Monday 12 March 2012

Girls weekend away in Daylesford

Last weekend my girlies and I left our men behind and headed off for a weekend away in beautiful Daylesford. I've been to Daylesford a couple of times now, and have really fallen in love with this sleepy little town. Could have something to do with the fact that Daylesford is all about great food, and getting pampered. Which are pretty much my two favourite things in life!!

Our 1st exciting stop for the weekend was to pick up the keys to the house we had hired! A short drive to the house and it looked just like it did in the pictures! Phew! Seeing as I booked it! ha ha. I found the house 'Luxe On Queensbury' on Dayget website. Have attached the link and some pics below just incase your interested. http://www.dayget.com.au/Luxe-on-Queensberry






Farmers Arms Hotel


Now onto the food. I'd heard great things about the Farmers Arms Hotel so we decided to head there for dinner and drinks on our first night. We arrived and the place was packed. Always a good sign. We were lucky enough to get a cosy little corner table where we settled in with a few wines. The menu was large, and everything sounded delicious! Decisions..Decisions!



Pork Belly w Mash & Brocollini




I finally decided on the pork belly and was so excited when the dish arrived, because the skin was super crispy and delicious! Exactly how it should be. The potato mash served with the pork was super creamy, and the brocollini was nice and al dente. I enjoyed this meal so much that I think i'd be boring and order it again next time I'm at Farmers Arms. 


Dukkah Crusted Snapper w Rocket & Avocado Salad




Two of my fellow diners had the snapper, which of course I had a taste of. I loved the dukkah crust, and the rocket and avocado salad had a zesty citrus dressing which matched with the fish perfectly. 


Chicken Stuffed w Goats Cheese Served w Potato Mash & Asparagus




My other fellow diners ordered the chicken. I don't often order chicken dishes and when I do, I don't 100% enjoy them. But this chicken was so delicious and juicy. It made me think I need to give chicken more of a go! The chicken was served with the same yummy mash I got with my pork belly, and asparagus which was covered in a rich balsamic butter sauce. Yum Yum. 

The meals were so big that there was sadly no room for dessert. Maybe next time!

Famers Arms Hotel Address
1 East St 
Daylesford

Out Of Pocket
Pork Belly w Mash & Brocollini: $25
Dukkah Crusted Snapper w Rocket & Avocado Salad: $26
Chicken Stuffed w Goats Cheese served w Potato Mash & Asparagus: $26


Farmers Arms Hotel on Urbanspoon



Frangos & Frangos


Before heading off to get pampered and massaged we decided we deserved a glass of bubbly. Jimmy's bar at Frangos & Frangos looked like the perfect place! So we ventured inside and got seated at some cute bar stools, where we enjoyed a glass of the local prosecco. I wish I remembered the name of the prosecco as it was beautiful! While half of our group went off for the earlier session of pampering at Endota Spa, three of us girls stayed on at Frangos for a bite to eat. Although there were some great sounding things on the menu, there was one dish that we all got excited about......


Fried Zucchini Flowers Filled With Roasted Pumpkin, Ricotta & Sage, w Dill Mustard dressing




One bite and I was in heaven. The batter that coated the zucchini flowers was so light and crispy. And the inside filling was so beautifully seasoned and smooth. There is no way I could fault this dish. The syrup that was drizzled on the plate wasn't actually a mustard dressing as described on the menu. Instead it was a sweet honey based dressing which was amazing, and really bought all the elements of the dish together.


Frangos & Frangos Address
82 Vincent St
Daylesford

Out Of Pocket
Fried Zucchini Flowers Filled With Roasted Pumpkin, Ricotta & Sage, w Dill Mustard dressing: $16
Bottle Of Prosecco (shared between the 6 of us): $42

Frangos & Frangos Restaurant on Urbanspoon



Wombat Hill House


We had packed our bags and it was nearly time to head home. But before we made the drive back to Melb, we decided to head to the Wombat Hill House cafe in the Botanical Gardens. After taking a scenic drive through the beautiful gardens, we wandered along a windy path to get to the house. This little cafe really had a homely feel with its open fire, comfy couches, and great looking comfort food we could see being served up to other diners. 






Corn & Zuchinni Fritters, Smashed Avocado, Chilli & Tomato Salsa, Sour Cream w Bacon





I'm a huge fan of corn fritters and so are the girls I was away with. So much so, that most of us ordered the fritters. Although they weren't the best bfast fritters i've had, they were very tasty. And its the first time I've had them served with sour cream! I loved combining the fritter, bacon, roasted tomato and rocket with a smear of sour cream for each mouthful! I'm defiantly going to try and re-create this bfast combo at home.


Avocado & Salmon On Gluten Free Toast




Unfortunately for my gluten/dairy free girlfriend, (who normally relies on ordering poached eggs on gluten free toast) the cook refused to cook poached eggs. You would think they could poach an egg for her - seriously its not that hard right? Hmmmmm. So instead she asked them to do gluten free toast with avocado and salmon. It was presented nicely with a cute little pansy garnish, but it was pretty basic and sadly for her not nearly as exciting as the fritters. 


Blood Orange Hepburn Mineral Water




I discovered Hepburn flavoured mineral waters last time I was in Daylesford, and I was excited to see that they had some new flavours since I last tried them. The mineral water tastes so fresh, and they use a high percentage of real fruit, so they have a nice strong fruity flavour. My fav is the orange & passionfruit flavour. But I decided to try the blood orange this time, as I thought I should try one of the new ones. It was nice, but not nearly as good as the orange and passionfruit. I've noticed that some cafes in Melb are starting to stock this mineral water - so make sure you try one if you see it! You won't be disappointed!


Wombat Hill House Address
Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens (Up on the hill, near the Convent)
Daylesford

Out Of Pocket
Corn & Zuchinni Fritters, Smashed Avocado, Chilli & Tomato Salsa, Sour Cream w Bacon: $19
Avocado & Salmon On Gluten Free Toast: $16
Blood Orange Hepburn Mineral Water: $4.50

Watch out for my next post on the much talked about Mamasita mexican tapas bar/restaurant, a cute little Northcote cafe full of country style and character - Red Door Corner Store, and my Vic Market 'Foodies' tour I'm going on next weekend with my fellow food blogger cousin Lauren! Check out Lauren's blog if you get a chance. She has just posted some amazing japanese style seafood dishes she learnt to cook recently at the Electrolux Vic Market Cooking School. http://surburbanculinaryadventures.blogspot.com.au/

Wombat Hill House on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

  1. Yay for spruiking my blog! Thanks cuz! I just updated mine with a link to this lovely page also. Can't wait for our market tour next week... and I want to eat those zucchini flowers... now! Amazing. Keep it up! xxx

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  2. I also found Wombat Hill House kind of iffy. Great in some areas, dud in others. Cheers

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