Home Hill 2011

Lunched at Home Hill yesterday, and once again couldn’t fault it. They currently have a Lunch Special going, which is a $35 meal deal, Monday to Saturday. You get a choice of two entrees, and two mains, plus a glass of either their chardonnay or pinot.

The offerings vary from day to day, but yesterday’s entree choices were a Marinated Quail Salad, or Slow Roasted Pork Belly with apple tart tartin, with mains being either pan seared Huon Aquaculture salmon with potato croquettes and seasonal vegetables, or Longford Eye Fillet with jus, potato terrine and vegetables.

I had the quail salad for entrée, and eye fillet for mains. Although simple and straightforward, both dishes proved to be hugely tasty, with the technical expertise evident. The whole quail for the salad had been marinated in garlic and thyme, then dissected and pan fried. The salad mix was from those dedicated growers at Saltwater River, George and Hilary of Grown for Taste. Topped with a sweetish dressing of orange oil and cherry vinegar along with the Simon Johnson balsamic glaze, it was perfection on a stick. Light but tasty and satisfying.

The Longford eye fillet – well, what on earth could you do wrong to that? It was cooked perfectly to my specifications; the jus was full-bodied and flavoursome, and the vegetables complemented the dish well. They were baby purple carrots, asparagus, baby turnips and baby radish, along with the potato terrine, or potato tortilla as I have seen other places call it.

It was exactly what I felt like, and both dishes were ones I simply couldn’t be bothered making for myself at home at the moment.

I wholeheartedly recommend a drive to the country, climaxing with lunch at Home Hill. What are you waiting for? Book it now!