in which I congratulated Steve for his birthday yesterday!) was bought out. A lovely gesture, and the child was obviously delighted to be the centre of attention on her special birthday in a restaurant.

It was lovely to eat at Drysdale again – and see that the pre-Christmas cooking of goodies for their annual Christmas Shop sale was already underway, with the Christmas cakes waiting patiently to be decorated, bought and devoured.

Thanks guys!