The George

I was very lucky last week to be asked to be a guest of The George to sample their newly revised Spring menu. I’d stopped by the George for a drink before and earlier in the year had been lucky enough to have previous Head Chef Telina Menzies around to my house as part of a fabulous auction to fundraise for the QLD floods that my friends and I won (http://atomic-temporary-19383105.wpcomstaging.com/2011/04/09/the-george-at-mine/)  but I’d never ventured to the restaurant for lunch. An oversight on my part I now recognise.

So a friend of mine MF found the time to join me last Thursday for a bite of lunch and we showed up and were shown to the back corner booth. There’s something lovely about a booth. A little bit old school and in the plush surroundings of The George it is also a little bit glam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So I was happily perched in my chair while I purused the menu, with its array of delicious selections, all the more impressed that the drinks list was wrapped in cork! How trendy is that! Couldn’t go past the Howard Park Chardonnay by the glass ($10). My love affair with Chardonnay continues to grow as the days pass. And hard to go wrong with Howard Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So the next big decision was what to eat for lunch. We decided given it was a work day (unfortunately for us) that’s we’d just stick with mains and desserts and leave the three course extravaganza for another day. So it had been suggested to me that the duck dish was worth trying and as I read the description I couldn’t wait to give it a try. Confit duck leg, coconut rice, black bean kai lain, hot and sour sauce (gf) ($34). It sounded amazing! And my companion decided to give the fish of the day, spinach, tomato, shaved cuttlefish, black salt ($38) a go. The fish of the day was a red grouper.

Our waiter was a total gem, making sure our water glasses were constantly filled and letting us know that our mains weren’t fair away. It hadn’t been an offensively long wait and I wasn’t really phased but its always nice to be kept informed. And then there it was. Perfect presentation – a generous leg of duck on a bed of rice with some nicely cooked greens. The sauce was well flavoured  – the right combination of spicey and sweet. Delicious. I especially enjoyed the coconut rice. Full of flavour and a fabulous accompaniment to the duck, which literally just fell off the bone. Each mouthful was a real taste sensation and was just another notch in the “I Love Duck” year that has been 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Across the table, MF was enjoying his fish of the day. One thing I queried was whether he thought it would fill him up. Not to say it was on the small size, but without any chips or mashed potatoes I wondered how full he would be afterwards. He was very complimentary of the fish though and the crumbed cuttlefish was said to be very similar to squid. In all a tasty lunch I’m told and visually it looked lovely, with its fresh wedge of lime and smattering of micro herbs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So we were both feeling quite content after mains but I’d been told that the pecan pie was worth a try and we both decided it would perfectly round out our George experience. An indulgent caramel pecan pie, nougat ice cream ($14). I think it sounded all the more special when our waiter with his american accent described it as Pee-carn pie instead of the more Australian Pee-can. Tehehe adorable!

One interesting thing our friendly waiter has mentioned was that the dessert menu had been revised down to just four choice items, but that each of these was made on site. I think that’s important as it means the chefs have confidence in what is going out. It’s their work, they aren’t stressing about something being brought in and missing the mark. I thought it was a good move.

Anyways, I’m always excited about something sweet and when the cake arrived I couldn’t help but smile. It looked deletactable with its nougat icecream resting on top.

The pecan pie was pretty sweet, not something that phases me, but it may others. The pastry was good and buttery and the nuts in the tart added a nice chewy element. Turns out nougat is a fabulous ice cream flavour and it helped to balance the sweetness of the tart. I suspect I could have happily sat there and tried to work my way through a whole pie. I would have been bouncing off the walls afterwards but hey is there such a thing as enough of a good thing? A similar sentiment was shared by MF. Two thumbs up for dessert.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really couldn’t fault my lunching experience at The George and felt incredibly grateful for the opporunity to sample their Spring menu. Really wonderful service and incredibly tasty food. I’ll be back! In fact….. I actually already have a booking for their Pink Ribbon High Tea -delightful! Can’t wait! 🙂