MUSE Restaurant and Cafe - Hunter Valley

Once again we were at Hunter Valley, and we decided to go to Muse as we didn't get the time to do so on our last visit. It was awarded with one chef hat from 2013 The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food guide, thus we couldn't wait to see what dishes would be served.

The restaurant was a bit different to what I imagined, but the exterior design fitted perfectly into the vineyard setting.


It was spacious inside, with approximately 65 seats. The restaurant was full of warm sunlight, and the ceiling appeared to have an interesting pattern. Our waiter handed us the menu, with tasting or course meal (two or three course) selections.


These were the complimentary breads, and I have to say I loved these more than all other ones I've tasted. Purely because they weren't as hard, and didn't come in an awkward shape that was difficult to bite on.










We ended up the following at $95.00pp, and our food adventure at Muse begins...


Amuse

I didn't get the full name for this, but I do remember the taste and texture LOL. The Amuse came in a circular shape that landed at the centre of our plate, and the base was a little creamy and very sour, along with the black truffle flakes and tomato powder. We found it quite sour to our taste bud, but the combination of the layers of textures was interesting.



Blue Swimmer Crab, Apple Glazed Pork Belly, peas, New Zealand wasabi, shellfish butter.

This was Bun's first course in which I have stole a few pieces from :p We absolutely loved the Crab meats, and the addition of that layer of pork belly just mixed together so well. I wasn't sure about the wasabi bit because I didn't taste too much of it, but I wasn't a fan of wasabi anyway. I found this combination was truly unique, you get that flavour of the sea along with the sweet aroma of the pork belly, HELL YEAH!



Sashimi Yellow Fin Tuna, Watermelon, pickled ginger, coriander, cucumber.

After I've seen Bun's first dish, I kind of regret my choice. At first I was very happy with the presentation, I loved the big portion of pink colour, the decoration of green, and that swipe of black to finish it off,  and it was almost like a perfectly balanced painting on a white canvas. So I took my first mouthful of the Sashimi and the Watermelon, and I felt this cold air fill me up from inside my mouth all the way down my throat. Yes it was very refreshing, but wasn't something that could surprise us.



We then got this little dish to clear up our palate, and it was some orange sorbet with lemon cream.



Crispy skin ocean trout, tomato, ketchup, garlic, pickled eschallor, herbs.

I really liked the contrast of the orange and green colours used here, as it really reminded me of this feeling from Monet's paintings. When the waiter handed this to Bun, I had a quick taste of the crispy skin ocean trout. Yep, the skin was EXTREMELY crispy, and it was cooked to the perfect temperature. However...the only thing I realised was the skin was too salty, and the other bits and pieces don't really balance this salty flavour. Other than that, it was still a quite amusing dish.



Nulkaba chicken breast, Liver Parfait, Yolk, "faux" black truffle, creamed corn, spinach, seeds.

When we saw the word "faux" black truffle on the menu (yes, the one that was sold for about €1000 per kg back in 2009 in farmers markets), we immediately know that this was something we have to try. The outcome didn't disappoint us at all, as the whole plate was full of different flavours, textures, sizes, and colours! The yolk was unbelievable, and this softness could not be described in words. The "faux" black truffles had a dry but tasteful coat, with a mixture of fillings inside the core. The creamed corn was soft, yet the seeds were hard, so that mouthful was challenging at first, but eventually you will like the combination of flavours. The chicken breast was quite tender, although again the skin was a little too salty. I wasn't sure about the Liver Parfait though, it had this odd sensation.



"Nitro Tiramisu"

I think most of us knew that Sydney had this ice cream shop called N2 Extreme Gelato, where they used Nitrogen to create the ice creams. Now here at Muse, we saw this "Nitro Tiramisu" and wondered..."What?" We couldn't imagine what it would be like so we just ordered this for my third course. I couldn't capture the mist that was coming of it, but it looked similar to N2. I couldn't remember all the things inside this dish, all I remember was the waitress poured in a shot of coffee. I had a complicated experience with dish, and I can only say I liked half of this dish. The top half was the sweet biscuits, Tiramisu and dry chocolate pieces, and bottom half was soaked in a sharp bitterness from the coffee shot. Although it was a very intelligent idea, I was a little overwelmed...



Coconut Cloud, berries, lychee, crystallised violet.

This was something I was going to pick before I saw the "Nitro Tiramisu", something that's much simpler. Bun liked the coolness of the Coconut, and the pieces of lychee hidden inside. I found this dish was more pleasant to eat, but it lacked abit of creativity.



Petit Four: Macaroons and some Chocolate Cocopops.

I looooooooove Macaroons, although these weren't as good as Ladurée ones, they were still nice little sweet to finish off the meal. LOL Bun loved the Chocolate Cocopops thing too...



The dinner at Muse finished off beautifully with a stunning sunset, and we were glad that we chose to visit here. We loved some of the dishes and they were truly worth the time to appreciate them slowly, and we hope to come back again someday for a completely different seasonal menu. Perhaps next time it will be good to try their food at the Cafe!



Address:
1 Broke Rd, Pokolbin NSW

Phone number:
02 4998 6777

Opening time:
Cafe: 7 days 10am - 5pm
Restaurant: Wed - Sat 6.30pm - 10pm


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Hunter Valley Part 4 - Bliss cafe, British Lolly shop and other random things

We walked to Hunter Valley garden and found Bliss cafe, so we decided to chill on a cup of Chilli hot chocolate (unfortunately we couldn't have coffee at the time, such a pity as we heard their coffee are actually really good).



What an odd combination? You sip on this warm Hot chocolate just to find the top was covered with chilli flakes...and it burns! Then you get that usual sweetness from underneath, but it wasn't strong enough to get rid of the burning sensation. I enjoyed this experience though, despite the fact we couldn't really finish it...


Address:
Broke Road Hunter Valley Gardens Shopping Village
Pokolbin, NSW

Phone number:
(02) 4998 6700

Opening time:
School Holidays Open 7 days
Monday, Tuesday Closed
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday 9.30am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Public Holidays 10.30am - 3pm


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We all love lollies! So we couldn't miss this stop at the British Lolly shop.

 

The lollies were placed in a small jar for display, and the staff gave us a sample of one of the fruity lollies. I simply enjoyed browsing in that shop, as it was friendly and full of bright colours. We ended up buying some random ones and saved them for afternoon snacks.



During one period of our lives, we were obsessed with the levitating photographs by Natsumi Hayashi and we couldn't help it but to try it by ourselves. So this time we arrived at the back field of Hunter Valley and got the camera ready to capture a levitating photo. The outcome was way better than what we imagined, so I guess it was all thanks to Bun who's naturally pro in capturing such moments. Anyway, it was fun :)


To conclude our Hunter Valley trip, we captured this sunset together. We loved this feeling of waiting for sunset together, it felt like time has froze and the happiness would last forever...

Hunter Valley part 3 - Cracked pepper restaurant

Cracked Pepper restaurant would be a perfect place for casual and relaxing lunch on a lazy weekend. The whole restaurant just really reminded me of an artist called Margaret Olley, whether it was the paintings on the wall, the tables and chairs, the lighting or the fresh produce. They created that "Still-life" feeling like a beam of sun light shining on the surface of many fresh fruits and flowers (similar to the mood from the painting below).

Above: Margaret Olley- Calendulas and Bush Lemons (image sourced from http://www.savill.com.au/2007ArtisticVisionsofNature.html)

Seared local quail with thyme and garlic on crunchy olive polenta, jus and aioli $22.50

This dish was like the best thing we ever tasted, it was succulent, flavoursome, and perfectly cooked. You will immediately be immersed into the heavenly aroma, and then indulge in this mature, softened and pleasant taste in your mouth.


Warm salad of garlic and chilli king prawns with black sticky rice, avocado and hot sour dressing $21.50 (entree size) / $37.00 (main size)

I have picked an entree size for this dish and it was actually good enough to keep me full. The combination of black sticky rice and prawns has fascinated me, so I have anticipated for a surprise. The chilli and the warmth of the black sticky rice created a strong contrast, where it initially sting your tongue a little and then followed by a smooth heal. The prawn was fulfilling for each bite, and the avocado added a little freshness.

Banoffee - Fresh Banana, salted caramel, choc pistachio crumble and cream layered in a tall glass $15.00

We loved this dessert, as it was presented in different layers containing different textures. After the cream, there were pieces of bananas dipped in salted caramel. It wasn't as saccharine as we thought, and the other layer of choc pistachio crumble certainly balanced well with the syrupy texture.

We could just call this restaurant "Miss little sunshine", it was adorable. Not only because of the relaxing atmosphere, the quality of the food, but also the lovely people. If we can go back to Hunter Valley again sometimes, we'd definitely want to stop there again for another round of lunch or even brunch.



Address:
1616 Broke Road, Pokolbin

Phone number:
(02) 4998 7076

Opening time:
Fri and Sat - Dinner
Fri to Wed - Lunch
Sunday brunch - 10am to noon


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Hunter Valley part 2 - Twine restaurant

While we were in Hunter Valley, our attention landed on this new restaurant which just opened in September 2012. Their signature dishes were the Singapore chilli mud crab and the half dozen oyster platter.














Just for the Singapore chilli mud crab, we decided to give it a try. Our booking was at 6pm when they just finished setting up the restaurant and lit up the candle lights. We liked the sight of the interior decorations as it seemed simple, tidy and elegant.














We got to our table and here comes the menu, so we picked according to our plans of 2 signature dishes. In addition, we decided to try out 1 of the main as well just because we thought it won't be enough.













Complimentary breads













Twine Oyster platter $22.00 - half dozen

Including Vodka pomegranate and lime caprioska, Cucumber and chilli sorbet, Smoked salmon, creme friache and salmon caviar, Pancetta wrapped, Truffled thyme and prosciutto crumbed with parmesan cream, Tempura with Asian crab salad.

 

I found the platter quite amazing! One thing to mention was that we thought the base for the oysters were dry ice, but instead it was too soft and we found out it was actually salt!

Each oyster were served with addition of different flavours and textures, while some were excellent, others didn't seem to work out very well. What I enjoyed the most was the Tempura with Asian crab salad, just because the taste of oyster went really smoothly with the crab salad. Bun said the Cucumber and chilli sorbet one was nice too as it was very refreshing, and you also get that contrast of hot and cold feelings on your tongue.

What I didn't really enjoy was the Vodka pomegranate and lime caprioska, even though it was an interesting presentation idea, I just found the way that the oyster was soaked in alcohol has created a stronger bitterness than I thought.
 

Oh hello, high tea time?? No no, look carefully! There are no scones, no sweets and no finger sandwiches. But the top layer had a crab sitting there peacefully, and followed by a bowl of coconut rice underneath, and then finally the tools and cleaning equipments at the very bottom.

Singapore chilli mud crab with coconut rice $8 per 100 grams

 

So here it was, the chilli mud crab that we have been waiting for! We were so excited and couldn't wait to get our hands dirty. The sauce was intense, and full of different flavours. I really enjoyed mixing the sauce with the coconut rice, just to make the sauces a little lighter with the scent of coconut.

Initially we were rather being modest with our finger digging, but by half way none of us really cared about how much sauce were smudged around our fingers. By the end of the digging process, I think there were some sauces stuck on our cheek, our neck, and all over our hands. It was a fun experience to eat carelessly, where you just want to enjoy the food with your whole heart. You will understand once you start on it too, like that satisfaction of gulping down a fat piece of crab meat sticking out of the claw.

 

Crispy skin pork belly braised in master stock with steamed broccolini and five spice pear puree $36.00

 

We actually regret picking this, not only because we were so full from the previous dishes already but also it didn't turn out like what we expected. The skin was very sticky and they just hugged onto my teeth for a century after each chew. Although the puree actually delighted up my appetite a little as it had a sophisticated taste. It was a nice try, but we'd be happy with just the previous 2 dishes already.

 

The feeling of trying out a new restaurant was very pleasant, as there were anticipations and curiosity. We had a romantic and intimate dining experience there, but if we have to make a suggestion, I would say the crab on the top tier was a little difficult to reach and the sauce can splat out onto your clothes if you don't be careful.

 

 

Address:

310 Oakey Creek Rd, Pokolbin

 

Phone number:

(02) 4998 7449 (Matt or Adam)

Opening time:
Open 7 days for Lunch
Friday and Saturday for Dinner "A la Carte"
Every Sunday evening for "Fireside Dining menu" from 5.30pm to 7.30pm

 

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Hunter Valley part 1 - Hot air balloon ride

I really can't remember when was the last time we woke up around 4.30am, when it was still dark outside and the moon is probably still reluctant to leave the sky. But there we were in Hunter Valley, welcomed a beautiful sunrise before our very first time on a Hot air balloon ride.

While we were there, some of us helped out to set up the balloon. Just like the pictures above, it rose slowly as the sun poked out from the horizon.



















It was a small group of about 10 people, and our balloon was actually the first one to fly off. For a person who's seriously afraid of height like me, it didn't feel too bad. The balloon rose gradually in a stable manner, and we were all just too occupied by the stunning sceneries to care about the height.


This picture we took really made me felt like we were at somewhere else, somewhere far away. Perhaps it was the frost over the ponds, or the little house standing beautifully on the field.

As we flew higher and higher, we realised all the other balloons were catching up too. Coincidentally, it was Hot air balloon festival in the area that day.


The water in the pond was transparent, and reflecting the blue sky above...it was just so peaceful.

Look at all those balloons behind us! They come in all sorts of wonderful colours to bright up the sky above the vineyards!

The sun has fully came out, and we saw this long road about half way of our flight. It was 6am something, and we will certainly remember this moment forever *wink*.


Bun and I loved this picture the most, as it was almost like some creative dots on a blue canvas. The sky felt surreal at this moment, and everything seemed like a dream.



As our flight almost came to an end, we took some more close-up shots of the balloons. We would highly recommend people to try the Hot air balloon ride at least once in their life, as it was such a memorable experience, especially when it's with your loved ones or special occasions :)