Serving Sydney rock oysters, freshly plucked and shucked from the lapping waters of Merimbula Lake lower than a stone’s throw from its floor-to-ceiling home windows, Valentina Restaurant embodies the Sapphire Coast Oyster Path with a degustation to showcase the area’s 5 estuaries.
You’d anticipate a restaurant with views over one of many figureheads of the Australian oyster heartland to have fairly good seafood, wouldn’t you.
However Valentina in Merimbula takes it a complete lot additional than simply ‘fairly good’.
On a traditional day, you’ll discover right here the form of dishes you’d anticipate from a fine-dining restaurant in a capital metropolis—not a little bit city that’s a six-hour drive alongside the coast from each Sydney and Melbourne.
However when Valentina desires to, it could actually flip it on.
We had been fortunate to be right here for the inaugural Eau de Terroir particular oyster and wine degustation dinner, the place the sensible minds within the kitchen and the wine cellar be part of to create a meal revelation.
Take a look at our video from the Eau de Terroir night right here:
The aim of this five-course meal is to indicate not solely how oysters can go along with all types of various wine or be served in plenty of other ways, however extra to indicate how totally different they will style simply due to the place they stay.
Oysters from every of the 5 estuaries of the Sapphire Coast—Wonboyn, Pambula, Merimbula, Nelson, Wapengo—present how every lake imparts on its oysters particular qualities.
This is rather like the idea of terroir, when the identical wine selection will style fully totally different relying on the soil the grapes develop in. These within the know name the oyster model of this ‘merroir’.
Eau de Terroir oyster and wine degustation—Valentina Merimbula
First, let me set the scene.
The solar’s simply setting, leaving shards of golden mild to fleck from the floor of Merimbula Lake, some of the prestigious Sydney rock oyster habitats on the earth.
From the primary ground, looking of this stunning physique of water via its wall-of-glass home windows is Valentina. As you stroll in, you’re instantly conscious of the relaxed but subtle atmosphere of the venue, and the workers welcome you with real smiles.
The tables, though completely spaced for intimacy and romance, are tonight prepared for the occasion of the 12 months.
Replete with menus and explanatory notes on the decadent feast you’re about to take pleasure in, every desk is ready for the Eau de Terroir degustation.
It’s a easy but delicate idea: the pairing of wine and oysters.
The run of play is a mess of dishes; programs with names like Pure, Chilly, Heat, Pasta and Candy provide you with an thought of what’s coming, however you realise there’s a lot extra happening as every dish arrives.
To start out with although, we’re supplied a gin martini or G&T. This won’t appear related till we study the gin is North of Eden Distillery’s unimaginable Oysters Shell Gin. This can be a native distillery that makes superb gins anyway, however the Oyster Shell, which makes use of precise shell in its distillation, is great.
Purchase your bottle of North of Eden Oyster Shell Gin right here.
Pure course
First out is the Pure dish. We’re served a plate of two totally different Sydney rock oysters with lemon and lime wedges. One half of the dozen is from proper right here at Merimbula Lake. They’ve a robust assertive flavour and are fairly salty and minerally.
The opposite half are from Pamubula Lake. You possibly can study extra about Pambula oysters in addition to our oyster shucking masterclass right here. However these oysters are creamier and sweeter.
On a separate plate, a 3rd kind of oyster arrives although. These are the Merimbula Angasi mud oysters and are huge, although not missing flavour or texture.
This course is paired with a Muscadet from the Loire Valley in France, the final word wine for pure oysters. Its advanced buttery, citrusy notes go so effectively with all of the flavours from these three oysters that current mineral, saline, iodine and creamy notes .
Chilly course
Subsequent come a pair of chilly and chilled dishes beginning with six Merimbula oysters ready-topped with a mixture of substances—a gin and tonic granita that’s sharp and palate-cleansing, an excellent purple wine vinegar and shallot mignonette and better of all wasabi mousse and ponzu.
The savoury notes from the ponzu steadiness so effectively with the zingy warmth of the wasabi.
Our second chilly dish is an oyster tartare. Served in a bowl-shaped crunchy wanton, the entire oyster sits below a blanket of finely shopped chives with glowing globes of salmon roe on high.
To go along with this course, Valentina serve a clear dry German troken Riesling, whose crisp freshness matches the lightness of the meals.
Heat course
This subsequent spherical of dishes—4 in all—is probably essentially the most artistic.
First are 4 house-made vol au vents stuffed with a blue cheese béchamel and a complete Merimbula oyster.
These cylinders of puff pastry take me proper again to my childhood when vol au vents had been a ubiquitous social gathering snack. I say carry ‘em again! Completely scrumptious.
Subsequent, served of their shells, are Sydney rock oysters in a wealthy velvety Champagne beurre blanc topped with caviar—a extremely opulent dish that speaks to the luxurious of consuming oysters.
Additionally of their (huge) shells are engasi mud oysters cooked in a fragile tempura batter and served on a velvety squid ink sauce. These huge engasi oysters are so creamy and wealthy, they don’t get almost sufficient credit score or fame.
Lastly for this course is an oyster po’boy. I’ve had considered one of these earlier than at Ironside in San Diego so my benchmark is ready fairly excessive.
Served in a buttery brioche with a pointy caper-forward tartare sauce, the juicy deep-fried oysters create such a spread of textures in opposition to the pillowy bread. Very spectacular.
This course comes with a Pinot Blanc from Alsace in France. It’s a creamy, full-bodied, daring wine—particularly for a white and has a beautiful warming sensation identical to these dishes. But it additionally has sufficient acidity to chop via the richness.
Pasta course
In spite of everything this meals, you’d assume that the very last thing you’d wish to eat is an enormous plate of pasta. However then this comes out.
A wonderfully al dente linguini with the smoothest velvety alfredo egg-based sauce and bottaga roe punctuated with tender smoked oysters. It’s an exquisite dish that, though fairly wealthy, is so moreish and balanced, you may’t cease consuming it.
Paired with this dish is an enormous fats Chardonnay from the Mornington Peninsula. It’s a rounded, fruit-forward wine that squares as much as the sturdy flavours and textures of the pasta with out taking away from the fragile flavours of the smoked oysters or the sauce. On the similar time, it has sufficient acidity on the finish to chop via the richness.
Candy course
Lastly, the dessert comes, although we’re unsure how far more we will eat.
Served on a mattress of toasted granola, the quenelle of oyster stout ice cream (I don’t know how they make it) is chocolaty and lightweight but full of umami. Subsequent to the ice cream is a creamy easy zabaglione made with champagne, which provides a light-weight elegant mouth-feel to ingredient.
It’s a shocking dish that captures how versatile oysters may be—when you’ve got abilities like this kitchen.
With the dessert is a hazy Pet Nat glowing wine that cuts proper via the sugar and cream. Champagne works effectively with ice cream desserts anyway, however the Pet Nat, which has extra physique than the typical glowing.
On the again of this unimaginable expertise, we actually wish to come again to Valentina on a daily night time. We ask the workers what’s good right here.
They suggest the burrata and flatbreads, the anchovy toast, scallops with beurre bland and black pepper, spaghetti vongole, wagyu steak, snapper and tuna tartare, and the whipped cod roe antipasto.
Appears like we’ll have to come back again a number of instances. What a disgrace!
