Saturday, 30th May 2015: Hartsyard – Seed and Feed.
After another full day of shooting with Izzy, it was off to Hartsyard for some Seed and Feed. We sat down and ordered two dishes. We started eating at around 9pm, which was very late, so I was slightly hungry.
The first dish comes out, but it wasn’t what we ordered, it was a dish compliments of the chef, Chicken Skin Crisps served with a lemon. This was a great entree and snack, very crispy and crunchy.
Smoked Trout, Buttermilk Cheese, Fermented and Pickled Vegetables, Everything Bagel Crisps and Crispy Trout Skin was next up. The trout was smoked just right, didn’t dry it up, just enough to get it to a brownish colour, and for the trout to acquire some of that smoke. Everything worked well together, the crisps were really for decoration, it didn’t add anything to the dish, other than a crunch. The skin was very crispy.
Pulled Pork, Maple Bacon, Yoghurt, Apple. After watching someone so thoroughly enjoy their bacon for lunch at The Grumpy Baker, I was left yearning for some more bacon, so this was the dish I ordered. The dish comes out, my eyes widen, as a slab of bacon appears, forget about everything else on the dish. Okay there was some pulled pork there too, the pork fell apart very easily, could’ve just swallowed this without chewing. Back to the bacon, the maple complements the bacon very well , the slab was tender and juicy, easily cut through, and disappeared off the plate quickly.
Smashed Raspberry Cheesecake Soft Serve was the first dessert to come to the table, I’ve had Hartsyard’s Soft Serve before, but I think this was an oversized one. I knew i was in trouble, as I would be eating two thirds of this, as I have been doing with all the other dishes, This was good, but most of the flavour came from the raspberry and caramel topping, rather than the ice cream itself.
Pumpkin Pie, Almond and Pecan Crust, Spiced Pumpkin Custard, Pork Fat Caramel, Jack Daniels and Orange Jelly, Fried Pepitas, Maple Glazed Pumpkin, Torched Spiced Meringue, Pumpkin Chips, Smoked Maple Cream and Smoked Wood Ice Cream. This mouthful was the Pie of the Night. When this came out the four ladies sitting beside us, were so in awe of the plate they asked to take a snap, to share it with their Melbournian friends. They then wondered how we were going to finish it, as they had seen what we eaten all night between the two of us. Two massive desserts, I was thinking the same, and to the surprise of my dining partner, I did wipe it clean, after she vacated the table for a few minutes. The pie wasn’t too heavy, I did consume quiet a bit of it. There was a bit too much cream on the dish for my liking, more ice cream would’ve been better. Take a look at the photo, and you’ll see the whole plate covered in torched meringue. This plate is only good for one thing, your indulgence. The presentation of the dish was on point.
A night where I ate two-thirds of the plates, it was a ‘full-filling’ dinner with a nice relaxed atmosphere, this place is an ideal choice for groups, as there are a lot dishes on the menu, of which all are sharing plates. If you are a party of two, make sure your dining partner is hungry, and not just there for dessert, otherwise you’ll be eating a lot. Someone missed out on all the good food, should’ve come along!
